Some of you might think that Bradbury’s prophecy is coming true with this headline. Allow me to explain for those that do not.
In Ray Bradbuy’s famous novel, it takes place in a world where printed books have been completely outlawed. If any are found, men who are called “firemen” come in and incinerate them (at that temperature). I believe that Bradbury used this fictional world to symbolize the rise of technology eliminating the desire for intelligence.
Ray Bradbury has always hated the Internet, calling it a “distraction, at best”. He has refused to have his books appear as ebooks, and has even stated in a New York Times interview that ereaders “smell like burned fuel”.
Bradbury is one of the great masters of science fiction, and there is rumor that some of his other works will make it to e-book format, such as The Martian Chronicles and The Illustrated Man. I just checked on my Kindle Fire, and I found that Fahrenheit 451 is about $9.99.
Fortunately, we are at the point where books are still pretty pertinent, and we haven’t gone to an all e-book format. Personally, I don’t think we will ever arrive at a point where we will be burning books because a digital format has replaced print media. Sadly, any paper books that we cherish now will eventually turn into dust.
