The Value of Books
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- canuck0
For fiction that you're only going to read once, ebooks are great. I love my kindle, using it daily, and find I am reading way more now that I was before I got it. Had it for about 4 months now, novelty hasn't worn off yet.
I'd still buy print for stuff that is heavy in graphics, or design/ photography books. I'd also buy print for Manuals eg. repair manuals, programming text-books etc. that might get trashed or written on with heavy use.
- formed0
Books will become more of a niche object, perhaps something of value. Cheap, bw books will become all digital, graphic oriented books will be more coveted 'objects'.
Look at architecture - the old, hand carbed/assembled home is no more largely because labor and materials cost too much.
Fact: paper/printing not getting any cheaper
Fact: computers/batteries will continue to be come more efficient, with more quality and options
- hargbine0
^disagree that books will become a niche object. Primary market maybe with better quality content for newly printed books, but the secondary market is not going to become niched.
you don't really need anything else in order to read a book (except maybe light.)
you don't need a gadget/computer/ipad/iphone/what...
you don't have to charge them.
you don't have to read through them through some other gadget interface/screen.
- Milan0
I prefer ebooks, but there are rare exceptions. If it's a timeless, beatifully designed and printed book, that smells, feels and tastes? good then of course I'd prefer the printed version.
- gramme0
Typography in ebooks is (thus far) horrible. And until we have true high resolution screens, there's no contest when it comes to legibility. Additionally, on an iPad the reading experience is somewhat tense because of the back-lit screen.
That said, I don't think ebooks will go away; they'll continue to evolve. The compact nature of such a device and storage system is attractive, even to a print fiend like myself.
But when it comes to design, production techniques, and real live paper, I don't think the ebook will ever be able to touch the keepsake quality of an old-fashioned book.
I suppose it comes down to why people buy books. I only buy printed books these days if they're beautiful. I'll download the ebook if the print edition is ugly, or if it's free (e.g. I'm reading The Count of Monte Cristo right now on my iPad b/c it was free via iTunes).
- neonspice0
I mean, since Bibles were the first form of printed media (not counting the Chinese) since Guttenberg's invention, can you imagine people using eBibles in church either on a Kindle or an iPad?
"Now flip to Corinthians 1:13"
*swipes finger over iPad- they already do. now it's possible to ctrl+F a passage.sseo
- sseo0
Off-topic perhaps, but if I think about the great times I had as a kid in a library hiding in a corner reading some shit fiction mystery book, I wouldn't want to deprive my kids of that.