Why Printed Books Will Never Die

I am an avid reader, Jeffrey Archer and George RR Martin are like celebrities, and books sacred. Up till a few years, printed books owned the ring but the scene is changing faster than Jeff Kinney can churn up another diluted book.

In the recent decades, the e-books have been quickly speeding up to the printed books. The number of children who have read an e-book has doubled since 2010. Superior annotation tools, easier discovery, interactive content and shared reading experiences are just some of the things made possible because of digital publishing.

For those like me, who prefer their books printed in ink on paper, this may sound like sad tidings marking the end of an era. 

But there's something about holding a book in your hand and the elegance of physically turning a page that, for me at least, can't be matched with pixels on a screen. I think print and paper has a lasting value that people appreciate. Pixels are just too temporary.

Maybe there is a future in which both digital and printed books can live harmoniously and blend the pure joy of reading about those characters and landscapes that leave us all inspired and gob smacked.

Books Inspire

Your favorite books define you, and digital versions don't seem to impart connections that are quite as deep. You develop a connection with the book just as with the characters.

"Books have been around for a very long time and people have a deeper relationship with some books than most digital content", says Praveen Madan.

They Are Nostalgic

Books transport people into different realms. Print does so with a plus point, they transport us to the time we first read the book, not unlike the first time you go to a concert. The touch, the curiosity, the feeling is all very nostalgic about printed books. Digital ones, as are young yet, do not possess this brilliance. 

Posterity

Digital technology is funny — you own an e-book, but you don't.

You're paying for the right to access data. Data which can be wiped out and deleted with just one click. But books, like diamond, are almost forever.

They age, yes, which is one of the good and bad things (more on that later). Printed copies can be passed down, they can be stored. And it is a bit too hard to get rid of them except by reselling(another good aspect) or by burning, which I am sure we don't partake in.

Books are Works of Art

That's not to say that electronic books can't be beautiful — as a medium, the e-books are still new and designers have yet to fully realize their potential.
Anomaly is an ambitious printed graphic novel, augmented by a smartphone app that makes animations leap off the page while you read. When the co-author was asked why he chose to print the heavy, unwieldy and expensive hardcover edition, his answer was simple: "Because books are cool! I love print, always will."

Digital books may still be developing in terms of design and art, But for paper books, we're already there. The story is the same, but the medium affects the way you read it.
Author Joe Queenan argued that e-books are great for people who care only about the contents, have other physical limitations or who are ashamed of what they're reading. *cough* 50 Shades of Grey *cough*

Printed Books Are Collectible
Books are like paintings, there is a joy in knowing that you have all the books from a series and are one of the few people who can see those sitting on a bookshelf like conjoined siblings. It is one of those 'you get it or you don't' examples. It is like owning the work of your favorite artist.

Smell

Oh, You knew it was coming! There is something to the old book smell that cannot be explained and yet feels so heavenly. It is the smell of magic, or maybe it's just me. 

In the end
It's a mistake to assume that this is a case of the MP3 replacing the CD, or the CD replacing the cassette. e-books are not simply a better format replacing an inferior one; they offer a wholly different experience.

e-books may be practical in many senses, but my preference is for printed books. Preferences, unlike irrationalities, are what make us, for those who do not have preferences for some things, are truly irrational.

"Printed books are for people who love printed books. Digital books are for those who love digital books"

 Maybe it's just that simple.

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Categories: Personal, World