Is the book about to bite the dust? Can you curl up with a good mystery if you have to download it first, and will your kids have to plug in the laptop to read "Goodnight Moon"? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge a consumer's guide to e-books and e-publishing. A look at Stephen King's stretch from the page to the computer screen. And literary critic Harold Bloom recalls the forgotten pleasure of reading a really good book.

Journalist Stephen J. Dubner has written a piece on Stephen King's adventures in E-publishing for the New York Times magazine. Dubner tells Steve Paulson that King is a trickster, a recovered alcoholic and writes books like some people change shirts. He's also a hard worker, a generous philanthropist, and serious about growing as an artist. Also, John Hamilton tells Judith Strasser that Americans need to become discerning readers. Too much junk is taking up space on the nation's bookstore shelves. Hamilton is the author of "Casanova Was A Book Lover: And Other Naked Truths and Provocative Curiosities about the Writing, Selling and Reading of Books."

Scholar Harold Bloom is the author of over twenty books, most recently "How to Read and Why." He tells Steve Paulson about the joys of deep reading, says his one encounter with an E-book was not a happy experience, and remarks that his perception of time has changed as he's gotten older.

• Cadillac by Combustible Edison from the album I, Swinger
• Theme from The Shining on the album Music from the films of Stanley Kubrick
• Concertos for 2 & 3 Keyboards by J.S. Bach; Bob James with Guher & Suher Pekinel

Distribution dates:

• week of 08/20/2000 - hour 2