The Future of the Page

Susan McKnight is an administrator of the Courts Technology Integrated Justice Project at the Ontario Ministry of the Attorney General.

In their introduction, the editors define the book as “a library of
pages” and point out that “it is at the level of the page that the
real business of communication proceeds.” The essays in this
collection discuss the various forms that the page has taken, from the
days of stone tablets to the simulated pages on the most advanced
computer technology available today.

The page is important as a form of communication, as a historical
resource, and as a commentary on most cultural aspects of society. It
reflects who we were and who we are. It expresses life on many levels
through design, the use of various materials, fonts, colours, and
graphics. Its very construction can appeal to our emotions and senses,
making the page one of the most powerful and universal forms of human
communication.

The essays are well documented and supplemented with many illustrations
and samples. In the book’s most visually stimulating paper, “Our
Bodies Are Not Final,” the author explores modern technology
(including artificial intelligence) through the use of computer screen
shots and various other forms of “pages” created through computer
technology.

Although perhaps most suitable for an academic readership, The Future
of the Page can be appreciated by anyone who is interested in exploring
human history, culture, and philosophy through the oft-neglected page.