It Isn’t The Death of The Book Quite Yet
There is much talk nowadays about books going the same way as music, and electronic book readers replacing traditional paper books. Because of the iPod revolution, very few people are still buying CDs (or records…remember them?) and along with the changes have come the battles over copyright, illegal downloads and file sharing. An article that I recently read in Business magazine suggested that what with the release of the Kindle from Amazon, books could be going the same way. Although not available yet in the UK, despite my eagerness to own an iPod (and my inability to be without it now), I certainly won’t be rushing out to get a Kindle.
Stephen Amidon writes about the new device for the Times Online and comes to quite a positive conclusion, however it is his final paragraph which struck a chord with me.
The beauty and genius of the traditional book is that it is a thing unto itself. It is self-contained. Its limitations are its strength. It has covers, and between them is an entire world created by the interplay between the author’s imagination and the reader’s. Once you connect that autonomous world to the shifting, boundless, hyperactive universe of cyberspace, you run the very real risk of severing that magical bond of imagination…By opening up the book to the limitless possibilities of the digital age, Amazon just might be risking closing it for good.
I love books because I love the fact that the story plays out in my imagination. The instant I open the cover I am transported to another place and can sit in silence, completely unaware that anything or nothing is happening around me, totally lost in the world of the book. I don’t want to have hyperlinks to video, music clips or pictures. I don’t want aides to my imagination. I don’t want anything which is going to remind me that I am actually in the real world. Television does that for me already, which is why I tend not to watch it. Books are my escapism.
Furthermore, and I know I am going to sound like an old traditionalist here, I love the feel of the paper. I love being able to flick ahead, or check how far into the book I am. I love picking up old books in second hand bookstores and finding someone’s old bus ticket or a scribbled ‘with love’ in the cover. And I just adore standing in front of my bookshelves, my head on one side as I go through that delicious decision about what I am going to read next. Nothing in the world could take that experience away from me. It is why I am a book addict.
I had to smile though at an alternative article by Steven Poole of The Guardian. In it, he lists all the things an eBook reader would need before it could truly replace paper books. It is a pretty tough list for an electronic device, and a pretty easy one of the humble book. I had to agree with all of them (except ripping out a page to write a phone number on!). Unlike music, where the primary purpose is to listen to it and really the method of delivery isn’t that important (although the better the sound quality, arguably the greater the enjoyment), books aren’t just about reading a story. They are a whole experience. And I, for one, am not planning on giving that up even if I am the last woman standing hugging my old book collection to myself.
I seriously doubt I will ever want to use a kindle or any other such device. the physical pleasure of a book in hand has too many facets. I wholeheartedly agree with all points named. And I loved that link- number 13 was my favorite and wow, the comments on thatpost sure got heated, so I didn’t dare interject my opinions over there!
@jeane – I agree, which is why I saved my opinion for this blog! I am sure there are plenty around like you and I who will cherish the feel and experience of a real book for many years to come.