Black Holes and Snowy Mountains

Books are something that I have had a very involved (for lack of a better word) relationship with since childhood. I read constantly when I was young, and when it came time to get my first “real” job the only place I seriously thought about working at was my town’s independent bookseller.

With the recent release of Amazon’s second generation Kindle, I’ve heard a lot of buzz about how paper books are looking more and more dated with each new electronic innovation. While I will concede that electronic print is becoming more and more of a viable alternative to traditional print media, I find this talk of the death of paper to be extremely premature. Keep in mind that this is not a comparison between the pros and cons of a paper book and an eBook/eReader, although I will occasionally use the comparison simply because it better illustrates my point. If anything I will bring up the deficiencies of the eBook/reader because there is an issue that must be addressed before it can truly be called a viable replacement. I realize that eBooks offer a lot of advantages that hard copies don’t; physical space advantage and ease of distribution to name a couple, but that’s for a future post.

So, here is a short list of 8 reasons that the paper book is not yet ready to roll over and die.

1. Reliability- A book printed a hundred years ago (and kept in relatively good condition) is basically the same as a book printed yesterday. A book’s display (decidedly analog!) never fails due to faulty electronics. You don’t have to worry about battery life, wireless signal strength or a corrupted file. Page turning is as fast as you want it to be, and you don’t have to worry about the page merely “looking like real paper.” You’ll also never have to send in your book to be fixed, and the fonts are guaranteed to render accurately.

2. Simplicity- Books take a bare minimum of knowledge to use. A child just learning to read is far better off with a paper version, both for reasons of ease of use and so they don’t ruin a several hundred dollar reader. For academic and research purposes, it’s easier to stick a post-it note on a page or to write a note in the margin than it is to use electronic notes with a keyboard input. There is no distracting e-mail, web browsing, or any of the other features included with today’s eReaders.

3. Familiarity- For an activity as personal as reading, the familiar interface goes a long way towards relaxation and actually getting something out of the experience that the eBook cannot provide. Books are a comfort item; they’re an age-old tradition, something that eReaders really can’t compete with. A worn, well-read book can be much more than just a collection of words on paper (for example, a family Bible).

4. Availability- Books are available all over the world in every size, shape, color, purpose, and language. It is extremely easy to get books, and odds are that if you live in an area where it is a challenge to get books, it will be a challenge to get eBooks as well. The financial barriers to entry into the market are much lower for print books than eBooks. A cheap mass market paperback retails for around $8.

5. Shareability- Unlike their electronic counterparts, books can be shared freely in places called libraries for no cost and no fear of legal action. Libraries are the ultimate open source repository. Loaning a book to your friend is not against the law, and the publishing industry hasn’t had to resort to scare tactics in order to stay in the green.

6. Durability- My books put up with a lot of abuse. From being thrown (literally) into backpacks, being chewed and clawed at by my cats, to spilling coffee on more than a couple of my pulp-laden friends, my books have seen it all. The first thing I do when I get a new hardcover is remove the paper cover and either toss it or put it in a place where I forget about it for months. I already know it’s not going to survive if it stays on the book. The point is that short of exposing a paper book to open flame, it’s really hard to render a book unreadable. In fact, since airflow is so poor due to the compactness of the pages inside, books even take a fair amount of time to burn all the way through.

7. Disposability- Despite the durability argument above, we all know books can be ruined or lost. Sure, it’s not pleasant to replace a $20 book that you left on the subway, but replacing a $300+ eReader containing your entire library is worse.

8. Aesthetics- Admittedly this is by no means an objective argument, but let’s all just admit to ourselves that a row of well-kept books gives the surroundings a certain ambience that simply cannot be replicated with electronics. A well-stocked bookshelf still imparts an air of sophistication to its surroundings.

Again, I understand that eBooks and eReaders have much to offer. I am not saying they don’t. The argument is only that print books are not (yet) in danger of being replaced by their electronic counterparts.

What are your thoughts? Are paper books breathing their dying breath? Or are they going to be around for quite a long time? Discuss in the comments.

Update: Amazon tells me that Kindle referrals are now available!  If you are planning to buy a Kindle, consider supporting BHSM and buying one following this link.  Thanks

Technorati Tags: books, paper, Kindle, Kindle 2, eBook, eReader, print, media, DRM, electronics, wireless, culture, lifestyle, reading

Posted under: Culture, Lifestyle by HP at 03/22/09 8:36 PM