Ever since I started working on the web in the world of books and publishing, back in 2005, I have been asked in many different ways: “But, is the ‘book’ still relevant?” That is, can books retain their power and place as core transmitters of knowledge, in the face of the unrelenting advance of media and other technologies? More specifically, is there a future world where textbooks still matter? In this talk I’ll discuss an encompassing definition of the book, one that takes into account not just text and digital media, but includes more exciting human interactions as well. I’ll propose—for debate!—a vision of the book that maintains its central place as a node of knowledge within our wider web of media, understanding, and human connections. Finally I’ll make the case that as we see continuing polarization of understanding of the world, explicitly growing more public and accessible human communities around books may offer a glimmer of hope for the future of knowledge.