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Book or e-book?

CDA said:
Some of you might like to read this article:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,923-1957207,00.html
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Hehe. Lovely article. But the point the article was trying to make IMHO was the value of printed books, probably of more import for antiquarian booksellers and hardcore bibliophiles who love to caress the top quality leather bound books, be it old or new. It was emphasizing the beauty of bookmaking, and of appreciating the art and value of these books.

It said nothing of the rest of us who just likes to read, and have no interest on the pricey (but lovely) books. Neither did it say anything about those who prefer not to buy and go to the library to get their supply. Nothing on just practical reading.

I don't think ebooks will ever replace books. I lot of ebook proponents don't recognize that. I don't think there will be a decline of normal book publishing, but rather an increase in ebook use. But I do believe ebooks will eventually replace the supply chain for those of us who are not book collectors and who just want to read a good book on our favourite couch.

ds
 
direstraits said:
Gollum... I totally agree with you on the tactile feedback being important. That is the primary reason in my opinion why ebooks hasn't taken off. For now.
I love the feel of a real book. But I'm optimistic about ebooks because there are far too many pros compared to cons. And don't forget, you can print from a digital source. Brewster Kahle is involved in an initiative where mobile print stations are driven to remote locations in Africa (or elsewhere, I forget) and public domain or open sourced books are printed on the fly for poor kids who have no access to libraries. Imagine what this will do for those of us lucky enough to be a little more privileged.
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Yes I agree from that point of view as I indicated in my original post but for those of us who can afford the printed and bound copies I'll always go for the genuine article when given the option..
 
I have to say, I never thought I would say this, but e-books are good for some books, like short stories where you can read one whenever you have the time, instead of a book lying around the house for months waiting to be finished. I read short stories online now and again, and particularly by authors you would find it hard to buy... like Edgar Allen Poe, or Kate Chopin, or even Dickens. Also it makes it easier to find the particular story you're after, so to read The Yellow Wallpaper I wouldn't need to flick through ten books of short stories at home, only to read the story in twenty minutes.

Also, poems, or recipes, or travel guides, or tips for breastfeeding etc, are much easier to find and read in electronic format.

But for full novels I prefer a real paper and print book, imagine sitting at a screen trying to read War and Peace!
 
Audiobooks vs.e-books; which one is worse? Or do they both just cousins of soft/hardbound material?
 
I've been "reading" an audio book lately, to see what it's like. It's an excellent time-saver, since I can clean my apartment while I listen to it.

I would never read one, to me, it's just another example of technology "dumbing-down" our culture. Short attention spans, and even shorter syllable word usage can be directly blamed(in my opinion) on computers being used in schools, not to mention the work place. The 19th century farmers with a sixth grade education would spin circles around our little tech-noid children and "desktop" publishing society.
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I'm curious as to why you consider e-books a "dumbing down"? They are still print books, after all. If anything they are more difficult to read.

We recently published a humorous article on the subject (http://www.arwz.com/zineeditorial101305.html) but I'm not convinced that e-books will ever really catch on. I think that audio-books have a better chance.
 
I prefer audio books to e-books becasue Yes they're quite handy to listen to when you're doing other tasks BUT also like the feel of the actual book itself audiobooks somehow feel more human or accesible because you're listening to a human voice rather than just viewing lines on a screen.
 
I have different types of books for different situations. Ebooks are like my emergency stash... if I'm stuck somewhere with no book at hand, then voila...! I have a different set of books as audiobooks, so that I can listen to them while I commute. I love audiobooks because it's really very entertaining, especially when you have a very good narrator. I dislike the fact that I can't find out what a particular word is spelled when I couldn't understand it while narrated, and it's especially irritating when it's a foreign language word, because then I can't look it up.

And my books are, well, for reading. :)

ds
 
Violanthe said:
I've recently discovered audio-books. Quite a time-saver.
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I've never tried audio-books; I imagine it would be quite hard to stay focussed for so long, listening to them. My mind would probably wander. :eek:
 
I have read a couple of e-books, both were Agatha Christie mysteries from Project Gutenberg. I used Spacejock Software's yReader which has a sort of fake parchment look to it.

While I found it reasonably easy to do, it tied up the computer unnecessarily. I would much prefer a portable e-book reader but it would have to fill a number of criteria.
It would have to be a similar size to a paperback. It would have to be able to handle different file formats. It would have to have a long battery life.
So far I have found three devices that I would consider, the Sony Librie, the hiebook and the eBookman. Unfortunately, the Librie appears to be limited to Japan (although it does come with an english OS) and the eBookman does not appear to be made any more. The hiebook is not sold outside of USA, Canada or Korea, but is currently out-of-stock anyway. It can't handle PDF format, either, so I wouldn't be able to use it for my technical manuals.

PDAs are too small for my taste, as well as being too expensive.

So until a reasonably cheap, versatile device comes along, I will continue to clog up my home with paper products.
 
I've never tried audio-books; I imagine it would be quite hard to stay focussed for so long, listening to them. My mind would probably wander.
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It's really not. I didn't know what to expect when I got my first, and it took me a little while to get used to it. But since then I swear by them and get audiobooks from the library whenever there is a version available for the book I want to read. You'd be surprised how well you can listen. My mind certainly wanders no more when listening than when reading. I just have to make sure to do physical rather than mental tasks while I'm listening. The other day, I reorganized all my kitchen cabinets while listening to an audiobook
 
I'm afraid I'll have to retract my two year old Luddite rant against ebooks. I think ebooks would be an awesome option to have when traveling on the plane. I have come to this opinion after viewing the Sony reader. This seems like a real neat device, I don't doubt that you could read a lot from the screen and not get tired of it. I'll have to pick one ofthese up.:cool:
 
There is reader that looks and feels like an A5 laminated page and it folds in half to look like a small book. It is easy on the eye, much the same as reading a newspaper. Eventually we will download a daily newspaper or magazine as well as books into the reader, like we do with music tracks now.

It was demonstrated on TV last year but that’s all I remember about it.
 
Since I sometimes get a little dizzy from my laptop, I wouldn't want to use a eBook. Besides there would be the small problem of it getting warm in your hands as you read a book and the problme also of having to recharge the device when you want to read something. How would you be able to recharge your "book" if it went dead on you while on a camping trip and you have no electric outlet that isn't outside? I would prefer a paper book any day of the week.
 
Personally, I don't like e-books. I much rather prefer to have a genuine book in front of me. I find that there is something definitely pleasureable in holding on to and flipping through the pages of a real book that I simply can't get with an e-book.
 
angerball said:
I've never tried audio-books; I imagine it would be quite hard to stay focussed for so long, listening to them. My mind would probably wander. :eek:
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Mine too, for anything over an hour or so, BUT, I've found them great for long drives. Even for drives to work or around time they can be great in an episodic kind of way.

As for the topic, I think I would hate reading an e-book. I had a friend who read a lot of books on his PalmPilot but I don't think I'd like it. I just love the feel of the book in my hands too much. The smell of a new book, too. I'd hate to lose all that.
 
i cannot stand the idea of ebooks. it takes away from all that books are! i mean really, imagine holding a book in your hand in your favorite chair or place to read...and then...fast forward a couple years and instead your holding a computer. UGH. there is just something special about books themselves that computers dont and never will have. as for houses without books? can you imagine such a thing? no bookshelves...just a little computer sitting on a desk or table. UGH! BLEH!!! one of the best quotes i found- "A house without books is like a body without a soul."
 
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