One of the chief virtues of the book is that it’s nearly the only remaining form of media that isn’t constantly being interrupted by ads. Between the covers is the last place on earth where no one is trying to sell you shit, a place where you can still be a human being rather than a mark.

January 02, 2026 - 22:16 UTC

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So far: paperbacks in the 1970s were a whole different world. Worse, those ads were mostly cigarette ads, too.
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By way of example, this may not have been the precise book that set off Harlan Ellison to mail a dead gopher to his publisher’s comptroller, but I definitely understand his feelings on the matter:
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Hey, don't give them any ideas!
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Yes. Yes. Yes.
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I mean, I have never and probably will never use an e reader or tablet, but I suspect it won't be long before they shoehorn ads into ebooks that way, and probably audiobooks that aren't from physical media originally.
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Some of the cheaper Kindles come with ads and you can pay an extra amount to stop them
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Magazines are books with ads, haha, but they're a dying format
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As long as you can pay attention enough to read it, which I struggle with these days. So many books piled up on my shelf.
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Cheap paperbacks back in the 70s, and maybe earlier, had ads in them. Sometimes on glossy pages in the middle of the book, sometimes at the back.
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same with public libraries

(which is why both are under attack from folks who want us to be just like them)
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A well-chosen woods to walk in is another. Although yes, there's all the bird calls...
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Kevin Trudeau would beg to differ. His books were mostly pitches to get readers to sign up for his other businesses.

I do prefer audiobooks to podcasts; pay attention, and you get lots of info and no promos for frozen meals and mattresses.
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anyway buy my books lol

(or check em out of the library!)

i guess a paid newsletter also fulfills these criteria. okay a book is the last form of media that is neither interrupted by ads *nor* situated in your email.
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@bengoldfarb.bsky.social FYI we have requested your books at our library to ensure that they have them on their self. THEN we buy the to always have a personal copy. Kind of a duel purchase. … Anyway is there a target date for your new book, I believe on rivers and lakes?
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😎
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I’m reading The Book of Eels. Like beavers and cod there’s a rich natural history associated with them. 🐉
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My brain insists that someone wrote some books and they were translated into another language and ads for soup were put into the story in the way of scenes where the characters eat a brand of soup. Can’t remember author or series. Anyone?
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Terry Pratchett's discworld books
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