Isn’t
it always the same? Whenever something new, especially if revolutionary and
therefore possibly quite strange, comes along, the majority of us ignore it
like an irritating fad too foolish to acknowledge. Others inquisitively take
notice, read the blurb, nod wisely, but carry on as before. However a few
pioneers totally embrace it without a seconds thought, making whatever is
innovative the centre of their lives.
E-books
are like that, wouldn’t you say?
A
fervent bookworm friend of mine was given an e-reader for his birthday. He was
so intimidated by it that he didn’t unwrap it for two weeks. Then he
reluctantly toyed with it for another week, downloading a free book. Read a
bit. Put it down. Read a couple of paper books – p-books. Picked it up again.
Browsed awhile longer; finally switching it off with lingering uncertainty. And
then…
Whoosh!
He
was off. He couldn’t get enough of it. ‘There’s something so compelling about
it,’ he said. ‘The screen is the size of a paperback and weighs the same or
even less. I have a dozen or more books on it and it’s still the same weight!
I’m also trying to reduce my reliance on reading glasses, so I just increased
the font size. It’s incredible!’
Suddenly
he’s a happier, more enriched reader. He still reads p-books, especially
hardbacks, for they have undeniable tactile significance: the touch of quality
paper, the rich smell of print, the intriguing dust jacket, and its status on
the shelf. But more and more, the ease of e-reading, especially for the
traveller, is gaining ground. Where would overloaded commuters be without them?
They are now part of our techno-gizmo generation.
For
those who actually read books, of course.
Ah,
but that last sardonic remark is being contradicted, for seldom-reading gadget
kids are now reading books because that’s obviously the purpose of an e-reader,
another must-have along with iphones and ipads of the iwant society.
However, now
let’s take an objective view at e-books vs. p-books.
The
paper book is totally self-contained and sustainable - once the trees that made
it have been replaced. But it is easily ripped and creased by careless use.
Spilled water bloats the paper and distorts it. Deadly fire destroys it in
seconds. And Philistines dog-ear its wisdom-filled pages. Yet, if mollycoddled,
the same book is read and reread for years, acquiring a special charm, becoming
a friend, as cosy and comforting as a pet on your lap.
But
no plastic e-reader can seriously swell the heart with dignity and respect, can
it? Will we see one stand proudly on a library shelf along with its peers?
Silly notion, for each e-reader is a library in itself, and will soon store
thousands of titles, old and new. All knowledge will be contained therein. But
if you drop it, whoops, you’ve lost the lot. And if you forget to charge the
little beast with its electrical nourishment, it becomes just another
disposable gadget that doesn’t work, your invaluable books locked away inside
this slim, sleek, and damned useless fancy case!
And
can the precious metals clawed from the suffering earth required to build it be
replaced? Not from this planet, unless technology changes - as it usual does,
given time and incentive.
P-books
can have important comments scribbled on the margins. But e-readers have a
facility to make as many notes as words in the e-book itself. Elegant bookmarks enhance the p-book,
although a button will permanently bookmark any e-book page. And not fall out.
Another button will turn the page, and advanced ones allow you to sweep a
finger to do it. P-books require external light to read them, while e-readers
have a built-in light source so you can read in a power cut.
Now,
you can’t really give an e-book for a present, can you? An e-reader, yes, but
generally only one per person, until a new model becomes an essential
substitute. But p-books are the mainstay of gift giving. When you have chosen
one, what greater pleasure is there than writing a personal loving message
inside? However no one can seriously scratch a meaningful dedication on an
e-reader, can they?
Everything
has it place and purpose, let’s admit. Books of fiction and non-fiction with
just words are fine as e-books. And big p-books with glossy photos and fold-out
pages are perfect for coffee tables. Students need to be surrounded by
reference books they can jump from book to book and back again. Alongside
googling on an Internet connected handheld device, of course.
Children’s
books: no doubt, some large ipads will contain big colourful pictures and big
print as current p-books do. But can you love Pooh Bear or the Gruffalo the
same? (And please don’t use the television analogy when the kiddies are being
settled to sleep) But anything is possible, I suppose. And very probable.
As
for myself, I haven’t got an e-reader yet. I download e-books onto my laptop,
and snuggle up on cold dark nights in a warm bed with it, all the while
lovingly stroking one of my trusted old paper volumes as I read.
And
fall asleep with e-dreams of an exciting if unsettling ever-inventive future.
Web: petertong.org
