Sir: Thomas Carlyle, a famous writer, philosopher and historian, in a letter to his mother on March 17, 1817 wrote, “But their society is not very valuable to me and my books are friends that never fail me.” Books are so important that when God wished to talk to human beings, He revealed gospels in books. The great philosophers, historians, poets and scientists, if we know them or if they are alive in this world, is only due to their writings. That is why Rene Descartes, a great philosopher, once said, “I think, therefore I am.” Whatever has been done, thought or expressed from time immemorial to now has been saved on the pages of books. Unfortunately, the culture of book reading in our country is decreasing rapidly even though the number of books and libraries has increased. Students scroll books just to complete their assignments. Most of the time, the data needed is readily available on the internet so the trend of cut, copy and paste is rampant. Researchers are used to plagiarism. Which nation will progress when its libraries are vacant and bazaars are overcrowded? The Germans, threatened by the allied powers during World War Two, shifted their libraries to their homes. This is the miracle behind the progress of war-trodden Germany. Most of the social evils in our society are due to the ignorance directed towards books. Therefore, if we want to progress in every sphere of life, we must be friends with books. ZULQARNAIN SEWAG Jhang