As a book lover, the only problem I used to have was whether I should buy books or borrow them from the library. But nowadays I have one more thing to consider: E-books vs. Print books.
It seems to me that people still love print books a lot more than e-books, but e-books definitely have a large group of fans. I, for one, used to only stick to print books, but now I'm a bit inclined toward e-books.
In this (and next) posting, I'd like to compare print books and e-books. I'm not trying to declare victory of one side. I love them both. I just want to write the good and bad, pros and cons about them, so you can choose whatever suits you.
So, without further ado, let's dig into print books!
Good Things about Print Books
1. It can satisfy my five senses
One of the reasons why you're addicted to books is, believe it or not, because of the touch of the paper onto your fingertips. Not too starchy, not too soft, not too light, not too sharp. The feeling of a paper, flipping sound when you turn the page, old book scent, and colorful front cover. Print books can satisfy our senses in many ways.
2. Subtle Show-off
If you bump into an old friend of yours on the street, what would you want to be holding in your hand at that moment? Cigarette? Cellphone? Not a smelly garbage bag you meant to throw out, I hope. Then, what about a book? A book in your hand, held casually. Or a glimpse of a book in your purse when you open it to find a cellphone to save that friend's phone number. As if to say reading is what you do everywhere, anywhere. You can enjoy this subtle show-off if you have a book with you.
Of course, if you have this kind of purse, you can explicitly say I like books or I like Harry Potter. ;-)
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3. You can use beautiful bookmarks.
Beautiful and pretty bookmarks can make your reading more enjoyable, and make you want to open books more often. It's a shame that there's no pretty bookmarks for e-books. I know that you don't need a bookmark for e-books, but still.
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Pretty and cute bookmarks are perfect gifts for a book lover.
4. You can easily flip pages back and forth
When you read a book, sometimes you have to flip pages back and forth several times. Especially science books that have pictures and new concepts you have to consult so often strewn throughout the book. Or a long novel by a foreign writer that has many characters with exotic names and complicated history. You simply have to flip back and forth to reread and understand them. For e-books, that's quite difficult. For print books, it's easy-peasy as long as you put your fingers in the pages.
5. You can get a signed copy by the author!
If you have a chance to meet the author, you can have their autographs! It makes the book all the more special. You can brag about it to your friends and who knows? It might be worth a lot more to your great-grandchildren. ;-)
6. You can lend books to friends.
You can lend your books to your friend. That is, if you don't mind not getting it back soon, like for the next decade or so.
7. Your children can inherit books from you.
If your children can read and enjoy the very same books you read and loved as a kid, how wonderful that would be!
8. Used books!
You can sell or donate books you already read. Or you can buy used books and save money.
9. Bookstore is a good place to visit.
You don't have to buy books. Just browsing through the bookshelves can make you feel happy. If you by accident find a book that you love while browsing, it almost feels like you win a treasure hunt.
10. Your dream place: book-filled study
Large study filled with rows and rows of bookshelf! The kind of study in the movie "Beauty and the Beast". I bet any book lover would want that. Just think about this. What if when Bell opened her eyes with excitement Beast handed her a tiny USB, saying "There are 3 thousand e-books in this"?
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11. Books are versatile
We have to take good care of books, I know that. But sometimes books can be used on other purposes. It can be a solution to your wobbly table, a makeshift trivet under the hot pot, or a sun visor when you're outside.
And because of the global warming if the ice age were to arrive again, books could be really handy just like the movie "The Day after Tomorrow.": they burned the books in the library to keep off the cold. Before you frown upon the idea that we should burn the books to survive, I have to say this: they started off with books about tax law in the movie.
Not-So-Good Things About Print Books
If you really, desperately, earnestly want to find any not-so-good things about print books, then here are a few I could think of.
1. Shouldn't we protect the environment by preserving trees?
You need papers to make books, and you need trees to make papers. Transportation of books to local book stores and to your house also require delivery trucks, which means more gas, more exhaust fumes.
2. It's troublesome to have a book with you.
You only have two hands and they're already occupied (with a cellphone and a cup of coffee, of course.) A book can be a burden to carry around.
If you have a book with you, it's very likely that you leave it somewhere and forget before the day is over.
3. You can't find the book you bought.
Believe it or not, you can lose your books in your own house. It's not that you live in a big mansion, but still books keep disappearing. Is there a black hole solely for books in your study?
4. Pain in the neck when you move out
Books are the love of your life, but they also can be pain in the neck especially when you move out. How many books do you think your small house can hold? Way more than you think. If you don't believe me, you can find that out in hard way; when you try to box after box all those books when you move out.
5. You can't edit the book as you want it.
Prints are too small? Margins are too narrow? You want bigger pictures? Sorry, there's nothing you can do about it. Except to take out your reading glasses and read on.
6. You have to wait even if you want to read right now.
No matter how desperate you are, no matter how rich you are, you can't buy and read books if the bookstore is closed. You have to wait until the morning. Or until books are delivered to you in the case you ordered them via internet.
Next up is E-books! I'll post about e-books next time.
What do you think about print books? What do you think are good things and not-so-good things about them?
