The primary focus of this essay is the forms of reading proposed by contemporary, commercial magazines and books, with consideration of related concepts in pop music and electronic media. It raises the question of what it means to read and interpret when the parameters of visual and verbal signs and contexts are transient and mutable. Zelevansky asks "what does scanning, sampling, hypermedia, etc. mean for the creators and consumers of books destined for the new electronic superstore? The future of the book form is entwined with the future of reading." -- Source of annotation: Marvin or Ruth Sackner.