Classic paper books - Time to retire?

[~Xandria]

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 publish, 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.

Coming from another aspiring writer I could not agree with you more. :) Well said.

[Zephyr]

I seriously hope not- for me, there's nothing like a paper book.

I've tried an E-reader before but it tired my eyes out far too quickly.

 

For me the surprise and anticipation of flipping open a book is similar to the opening of a present and reading it is an enjoyment to be savored. The texture & quality of the pages; the binding & cover design; the type selected, all these make me love a printed book.

 

I'm very particular about keeping my books in mint condition. But the ones I've carried with me everywhere & read over & over again... the little wear & tear is a little fond reminder :)

[Nicole C]

I love owning the physical copies of books and thumbing through the pages. If I want to look for a certain part of the book, I find it more convenient to flip through the pages then scrolling though the book on an e-reader. And I love getting first edition of books :)

[The Bandit]

Thought this was kinda appropriate :P

 

 

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[jasper_111]

I hope paper books don't go away anytime soon. I have two boxes full of them and love every single one. I do have a e-reader a family member gave to me once but I've never used it, which I feel bad about but an actual book is more satisfying to me than anything digital. I like things old-fashioned though well kinda I guess. For instance, I would love to own a log cabin out in the woods somewhere or swim in a lake because I don't like the city at all I find it suffocating. So it's really up to opinion I guess.

[sarria33]

I don't think paper books will ever retire. But I'll be okay if they did. I like electronic books because they are environmentally friendly.

[Cassine]

I really love everything about books from their diverse covers to the way the pages smell. And they're one less piece of technology in my life. Libraries and bookstores are some of my favorite to go, and I would hate to see them disappear.

 

I borrowed my cousin's Kindle to read Amy Tan's The Bonesetter's Daughter (great book) and wasn't impressed. Compared to novels, they just feel weird on my lap and it was a pain to go back twenty or so pages.

[Doozy]

ebooks and electronic copies of books are good for the environment and stuff, but physical books will never go away. We will always need to highlight things or write something down, and bookmarks are just the best thing ever. I love having a dragon saying, "Hey! You're on this page!"

 

I feel like technology is also waaay too unreliable to replace hard copies of stuff. It crashes and goes through memory errors, while books never lose their words (well, unless you soak them or burn them or leave them in the sun or just horribly mistreat them in general)

 

Books also smell nice. :)

[crazy_cat_luv_bb]

I prefer paperbooks. Pretty much like everbody else has said, I love to feel the paper, but not with a screen. I just read e-books really few times, and after a couple of minutes, my body began feeling tired, even the most interesting book. And I have an inspiration of being a writer, and it's definitely not from the e-book :)

[April]

I really hope paper books never 'retire.'

 

Personally, electronic books hurt my eyes and cause headaches for me. I don't want to look at a screen. I want to read the book, turn the pages... I enjoy my book collection.

[Vocaloid Marshmallow]

Paper books will never go.

Not everyone has the money to buy your electronic devices for reading. A happy book is much cheaper and sometimes even easier to get.

Having a reader instead of a book does have a different feel to it. You can't turn the pages and you can't smell them either. But they have their own advantages as well, like reading in the dark, etc.

And then there's the obstacle of having sensitive/weak eye muscles that could give you splitting, bothersome headaches. Too much use of it could get your eyes looking through glass before you know it.

[Catzi]

There's really nothing quite like looking at your bookshelf and having it be full of your favorite books.

 

I might be biased as I don't have any type of e-reader. I'm sure it's easier to carry around, but I'm a huge supporter of libraries, and get all my books from the library, or buy books to add to my own physical library.

 

And maybe they'll go away someday, but then would everyone have an e-reader and they'd borrow ebooks from the library. Or would libraries just go away? That makes me sad.

[Naamah D.]

No! No! No! Paperback books cannot retire! Unless they make a Kindle exclusivly for manga.

[the_microwave]

Okay, I say this as a person with bookshelves full of paper books, who visits the libary weekly and can often spend an entire day in a bookstore, someone who loves the smell of books and the feel of turning pages and the way books wear down until you can tell a well-loved book by the lines on the spine, and someone whose only e-reader is an iPhone:

 

I am opposed to continuing to print paper books (though I love the used book industry and only buy used lately), and I have two main reasons for it.

 

1. The environment. Paper books simply aren't sustainable, especially ones that aren't recycled paper (I've never seen a recycled paper book, actually--anyone have any information on if this exists and how prevalent it is?). Our world's forests can't handle the strain we put on them, and finally slowing or stopping the flow of paper books could be a huge factor in relieving this strain. Damage to the environment is also connected to damage to the people who live around these logging areas, which is particularly devasting for those in that situation in developing countries. It's not fair to make the world and these people and the environment suffer because we want new books.

2. The book publishing industry needs to adapt or die. The record industry didn't adapt to the future and it's dying, and the book industry needs to do the same. It's incredibly hard for first-time authors to be published (and let's not even think about how the publishing industry has killed the concept of widely-read poetry, it's too depressing); a few major writers all but dominate the industry, similar to the record industry back in the day. The digitization of music has enabled independent musicians to get attention they never could have before. Indie musicians can now sell their music easier, reach fans easier, create music easier, etc., without debilitating costs. It's possible for the publishing industry to do the same thing. Independent authors could publish their books without pouring their life savings into printing them and they could spread their books much easier. Sure, they can do that now, but it doesn't get any attention in a world where printed books are more prestigious. Digitizing the entire industry removes the taboo, because while minor authors can't make it on physical bookshelves next to major authors, online they're all on the same level. Imagine a Bandcamp for books, basically. It helps turn the publishing industry from an elite institution into something available for everyone.

 

Sorry, I know that's long! But this is an issue I've struggled with for a long time before forming my beliefs, so I love talking about it. Feel free to debate either point with me! I'd love to hear more opinions on those, especially #2!

[Mike.]

I simply do not understand the argument saying that paper books are bad for the environment. It takes SIGNIFICANTLY more energy to create a single iPad or Kindle Ereader than it does to make a book. Like - an unbelievably greater amount of energy. For the battery alone. And to keep that battery charged all of the time. Sure, trees are cut down to create paper but it isn't like it's the major source of deforestation in the world. In fact - North America is more forested than during colonial times when trees were cut down for firewood (I'll try to find a source later).

 

Also, you haven't "seen" a book using recycled paper because they look exactly the same. =P

 

tl;dr: ereaders are WAY more damaging to the environment

[the_microwave]

An ereader can hold hundreds of books, and presumably most can hold thousands. Creating an ereader isn't better for the environment than creating a book, but it is better than creating thousands of books. And technology for creating those is getting more and more efficient. Cleantech found that an ereader offsets its carbon emissions if you've downloaded 22 books per year (which sounds low to me, as someone who reads a lot, but I don't know what the average is). Books use 1.5 million metric tons of paper a year, each giving off about 9 pounds of carbon dioxide in production and shipping and etc. Nat'l Geographic wrote that the savings after 1 year of using an ereader is 168 kilograms. As battery lives and production efficiency climb with better technology, the savings should only go up.

And of course I haven't "seen" one - you know what I meant, haha. Usually recycled paper products have a little line bragging to the consumer about "20% of this product comes from post-consumer waste recycled paper!' or whatever it is they say.

[kris10ly]

 

As someone who reads 50-75 books annually I love the convenience of my ereader, especially when I'm reading a series or a short novel I know I'm going to finish while I'm out of the house for the day - being able to just open or download the next book immediately is great.

 

Of course I still have a large collection of paper books filled with margin notes and dog-eared pages - there will always be book collectors out there (especially in a society as materialistic as the US), so there will always be books. But don't conflate a love of reading with a love of handling/collecting books.

[Subliminal]

I'd assume it depends on the kind of person you are, as Kindles are good if you travel a lot or have a fairly small house/not much space to store lots of books. Personally, I prefer books because I've tried a Kindle and, even on the lowest setting, keeps me awake if I'm reading it too late at night because of the lights in it.

[cmannequin]

As someone who reads quite a few books monthly, It is my opinion that having a physical book just doesn't feel the same as reading off of an ereader or kindle; maybe because it's what I'm used too. Although I can see the positive aspects to reading books electronically,wasting less paper, convenience of not having to carry around a bulky/heavy book etc. I'm open to both options really, it'll just take some time for people (including myself) to get used to it I suppose.

[hannah_abdash]

Nooo :) I love physical books and totally dislike ebooks. Maybe I'm just weird but I like the feel of the pages and the sound they make when you turn them... xD

[iunicornbarf]

Psychologically wise, many proffesionals agree that have something physical, something that's right infront of you, is more assuring than just having the thought. Such as, If you were to choose between buying online classes in a store and buying the same classes online, many people would choose the classes in the store. (This being just one reason).

 

I do prefer physical books over digital ones becuase I get migrains really easily. Good debate topic though :D

[Mireia]

I love reading, and by love I mean that I read about 4-5 books a month. For me, owning a e-reader is a necessity. I love paper books, really, but nowadays, I'd rather spend more money on a well edited, illustrated copy than buying a cheap pocket edition book. I buy less books, but the ones I chose to buy are more expensive.

 

In fact I have donated some of my old books, because I run out of space. Literally, before buying my e-reader i had to place my books on the floor, because there was nowhere to put them.

[Julia47]

I love reading but I can't get into the whole Kindle thing. There's something about reading off a screen that I just don't like. It's harder to focus. I've had to buy textbooks for school online and I didn't care for it. There's something about having a physical copy that's just better. Plus I love watching my shelf fill up with more books.

[Finn the Human]

I'd have to say that I actually like the classic paper books. Remember, old is gold. :D

[Nenova]

I love books. Paper ones. I love to hold them, read them, the feel and smell of the paper... It's just so much móre to me than a digital version. Digital versions are convenient, sure, but I find myself more easily distracted behind a screen, the screen hurts my eyes after a while and it's not as ... relaxing to read that way to me. WIth a paper book, I take my glasses off, lie down and read. Reading from a screen witout my glasses makes me hold it way too close and that hurts my eyes. Plus I mainly read when I travel and I'd hate to be unable to do without recharging somewhere.

 

I'm still collecting to have a room full of books. I'm already pretty far with that. I'd love to walk in and see all those stories I've read. :)

 

So no, I do not think that paper books will disappear entirely. They might lose a bunch of sales to electronic books, bu I believe they will keep producing them for people like me and other collectors.