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Nevertheless there must be something more to the book mystery. Why not just go out and travel the world if discovery and experience are so important to you? Another dimension of the allure of the published word is the effort involved in reading and the lust for cognizant activity.

The act of reading is an act of learning. Every time an eye peruses a page of written text, the brain whips into action; picking out unknown words, new ways of speaking, new ideas, etc. It requires concentration and a willingness to struggle with tough concepts. Many people who reject the hobby of reading complain that it is “too much work”—that they can receive the experience encased in the syntax and diction through much easier means. These people are Walker Percy’s proverbial consumers. “The consumer is content to receive an experience…