La Fin Des Livres

** "La Fin Des Livres" by Octave Uzanne and Albert Robida is a thought-provoking look into the future of books and communication, penned in the late 19th century. Acting as a mix of science fiction and philosophical thoughts, the story follows how new technology could change reading and writing forever. It paints a picture of a world where printed books have vanished, replaced by sound-based media, raising worries about the end of reading. The story unfolds through discussions between book lovers and thinkers after a science talk, where the narrator claims that sound recording tech will make printed books useless. He forecasts that libraries will morph themseleves into "phonographothèques," and people will listen to literature. Key ideas add up during this conversation as society might rely on sound becoming the main source instead of the printed word. **