The future of books will look brighter the moment you open your mind to imagination.
Will print books die? Or maybe ebooks will die sooner? Will we live in flats with no bookshelves, and cities with no bookstores? Will we forget how to turn pages in a book? Will robots do all the reading for us?
A cartoonist can often predict the course of events more precisely than the strategist. A cartoonist has a sharp mind and uses all his imagination to define the world in a few images rather than hundreds of excel sheets or presentation slides.
Let’s take the point of view of cartoonists and forget for a moment about what analysts, strategists, and marketing gurus say.
Most of the cartoons in this overview are drawn by Tom Gauld, a Scottish cartoonist and illustrator whose works regularly appear in The New Yorker, The Guardian, New Scientist, and The New York Times. His wittiest literary cartoons are collected in his latest book, Baking with Kafka.
Other cartoons put together in this list were drawn by Grant Snider, John Atkinson, Jeff Koterba, and Jim Benton. We’ve also included our own cartoons, drawn by Piotr Kowalczyk, the founder of Ebook Friendly.
Cheer up. No matter where the book is heading, it will stay with us in one form or another.
20 cartoons about the future of books
1
E-bookmark. Bringing constant technological interruptions to all your books! A cartoon by Tom Gauld. ⇢ Credits and more info.
2-3
Abridged classics. Funny versions of classic novels for the Twitter-era readers. Created by an Ottawa-based cartoonist John Atkinson. ⇢ Credits and more info.
4
An impressive library. A cartoon by Jeffery Koterba, cartoonist, writer, and musician. ⇢ Credits and more info.
5
An e-reader arrives in kitchen and what happens next. A cartoon by Tom Gauld. ⇢ Credits and more info.
6
A future for bookstores. “People say that print is dying but I hope that some experiences will never change. Dear all bookstores, please don’t die!” ⇢ Credits and more info.
7
Gifting a book in 2033. A hardcover edition delivered by Amazon drone or a direct brain download? ⇢ Credits and more info.
8
Used book simulation on your e-reading device. Odours, previous reader’s bookmarks, simulated damage, and marginalia. A cartoon by Tom Gauld. ⇢ Credits and more info.
9
Frozen iPad. A cartoon by Jim Benton. ⇢ Credits and more info.
10
Available book formats. What’s your favorite one? A cartoon by Tom Gauld. ⇢ Credits and more info.
11
E-bookmobile. Touch to start. A cartoon by Dave Coverly. ⇢ Credits and more info.
12
When books came into being. Sometime between stone tablets and Kindles. ⇢ Credits and more info.
13
Literary devices. Which one would you use? A cartoon by grant Snider. ⇢ Credits and more info.
14
Libraries of the future. Tom Gauld imagines things that you will be able to find in the library of the future. ⇢ Credits and more info.
15
A big library. You wouldn’t need it for all your ebooks. A cartoon by Teddy Tietz. ⇢ Credits and more info.
16
Remember us books? See, you are already getting dumber without us. ⇢ Credits and more info.
17
The book of the future. What’s your favorite feature of the book of the future? A cartoon by Grant Snider. ⇢ Credits and more info.
18
How to use paper books. A cartoon by Mella Hopper. ⇢ Credits and more info.
19
Introducing aBook. A cartoon by John Atkinson. ⇢ Credits and more info.
20
Shakespeare adaptation generator. Select one item from each column to create the title for the new Shakespearean tragedy! A cartoon by Tom Gauld. ⇢ Credits and more info.
Keep exploring. Here are other lists and tips our readers enjoy:
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