summary paragraphs 1-3 "The Owl Has Flown"

Birkerts first makes the revelation that reading and writing coexist in anonymity. Then goes on to state that of the two reading has a better claim to namelessness. Birkerts begins to explain that over time the way we receive and process written word begins to change. He gives the example of saint augustine being taken aback by the fact that saint ambrose read quietly to himself. I think that the most important examples are that of the democratization of education and mechanically produced books. Birkerts continues to expand upon this by describing the works of historian Rolf Engelsing which concludes that up until 1750 men only read a few books exclusively due to availability of texts. This gave these men a depth of understanding with the few texts they did have.