I wonder, however, if we need to worry about whether that needle is as sharp as it used to be and if the hay is rotting under its own obesity.

A recent study by R.R. Bowker, a New Jersey-based firm that compiles statistics on books published in the United States, estimates that a record 195,000 new works were published last year. That’s a 14 percent increase over 2003, and a big jump over the 115,000 new titles issued a decade ago.

Some new titles, however, stand out and with the help of promotional campaigns sell a lot of copies even before they hit the shelves of bookstores and libraries.

That’s the case today when the latest in the "Harry Potter" string of novels is unveiled after weeks of secrecy, security and media hype.

Two weeks before today’s release date, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" was already at the top of the Amazon.com best-seller list. It will be quite a feat for the book to soar to the top of other sales lists — at $29.95 a pop.

But Harry Potter is the exception to the trend that, despite all the new titles each year, book sales are plummeting.

Another study, by the Book Industry Study Group, documented a decline of 40 million in the number of books sold last year, compared to 2003.

That’s tough: about 200,000 new releases but millions in fewer sales. It figures, though, because other studies show that in recent years fewer people are reading literary books — novels, short stories, poetry and plays.

Reading of literature is declining greatly, with fewer than half of American adults doing it, according to a National Endowment for the Arts survey released last year titled Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America.

The study also illustrated a drop of 10 percentage points in literary readers from 1982 to 2002, representing a loss of 20 million potential readers. The rate of decline is increasing and, according to the survey, has nearly tripled in the last decade.

According to NEA Chairman Dana Gioia, the report shows the development of a national crisis.

"Reading develops a capacity for focused attention and imaginative growth that enriches both private and public life," he said. "The decline in reading among every segment of the adult population reflects a general collapse in advanced literacy. To lose this human capacity — and all the diverse benefits it fosters — impoverishes both cultural and civic life."

Of course, we all know why people aren’t reading as many books. They take too long to complete. And that’s contrary to an age where we have to move so fast that we can’t even handle being on dial-up with our home computers.

People who don’t read books tend to watch more television and spend more time online than those who do. OK, that’s no surprise. But why would book publishers think that in such a culture they should be putting out so many new titles every year?

Obviously they think a wider variety of new books will attract more readers and buyers. And sales figures, the Book Industry Study Group says, are expected to turn around a bit this year thanks to fiction, travel and religion books rebounding.

Andrew Grabois, senior director of publisher relations and content development for R.R. Bowker, thinks he has an explanation.

"Publishers are betting," he said, "that the reading public, exhausted by four years of terrorism, war, and polarizing presidential elections, will be more than ready for the kind of escapist and self-help fare that seemed trivial and inappropriate in the wake of a national tragedy."

Oh, great. We’ll get people buying more books by publishing more fluff to help them avoid thinking about what’s going on in the world.

But that’s OK. At least they’ll slow down and read, which is a lot better than the alternative, because, according to the NEA’s Gioia, the situation is serious.

"America can no longer take active and engaged literacy for granted," he said. "As more Americans lose this capability, our nation becomes less informed, active, and independent-minded."

So, try reading a few more books. Though reading them takes more time than looking at your favorite websites and is more tiring than watching TV, you just might find that your mind could use the workout.

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Cary Brunswick is managing editor of The Daily Star. He can be reached at (607) 432-1000, ext. 217, or cary@thedailystar.com.