Getting the Best out of Books

WHEN broadcasting began many librarians thought that wireless would make people read less. We were wrong. On the contrary, as a nation we are reading very much more than ever. This may seem a sweeping generalisation, but I have been a librarian in touch with all kinds of readers, booksellers and publishers, in different parts of England, for more than twenty years, and I find evidence to support this statement in all directions. We have found ourselves living in a world that is unsettled, changing. We've begun to ask questions about ourselves, our fellow creatures, our environment—everything. And, in increasing numbers, we've turned to books for the answers—naturally, since books are the store houses of facts and ideas, and, because of their limitless range, they can offer something to all types of seeker—not only knowledge but pleasure, comfort and vision.