In the tradition of such epic battles as the Cubs vs the White Sox, or Ginger vs Mary Ann, a new battle is being waged: e-readers vs actual books. As with the previous examples, I’ve decided that it’s not an either/or prospect. I like Chicago, and although I prefer the Cubs, I don’t hate the Sox. Although I like Mary Ann’s Midwestern nice and that she makes a mean coconut cream pie, you have to appreciate Ginger’s sultry glamour. (I’m sure many of my male readers are thinking, “Yes. Both. At the same time!” And I’m not talking about baseball. Heh.)
I was thinking about it the other day, because as I’ve been reading, I’ve been going back and forth between my Kindle that I got for Christmas last year and some hardback books I got for Christmas this year. When e-readers became popular and much more affordable, there was much speculation that this was the end of printed books, the publishing industry, and even the end of libraries. I recall some pretty interesting articles at the time about the future of books, and thought then that there was room for both. Those of us who collect books or particular authors would still buy our hardbacks; the publishing industry would still be able to make money with digital sales; and libraries, with some creative thinking, would find ways to offer e-books as part of their lending inventory.
I’m happy to say that all of those things have happened, and you can even add that it’s provided an easier way for aspiring authors to get their books out to the public. (There are also some pretty awful books that are being e-published, but overall, it’s a net positive.) I still like my hardbacks, especially by my favorite authors (I will always get any Stephen King book as a hard copy), and I can often find clearance copies of science books for a very reasonable price. I love my Kindle because it’s so light and easy to carry around in my purse, and it’s great for when I’m doing my workout and I’m on the bike. I still have to take a couple of magazines with me for a flight, because they make you turn off e-readers during takeoffs and landings, so that’s a drawback for me. But I can work around it. If someone told me that I had to give up one or the other, I think I’d just punch the person saying that I had to make that choice and tell them to piss off. I choose both. I still love the heft of hard copies, and I love their smell. I love the artwork on the jacket covers, and I love peeking underneath to see what the actual binding looks like. I love having a half dozen over-loaded bookshelves. But I also love my Kindle and the super cute cover I got for it (Sheeba looks on with approval), and I love being able to carry a small library around with me. I have 500 or so books on my Kindle, and it will hold around 3,500. This is amazing to me, and although it’s definitely no jetpack (we’re all still waiting for that, along with our hovercars), I like this futuristic library computational device very much.
... if school was not consuming so much of me I would start back to reading... and with most of my textbooks on CD-ROM, I think I would do well with a Kindle or a Nook...
ReplyDeleteI don't own a Kindle but perhaps would enjoy it. On the other hand, I miss cracking open a new book and turning the pages.
ReplyDeleteIt frightens me that libraries may close and schools would no long use books. It frightens me.......so many changes.....We will no longer need a Post Office. So many more jobs will be lost.
I'm all for new technology but they have to draw the line somewhere. I was out the other night with friends and everyone had their Iphones out texting away and totally ignoring the company they were with.............that bothered me.
Hugs, Rose
I just got Kindle'd and i do like it. But I loves me some real, open 'em up, turn a page, look at the cover art, books.
ReplyDeleteIf I had to choose, HAD to choose, I'd stick with the real deal.
I have just bought my Daughter a Kindle and she love it ~ havn't seen much of her since she has learnt to use it :O) ~ Ally x
ReplyDeleteGuess I am just old fashioned, but I do love books. I can see where Kindles (et all) could be more convenient, but I'm not sure I could be unfaithful to my hard copy connections.
ReplyDeleteI never thought I'd say this, but I now prefer Kindle/electronic over printed books in most cases.
ReplyDeleteLove the Kindle - can make the font as big as necessary, don't have to cart heavy books around, and can download a book I read about in less than a minute - no wait! I still like a real book but if I had to choose I'd take the Kindle. I actually prefer reading newspapers on it.
ReplyDeleteBeth, I prefer both too. Some things I want to have the feel of a book, others I don't. The new tablet readers have so many uses beyond reading as well. I worry about tech isolating those who cannot afford the devices and/or e-books. Libraries have a lot of catching up to do before I feel they will be ready to fully help this segment of communities and prevent such isolation.
ReplyDeleteI say get the best of both worlds!
ReplyDeleteLoved my first Kindle book last week, back to paper this week. I like both, but love the compactedness of the kindle.
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