Books that still have covers should expect to be judged by them.

I’ll never stop buying books.

For the purpose of this column, let’s define “books” asbooks, paper things with spines and pages.

(Real books have parts, they have heft, theyexist.E-books simplyare.E-books are practically ideas. Like those wisps of energy that Professor Dumbledore sucks from his brain with the tip of his wand.)

I know that an e-book is the same as a book in the abstract. In truth. And that reading is reading is reading.

But I’m not talking about truth right now. I’m talking about t...