Bookshops versus Electric Books

Curious that Poliakoff, who is usually such an astute observer of trends, would choose bookshops to thrive over "electric books" when the downturn of bookshops and the development of ebooks were well underway by the time he wrote the story. Within the context of the story, Paul had predicted the future importance of and reliance on computers despite his dislike for them; wouldn't his keen business sense outweigh his attachment to the past?

If we don't burn, how will the night be lit?