Up until the 1990s, Americans read their newspapers, magazines, and novels the way they always had: on paper. In the 1990s, the growing popularity of books on tape and the Internet revolution brought change to American print culture. Recorded books had been around for some time, but they grew in popularity during the decade. As prices dropped, more and more Americans began to listen to the latest books on tape in their cars or on personal cassette players.

Another major change in print culture was the emergence of the "e-book" and other forms of electronic print media. Book publishers sought to increase their profits by offering some titles electronically. Readers could download the book on to a personal computer or one of several new electronic devices designed just for e-books (if one could stand the less-than-perfect image quality). Magazine and newspaper publishers produced electronic...