The importance of the printed word is being questioned with the advent of technological innovations, and in the age of electronics, reading is no longer confined to the printed page. Whether the book shall survive is being questioned as electronic surrogates appear and computer technology alters the publishing process. An entire product can be disseminated by electronic distribution. Theoretical and working models of the electronic book have been developed; they are represented in simple form by the hand-held electronic language dictionaries, and more sophisticated models are available. The ideal electronic book should embody the flexibility and portability of the printed book and even improve on these benefits. If the function and authority of print migrate to other media, a role may still remain for books as printed books permit greater stability and a preservation of textual authority. No matter how rosy the future of electronic information, the questions of textual authority and preservation remain. (Contains 108 references.) (SLD)