Sometimes old technology lingers for centuries because of its symbolic power.

The increase of e-book sales will force the book business to make changes not seen for centuries.

Cyrano was dead and buried for a good three centuries before the first manned rockets started to fly.

It is important that we be mindful of the earth, the planet out of which we are born and by which we are nourished, guided, healed-the planet, however, which we have abused to a considerable degree in these past two centuries of industrial exploitation.

This means, of course, that?almost all of the books published in the 20th century are still under copyright?–?and the last century?saw more books published than in all previous centuries combined.