Shrinking the World: The 4,000 Year Story of How Email Came to Rule Our LivesThe first email was sent less than forty years ago; by 2011, there will be 3. 2 billion users. The flood of messages is ceaseless. As the toll of email mounts, reducing our time for leisure and contemplation, and separating us from each other in the lonely battle with the inbox, John Freeman enters a plea for communication that is more selective and nuanced and, above all, more sociable. Drawing on the research of linguists, scientists, critics and