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FIGHTING WORDS: Paperbacks vs. e-books
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I agree, Lisa, a Kindle is a terrific device, especially when traveling. Not only can you take a library full of books on vacation, it weighs so much less than a hardcover, period. I also like the fact that with a Kindle I can get the book I want in seconds. No having to trek to the book store or stare out the window hoping my mailman has my new book in hand. And yes, it is nice to not have to wear reading glasses or go hunting for a large print edition.Thanks for sharing,
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller
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Thanks Steve, I had forgotten to list that important reason..."instant gratification"!!!
I like spending time in bookstores (especially used bookstores) looking for old books - some of which have been out of print for years or even decades. That's part of the fun. Kindles are great - unless you drop it and it breaks or it's stolen (who wants to steal a 35 year old paperback?) or it needs to be recharged and the power is out or something weird happens inside the matrix and it just stops working for reasons that nobody can understand. Everything has it's advantages and disadvantages, but the electronic book is not totally superior. And because I'm a dinosaur I just like actually being able to touch a book.
However I do aknowledge the good points as well.
But there is no magic bullet. Good and bad to everything.
I love both my Nook and holding a book in my hands. I just finished reading a paperback and thinking, How nice it was to hold a book in my hands. There's something to be said for turning that paper page. I didn't realize that I missed that.I also have the Kindle app on my phone.
Checkman wrote: "I like spending time in bookstores (especially used bookstores) looking for old books - some of which have been out of print for years or even decades. That's part of the fun. Kindles are great - ..."Good points, Checkman, although there are people out there who would steal a 35-year-old paperback if they thought they could sell it for a tidy sum online. You're right, there is no magic bullet here. As a reader, I like both paperbacks and kindle; it all depends on my mood and location.
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller
Eileen wrote: "I love both my Nook and holding a book in my hands. I just finished reading a paperback and thinking, How nice it was to hold a book in my hands. There's something to be said for turning that paper..."Hi, Eileen, just wondering what the experience is like reading a book on a phone display? What do you see, one sentence at a time?
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller
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The other aspect of E-books is that I have access to more authors at more reasonable prices. This is not always good for reading, but it is good for my sense of adventure, willingness to try new foods and openmindedness to new ways of looking at things. New books from old authors are not particularly cheap, but new books from new authors tend to be and classic works from old authors are often free.
You can't beat access to books with an e-reader. I also find that though I sometimes get books that aren't particularly fun reads, I still have a more valid process for choosing e-books than I do choosing a book of the shelf, and usually I know more about it when I download it than I ever did the paperback I bought at the bookstore.
Don't get me wrong. I fear an emp blast, a super-collider accident-sun spots, etc. wiping out all electronic print media so I belive somebody should be archiving and storing books on paper. I mean, how else will we find out how to cook the cockroaches after armagedeon? (since they are likely to be the only food that survives unchanged). it's all protien right?
Steve wrote: Hi, Eileen, just wondering what the experience is like reading a book on a phone display? What do you see, one sentence at a time?Hello, reading books on my phone isn't really that bad, I wouldn't do it all the time and the screen is not a bad size. Like what Curmudgeon said, I have access to more authors at more reasonable prices, through Kindle. Barnes and Noble don't always carry the variety of books I like to read. One more thing my phone is always with me.
Curmudgeon wrote: I fear an emp blast, a super-collider accident-sun spots, etc. wiping out all electronic print media so I belive somebody should be archiving and storing books on paper.Never thought of that...I'm printing all my ebooks as I'm typing this.
Steve wrote: "Checkman wrote: "I like spending time in bookstores (especially used bookstores) looking for old books - some of which have been out of print for years or even decades. That's part of the fun. Kin..."You are correct there. I forget that sometimes.
Eileen wrote: "Curmudgeon wrote: I fear an emp blast, a super-collider accident-sun spots, etc. wiping out all electronic print media so I belive somebody should be archiving and storing books on paper.Never th..."
At the price of printer cartridges these days, Elaine? You might have to take out a second mortgage. On a serious note, the same warning can be applied to photographs. Trusting a lifetime of memories solely to digital storage can be dangerous. Files get corrupted.
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller
Okay. Here's what I do: I have a big reading list file that I put on my Kindle. Then when I'm in an actual bookstore, I can check my reading list against their stock. This works great in our huge used bookstore. If I can get the big hardcover book at a reasonable price, I'll go for that.However, I like to get my writing reference books on the Kindle and then highlight all the important stuff. I also keep a library of a few thousand good books in the basement. Yunno. Just in case of a sudden microburst or raygun attack from Mars.
Steve wrote: "Files get corrupted...."You're write Steve. Files do get corrupted, just like politicians and bankers.
I love my Sony reader. I've had it about 1 1/2 years, and since I got it I've only read about 4 paperbacks. Don't get me wrong, I love paper books. I used to love spending time in my local bookstore, browsing and buying. But since my reader, that has changed, I now do my book shopping online, and it's so quick and easy.What do I love about my reader? It's small and light, I can hold it and turn the pages with one hand, I can carry it with me all the time if I want to, it holds hundreds of books, and it's easy to purchase books online (and those books are often cheaper than paper books).
I also read books on my iPhone. Yes the screen is small, but it's not too small, definitely readable. That's really convenient too, as I always have my book with me.
As much as I love paper books, I wouldn't trade my e-readers, I love them!
Allison wrote: "I love my Sony reader. I've had it about 1 1/2 years, and since I got it I've only read about 4 paperbacks. Don't get me wrong, I love paper books. I used to love spending time in my local books..."Yes, the size, weight, convenience and instant access of e-books is definitely hard to beat. Do you own a kindle, too, Allison? Or do you read only e-pub books?
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller
Hi Steve, No I don't own a Kindle. I'm in Canada, and at the time I got a reader, I didn't choose Kindle because of only being able to purchase books from Amazon. I chose Sony so I'd have more purchasing options. Of course, books from Amazon don't work on my Sony. But, I do have the Kindle app on my iPhone, so I still purchase books from Amazon and read them on my phone.
I resisted e-readers at first, too. Why replace my beloved old paperbacks with something that requires electricity? But I'm a believer now, for the reasons others have mentioned, plus I can download music onto it and listen while I read; audible audio for when my eyes have to do something else...and has your hand ever cramped up from holding a book open while you ate a sandwich? Never again, with my trusty Kindle. And the screen is amazing!
I've had an ereader for several years & like it. I've had ebooks for years before that, though. There were Microsoft Reader & Rocket edition books plus a few other odd ones not to mention Gutenberg & Internet Archive texts. I do love them. I keep several copies around & carry them on a thumb drive. It's great to be able to search through a book while discussing it.I won't have anything with DRM on it, though. I've been burned by that too many times over the years. Whether it is a proprietary format or licensing issue, it's just too frustrating. If I buy it, it's mine to read when, where, & on whatever device I want. If I can't get it under those terms, I won't get it at all.
I dearly love my paper books, though. They aren't as portable, but there's nothing as homey as a bookshelf full of old friends. I have the wall of my bedroom lined completely with a bookshelf, just like my grandfather did. I've spent a lot of hours looking at our shelves with my wife & kids discussing them. We can bring up the directory of all the books on the TV or other computer screens, but it just isn't the same.
As someone else mentioned, there are a lot of old & odd books out there that haven't been made into ebooks. Some types just don't fit that format, either. I have Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material in 2 editions in print & on disk, not to mention it is online for free. I read all formats & like them each in their own way. I print some pages out & write notes on them or in the printed editions. I also mark important areas with a sticky note. That's a lot easier than dealing with software.
Art & comic books are much better as paper, IMO. I'll never be able to afford an original Frazetta, but have several of his books. They're so much better than looking at his work on a computer. I guess this could change in time, although with licensing issues, it probably won't be soon.
Jim wrote: "I've had an ereader for several years & like it. I've had ebooks for years before that, though. There were Microsoft Reader & Rocket edition books plus a few other odd ones not to mention Gutenbe..."Jim, you are an early adopter. And I agree with you, I love seeing the books on the shelf, browsing the spines, pulling one out and handing it to a friend.
But keep in mind, your ebook is not "yours". Whether you have DRM or not, the licensing agreement you clicked through at some point said you get to keep them on your ereader until they (Amazon/BN/Kobo et al) claw them back, or you die. You cannot 'give' them to anyone, you cannot leave a collection of them in your will. Bruce Willis has a lawsuit over this premise and I think we all hope he wins.
This issue is why it's ridiculous to see an ebook for anything above the paperback minus 50% -- and by all rights, it should be 5% of the purchase price. Like everything else in the world.
Peace, Seeley
Seeley, possession is 9/10ths of the law & nothing I have has DRM on it. Gutenberg & Internet Archive texts are legal to share & keep as many copies of as long as I like. As for the rest, I'm not going to cut into any author's profits. I want them to keep writing.I'm not really sure where I stand on how ebooks are treated under the law in wills. One thing about paper books is that they have some built-in obsolescence. Some of my father's & grandfather's books are about done in, others have died. Unfortunately, some are pretty much irreplaceable & not deemed worthwhile replacing by the publishers that hold the rights for far too long these days - another piece of the puzzle to keep in mind.
I am quite peeved that publishers have been able to tie up so many of Robert E. Howard's stories for so many years in so many countries, for instance. Lippincott's tales are another. I recently read one of his books that had been republished in 1970. The previous book, which I would LOVE to read, hasn't been published since the 40's, but is still under the publisher's copyright. A copy goes for $300. All that does is make sure no one reads it & the publisher will never make another dime on it.
It's morally repugnant that Disney practically sends in storm troopers when anyone comes close to impinging on their copyright long after the actual creator is dead & gone. Worse, they keep lobbying for longer periods. I do feel for Louis L'Amour, though. He had people legally republishing his stories without giving him a dime. I think Spider Robinson addressed that well in Melancholy Elephants.
Ebooks will never die so long as proper backups are kept in a standard format. That's tough on the author that needs to make money today & has their work pirated. I could buy an ebook & give a perfect copy to all my kids - hardly fair. It's good for the reader who can read the same book on multiple devices over many decades, though. I tend to think the lack of a built-in method of conspicuous consumption is the producers biggest gripe, though.
There's a similar conundrum in the music industry. I've always felt that albums were designed to rip off the buyer. We'd get a couple of decent songs on an LP that would easily get scratched. A few years later, the band would put out a 'Best of' album & make more money for repackaging the same work. Of course, back then I could legally copy the album to a tape & did, quite often. I made my own 'Best of' & mixed albums.
Now that's illegal - if they catch a person doing it.
In reality, unless a person is blatant about it, no one really cares. It's a young industry & will hopefully work itself out in a few years, but we'll see.
I'm hopeful that we will be able to merge the bookshopping experience with e-readers. I own a kindle, and still find myself buying paper copies of older stuff, just because I prefer the heft. Really, I only buy e-books when it's a last resort, or if I don't care about amazon remotely wiping my library.I think that until we get a more tactile, interactive experience for online book shopping, e-readers will be used more for specific purchases, and people will have to rely on word-of-mouth to know what to search for.
How awesome would it be to have a "genre random" function at the e-retailer? Something like online radio, for books. Pick a genre, or an author, and it will supply random pages from the first chapter of authors like them, and cover art, for you to experience a bit of their work, without needing to seek it out by name. I would probably never get anything done without my e-reader in hand if there was such an option, to help me discover new books.
The little-bitty print in hardcover and paperback is just killing my poor eyes. Subsequently, I just LOOOVE my cheap Kindle (the one with the ads). Just LUUUVE it!
I'm back and forth with what I like better. My obsession is reading (if you don't believe me, look how far I've gotten on my reading goal haha) and my priorities are different than most people's. I rarely actually remember my phone, but my Kindle goes with me everywhere. Every chance I get, I'm reading a book on it. But I love libraries and I love bookstores, especially independent ones. My room has bookshelves full of books I've read or plan to read. Kindles just don't have that book smell, but they're a heck of a lot easier to read in bed and carry in your purse. :)
I'm back and forth with what I like better. My obsession is reading (if you don't believe me, look how far I've gotten on my reading goal haha) and my priorities are different than most people's. I rarely actually remember my phone, but my Kindle goes with me everywhere. Every chance I get, I'm reading a book on it. But I love libraries and I love bookstores, especially independent ones. My room has bookshelves full of books I've read or plan to read. Kindles just don't have that book smell, but they're a heck of a lot easier to read in bed and carry in your purse. :)
I was looking for a topic to mention that I bought 2 new bookshelves from a friend who is moving when I saw this topic & read back through it. It's almost 3 years old. Has anything changed for any of you during that period?I might be reading a few more ebooks, but still prefer paper hence the new bookshelves that were immediately filled from the overflow & stacks.
PaperBackSwap (PBS) & BookMooch are now dead. I have over a dozen credits on each, but there are almost no new books & PBS wants to charge a fee. I just buy them used from AbeBooks, usually for my wife who still won't use an ereader.
I am listening to a LOT more audio books as they've become easy to download from the library & thousands are available. I seem to be busier, so they work better for me.
I am strictly reading ebooks now. Love being able to enlarge the text.Love the tablets with an ereader app on them for reading indoors- or the paperwhite kindle- but for outside use a regular ereader or the paperwhite kindle as the glare on the tablets is irritating for reading.
Sadly, a lot of my old paperbacks have yellowed and fallen apart. But I like both formats.
3 reasons paperbacks beat the crap out of e-books:I'd be hard put to keep it to just three.
3 reasons e-books beat paperbacks to a pulp:
They don't. The only type of reader who can legitimately claim--with moral ground--that ebooks add anything to our society are the infirm or impaired. Those individuals with vision problems or wrist problems. Otherwise, no one has a good argument for these horrible inventions (personal preferences aren't an argument)
I have a Kindle DX which is large, about 10.5", & uses epaper, so it isn't back lit, a blessing for older eyes that stare at a computer screen most of my working day & beyond. It's OK. It allows me to read a lot of stories that I otherwise would miss. I don't like it as much as a paperback or even a hardback, though. The biggest reason is the ability to quickly flip between pages is lacking. I can't flip back quickly to an earlier piece for clarification & the annotation functions are just torturous. Yes, I write, underline, ear page corners & make liberal use of sticky notes depending on the subject & need. It is MY BOOK, a resource. I see no reason to keep it pristine for anyone. I don't feel as if I get as much out of a book on an ereader. I read a study that said the same thing, although it couldn't conclude why.
It's also a real PITA when I get too many books on it, so I keep it lean, maybe 100 books. That's a real blessing when I travel, but I rarely do save shuttling between home & work. Looking at a directory full of books will never be as nice as looking at my bookshelves with well used (& some pristine) books jammed in them with pages of notes stuffed in between. One wall of my bedroom is a bookshelf from floor to ceiling, save for the window it frames. I can lay in bed & contemplate it with true enjoyment. Looking at the familiar spines is like visiting with friends.
Ereaders certainly have their place & I'll replace this one as I did my old Sony when it goes. I'll convert my 20 year old Lit files to work on it too, but it is an efficient piece of technology that I will never love the way I do many of my old books.
Checkman wrote: "Everything has it's advantages and disadvantages, but the electronic book is not totally superior. And because I'm a dinosaur I just like actually being able to touch a book. "I agree. It is a technological advancement but that doesn't make the the content of the book itself more superior. I know with movies, DVDs increased the quality of viewing a movie over a VHS tape. Now they have been replaced to keep imrpoving viewing quality. We have gone great lengths to increase audio quality for music. This same argument cannot be said for books being converted to electronic files.
With books vs. ebooks, technological advancement isn't increasing the quality of the book itself. It is convenient, however, for those who for whatever reason have an issue carrying a book around, or those who have eye problems, or space issues.
I mainly read books - I've always loved them. But I'm a bibliophile, not just a reader. I grew up loving books and always wanted to live my life surrounded by them. I now have a large collection for me (2500+) and nothing could make me happier.
I do use ebooks on occasion too. A lot of time its for the free ARCs and sometimes for when an ebook is only available in that format. There are pros to ebooks and cons.
Mod
3 reasons paperbacks beat the crap out of e-books:
1. No one can change the content of my printed on paper book with stroke of a key.
2.I can read even during an extended power loss period.
3.If I drop it it doesn't break...paper even survives being run over by a truck.
Shall I go on? I didn't even mention the tactile satisfaction of print books...Oh yeah. Print books are..you know...actually books.
Action/Adventure Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
Melancholy Elephants (other topics)Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material (other topics)
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3 reasons paperbacks beat the crap out of e-books:
3 reasons e-books beat paperbacks to a pulp:
Curious to know what those reasons are?
Click here: (http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...)
Cheers,
Steve
Resurrected: An Adam Wolf Thriller