Hard copy: 1 in 10 Yorkshire homes do not hold a single book

But the traditional bookcase, whether handcrafted or bolted together with parts from Ikea, is in danger of disappearing from Yorkshire’s domestic landscape.

The reason, according to figures out today, will make depressing reading, though only in those homes that still hold reading material.

A growing number - one in 10 in Yorkshire alone - do not now contain a single book, despite the fact that their occupants have an average of eight devices that connect to the internet.

The number of homes without books rises still further among those occupied by 18-24 year-olds, with as many as 20 per cent reporting not a single hard copy.

Nor is the case for the book­case helped by the need to store board games, dominoes or packs of playing cards on its shelves: up to half of homes do not have those, either.

Lindsey Rix of Aviva UK General Insurance, which compiled the data, said: “It is clear from our research that our possessions are changing as the world advances, with traditional pastimes often making way for modern alternatives.”

Alan Bennett, perhaps Yorkshire’s best known and best-selling author, has called books “devices to ignite the imagination”. But, taking a more pragmatic approach, Ms Rix added: “Everyone’s home is individual to them and there’s no right or wrong when it comes to what people keep in them.”

Across the UK, the average number of books per house is put at 104, with seven per cent of homes housing more than 500 volumes. Among over 55s, that number rises to 11 per cent.

Most of the households with digital devices, which include tablets, phones and smart TVs, do not appear to be using them to access electronic versions of print publications. The average number of e-books per home is only 34, and half of UK households have none at all.

Despite the figures, it is too soon to write off the printed book completely, one Yorkshire bookseller said.

“I don’t think we’re on a slippery slope,” said Dr Christian White, who runs Modern First Editions in Ilkley.

“Let’s not forget that 90 per cent of households do still have books on their shelves, and that’s very positive.”

The printed book, he said, was still the last word in smart technology. “You can take into the bath and continue to use it when your iPhone has died.

“Yes, we’ve seen a lot of bookshops closing, but people still want to own books that have something important or significant about them as objects.

“Publishers are seeing that, and books now are made to look more attractive then they did 10 or 15 years ago.”

He added: “Waterstones looks amazing now and the reason is that it has understood that we’re buying books in different ways.”