Our brains, scientific evidence reveals, change in response to our experiences. The printed book served to focus our attention, promoting deep and creative thought. In contrast, the Internet encourages rapid, distracted sampling of small bits of information. As we become ever more adept at scanning and skimming, are we losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection?

Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-256) and index.

Prologue : The watchdog and the thief -- Hal and me -- The vital paths -- A digression : On what the brain thinks about when it thinks about itself -- Tools of the mind -- The deepening page -- A digression : On Lee de Forest and his amazing audion -- A medium of the most general nature -- The very image of a book -- The juggler's brain -- A digression : On the buoyancy of IQ scores -- The church of Google -- Search, memory -- A digression : On the writing of this book -- A thing like me -- Human elements.