The current generation has it easy. With a short trip to the local Chapters or Barnes & Noble, or a click of a mouse on Amazon, books can be obtained effortlessly and near-instantly. It was not always so, however.
A Brief History of Books
Back in the days of the prophets and ancient philosophers, books were written by scribes, by hand, and often originated from a dictation given by the author. This was a very slow, very expensive process, and so only the richest and most well-connected people owned books, most often in the form of scrolls. It wasn’t until the advent of the printing press in the 15th century that books were made available to the masses, and the printed word exploded into a billion dollar industry.
People who used to contact book publishers and pay ridiculous fees suddenly found the printed word readily available in stores for reasonable prices. They were even being offered for free at the new-fangled ‘libraries’ springing up all over the western world like Johnny’s apple seeds.
Now, almost every home in North America has at little library of its very own. The printed word has taken the world by storm, and book sellers and authors are valiantly keeping up with the demand for new material. The digital age, however, has presented the vaunted book with its biggest challenge yet – digitization.
E-Books – A New Age of Reading and Consumerism
People may cling to the sentimentality of the paper book, but they have never been able to resist the temptations of what’s new and shiny.
E-Books are currently enjoying a popularity that is coming close to rivaling its paper cousin back in the days of Gutenberg and his press. Bookstores and libraries everywhere are worrying that the days of the printed book may be coming to an end, in favor of the downloadable and infinitely portable electronic versions. E-Books are compact (no physical presence, save for its reader), lightweight (like a feather!), environmentally friendly (no paper, no dead trees, no waste) and in the long run, far cheaper than tree books.
But are they better? The ambiguous answer to this often hotly debated issue seems to be ‘not really’. Students will say that e-books make fantastic textbooks – no more lugging around steamer trunks full of printed matter to each class, just slip your e-book reader into your pocket. Business people will say that they’re infinitely convenient for carrying around important reference material. Environmentalists will praise their non-use of paper, and encourage the purchasing of an electronic newspaper and magazine subscription. Libraries are even jumping on the band wagon by offering e-book loans via online databases which patrons can ‘check out’ onto their own readers.
But what about fiction?
Tree Books – Comfort and Sentimentality Win Out
This is where tree books will find their niche. E-Books may be perfect for in-depth research, but when it comes to novels, poetry and children's books, the answer is all but unanimous for paper. After all, nobody likes to curl up in bed with a brightly backlit screen. When it comes to reading a good story, people prefer the feel and weight and even the smell that a paper book offers. And as far as collecting goes, having a bookshelf full of favorite titles in the home seems to be taken not only a sign of intellectual prowess, but an essential component of home décor. What’s a study, living room or office without a fully stocked bookshelf? Not to mention the fact that a paper book will never run out of power, will never become obsolete when a new technology is invented, and will always be the very first medium with which children learn to read.
Peaceful Co-Existence?
In the end, the debate is ongoing, and the final say will rest squarely in the bank accounts of the consumer. E-Books are convenient and economical, but the attachment our paper-bound tomes of knowledge runs deep, and sentimentality can be a powerful thing. One thing is clear however, that digital books have made their mark and will never be classed as a passing fad. E-Books have their place in the libraries and hard drives of the masses, but they may never succeed in replacing the one you can hold in your hand.
Melissa Cannell - I am a part-time Library and Information Technician working in the library resource center of a busy Canadian college. I've been writing ...
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