Could Our Treasured Books Just Disappear?

Is it possible that books, as they exist, now, could be lost to nature, violence, or an accident? 

In Hungary, 100,0000 centuries-old books are being pulled off the shelves of a thousand-year-old monastery library. They are being cleansed of the breadbeetle, which can destroy old books that have gelatin and starch-based adhesives.  About a quarter of the abbey’s 400,000 books are in danger. The beetles have infested the library and have begun eating through pages of history.

 

NBC News reported: “To kill the beetles, the crates of books are being placed into tall, hermetically sealed plastic sacks from which all oxygen is removed. After six weeks in the pure nitrogen environment, the abbey hopes all the beetles will be destroyed. Before being reshelved, each book will be individually inspected and vacuumed. Any book damaged by the pests will be set aside for later restoration work.”

 

This is not the first time that books have been threatened, lost, or destroyed.

 

History is filled with fires, both accidental and intentional, that have destroyed libraries, bookstores, museums, and private collections. Floods, storms, and poor storage conditions have seen millions of manuscripts and books lost forever. Wars have bombed away books of history, culture, and science. Dictators and churches have destroyed millions of books that it deemed as unfit. Physical books are subjected to physical challenges.

 

But digital books are in danger of loss as well. If technology fails us or becomes outdated, will we be able to retrieve our books? What if a hacker unleashes a book-killing virus or holds them ransom? What if mega data-storage stations are lost to terrorism, storms, meteorites, solar flares, or other unforeseen dangers? What if we lose the ability to power up whatever grid is being relied on to energize our technology? Or, maybe climate change, will wreak enough havoc on the planet that the challenge to produce, store, and share information will become problematic.

 

There are so many threats to our books. Treasure them, preserve them, share them.

 

Do You Need Book Marketing Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, with over four million page views, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com  He is available to help authors like you to promote your story, sell your book, and grow your brand. He has over 30 years of experience in successfully helping thousands of authors in all genres. Let him be your advocate, teacher, and motivator!

 

About Brian Feinblum

This award-winning blog has generated over 4.5 million pageviews. With 5,300+ posts over the past 14 years, it was named one of the best book marketing blogs  by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs  and recognized by Feedspot in 2021 and 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by www.WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.”  Copyright 2025.

 

For the past three decades, Brian Feinblum has helped thousands of authors. He formed his own book publicity firm in 2020. Prior to that, for 21 years as the head of marketing for the nation’s largest book publicity firm, and as the director of publicity at two independent presses, Brian has worked with many first-time, self-published, authors of all genres, right along with best-selling authors and celebrities such as: Dr. Ruth, Mark Victor Hansen, Joseph Finder, Katherine Spurway, Neil Rackham, Harvey Mackay, Ken Blanchard, Stephen Covey, Warren Adler, Cindy Adams, Todd Duncan, Susan RoAne, John C. Maxwell, Jeff Foxworthy, Seth Godin, and Henry Winkler.

 

His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent (https://pubspot.ibpa-online.org/article/whats-needed-to-promote-a-book-successfully).

 

He hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America several years ago, and has spoken at ASJA, BookCAMP, Independent Book Publishers Association Sarah Lawrence College, Nonfiction Writers Association, Cape Cod Writers Association, Willamette (Portland) Writers Association, APEX, Morgan James Publishing, and Connecticut Authors and Publishers Association. He served as a judge for the 2024 IBPA Book Awards.

 

His letters-to-the-editor have been published in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Post, NY Daily News, Newsday, The Journal News (Westchester) and The Washington Post. His first published book was The Florida Homeowner, Condo, & Co-Op Association Handbook.  It was featured in The Sun Sentinel and Miami Herald.

 

Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog, and El Chapo, a pug rescue dog.

 

You can connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum/ or https://www.facebook.com/brian.feinblum