Tuesday, June 4, 2013

In Defense of Books Made with Real Paper



Yes, yes, I know. Ebooks are here to stay and I'm glad. And so is my back. I can get by with carrying much less on a long business trip than I used to before the ebook.  

But let me tell you why we will always need physical, paper books:


1) Who wants to bring an e-reader (insert your favorite brand here) to the beach, or the hotel pool, or really any pool? 


E-Readers don't handle sand or water well. And they can be stolen as easily from a beach towel as my nephew's FC Barcelona soccer ball from a playground. When was the last time someone snagged your paperback?


2) Sharing a book with a friend is easier with paper. 

It just is. Sure, you can tell them to go download the book, but it's really not the same as handing them the book and saying, "I loved this book and I think you will too."  See how this copy of Nancy Drew's The Hidden Staircase from 1930 proudly changed ownership over the years.




3) Real books are easier to handle. Maybe I'm just used to books or maybe I'm missing some handy gadget that makes the e-reader easier to hold for long periods of time. 

4) The twenty-minutes on an airplane when take off and land and  you can't use your electronic device can be excruciating. Paper reading material solves this.


5) Hardback and paperback books don't run low on battery and don't need to be re-charged.  If there is a power outage, get a candle and you can read. 


6) Real books don't make noises every time you get an e-mail or a phone call. 


7) Real books smell better. 


8) Real books don't break when you drop them. 



Go ahead and argue with me if you must.  But I still need paper books in my life. 

3 comments:

  1. I'm right there with you. Except that I'm still lugging real books on vacation with me.

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  2. I love ALL THE BOOKS. I don't care what form they come in! I take my Kindle into the bath and to the beach, mostly because I find it easier to hold than physical books. But I want paper for "keepers." I don't want them to get piled up in my Kindle, I want to see them all across my shelves, I want to take them to conferences and get authors to sign them.

    MORE BOOKS. MORE.

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  3. @Kerry - The vacation lug is hard.

    @Laura - "MORE BOOKS. MORE" Love it.

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