Books As Books

[JohnDurvin]

Most of us tend to think of our writing as just the words, but this article takes a different view--some books need to be books. Their example is their new illustrated edition of "The Odyssey", and I think I can see what they mean. I've never been able to put my finger on why I like print books better than e- ones, but I think it might be a feeling of permanence, a lingering presence of the story--the fact that even when I'm not reading it, it exists right over there on the shelf.

And aside from all that stuff, the illustrations look pretty impressive. The illustrator took a pretty interesting approach, and it looks almost collaged together from various sources--the illustration of what I assume is Poseidon consists of an Egon Schiele-like head with a diagram of sailors' knots for hair, hovering menacingly over a very Japanese image of the sea--and it's all held together by a color scheme that looks to be taken from ancient Greek pottery.

So what do you guys think? I know we've had a few threads about e-books versus print, both in our collections and for disseminating our own writing, but how about this for an alternate angle: in what situation should a book stay an object?

[Beethovenfan]

I have a Nook and have yet to read anything on it. Yeah, I'm a traditionalist. However, I have allowed my young son to read from it. He loves it. It'll be the next generation that will fully embrace it, I think.

[Shipple]

I think there will always be book-philes in this world. And they'll say things like, "I like to read books, REAL books." And some people will roll their eyes, and some people will agree. Although I do also think the REAL book people will probably become rawther less prevalent than they are today.

I gotta say that sometimes when I hear people talk about records I roll my eyes, but I'll be damned if I'm gonna read Eloise to my (as yet non-existent) kids on an e-reader. Watch me change my mind when they come out with an awesome e-reader for kids books. Who knows what the future holds?

[SunnyE]

I recently bought a Kindle book for my iPad and started reading it. It's ok for when I'm out and about with free time or when I'm traveling, as print books can be somewhat unwieldy in my purse (especially as I favor large hardbacks). But I won't read many that way. It's not just the permanence for me, it's the weight of the book in my hands, the smell of the pages, the feel of the cover. Something about holding a book while reading is so fulfilling for me. And such a privilege. As a sort of a history buff, I think about the days when most people couldn't read. When women in general weren't even allowed to read. Only clergy and super wealthy people could enjoy a book. Now we can all have that privilege without giving it a second thought. Anyway, I can't imagine not loving the print version of books. I encourage my teenage daughter to read them over the ebooks for that reason, and she seems to agree with me.