Is the Book Dead?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00v4s8v
Is the Book Dead?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/console/b00v4s8v
"He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favour of two."
Paper for me, bookshops draw me in like a giant magnet.
Well, they both have their place in my life.
I like the flexibility of the actual physical book. I can take it anywhere, hide in a corner with it, take it on a Ferris wheel, lay upon a raft with it. There are no worries of dead batteries or malfunction. It's always going to be there except in the cases of extreme elemental disaster of which any medium must hold it's breath against.
The e-book is a matter of convenience. As it stands, we have access to tons of information that exceeds even the largest library. To trade books or buy books online and receive instant access is a concept we are still trying to corral and fully take under our wing. The Kindle is a mere prototype of the ideal that has yet to come. The ideal would either be some sort of realistic digital paper book that you could download words onto or, to some, the ability to download text straight into the brain! The e-book isn't to be feared. For the information is still there, waiting to be read. But it hasn't reached its full potential yet, so physical books still have their place and function.
Last edited by thecreature; 10-20-2010 at 07:43 AM.
one problem with e-readers is they are technology. Ie, they will have to be upgraded or replaced every 4 or 5 years (see the different generations of the Kindle). It is like a computer, laptop, or even cell phone, the technology required to read your books will come with a neverending upgrade price tag.
That doesn't make e-readers vastly inferior - it is just one drawback about them
If I buy a paperback, I don't need to upgrade a reading device for it for $100+ every few years
I've been reading about e-publishing recently, and it's certainly an easy and possibly profitable way of getting published and sold.
It's opening up!
For the longest time, I was in the crowd that had to have the feel of a book in my hand. But I recently made the plunge and wish I did so years ago. One of the major benefits is free books. Tons and tons of free books/really cheap. Amzon had files of authors entire libraries for free or under $5.00. I downloaded a file of the entire works of HG Wells off Amazon for something like $2.00. I also grabbed the libraries of H.P Lovecraft, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, etc. all for about $2.00 a pop. Tons of books by Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, Hugo, Joyce, etc. all for free. For years I have been searching for affordable sets of "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" and the "Arabian Night." Got both of them, the ENTIRE sets for free. I know they were already available to read on the web, but that's not an enjoyable way to read, nor is it portable. A Kindle (or whatever e-reader) is enjoyable to read on and is portable. It's great.
I can swing both ways. For longer books, I prefer paper. I like seeing the progress being made. I'm spending the fall/winter finally reading the classics of Russian literature, all on paperback. Shorter books and more current books, I can do on my iPad using the Kindle or iBook apps.
No man should die without first reading the world's greatest literature.
I totally prefer paper books.
I don't like reading on the computer or on e-readers. I can not manage to focus to read. And it will eventually screw up your eyes. An article I read a few weeks ago said that reading speed actually goes down with the use of e-readers.
I am sure that there will come a time when e-books will be for me.
For the meantime one of my greatest pleasures in life is finding paper books at all of the different outlets. Covers get me in, I do not buy new books and I do not keep keep many, only the special ones, I pass the others on to a little retirement village library. It may only be two a week, that is enough to keep me happy
Wow, old thread.
I have to say though that I feel a little vindicated by recent trends in eBook reading, though even I'm a little surprised by how quickly things are progressing. Personally I do nearly all my reading on my iphone these days, its gotten to the point where I have high quality hardbacks sitting untouched in my bookcase and I'm reading a ebook version of the same on my phone.
I think its fair to say that eReaders and ebooks have irrevocably progressed past the point of being gimmicky.
Suicide carried off many. Drink and the devil took care of the rest. - R L Stevenson
Currently Reading: Dead Souls - Gogol
hm.... dunno if the real book is dying
but to me it's paper!
easier to handle, not so easy to break... easier to make notes in and underline stuff
then there is the paper the ink... the touch the smell, the cover of course, I buy many books because of their cover..
and then, the way they are stored in my room ... it's each book a world, they need to be seperated like this
but perhaps I'm just oldfashioned
true true.. a bookshop .... as if there where worlds lined up for me to chose which one I want to escape to... it's just the real stuffOriginally Posted by hazelk
Friends help you move. Good friends help you move bodies.
The paper book is just so special for me, the cover is so important of course.
If I am lucky enough to find a special book I will hold it to my chest, not caring if I am observed.
I have even been known to give a special book a kiss.
Book searching is one of my greatest pleasures in life.
Thank you for that, David. I really enjoyed that talk. First of all, because I loved the UK-ish accents. But also because I thought it was an engaging conversation.
I personally love the e-book. I think it's the wave of the future and it's so convenient. I was actually able to buy Journey to the West--a one-thousand page novel--for only one dollar. I could never get such a deal from a real book! The main argument for the real book is the aesthetic sense: it smells good, it feels good, etc. That is true, and for that reason I do feel the book will always stay with us. But quite frankly, arguing the importance of a book's smell seems like a trite argument when compared to the accessibility of e-books. Don't get me wrong, I love books, but e-books are the future. And more than that, e-books provide a different sort of literature. They provide the potential for something revolutionary. In particular I'm excited about the episodic format of it all. In many ways, these novels will almost be given out in a television-esque format and that's just going to change literature so much. I'm excited to see what the future holds.
I'll give a link of my own, for people who want to take a gander at books being written online: http://webfictionguide.com/ That's a great little website which compiles a good number of the e-books being written online
Last edited by Joyeuse; 11-07-2010 at 10:22 PM.
My super hero serial
"The more I think about it, the more I realize there is nothing more artistic than to love others."
Van Gogh
Oh dear, I'm thinking of getting one of those new Kindle things. Anybody got one?
I mean the ability to hold my library in my hand and get almost any book I want instantly is a huge pull. On top of this are the free classic books which are available. I also have to think about saving space, as I do not have the room for any more books. Anybody recommend one of these?
Yep I have a kindle and I love it, its nothing like reading of a screen, electronic ink is immensely easy on the eyes, also having all your books in one small device is a huge boon, not to mention the fact that you buy books for much cheaper. However as a negative, many of the kindle editions you find of poetry are badly formatted with line-breaks and such, but a bit of searching and a well formatted edition is usually found, so yea with poetry before buying always download a sample to check what its like.
I definitely recommend it !
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