Read Street regulars may recall that on my list of "10 Reasons to hate the Kindles," #2 was: Beautiful Russian ballerinas won't introduce themselves upon noticing your copy of Secrets of Nijinsky. Well, the New York Times recently took up the theme with an article on books as aphrodisiacs (or at least as conversation starters) -- and how all that vanishes with the Kindle and its ilk.

From the article: The practice of judging people by the covers of their books is old and time-honored. And the Kindle, which looks kind of like a giant white calculator, is the technology equivalent of a plain brown wrapper. ... Michael Silverblatt, host of the weekly public radio show “Bookworm,” uses the term “literary desire” to describe the attraction that comes with seeing a stranger reading your favorite book or author. “When I was a teenager waiting in line for a film showing at the Museum of Modern Art and someone was carrying a book I loved, I would start to have fantasies about being best friends or lovers with that person,” he said.

Bravo! Love conquers all, but can such fantasizing withstand the ruthless efficiency and tech-envy inspired by the Kindle?  

Photo courtesy of Moscow Ballet