If I told you there was a book with 845 million readers, would it make you feel good as a bibliophile? If this book was estimated to be worth $16 billion dollars, could we stop worrying about the death of the printed word?

At first it feels absurd to call Facebook a book. But the more I think about it, the less I’m sure.

The original face book was a book—a directory of students and faculty, printed and distributed by universities. Did it stop being a book when it went online? Surely not. All kinds of books are digital now. Does it stop being a book because it has multiple contributors, color photos, and an interactive text that’s unique to each reader? Nope. Books have done all of that before.

If you don’t think Facebook is a book, tell me why. Please. I want to know.

And if Facebook is a book, then it’s the most successful book since the Bible.

– Brian Hurley