E-books vs. real books.

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.

Comments

I prefer real books, but I do like the convenience of ebooks (and my ability to steal them :P). 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.
 
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.
 
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
 
I prefer eBooks as I've never cared for actual books so I read a lot more now.
 
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.
 
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.
 
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...

Nuclear... :tpi: :tpi:

But I just like holding an actual book
 
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.
 
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.
 
I like the new ebooks with special screens that make it look like paper.
Its better then using an LED screen.
 
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 :creep:
 
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
 
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 :ninja:'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)
 
G
I prefer real books over e-books and I'm about 14 years younger than you. :)

[quote name='Rayder' post='3784600' date='Jul 20 2011, 04:50 PM'][...]
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?
[...][/quote]
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.
 
[quote name='Rayder' post='3784600' date='Jul 20 2011, 06:50 AM']There are some aspects of the electronic age that are NOT better. Books are just one of those things.[/quote]

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.
 
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
 
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.
 
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.
 
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.
 
I really don't agree with the environmental pansies who think books are a waste. If there was apocalypse, say a giant solar flare knocked out grid all we'd have is printed books. Books did a good job off pulling us out of the dark ages. It's a good idea to have a alternative to digital. Personally I like the smell and feel of old used books. I like the old cover art, the yellowing of the pages. I do have an ereader and I like it because I pirate new books. It also saves me a lot of space but if I can't pirate a digital book I'll buy the physical copy used. There's no way I'd ever spend 9 or ten dollars for an epub file when I can get a used book for the same price or less. The other thing I like about owning real books is I can sell them and get some money back when I'm done with them. Not really something you can do with a digital book is it?
 

Blog entry information

Author
Rayder
Views
523
Comments
70
Last update

More entries in Personal Blogs

More entries from Rayder

General chit-chat
Help Users
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Not even once, but 100's of times
    +2
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    My girlfriend at the time, she had me stay up with her all night because some how the crazy bitch had spent like 12 hours snorting 2 8 balls, didn't use any water (gotta clean your nose) so she had so much crusted in her nose I was sure she was gonna blow up her heart. I mean this was the stuff right off the boat so absolutely pure. ugghh so annoying
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Also doing like 320 dollars worth of coke in half a day lol damn it
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    hmmm 360 even lol
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Well I was getting a discount so 320 is probably right
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    That is cheap, I used to pay $100 for a tine.
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Tine? One gram?
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    Sixteenth
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Also it was literally out of a kilo when I got it off the boat so absolutely pure
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Holy shiz that's a lot
    +1
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    I was getting 3.5 Grams for 320 could have stepped on it and doubled my money easy lol
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I'd be afraid to it nowdays, my heart would explode prob. I just stick beers n buds nowdays.
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    I would get to drive from tarpon springs to like Miami a thousand bucks lol do that twice a week and back in 92 that was good money
  • Xdqwerty @ Xdqwerty:
    @BigOnYa,
    @Psionic Roshambo what are you guys talking about?
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Blew it on women and muscle cars lol
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    @Xdqwerty Hamster food, its pricey nowadays to keep PCs running.
    +2
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    I don't do anything except cigarettes and gotta stop eventually lol
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    I'd do shrooms again if could find, and I was outside camping/fishing, and had a cooler full of beer.
    +1
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    I wouldn't mind some LSD, laughing until my face hurt sounds fun lol
    +1
  • BigOnYa @ BigOnYa:
    You ever try soaper powder/qauludes? I did once and like a dumbass drank beer on top of taking, I woke up laying in my backyard in the pouring rain, it knocked me out. I have not seen it around in many many years.
    +1
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    No never tried a lot of things but never that lol
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    I did pass out one time on a floor after taking a bunch of Ambien lol thought it would help me sleep and did it lol
  • Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo:
    Girlfriend was working at a pharmacy and stole like 500 of them, was and still is the biggest pill bottle I have ever seen lol
    Psionic Roshambo @ Psionic Roshambo: Girlfriend was working at a pharmacy and stole like 500 of them, was and still is the biggest...