So I'll probably own an e-Reader soon. And now, it would seem, is the time to buy. The companies are making e-Readers that function like a tablet, offering all the possibilities of Internet access alongside a vast, affordable library of books and magazines. And these machines are themselves cheap enough that a dedicated reader will have no problem justifying the cost.
E-Readers, like all the gadgets we are inundated with these days, are likely to become a necessary part of the American toolbox of technology. The practical uses of these small, light readers, especially for students, is too great to ignore. Simply imagine the number of texts that are available to a teacher if each student were reading on an e-Reader? Imagine the money schools could save by digitizing their text books.
This is but one of many strong arguments in favor of widespread e-Reader proliferation. I could go on for pages about how great the e-Reader is, how amazing having so much information at hand is, how easy to read on they are and so on. I almost start to feel sorry for the books; they don't seem to having anything in their favor.
And of course, that last thought is horribly, disgustingly wrong. Books have everything in their favor!
Because books are more than just bound paper marked up with ink. They are the stories they contain. It maybe possible to put the same words on a computer screen, but in that undefinable way, it's not the same as reading from a book or a newspaper or magazine. The turning of the page is as much a part of reading as the words themselves. Sitting down with my favorite books are like revisiting old friends. That sensation doesn't transfer to the e-Books in quite the same way.
I don't mind reading on a screen. Especially for things like news. Other than Seven Days I don't touch real papers. It's a matter of efficiency for me. When I buy a book, it's because I want it to be part of my collection, I want to be able to re-read it, or even just see it on the shelve and remember what reading it was like. Newspapers and magazines have a disposable feeling; after a little time, a newspaper isn't really worth much. But in the compact form of a computer screen or e-Reader, the news has just as much relevance as ever. Maybe even more.
Perhaps it is unfair to the printed word to hold any sort of comparison. We live in a digital culture, we are bombarded with technology every day; it's just a way of life for us to use machines. Books are becoming a relic, a piece of ancient technology that we are quickly moving away from. Disregarding the arguments for or against e-Readers and accepting that they will become a major part of our technology package, it's worth noting that there is still space in the marketplace for books.
Because a book is something unique, a singular story or cataloging of information that was painstakingly assembled for the reader's pleasure. Digital text lacks the permanence of a physical books because the digital copy can easily be edited or altered at any time, from nearly any place. Books are immutable; once they exist, the writer would have to either write an addition edition or a follow up book to amend the content, otherwise the book remains as it is when printed forever.
Don't be fooled into thinking that flexibility is always a good thing. I bring the thought back to the difference between a printed novel and a newspaper. The newspaper is meant to be an informative, useful tool; it is printed on paper simply because this was the easiest method of delivery at the time. A better method has developed and it is logical that news would move to the digital realm. But the same cannot be said for books, stories and literature.
They are different in a subtly important way. For one thing, books are not tools in the same way that news is. Books, especially stories, are a physical manifestation of a story, something the author wants to get out of their head and share with the world. The medium for sharing this story may not be critical, but I doubt that books will disappear in the face of e-Readers.
Or I should perhaps say I hope books don't disappear. Through all the research and considering I have done on the topic in the last month, I find it harder and harder to argue in favor of books: e-Readers and digital media in general seem to have so much versatility and usefulness, it appears impractical not to make use of them.
Still, I wouldn't give up my collection of books for anything; of all the possessions I own (and there aren't many) my books are my most prized. Staggering data may point to digital mediums as the way of the future and the logical part of my brain understands and agrees. But there is a lingering doubt that I imagine most readers feel, a doubt that they will ever stop reading from physical books. Because the sensation, the immersion that one experiences upon cracking open a book is so unique that we will gravitate back to it.
I want an e-Reader and I'm sure once I get one I will use it daily. But I also know that it will not stop me in the least from rushing to a book store to buy a copy of my favorite author's new book, nor will it keep me from browsing the used bookstore for gems. I may be in favor of the digital revolution, but I will never leave behind my books.
