The conception we have of books and reading has changed over time. These changes have been triggered by the evolution of the society we live in, by the developing reading habits of the members of our society, and by the technological breakthroughs that affect our society. In this chapter, different conceptual models of books and reading from the last few decades are surveyed, with a particular emphasis on the changes that the onset of electronic publishing has entailed. Electronic publishing has brought sweeping changes to the traditional notion of books and reading, leading to an entirely new conception of what book publication is and to entirely new reading and writing practices.