Source: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com
In my June blog post debating the merits of e-books vs. traditional ink-and-paper books, I questioned the merits of digital book technology. Yes, e-books are incredibly convenient, especially in their ability to store hundreds, even thousands, of books in a single 10oz handheld device. However, as a fellow blogger, Libertine, pointed out back in November 2007,
Reading is a sensory experience in addition to being a way to gather information and to be entertained. A sterile file of book disks in no way can compare to browsing a used bookstore with every corner crammed with books, redolent with the slightly musty smell of old print, coffee, and prowling store cats. Nor can it compare to the fresh ink smell of new books and the artistic dust jackets…
Now, as we know, technology is always progressing, evolving, and changing to meet society’s needs. Take, for example, the upcoming transition from traditional email to Google Wave, a communication and collaboration tool which is likely going to forever alter the way we communicate online. As the internet becomes increasingly social and collaborative (think Facebook, Digg, blogging, Twitter…), Google is re-imagining email technology to keep pace with the times.
So can book technology be re-imagined? Right now, I think it’s safe to say that e-readers like Kindle and Sony E-Reader are sort of like the dial-up Juno email of e-readers. Yes, they’re cool and state-of-the-art and all that, but so was dial-up Juno back in 1995. It took quite a lot of developing to get email to where it is now, and to meet the communications needs of millions of people. What would it take for e-book technology to meet and surpass the expectations of bibliophiles like Libertine?
For one thing, e-reader manufacturers will have to focus more on the sensory experience of reading, rather than on simply the visual experience. With an ink-and-paper book, you can flip through the pages and use your fingers to hold the place at multiple spots. An ink-and-paper book is flexible and bendable. Pages can be dog-eared and you can underline and add notes in the margins.
The technology still has a long way to go before it meets the everyday needs of readers. Many readers would be more than happy to take a light-weight e-reader on a long trip; but when sitting at home on the couch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, I’m pretty confident that most of us prefer the good ol’ paperback. Until e-readers can imitate a paperback’s tactile characteristics, ink-and-paper books will still have a strong market presence. Even then, I doubt that an e-reader can imitate that familiar musty, papery smell…
-Naomi
#1 by Aharon Varady on July 22, 2009 - 4:33 pm
All sorts of forgotten technologies also had and held nostalgic value — the more tactile the better even. Examples: the immediacy of precious value of letter writing with quill and ink and impressions of ring on envelope with a hot wax seal, the aesthetic appeal of organic “imperfections” and richness of architecture not designed with AutoCAD, and the heady smell of gasoline at the refilling station (oops, we’re still doing that). Once a new technology is picked up and becomes ubiquitous enough, all those value become the domain of quaint antiquarians and their romantic hobbies. Distribute enough e-book readers to children and young adults and they’ll never discover the musty smell of acid-rich decaying paper. Instead they’ll discover aesthetic attachments to their e-book devices and their experiences with them. Who among us who grew up with Commodore 64s, Tandy’s, or Nintendos, doesn’t harbor some aesthtic nostalgia for those (now obsolete) technologies. The only thing that doesn’t pass with technological change is the experience of nostalgia.
#2 by Laura Weakley on July 23, 2009 - 4:40 pm
I have to agree with you Naomi that there’s a big difference between e-books and the real thing. There is nothing quite the same as perusing bookshelf upon bookshelf of the real thing!
Being a book collector myself, I don’t feel e-books will ever replace actual books. I do however understand the efficacy of e-books. I always carry a book with me for times I have to wait; in line or in a doctor’s office, etc. Carrying an e-book reader is a lot lighter and easier to carry. If you are a writer, as I am, when the technology of e-book readers is capable of highlighting and being able to cut and paste onto a fresh blank page, would be helpful (if it could cite references for you even better!). It would also be helpful to have reference materials in your hand . This would make it much easier to go anywhere and write. You won’t have to worry about internet connections, or internet distractions for that matter.
Just like everything else, there are positive and negative applications for objects. But there is no way in my opinion that e-books will ever replace the real thing!
Spiritually Yours,
Laura Weakley
#3 by Michael Makovi on October 23, 2009 - 4:32 am
And don’t forget, on Saturday afternoons, some I us won’t be able to use the Kindle at all!
I think the ideal would be to be able to buy both the physical and electronic copies in a package. That way, you get both the tactile feeling and the text-searchability.
And of course, for old out-of-print books, or for niche books with an insufficient audience to warrant a print run, the electronic versions could allow the small dedicated audience access.