[KenJackson]

It's my understanding that the reason newspapers print narrow columns (on paper) is to allow readers to read quickly. Since the reader doesn't have to swing his eyes across a wide column, he don't lose track of the row on the way back. And some readers don't even swing their eyes, but can capture the gist by just scanning straight down the column.

So why is it that so many websites make just one wide, wide, wide column?

Amazon.com, of all sites--a site oriented first and foremost toward avid readers, is the worst culprit. I never use my browser in full screen mode, so when I read any of their book summaries, I have to either scroll back and forth or make the browser uncomfortably wide.

Surely a lot of others must be irritated by this too.