E-readers have been a staple of my life for over a decade. I am a voracious reader and I love books. I also speak more than one language. Since my work has blessed me with the opportunity to travel globally, it has never been convenient for me to carry a large number of book as I travel. The e-reader has been a wonderful modern convenience to me.
Unfortunately, I have noticed a troubling trend in my digital library. Please note I have e-readers from more than one country and in multiple languages. I have written columns, blogs, and papers referencing digital material. When I review some of the material years later, I discover some of my references have been deleted. They no longer exist.
I know digital books are updated. Receiving the next edition’s update of a book over my e-reader is considered a benefit or a convenience. But there is no reference made to the missing material. There is no link back to a previous edition and usually no notice that this modification has taken place.
This troubles me for a couple of reasons. First, it undermines the work I have published. When people go to verify my research or references and the references are missing, my credibility is damaged. Second, in such a hostile political environment, it is possible what I have read or referenced may fall out of favor with the general populace. If that be the case, it is possible parts of my digital library can be deleted.
In history there have been a number of mass book burnings. These are usually not a good thing. It can also be noted when Marxists, Communists, or extreme Socialists come to power, they strive to change the language and rewrite history. The goal is to separate people from their roots and traditions. People without a foundation can be reformed into anything the ruling parties desire.
In a digital world, this becomes very simple. I hope you can see my dilemma.
“The first battlefield is to rewrite history… Take away the heritage of a people and they are easily persuaded.”
– Karl Marx
- S.C.P.
For further information, please read:
I Will Bear Witness, Volume 1: A Diary of the Nazi Years: 1933-1941 – Victor Klemperer
I Will Bear Witness, Volume 2: A Diary of the Nazi Years: 1942-1945 – Victor Klemperer
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
Sojourner in Asia 
October 13, 2020 at 2:17 am
Very true I had not thought of this
On Sat, Oct 10, 2020 at 9:23 PM Sojourner in Asia wrote:
> thephillipsinasia posted: ” E-readers have been a staple of my life for > over a decade. I am a voracious reader and I love books. I also speak > more than one language. Since my work has blessed me with the opportunity > to travel globally, it has never been convenient” >