A favorite topic in the blogosphere is about print vs. e-books: which is better, does it have to be an either-or scenario, or can we just have both, etc., etc.. Here’s the best analogy I’ve come up with so far for my own thoughts:
I love email! I use it all day, every day. It’s the main way I keep up with friends. It’s fast, it’s flexible and it makes a lot of sense for our world today.
Yet, both of my grandmas still send me handwritten cards. I hold these even more dear. Not many people send handwritten notes these days. It takes time and thought. It’s slower. It seems kind of old fashioned. It’s quickly becoming a lost art and that kind of makes me sad. As much as I love and use email, I get an extra little warm delight from seeing a tangible piece of mail in my mailbox.
There’s a layer of connection and emotion attached to it. I want to curl up in a comfy chair and read about what’s been happening in this person’s life. It’s like sharing a secret.
I’m sure you can all see where this is going. E-books in my mind are more like email. I’m incredibly excited by all the possibilities they offer and by how they connect the world. But I don’t think I’ll ever have the same level of deep love and appreciation for them as I have for printed books.
Stories in print, like handwritten notes, move me on a deep, personal level. For me, they’re something to be treasured. While I trade emails all day, those handwritten cards are my most special kind of communication.
I think, in the end, readers need both and it would be sad if we lost either one.
I often think about this because I own a small library of 'proper' books but I also own a Kindle. In the end for me I think there is a place for both in the world. E-readers are so convenient. They're small, light and can carry tons of books at once. Great if you have very limited space or you maybe travel a lot. Plus it is pretty much instant. You can go online and get a book in seconds, no more waiting for the pesky postman.
ReplyDeleteBUT, I will always love books. Like actual printed books. Ther is something about them that draws me in more than an e-book. I also enjoy browsing. Some of my favourite books have been found by wandering around my local bookstore and seeing what takes my fancy (found the hunger games that way!). You can't really do that online, and even if I do it never feels the same.
I think its a matter of both having their merits, it doesn't need to be an either/or sort of thing. I use my e-reader and its great, but in my heart I will always prefer 'proper' books.
Wow! that was a looooong comment!
DeleteHaha - long, but lots of great points! :)
DeleteI prefer to read on my Kindle but if it is a book that I want to read again I would want to keep it in print. I also like to have print of series of books
ReplyDeleteI could see where having series in print would work best.
DeleteI think that the emotional connection we feel toward paper books is not really about the paper itself, but simply the fact that this is what we've always used and have forged memories with so far. There's nothing objective about paper that makes it better than digital. And there's nothing inherent to paper that makes it easier to form an attachment to. It's just that humanity tends to feel more comfortable with what it has the most experience with.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I do find it a bit hard to shake my attachment to print, mostly because I was one of those shy loner kids who grew up with books for friends. Yet, I love my Kindle Fire. I can't imagine buying a physical book from a book store ever again unless its a special edition or something.
I definitely think our childhood memories and love play a huge part. Plus, I read from a screen all day for work, so paper is a great way for me to truly escape!
DeleteI definitely choose the e-reader, because I love to read on my way to work and this device is very little... exactly to fit in my bag.
ReplyDeleteI got my eBooks from All you can books... a good site where we can download some of our favorite titles for free. So, it doesn't matter the way we read a book as long as we enjoying it!