I am a reader. I am also a bibliophile. I love books; I love the feel of books and I love the look of books. I also have a Kindle e-reader. I have had one since they first came out and I have recently added the new Kindle WiFi to the family. There are some who believe or hope that e-books will replace paper books. Then there are some that think that e-books are a passing fad. I belong to neither camp.
A paper book, since the invention of the codex (the present form of most books, a clear advance from the scroll), is a perfect marriage of form and function. You can open a book anywhere; you can flip through to find a favorite place; and you write all over it. You can leave one book open while you consult another. Books can be stacked or shelved; they can be used to hold other things down. And a book is sustainable. Paper comes from forests grown for such purposes.
E-books have there own virtues to commend them. They take up minimal space. They are light. They can be accessed through the internet on a variety of devices. An e-book can be searched for words or phrases (try that with a concordance) and are often read on devices that provide instant dictionary services. They can be hidden away in a directory file; out of the prying eyes of friends and family.
Some books are just not designed for optimal use in an electronic format. I like having two or three books open on my desk at one time. Most of the books I use in work and study I use by flipping through them. I also like having paper copies of books I love just so I can turn to a favorite passage or see it on the bookshelf. I have bought books for the shelf that I read first on an e-reader.
On the other hand, there are some books that are best experienced in an e-book format. Generally theses are books that you read from cover to cover. I find that I read these books much faster on an e-reader than I do in a paper book. I think it focuses the reader on the forward flow of the book or something. Others have experienced this; just read any e-reader forum. E-books are also a lot more portable and handy. And, much to my wife's chagrin, have purchased e-books that I already own in a paper copy. There is no better format for a book you might only read once and will not boost your ego by sitting on the book shelf for everyone to see.
As you can see, both paper books and e-books find a place in my reading life. In fact, I read more fiction since I got an e-reader than I did before. The above considerations play into the decision to go either paper book or e-book or both.
When one decides to go with an e-book another question presents itself: How does one read it? One can read an e-book on a cell phone, a computer screen, a tablet device (think iPad, iPod touch, iPhone), or a dedicated e-reader. Having choices is one of the great things about e-books. However, I do think that an e-book reader should have a dedicated e-reader. It best mimics the advantages of paper books without some of the disadvantages. The e-ink screen used by most e-readers is like paper and does not tire the eyes for sustained reading. Most e-readers are light and ergonomically designed to facilitate one handed reading. The problem with the multi-purpose devices are their backlit screen that can tire the eyes and the distraction of a billion other things. The iPad is a beautiful device and great to use, but it is a better internet interface than a e-reader (though the Kindle app on it is great for a quick read). I like my e-reader to feel like a book, and my computer to feel like a tri-quarter.
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