Interview with Marjorie Perloff

There is no doubt that the internet has revolutionized publishing.  I agree with Kenneth Goldsmith's axiom that “If it isn’t on the internet, it doesn’t exist.”  But that doesn’t spell the end of the printed book.  On the contrary!  Surfers of the internet, discovering an electronic journal or website, then often want to own the book in question.  I know in my own case, my book Wittgenstein’s Ladder (University of Chicago Press, 1996) has sold especially well (some 6,000 copies, in both hard and paperback, which is very good for a scholarly book) and at least three of its six chapters are available on my website and the Chicago website.  But I do think the electronic journals will replace the print ones.
[read full piece]