introduction

i have created this blog not only to inform, but to enlighten the masses as to why it is completely unacceptable that e-readers and e-books are currently selling as often as they are.  as a devotee to the paper book for at least 18 years (i am twenty one years old and have been able to read since i was three), i find this new screen technology not only invasive, but completely unnecessary given that its predecessor, the book, needed no improvements.

for a complete and detailed account of my opposition to the e-reader and e-books, you can read my manifesto to the book "You Did It All For The Nook-ie: How Culture Is Destroying Culture", posted below.

You Did It All For The Nook-ie; How Culture Is Destroying Culture

Though I am an avid reader, my parents knew what not to get me for Christmas this past year; an e-reader.  I realize that as a fully adept technological 21-year-old in today’s society, I am one of only a handful who will be shunning this new device in favor of its predecessor, the book.  The 2010 sales alone confirm my suspicions that the e-reader is not a trend.  According to Gartner, a technology research and business leader, e-reader sales sold a total of 6.6 million units this past year, up 79.8 percent from the 2009 sales.  It is predicted that 11 million e-readers will be sold in 2011, a 68.3 percent increase from 2010 (New York Times).

The perks of an e-reader are not to be ignored.  A single device that can hold up to 3,500 texts, at prices cheaper than regular books? Incredible!  Why am I so hesitant then? Why am I so personally affronted by the idea that e-readers will eventually take the place of my beloved books?  Upon reflection, I think it is because I never thought technology could take one of the oldest written forms of communication and change it, the way technology has altered everything else in our lives.  I unhappily anticipate a world where libraries, book stores, book carts, and personal collections are no longer; a place where books become the kindle (ha) of fires.  Still, I will make a cause and stand up for the ever-accessible printed book.

What seems to be one of the most compelling things about reading for most is the tangibility of the book itself.  There is a certain aesthetic appeal of being able to admire the cover art, smell the new ink, flip the pages, and crease the binding from so many reads.  All of this is lost on the e-reader.  What if your e-reader runs out of battery?  What if you spill something on it?  What happens if you drop it?  The mere durability of your $150 purchase is questionable, compared to the durability of an book, which typically costs about $15 (ten times less than an e-reader).  Keith Fiels, executive director of the American Library Association, states “Books are not a waste of space, and they won’t be until a digital book can tolerate as much sand, survive a coffee spill, and have unlimited power.  When that happens, there will be next to no difference between that and a book” (Abell).

Another experience lost on the e-reader user is the hunt for that special book that you are going to take home from the bookstore or library.  Though I am nowadays accosted by Nook tables in my local Barnes and Noble, there is still an inexplicable joy that comes from finding a paperback that I’d always wanted to read.  Used bookstores can offer even more delightful finds, like that out of print hardcover novel that you had always wanted.  Should bookstores become extinct because of e-books, we as a people would be at a huge cultural loss, for no longer would we have the experience of wandering around, holding up and inspecting and then selecting whichever chosen book we’d deemed fit.  The browsing of literature has yielded in millions of unexpected purchases that would not be nearly as frequent should the browsing be online, rather than in an actual store.

On a scholarly level, there is a definite drawback with e-readers.  William Powers, author of Harvard publication “Hamlet’s Blackberry: Why Paper is Eternal,” states, 

"There are modes of learning and thinking that at the moment are only available from actual books.  There is a kind of deep-dive, meditative reading that’s almost impossible to do on a screen.  Without books, students are more likely to do the grazing or quick reading that screens enable, rather than be by themselves with the author’s ideas”  (Powers).

To further prove this point, a study done by Useit.com proved that the reading on a Kindle was at a speed 10.7 percent lower than that of reading the printed word.  What this concludes is that deep immersion in your e-book is next to impossible (the accessibility of the internet, games, and Facebook doesn’t help), and even if you are reading, you are not going at as fast a rate as you could be with a printed book.  Though  quicker is not necessarily better, scholars will agree that anything that slows reading down, on top of affecting how one is receiving information, will make a difference in the amount of knowledge a person can and will retain.

One argument that is hard to combat is the eco-friendliness of an e-reader.  Whereas paper books destroy trees, the e-reader offers a green alternative of yet another screen in our lives.  Yet, for the flack that printed books have recieved in an attempt to push the selling of e-readers, here are some production facts: any decent sized tree can produce nearly 1,000 books per tree, and if the publisher opts to use recycled paper, even more books can be made.  Also, whereas books are essentially biodegradable, when an e-reader breaks, the various toxic substances they contain, let alone the battery, will need to be handled appropriately to ensure that no damage will be done to the environment (Siegel). 

Despite the rise in the selling of e-readers, there seems to be some hope.  A recent survey done by Mashable.com concluded from 2,143 votes that 41 percent of people prefer printed books, while 34 percent see the value in both print and e-books.  A mere 23 percent enjoyed e-books over the printed word (Parr).  And, according to the New York Times, “The hardcover book is far from extinct.  Industry-wide sales are up 22 percent this year, according to the American Publishers Association” (Miller).  I am in full understanding that I may be one of the last of my age who dream of having a Beauty and the Beast-sized library in their home when they get older.  I also know that rather than reading a Nook to my eventual children, I will always choose a book.  The other day, I went to Barnes and Noble to purchase Jonathan Franzen’s novel, Freedom.  On my way out, I casually stole a glimpse at the Nook table where an overly helpful employee was all too ready to help me get to know the e-reader.  I held up my bag, proudly declared “I’m a book believer!” and left.