Books Are Not Just Text on Paper
Posted on | January 24, 2010
I’ve been thinking about buying an e-book reader for a while. During this pre-purchase process I tried to explore a bit further the reasons that motivate my book purchases and why I am still so intrigued with (and still buying) real books.
- Image by tomazstolfa via Flickr
In the web era where we can get basically all the information and knowledge we need on the web, I keep buying real books. But during my last trip to London I had a revelation - I am only buying books that are beautifully designed and have some special real-life feel to them, that e-books will never have (because digital books are not touchable objects). I bought two books and both have beautifully designed covers with 3d touchy details such as a letter-pressed title and en-carved details. The inside of both books is lively and picturesque, something that current e-readers still do not support. So the question that arises is: “How will I touch the cover of a design book with letters pressed in beautiful retro looking carton on an e-book reader?”
The answer is: “You will not.” This will be a lost feeling, a remaining memory of the good old days, similar to the feeling you get when listening to a record on vinyl.
Of course books with 95% of textual content are much better off on e-ink, and the economy will push e-readers in the mass market in the next two or three years. I absolutely support e-ink and e-book readers for that kind of content, but I wish real-life books would not die. I hope they will at least become collectables and that they will be regarded as retro-chick objects so those beautifully designed covers and diagrams should stay alive, so at least we can use them to make the real world around us a nicer place.
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