the urgent desire for explanation of social change. The media had now “done” McLuhan thoroughly, and there seemed no need to return to the subject.

McLuhan perhaps abetted the decline of his reputation by turning out books deliberately aimed at cashing in on his boom. From 1967 to 1972, half a dozen books appeared with his name on them. Often written with collaborators, they struck readers, for the most part, as obsessive and willfully obscure. In truth, McLuhan—particularly at this stage of his career—hated writing, and had no idea how to shape a book. His preferred mode of expressing himself remained the spoken word.

Meanwhile, he had begun to take a darker view of the media. He had never been exactly a fan of television. His