Having worked in a bookstore during the huge push toward ereading, I am well aware of the arguments for and against virtual libraries. Personally, I’m smack dab in the middle, torn between the practicality and compactness of ereading (I have well over 2,000 books on my iPad, just for a point of reference) and the nostalgia and obsession that my collection of actual books had become (my closet has more books than clothes as the poor quality cell phone picture below illustrates). Packing to move earlier this year was the true turning point for me, the point at which I convinced myself to lean slightly more toward virtual. At the time, I had about twenty-five boxes (jam-packed DC boxes for those of you who worked at Borders and know the boxes I’m talking about) full of books. Seeing as I had to move everything I wanted to take with me in a Dodge Neon and ship the rest, I knew I had to cut back. So I made sure every single book I owned was listed on GoodReads (so that I could go back and find them again if I wanted to) and started making cuts. I donated (to friends or Good Will) thirteen boxes worth of books. Below is a photo of my bookshelf in Tallahassee… Losing it made me want to cry.
While meandering through the interwebs this morning, I came across a blog called The Fine Books Blog, specifically a post concerning the Real vs. Virtual debate. It laid out some very valid points arguing for the superiority of the printed page and may sway some readers back toward their hardcover collection. Check it out and come back here to let me know which side of the fence you currently occupy.
My conversion to ebooks started with the discovery of Documents to Go a few years ago when I still had my Palm Centro phone. I used it to store all of my writing notes so that wherever I was I could take out my phone and work on my books. And then when I got an iPad, this just got easier. It was a slippery slope from there to reading ebooks. I found a program that will find you almost any classic work for free and have since downloaded a lot of the classics I've always wanted to get around to reading. Of course, there is no wrong answer to this question. Lifestyle and personal preferences make a huge difference in whether or not you find ereading attractive or practical. All-in-all, as long as the book itself survives, I will remain happy.
E-books sound great but they are costly and then you end up paying more for a Kindle version than a paperback. Also, new versions of e-books will constantly come out which means you need to buy a new one every 3,4 or 5 years. Digital format also changes. For example, we use mp3 players now which make those CD's useless.
I like having real books. I like turning the last page and feeling like I've been on a long journey. I like putting the book back on the shelf and I like smelling the book. I wouldn't have loved the HP series as much as I do if I had read the books on a screen. Plus, instead of taking a e-book full of trashy novels with me on holiday, I would probably just take a camera and a scrapbook or something. I don't like beach holidays. I like adventure holidays so for me, there is really no use for e-books.
I want to be a lawyer one day and unfortunately that means a lot of books on paper. There are thousands of books on English Law but I really doubt they'd be able to get it all into a digital format. That's thousands of pages.
I do see a fascination with books you can print in bookstores or cafes though. It would be cheaper for publishers, you and would mean that books could never go out of print.
I may one day buy an e-book but right now, I'll stick to paper.
And, I'm just a very traditional person. The writing legends all had books so if it worked for them, then it'll work for me. Plus, I feel much more spiritual with books. You can't feel enlightened while reading off an e-book screen with your horrible finger print marks on it. Nothing beats turning a page that was touched by some of the greatest people of the past.
I just realised, this is a pretty long comment! Sorry!
Not delusional at all! I think that's a very noble aim and I for one hope you achieve it. 🙂
I would always want a physical copy of a book. One of my aims in life is to create a collection of books I think are important in case something bad happens. Then at least there will be some books left over. Many empires have fallen along with the great mind of the empires themselves but at the end, their work was on paper and it remained. Books have been responsible for the continuation of knowledge for many centuries. Looking back on this post, I may be just slightly delusional.
lol Thanks! I'll keep them in a safe also, just so they don't burn because paper attracts fire like homework assignments attract teachers.