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With eReaders and eBooks on the rise, the traditional publishing companies are overseeing drastic changes; and many wonder where this leaves the physical, tangible book. This resulting shift, pushing literacy into the hands of technology, forces many readers to choose sides in the book vs. eReader debate. My personal choice is and will always be the book.
I am a huge book aficionado with overflowing bookcases in my room. There are even four 10-foot tall bookshelves in my parents’ house. (We have high ceilings.) But despite all of this, I still wanted to research the subject. I searched online as well as used a couple of eReaders. Here are the pros and cons.
Why you should buy regular books:
-You don’t have to actually buy them. You can check them out or borrow from the library. That $10 library card can be a lot cheaper investment than buying an eReader and even the actual book you want to read. Furthermore, you could ask your friends if they would be willing to let you borrow their copy.
- -Books can get wet, and the pages will dry in an hour for you to pick it up again. Water’s not so great for your eReader.
- -You can easily replace a book if it gets torn up, lost, or stolen. If your eReader all of a sudden stops working, or it gets lost or stolen, you have to replace your entire library…and for some, that could be hundreds of books.
- -A bookcase filled with books makes a room look better, and it makes you appear well-read.
- -Less waste and energy is exerted and utilized.
- -Ok, everyone knows this–and most agree–but I have to add it in anyway because there is truth to it. There is just something about the texture of the pages, the crispness of those pages, and the smell of the book. Plus, you can visually and numerically keep track of what page you’re on while reading. That last one is a deal breaker for me.
“A 200-year-old hand-bound text printed on rag paper is a thing of beauty, and that will never change.” - Steve Cymrot, owner of Riverby Books in Washington, D.C.
- -If you’re waiting in line at the bookstore, it’s more likely because someone is having a problem with their eReader or needs help with it, and not because of an actual book problem.
- -You don’t have to mess with the stress of compatible formatting. With real books, you also don’t have to worry about whether or not the ePub formatting system has a DRM attached to it or not, which could result in having to enter in a password to change formats, or to use it on a different system or with a different hardware.
- -You also don’t have to mess with the stress of organizing books from different booksellers. Furthermore, as Melissa J. Perenson states in her article on PC World, “Unfortunately, the lack of a universal bookshelf is a huge issue in the e-book world. Buy a book, and if you want to read it again three years down the line, you’ll have to remember where and how you bought it.” With actual books, your worry goes as far as where you placed it on your bookshelf.
- -You don’t have to worry about buying all your books from one particular place or app, which is also crucial to library management.
- -Books can be enjoyed in direct sunlight! I love reading outside.
- -They are more cost efficient. Most eReaders are anywhere from $199-599. However, on average, most popular books are $10-15. With places like half.com and alibris.com, those books are even cheaper. (They, along with Bookbyte and AbeBooks, got me through undergrad.) Those with eReaders are essentially just paying for a really expensive bookshelf.
- -Your friends are more willing to let you borrow their books.
Why an eReader could be a better choice:
- -They are more eco-friendly if you read less than approximately 25 books a year. For students with rising book costs, this seems like the best thing since Amazon. However, as previously mentioned, this can be avoided by purchasing books from sites with low costs, or going to the library..
- -Your eReader can always be with you.
- -When you want to read in the dark, (a favorite pastime of mine, by the way) you don’t need a book light. With actual books, you do.
- -You can borrow e-books from the library, but there are usually time restraints. There are time restraints on regular books too. They probably have different lengths of time you can have them, although I’m not sure what they are–not to mention every library is different.
- -eReaders allow you to carry thousands of books at one time on such a small device. Though, and I have to interject here, do you really need 100 books with you? If I’m going to camp or vacation, I’ll plan ahead and bring what I’m currently reading and some of my absolute favorites. If you’re a student, carry only the books you’ll use for that day. I was an English major with lots of reading assigned—trust me, it’s a lot easier that way.
- -For those who have a hard time seeing, you can make the print larger. You could try to find the print equivalent in large print, but it’s not as easy, and bookstores and libraries may not carry such a version. A cheap reading magnifier can solve this problem, however, and they are fun to play with if you’re easily amused.
Books seem to outweigh eReaders in many ways. They have this physical quality about them as well as a different kind of practicality than their digital rival. Many strongly believe that books are slowly becoming a distant memory, but I know they’ll be around for a while. The publishing industry is just getting a drastic makeover.