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So I finally got around to reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. I say finally because it's been in print for over 50 years. It's well worth a read. As many have noted before me, it's remarkably prescient, both in the technology it depicts and of a society intensely and increasingly focused on often trivial media.

The novel depicts a world where books a banned. The hero of the story, Montag, is a fireman. However the once noble profession has been corrupted. Now that all houses have been fire-proofed, a fireman's job is to burn books. Citizens are encouraged to dob in suspected book owners / readers and the fire brigade is called out.

Montag is happy in his job until one day he just picks up a book and instead of burning it, takes it home and reads it. And his world is turned upside down. You should read the book to find out the rest.

Particularly compelling is Montag's argument with his captain, Beatty, where Beatty defends the practice of burning books.

PS: 451°F is the temperature at which book-paper ignites.