E-books vs. real books.

[Rayder]

I guess I'm just old-fashioned. I prefer to read an actual book than to burn electricity doing the same thing. I'm just not a fan of e-books. I don't like the idea of a battery dictating how long I have to read the book, nor do I want to be tethered to an outlet when that battery starts to die.

I'll agree that books have gotten expensive, especially compared to e-books, but I don't know, I like having a bookshelf full of books to show what all I've read. It certainly seems more impressive than holding up some i-device and saying, "See my list of books?" You know what I mean?

Perusing the web for a book to read just isn't the same. It just seems cold and sterile in comparison. I used to like to go into a book store and look around for a new book to read. I could page through a book to see if it looked interesting, easily judge how long a book was by just seeing how thick it is, enjoy that unique smell of all the books in the store. Talk to other book store browsers to get their opinions. Jump from looking at fantasy books to non-fiction with a simple turn of the head. Stuff like that. The mall by my house used to have 2 bookstores; Borders and B. Dalton Bookseller....both are gone now.

I liked having the book the same day I payed the money for it, as opposed to waiting for an online book shop order to show up in the mail. For me, e-books lack the charm of reading a REAL book, not to mention the fact that I don't need electricity to read a regular book, just a bit of daylight. Also, I tend to like to read while soaking in the tub. Not exactly practical with an e-book.

At 43, I guess I'm just showing my age, but I like the traditional method of obtaining and reading books. Because of the way bookstores are drying up in my area, I actually read books quite a lot less now than I used to. Now I just putz around on forums, which is, needless to say, not the same thing.

There are some aspects of the electronic age that are NOT better. Books are just one of those things.

 

[Blaze163]

I prefer real books, but I do like the convenience of ebooks (and my ability to steal them

). But if I was given the choice if I ever make it as a writer and I get a book published, I'd much prefer to see it as real paper on a shelf. It just has more meaning, if you follow me. Real books have represented culture for most of human history. They just have a little more...gravitas that an ebook.

 

[Slyakin]

Yeah, this argument over ebook/real book has been going on for a while. If I was getting a book published, I'd rather have it for both "platforms". I like the convenience of the ebook, and how I can read a book wherever I want (say I forgot my Nook and I was in the library, I could either get the book from the shelves or go online and read it there).

I don't think books will die for quite some time; Many people (like you, Rayder) just prefer the regular book.

 

[chris888222]

Frankly speaking, I prefer an actual book.

Even with the tendency of dog-ears (folded sides), tears, wears and losing it. It just feels natural. An e-book just doesn't really have that 'natural feel' in the books.

EDIT: the 'natural feel' was charm

 

[Walkin]

I prefer eBooks as I've never cared for actual books so I read a lot more now.

 

[Paarish]

I personally prefer an actual book compared to an ebook. While I enjoy all the conveniences of an ebooks, if I was given a choice I would choose the actual book. There's something quite nostalgic about holding the book in your hands and flicking the pages yourself rather than having a program do it for you.

 

[nryn99]

i disagree about it's just showing your age.

I agree with you, reading real books is always better than reading it on a device. you just said all of the good points.

e-books are just more convenient. and cheaper.

if i had the money, i would buy the books i want to read. not just books but even manga. i really love the feel of hardbound/hardcover books, all my notebooks are hardbound. and i don't know why, but flipping the pages is really satisfying.

 

[chris888222]

One thing I like about ebooks though - brings in more readers.

Others: Saves space, one tablet-like gadget to hold many.

I won't exactly say 'protects environment' though. They run on batteries. Unless your country goes 100% green electricity...

Spoiler

Nuclear...

But I just like holding an actual book

 

[Yumi]

Lol

Went to the mall in Mexico City...saw a few people with these ebooks.
then i saw a man with a beard with a real book.

i sighed and applauded the man with the beard.

I think Real Books will win at the end.
though the idea of ebooks is neat...its a bit silly at the same time.

 

[naved.islam14]

I also like real books instead of e-books because I can show people the books I read and because I like to go to bookstores. But if there was free way to convert real books into e-books, I would prefer e-books.

 

[AlanJohn]

I like the new ebooks with special screens that make it look like paper.
Its better then using an LED screen.

 

[raulpica]

I read a lot of e-books nowadays 'coz I'm lazy and I don't feel like going all my way down at the bookstore.

Also because I read a lot of books in their original languages, and you can mostly only find translations here (and translations can suck badly, sometimes).

Still, I do prefer a nice book. I do all my reading on my iPhone 4, but I also want to get a Kindle in the future. I've heard the E-Ink display it sports is really good. If it's THAT good, I might also drop books for good

 

[Youkai]

well normal books are not bad and they are better for the eyes but still i preffer most books as e-book

you need much wood for all the paper and than they loose their color or get damaged rather easy...

with an e-book you might strain they eyes a little bit more but you do not have damaged and or unreadable pages.


Depending on the book i preffer a real book but mostly e-books win for me

 

[The Pi]

I've grown fond of ebooks, firstly because if see a book I want, I can start reading it within minutes otherwise I'd have to wait for an Amazon delivery or hunt around the book shops (most have closed in my city now anyway) also the ease of which they can be

'd.

The paper book won't die for a looooong time since there's a big hassle for many uses of text (anything educational for one thing, books of laws etc)

 

[Deleted User]

I prefer real books over e-books and I'm about 14 years younger than you.

[...]
I'll agree that books have gotten expensive, especially compared to e-books, but I don't know, I like having a bookshelf full of books to show what all I've read. It certainly seems more impressive than holding up some i-device and saying, "See my list of books?" You know what I mean?
[...]

While this may be the case in the US, in Germany this is definitely not the case. Also, since we're talking 'real' e-books, you'll have to buy an e-book reader (preferably with e-ink technology, like the Kindle). Reading e-books on a normal laptop or a tablet isn't the same as reading them on e-ink displays and not even comparable to reading a book printed on paper, so that's out of the question for me.
Let's take the Amazon Kindle for example, the device itself costs either 139 or 189 Euros, depending on if you want 3G or just Wi-Fi, and on top of that you still have to buy the e-books, which aren't that much cheaper than the normal version of the books (compare the real book and the e-book price). To read just this book you'll either have to pay either 19.99 Euros or at least 153.99 Euros. Sure, you don't have to buy a new reader for every book, but what exactly happens if you're reader breaks in 5-10 years (or even 20-30 years) and the company you bought it from isn't there anymore? The chance of you losing access to your collection of books is a lot higher with e-books than it is with real books. This last argument is, of course, true for everything that's digitally distributed, but that doesn't make it okay for me.

 

[Lily]

There are some aspects of the electronic age that are NOT better. Books are just one of those things.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

Books are one of the most wasteful aspects of our society that have managed to continue to the modern day. It's a massive waste of resources that could be better applied to other things. Who gives a fart in high wind if someone can look at your "impressive" collection of books on a shelf? Fat lot of good they're doing on shelf. Who cares about the "feeling" of holding a book? These are total bs reasons to justify something that has evolved to the point where it's not necessary at all.

Books are a highly consumable commodity, and the vast majority of them don't get read more than once. Electronic books and their respective readers allow you the flexibility to consume the content without any of the waste. Who cares if your SD card with 1,000 books on it isn't visibly impressive? That's HUGELY impressive in my mind, that all that literature can fit in such a tiny space. It saves space, is easy to transport, and is available at the push of a button. It's easy to bookmark as many pages as you want for reference, or even look up a word you don't know. All positive aspects of modern technology wrapped together in a tiny affordable package.

If only all modern technology could be so useful.

 

[_Chaz_]

Personally, I think they both have their advantages.

eBooks: Save space which allows one to carry thousands of books at once
Real books: Everything else

 

[Serina]

I'm with _Chaz_.

personally, I like the idea of carrying (all of my) books around with me in one or two devices - (phone, computer, tablet, w/e) - but there is a certain amount of charm in having a "hardware" book. the sensation of turning pages, that "new book" smell, filling up a book case.

 

[retKHAAAN]

the only books I read electronically are the public domain books. i just can't see spending cash for a book that should be free...

I always read hardcover books though. clunky to carry around but far more sturdy.

 

[Berthenk]

My parents have a lot of books, my grandma on my mother's side has a shitload of books; the amount of books that my grandparents on my father's side have is not small either. We don't have a lot of space left for them; my mother feels bad about selling them/giving them away...

Haven't used an e-read before, so I can't really judge in this case. Either way, reading on my monitor sucks in my opinion; if I had a 3D printer...
1. Steal book from interwebz
2. Print using 3D printer
3. ???
4. PROFIT!!11

And that's another point: shit in the Netherlands is either not available or translated queerly.