Classic paper books - Time to retire?

[The_Warblers]

It's been a while since I purchased / hold a classic paper books. My life is going just fine with all types of electronic books.

 

I mean beside the feeling of turning the pages. What is the good of having paper books around?

 

Electronic books are cheap, convenient to carry and environmental friendly. Most importantly, it's so much better to work with a books on a laptop. You can search, bookmark, comment, insert link, attach documents .....

 

So in your opinion, should paper books go retired? Or Will paper books ever retired?

[passiflora]

I don't have any type of e-reader and have never purchased a digital book. Call me old fashioned - but I just love printed ones. I know there's benefits to electronic books, and I would use them for school if I needed to, but I don't think paper books will disappear any time soon!

[karmacow]

10 years ago, this would be a doomsday thread :P

I remember in school (long time ago), we were talking about whether news papers would stop getting printed on paper and be purely electronic, and everyone were horrified. We thought of news papers as something that completed a feeling of calm, as you sat by the kitchen table with a cup of whatever. Books have the same effect. To sit with a book and unwind. It doesn't feel the same to sit with a kindle.

That said, I'm over the doomsday element of this. I like the paper medium, it just feels different. But I can't deny the usefulness of electronic books. You could in principle be sitting with a huge amount of books in your hand with a kindle (or whatever they're all called). This is definitely the direction we're headed.

[Rebecca~]

I don't have any type of e-reader and have never purchased a digital book. Call me old fashioned - but I just love printed ones. I know there's benefits to electronic books, and I would use them for school if I needed to, but I don't think paper books will disappear any time soon!

Same here. My girlfriend has an e-reader, and she loves it- but she still wants to have a paper copy of the books on her e-reader. I buy paper books on a regular basis, and I prefer reading them to reading on an e-reader. I love the feel, the smell, the look of them. Reading has been a huge part of my life, especially my childhood- that is one thing I don't want to update.

[The_Warblers]

10 years ago, this would be a doomsday thread :P

I remember in school (long time ago), we were talking about whether news papers would stop getting printed on paper and be purely electronic, and everyone were horrified. We thought of news papers as something that completed a feeling of calm, as you sat by the kitchen table with a cup of whatever. Books have the same effect. To sit with a book and unwind. It doesn't feel the same to sit with a kindle.

That said, I'm over the doomsday element of this. I like the paper medium, it just feels different. But I can't deny the usefulness of electronic books. You could in principle be sitting with a huge amount of books in your hand with a kindle (or whatever they're all called). This is definitely the direction we're headed.

 

 

Same here. My girlfriend has an e-reader, and she loves it- but she still wants to have a paper copy of the books on her e-reader. I buy paper books on a regular basis, and I prefer reading them to reading on an e-reader. I love the feel, the smell, the look of them. Reading has been a huge part of my life, especially my childhood- that is one thing I don't want to update.

 

I don't know why but an Ipad / Kindle just feel the same for me. Even more comfortable .... Anyone with the same experience?

[ashwee]

I have a Kindle and I do think it's easier to be able to carry multiple books around on one small device versus a whole back-breaking bookshelf.

 

That being said, I still absolutely enjoy having a physical book. There's so much character that goes into books. I look back at my Harry Potter books (Books 1-3) and find Hot Cheeto-stained pages and I'm reminded of my middle school afternoons, lounging around with a book and my favorite snack. I look back at my Nicolas Sparks books and laugh hysterically at the tear-soaked pages of my highly emotional youth. I even managed to find some of my Little Mermaid books from Kindergarten where I crossed out Ariel and Prince Eric's name and rewrote my name and my crush's name! :laughingsmiley:

 

I guess it really depends now. If I know a book will captivate me, I usually opt for the physical book. If it's more expensive to get a physical copy, I opt for the digital copy.

 

I don't think paper books will retire anytime soon. Maybe in the future since the upcoming generations are growing up in the age where digital growth is more embraced than in the past generations.

[The Bandit]

I bought a Kindle three years ago, and haven't bought a paper book since. However I still have lots of them in my house which I enjoy reading.

 

Both mediums have their pros and cons - it's wonderful when going on holiday to be able to take my Kindle rather than eight or nine books, and it's also nice that you can pick up your Kindle after a week and still be on the same page. But like others, I do prefer the reading experience with a 'real' book.

 

I'm sure that, certainly for adults, paper books will eventually die out, but how soon is anyone's guess.

[gingerew]

I really believe that paper books should and will keep going strong! Let's face it, not everyone is tech savvy and certainly not everyone has an E-reader or something like it. I think there will always be a population of people that will want paper books, even in our technological generation. Personally, I love my computer for Youtube, Facebook, Neopets:) etc.. But if I'm reading a book, it's because I don't want to stare at a computer screen. I do enough of that already, and a book is a nice break. I understand how they take up more space, kill more trees, and so on but I still think that books have a place in my world at least :D

[lilshadowdweller]

I want to point something out here that I don't think everyone here is aware of: When you "buy" a book from Kindle, an E-Reader, or anything else, you do not OWN the book. Your own the license to the book, so that YOU can read it, but you don't permanently own it like you would a physical book. They can revoke that license at anytime, and delete the contents of your account. In one circumstance, there was a woman who had a Kindle account which she had used for years. She had tons of things highlighted, tons of notes stored, but because Amazon assumed her Amazon account had been comprimised - they DELETED every book she had, and legally they could. Years upon years of books she had purchased, now erased.

 

Here's the story; I recommend all Kindle users read it!

 

http://www.guardian....deletes-account

 

Andy Boxall of Digital Trends said: "Amazon in turn uses the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to take your books and privileges away if it finds you've been naughty."

 

With a physical copy, they can't do that! But who knows when they'll decide to just take your books away from you? They could use any excuse!

 

Not to mention, physical copies don't require battery power so you conserve electricity. They don't have to be plugged in. They can be brought virtually anywhere, and in some cases, even survive water. People who don't have a lot of money can rent/buy books if they don't have access to electronic readers. Books will probably last longer, too.

 

I like the physical aspect of the book. HOWEVER, I do purchase online licenses for books. I got a good deal for the "Hunger Games" trilogy; so I purchased it. I'm not against E-books, but I'd like to have both options!

 

I do note the benefits of computer reading. You can access books from anywhere at the touch of a button. No paper = less trees killed. The book can "light" up so you don't have to adjust your reading. It's easier and simpler.

[karmacow]

What the what? That's messed up, that they can just revoke your license. There has to be a way around that. Like how you can remove the DRM from music files with a programme.

[lilshadowdweller]

Perhaps. I'm not sure how it works but I Amazon claims that they never actually "sell" the book, just give out the license. That woman in the story, she had purchased books online from another district, and I guess that's not allowed because the Publishers/Authors get to control which areas get to have the books. But what a silly "rule". I'd like to be able to purchase any book I'd want!

[karmacow]

Yeah. I actually had plans to get an e-reader, but now I definitely won't until I have figured out how to make the books mine forever.

[Wildbreeze]

My parents have offered to give/buy me an electronic book--I turn them down every time. I love holding books and turning the pages. I love the feel and the different cuts and textures of the paper.

Books have been a big part of my life, and I've practically grown up in a library (and now I volunteer in one). To abandon physical books would feel like... a betrayal, of sorts.

[The_Warblers]

I want to point something out here that I don't think everyone here is aware of: When you "buy" a book from Kindle, an E-Reader, or anything else, you do not OWN the book. Your own the license to the book, so that YOU can read it, but you don't permanently own it like you would a physical book. They can revoke that license at anytime, and delete the contents of your account. In one circumstance, there was a woman who had a Kindle account which she had used for years. She had tons of things highlighted, tons of notes stored, but because Amazon assumed her Amazon account had been comprimised - they DELETED every book she had, and legally they could. Years upon years of books she had purchased, now erased.

 

Here's the story; I recommend all Kindle users read it!

 

http://www.guardian....deletes-account

 

 

 

With a physical copy, they can't do that! But who knows when they'll decide to just take your books away from you? They could use any excuse!

 

Not to mention, physical copies don't require battery power so you conserve electricity. They don't have to be plugged in. They can be brought virtually anywhere, and in some cases, even survive water. People who don't have a lot of money can rent/buy books if they don't have access to electronic readers. Books will probably last longer, too.

 

I like the physical aspect of the book. HOWEVER, I do purchase online licenses for books. I got a good deal for the "Hunger Games" trilogy; so I purchased it. I'm not against E-books, but I'd like to have both options!

 

I do note the benefits of computer reading. You can access books from anywhere at the touch of a button. No paper = less trees killed. The book can "light" up so you don't have to adjust your reading. It's easier and simpler.

 

Scary story ..... Poor woman. Did she get her stuff back afterwards?

 

Anyway, there seems to be more fans of paper books than ebooks here

[The Bandit]

I want to point something out here that I don't think everyone here is aware of: When you "buy" a book from Kindle, an E-Reader, or anything else, you do not OWN the book. Your own the license to the book, so that YOU can read it, but you don't permanently own it like you would a physical book. They can revoke that license at anytime, and delete the contents of your account. In one circumstance, there was a woman who had a Kindle account which she had used for years. She had tons of things highlighted, tons of notes stored, but because Amazon assumed her Amazon account had been comprimised - they DELETED every book she had, and legally they could. Years upon years of books she had purchased, now erased.

 

Um... I wouldn't worry about that, personally - it must be a pretty rare occurrence. And after all, if you have paper books and your house burns down, you'd lose the lot. If you had a Kindle, you could just buy a new one and re-download for free all the books you'd previously purchased...

[lilshadowdweller]

Scary story ..... Poor woman. Did she get her stuff back afterwards?

 

Anyway, there seems to be more fans of paper books than ebooks here

 

Fans of both, but I like to own things, that's just the way I am. I even prefer physical copies of videos and movies, like DVDs and Blu-Rays over downloads that I can't physically touch.

 

And no, the woman didn't get her books back.

 

I understand it's a rare occurrence, but it's important to know about this stuff. In years to come, what happens if they just start mass deleting books for no reason? I dislike the idea.

[karmacow]

Um... I wouldn't worry about that, personally - it must be a pretty rare occurrence. And after all, if you have paper books and your house burns down, you'd lose the lot. If you had a Kindle, you could just buy a new one and re-download for free all the books you'd previously purchased...

 

I need more than that to accept that I don't have control over stuff that I've bought. And it's just repulsive that companies retain the rights to the files, just because they can. Also, if you're insured, you can buy back the books with that money, if your house burned down.

[The Bandit]

it's just repulsive that companies retain the rights to the files, just because they can.

I must admit I don't really understand how it works, but I would have thought that it's because I have a license to the books that I can re-download the books as many times as I want, e.g. if I buy a new Kindle - which is a good thing, really.

 

I even prefer physical copies of videos and movies, like DVDs and Blu-Rays over downloads that I can't physically touch.

I know what you mean about physically owning stuff, but movies on DVD/Blu-ray will probably disappear much quicker than books. They'll probably be a pretty rare thing in 10-15 years time. Sometimes we just have to accept that the world is changing.

 

In years to come, what happens if they just start mass deleting books for no reason?

I wouldn't have thought that very likely. In any case, in fifty years time we'll probably be reading books through a chip implanted in our eyelids or something...

 

And books on the Kindle are so cheap compared to paper books that I'm not really that worried anyway. Even better, about half of the books on my Kindle I downloaded for free. Some were pretty rubbish, but a significant amount I really enjoyed, and wouldn't have bought if they cost me money :)

[lilshadowdweller]

And books on the Kindle are so cheap compared to paper books that I'm not really that worried anyway. Even better, about half of the books on my Kindle I downloaded for free. Some were pretty rubbish, but a significant amount I really enjoyed, and wouldn't have bought if they cost me money :)

 

I definitely agree that Blue Ray and DVDS are set to vanish, as are physical video games cartridges (much to my dismay). I like being control of what I own, and this new world brings this flaw: no longer will I be in control.

 

And please understand that I don't not embrace the digital world! It's not like I want to desperately hold onto something dying. It's merely a preference.

 

But books dying? Highly unlikely.

 

Think about this: Right now, you live in a privileged world. You can afford an E-Reader or a Kindle.

 

But there are millions upon millions of people who can't, and possibly never will. There's millions of people without internet, without computers, heck, without anything we have and consider essential. They don't even have electricity! And their numbers are much greater than our own.

 

The only tool they could turn to is books. And it'll be that way for many, many years. Also, people are still going to maintain/want to physical copies of things. It'll always be the "just in case" sort of thinking.

 

So, no. Books aren't in any danger of dying.

[Spritzie]

Personally, I prefer hard copies of things. Maybe it's just because I'm sentimental about things, because I can understand with books, how eBooks would be much better in most circumstances, except for those that love the feel of books and those that "collect" books for displaying on bookshelves, since eBooks don't work at all for those two things. I think people should always have the option to choose between a digital copy and a hard copy.

 

(I won't even go in depth into the benefit of hard copies being yours from the minute you buy them. You can do whatever you want with them at that point, whether it's to prop up a crooked table or sell it, give it to a friend etc. eReaders, there's dropping them, hardware failure, any number of technical issues. Plus, if you don't take it everywhere with you, a fire or whatever at home, is just as likely to destroy it, as your hard copy books. And just to be semi-thorough, if someone breaks in, and your eReader is at home, that's tons easier to steal than your collection of hard copies.)

 

I remember being teased by a friend years ago, for buying a physical CD. He said music was going digital and soon I wouldn't be able to buy CDs, even if I wanted to. My stand was, if that happened, I wouldn't be happy and I'd continue to buy hard copies for as long as I was able to. I prefer a hard copy, whether I rip it to my computer for personal use on that computer, or moving it to my iPod, I will always want that hard copy I can shove aside and use again if needed. (I have a large box of CDs in my closet that I've probably only used once or twice, putting them on my computer originally and maybe a second time when putting them on a new computer.)

 

I'm the same with books. I am a HUGE reader. I'm constantly reading and I absolutely love it. There's something very special that's hard to explain about holding a physical book in your hand. The shape, weight, the feel of the paper and turning the pages. It's not the same to curl up on the couch with an eReader.

 

That said though, I am not entirely opposed to them. (Obviously, to each their own, if someone prefers them, that's great, but for myself, I don't) I see certain circumstances when they are better than a physical book. For myself, my parents just surprised me with a Nook. They knew I'd been wanting one. I have issues with both of my wrists where they are often extremely painful and swollen, where I have a difficult time holding things with the slightest weight. Unfortunately, this also means when they're acting up, it's painful and nearly impossible to hold even a paperback when laying in bed. I wanted a Nook for laying in bed, when my wrists are hurting.

 

Or for my mom, she got a Nook first. She's a huge reader, as I am, so when my parents were going to Alaska for 3 weeks this past summer, with my dad working about 10 hours a day for 2 of the 3 weeks, my mom would be spending a LOT of time in the hotel room with nothing to do but read. She couldn't take library books with her, not just counting returning them when they're due, but enough books to keep her occupied that long, couldn't be taken on a plane. And since they weren't living there, they couldn't get a library card for a local library. I suggested to my dad, getting her a Nook, and it ended up working perfectly. She didn't run out of things to read the entire trip, because she had books from B&N, as well as the eBooks that could be checked out from the local library here. And she still uses it at home. If the library doesn't have a copy of a book available when she's ready for it, there's often an eBook copy available of it.

 

So to shorten it, for myself, I love physical books and will always go for them, if possible. (I have book shelves here at home, and plan to have more, so I love being able to display them as well, until I want to re-read them.) Plus, I collect hard copies of my favorite authors, whether I read the book first from the library, or not. But, there are advantages to eBooks/eReaders, and when I have a reason to use them over a hard copy, I will.

[~Xandria]

I love paperback books. I love reading books. I love collecting books. I still love real books. I've thought about getting a kindle before but I quickly changed my mind. It just doesn't feel right and I don't think it would be fair at all if someone were to take books away from us. :( They are a huge part of our history.

 

I really believe that paper books should and will keep going strong! Let's face it, not everyone is tech savvy and certainly not everyone has an E-reader or something like it. I think there will always be a population of people that will want paper books, even in our technological generation. Personally, I love my computer for Youtube, Facebook, Neopets:) etc.. But if I'm reading a book, it's because I don't want to stare at a computer screen. I do enough of that already, and a book is a nice break. I understand how they take up more space, kill more trees, and so on but I still think that books have a place in my world at least :D

I agree with you! When I go to read a book it's usually because I've been staring at my computer screen too long and want a break. :)

[Xepha]

I really dislike reading more than a couple paragraphes long on a screen. I tend to print everything (mandatory articles reading for instance) and it never crossed my mind to own a device to read electronic book. There is something in physicallity that I like... a book has a smell, it makes distinctive sounds when you turn a page, when you flap the cover because you are done reading. Clearly, the experience cannot be the same with electronic books.

 

I also enjoy going to libraries, as they are one of my favorite place to hang out since I'm a child.

 

I mostly read fiction unless it's for school, so I don't see the need for bookmarking, searching, highlithing and that kind of action. I just want to know the story. :P

 

So in short, I don't think traditional books should retire, because the demand is still there. I don't know if anyone has mentionned this so far, but whenever digital is involved, there is always a risk that one day the format of your files won't be recognised anymore and you will need to get a new device to read, and so on.

[hanalways]

I don't ever think classic paper bound books are ever going to retire. There's just way too much in demand. And I think it should stay that way, I do love the idea of physical books that you can touch and feel. I also do like the fact that, even with e-ink, your eyes are less strained and it is a more natural way of reading.

 

With that said though, I can't deny how much of a help an ereader does with a student. Throughout my BA, I have used ereaders to help manage the brickload of content that my professors throw at me every quarter. It is SO FREAKING CONVENIENT to just be able to search through a block of text for your main ideas. Skimming is easier on a screen than on a piece of paper for some odd reason. And I do find myself being able to read through information, instead of on physical paper just reading the same two sentences over and over again and realizing that moments later, i haven't actually been reading. Lawl.

 

But I don't really read books for my own pleasure on my ereader. I normally go to one of my indie book shops and pick up an used book for less than five dollars. It is a comfort thing, and it is an enjoyability thing. Also, when I'm taking a bath, it's a lot less detrimental if I accidentally splash a bit of water on my book than my ereader. Haha

[Tsalagi_Phoenix]

I don't have an e-reader and I don't plan to get one. However, I've tried reading ebooks on my computer and it's just not the same. It will always be printed books for me. Also, I'm a writer. I'm writing a book trilogy that I want to get published when I finish it. And when it is published, I want to be able to hold my book in my hands, to look at/feel the cover and turn its pages. Just seeing it on a screen wouldn't feel the same way, I don't think, as seeing your writing and name in a printed book.

[Welcome Back Apathy]

There are definite perks to both, like everyone else has said. So no, I don't think paper books will die.

 

When I was twelve, the fourth Harry Potter book came out, and I had my first major surgery around that time. It was a spinal surgery, and they did a lot of internal damage. (On purpose; it was planned...but MAN.) I had trouble sitting up, of course, and one of my lungs was punctured. I read that Harry Potter book a couple of times, but it was really difficult because it was so big, and I couldn't sit up or balance the book on my belly. Having it on a Nook or Kindle would have been way better. It's far more comfortable for people, particularly people with arthritis or similar. And, of course, it is easier on the eyes--there's no backlight, so it really is like reading a page, and you can increase the font to your heart's desire.

 

However, paper books are great for multiple reasons as well. I find it way easier with academic books to highlight, mark pages to get back to a specific page, etc. A lot of libraries do lend e-books now, but I feel like it's easier to browse on a shelf. Plus, the whole issue of owning a book...