Reading and books: philosophical aspect

In this article, books and reading are analyzed in historical perspective from the vantage of Christian anthropology, as phenomena of a primarily spiritual character. The history of books has been traced from the moment when they first appeared as sacred objects, up to the present times characterized by a utilitarian attitude towards the book. In the same vein the reading process is considered, being seen as the process of the world cognition and understanding the Creator’s ways. Highlighted is the contribution of Russian philosophers to understanding of the essence of the book culture, as well as the main difference between their position and that of the European Enlightenment philosophers.