I made a solemn pledge last year… A pledge to read the printed word.
I didn’t swear the pledge in front of a row of witnesses, write it in my own warm blood, or chant it before the high altar of grave and earnest oaths, but it was serious and it was well intentioned. I would support the printed word in the face of emerging digital technologies and increasingly electronic print.
Then I bought an iPad in the autumn. Followed by a Kindle at Christmas.
I’d sold out. Betrayed the very cause I believed in. And no doubt helped contribute to the demise of the blessed book. Or so I thought.
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| Photo credit: Alan Cleaver (Creative Commons) |
The printed word is important
Online conversation would have us believe we’re destined to live in a world of electronic words with little or no role for the age-old printed word. Given this, how soon will it be before there is no printed word? One day will we read online only? Will the world’s libraries shrink or, worse, disappear? Will the book cease to exist?
Depressing, isn’t it? But the printed word is too important to die out.
Sundays aren’t Sundays without a coffee and the weekend paper. Would we sit at the kitchen table, each family member lost in their individual, personalised, applicationised tablet or e-book reader?
A world without libraries is a world without mystery and enchantment, a world without sanctuary for the devoted and dedicated reader, a world without a place to fill our heads with hope that extraordinary life exists far beyond those four walls. Surely this could never be?
And reading in print form is a welcomed and refreshing change from staring bog-eyed at an electronic screen throughout the day… isn’t it?
A world without books
A world without books is a travesty.
Books are the very essence of reading and of escapism – not just the words they carry on their fragile pages but the vivid dreams they bring to bear. I can readily escape into the depths of a book but I cannot hide within the hard skin of a plastic e-reader.
The book is tactile. It is comforting to the touch. Its weighty feel. Its supple cover. The crinkle of the pages as they’re turned and the delightful smell that emits from those pages.
Whereas the Kindle is slim and sleek. Modern and purposeful. Cold and calculating in its determination to deliver the electronic word seamlessly to you. It is a different beast altogether.
Imagine entering a house where hundreds of books are on display. You learn about the person who owns these books. In a house where you browse the shelves for your own favourite reads, you find another’s choices and understand a little something of their character or personality, likes and dislikes. An electronic reader doesn’t tell you anything. A iPad might only say “look at me”.
Now here’s the rub.
I actually quite like my Kindle and I think my iPad is a revelation.
When I travel, the Kindle fits neatly in my backpack. It weighs less than a book yet can carry umpteen books inside. It’s an easy and convenient read when sat on the beach, lying in my garden hammock, or squeezed up next to someone on the bus. It is a revolution of sorts.
My iPad is the essence of Apple. It is beautifully designed. It is technologically sublime. It is entertainment personified and it has its place in a corner of my world.
But neither will ever replace my passion for the common book.
I understand there’s a place for the Kindle, the Nook, the iPad, the Next Big Thing, but they won’t – and can’t – move me from my love of the printed word. I haven’t lugged this precious cargo of books from country to continent, city to town, only to give it all up at the first sign of a fight.
Renewing my pledge
So we come back to the pledge… to read the printed word.
The pledge thinks that reading on computers or phones or whatever is fine, but it cannot replace the experience of reading words printed on paper.
The pledge is a commitment to continuing to read the printed word in the digital era and beyond.
So I’m sorry, dear Kindle, dear iPad, dear Nook, I may enjoy your company but you’re show stealers, not trusted lifelong friends. It’s therefore time to renew my commitment to the printed word… Because I couldn’t imagine a world without one, could you?
Do you have a Kindle? Do you prefer the printed word? Or do you enjoy both? And have you taken the pledge?
Let me know what you think below.
The mail is so hit and miss here in Turkey that many people have little choice but to buy ebooks. On the other hand, I can’t see me sitting round a cool pool with one of those reader contraptions. I’d be terrified of getting it smeared in factor 20 or soaking it with the condensation from my G&T. Seriously, I think they’ll always be a place for physical books. You just can’t beat that look and feel appeal. And, rows of books on a shelf make people seem intelligent when they’re not.
We are shortly moving from the UK to Kenya, so I am currently very aware of books and how it isn’t really
practical (or affordable) to take all of our books with us. I’m typing this on my iPad (which I adore and can’t member how I managed without it) and this morning sat outside with my coffee and the kindle continuing with a book I’m enjoying. We have made a conscious decision NOT to buy anymore paper books, because of the move overseas. I have to say I miss them terribly!! I miss the browsing experience in the bookshop, the coming home with the physical book, the front cover, the blurb, the print. I miss everything about them. And come July when we get on that plane, I will be sad that we are leaving behind all but a few favourites.
BUT, and this is the big thing for me, thank goodness for the kIndle because with it, I can still read anything I want wherever I am. Without it, I would be contemplating leaving behind all my husband’s clothes to make space…..
I love my iPad and the fact that I can read my books on it but I also have a (teetering) tower of books next to my bed ready for reading. As much as I can curl up with my iPad for a good read, nothing beats holding a book … turning the pages. Oo and the joys of spending time in a, usually 2nd hand, bookstore where the piles of books are stocked knee-high on the floor. I don’t think iPads or Kindles will ever fully replace books (not for me at least), some of my books have little post-it notes marking a passage I particularly like or perhaps reference – my cookbooks are all colourfully adorned in that way – I can’t mark favourite recipes on my iPad (it has the Kindle and Kobo apps).
I’ve started reading books on my iPhone. I confess this like the dirty little secret it is — everybody thinks I’m crazy. But the beauty of the iPhone is that it’s always with me. No more panic attacks when I unexpectedly find myself in a long line up or stuck in a waiting room — I just whip out my little saviour and read another chapter of Perking the Pansies or War and Peace. Real books are like my comfort food, and I will always love them. But given the choice between twiddling my thumbs or reading a cracking good book on an electronic device, the gadget wins out every time. Because it’s the reading that’s important, not the delivery system.
I wasn’t interested in a Kindle for a long time, in part because I just didn’t feel like looking at yet another screen. But the truth is that with the high price and low availability of books in Chile, I wasn’t reading real books either. My Kindle’s got me reading again, and I love it! I do still enjoy browsing real bookstores when I’m home or looking at others’ bookshelves, but I think for my current lifestyle, the Kindle is the best option for me.
No, I can’t see you sat around the pool juggling the e-reader, a G&T and a bottle of coconut oil either. But I’m glad the book still holds its place in this budding author’s world.
Btw, my books are packed into cupboards, wardrobes and under the beds 😉
Hey Emily, sounds like the Kindle wins in terms of practicality for you. Like Jack, if you live where book availability is poor, it seems like the Kindle is the way to go.
I’m also a big bookstore browser but, coming back from my recent travels abroad with a carry bag completely full of books (and some were hardbacks), I vowed that things had to somehow change. Then the Kindle arrived. I think there’s a place for it.
Agreed. You just can’t curl up with an iPad – well, maybe you can, but it’s a less warm and fuzzy experience for me. The iPad = good for commutes and travel; The Book = good for lazy afternoon reads and night-time wind-downs.
I also have a bit of an issue taking an electronic device into the bedroom with me, for example, late on a Sunday evening just before sleep. It feels a little like I’m working, or checking emails, or something not conducive to relaxing and settling in for a good night’s sleep… but maybe that’s just me.
Hi Claire – wow, big move, and likely full of experiences that I hope you can one day share. So I’m marking you down as pro-Kindle/iPad… and I can see why. Taking your lifelong hoarde of reading material to Africa wouldn’t make sense but, like you, I’d also be extremely sad when the time came to leave.
You hit upon something that, for me, the Kindle cannot replace… the emotion of buying a book and the satisfaction of bringing it home, sitting it on the side table, and enjoying the anticipation of the impending reading experience. I simply don’t get the same satisfaction from buying a Kindle book online from Amazon. It’s too easy, too detached, and just seeing my list of downloaded books increase doesn’t stir the same emotions. Have you found this?
The very best of luck with your near future move 🙂
Another vote for the electronic device over the book. Duly noted.
Okay, so I might not be convinced about the iPad or Kindle replacing the traditional book but I am a big fan of the iPhone saving me from those moments of boredom when you have nothing to do and time to kill. That said, do you have superior eyesight because I cannot bring myself to read a book on the iPhone without going cross-eyed and boggle-faced?
I thought you might also like the following link, Claire.
iPad owners beware… This is what can happen to you and I’ve seen it in the flesh: http://www.thepoke.co.uk/2012/03/08/awkward-ipad-photographers/
The iPad is great for breaking news. But I don’t feel like I’ve really absorbed it until I’ve battled with a broadsheet and inhaled the print.
I adjust the type size and wear reading glasses. It’s amazing what you can get used to when you’re motivated.
I’ll bear that in mind next time I’m sat in the waiting room. Thanks.
Without those ink stains all over your fingers, it just doesn’t feel like you’ve had a true tussle with, and a good read of, the morning paper. It’s all too convenient with the iPad.
I count that as a vote for the printed word. 3-3.
I completely understand the ease and convenience of e-readers. Especially for those of us who travel a lot. But at the same time, I know I could never go digital with my reading. I love the smell and feel of a print book. The older the book, the better. I guess I’m far too old fashioned. I do have Kindle for my PC (not the same thing, I know) and there’s an odd feeling that the books I’ve read on it don’t count. I have the same issue with all e-books in all formats. Maybe one day I’ll change my mind, but I will always prefer the printed word. I think I’d have to sign a pledge to read e-books 😉
No technological advancements will beat the enduring, reassuring quality of a real paper and ink book. That said are we just hanging on, kicking and screaming, to the past? Perhaps sentimentality has got the better of us. Don’t get me wrong, I love my books and own neither i-pad nor Kindle, but as far as accessing information is concerned, it seems it allows more people to read what they want.
Perhaps it’s the weight of history, all those banned publications, dog-eared pages bearing the mark of enjoyment re-visited; but a book brings so much more to the party, appearance, texture, smell – the joy of rifling among titles and finding something new or different that opens up a whole new world.
Books and newspapers automatically make me feel like I’m relaxing – the computer can never do the same. And there’s a lot to be said for ideas that you can hold in your hand. Sometimes I feel that stuff I’ve read on a screen seems to melt back into the ether, it’s virtual quality makes it harder to solidify in your thoughts somehow.
I for one will always prefer a book.
I tend to agree, Tiffany. There is a place for the e-reader but it sometimes doesn’t feel like the books on it count. But it is cheaper, lighter, more accessible. Still… You must find using the Kindle on your PC tough in that you have to sit there and read at your desk?
Thanks for stopping by. I make that a vote for the book and it’s 3-4 in favour of the printed word 🙂
I sometimes think we are hanging on kicking and screaming to the book, refusing to give it up, Aisha. I also find I tend to skim whatever I read on a computer screen where as, in a book, I may re-read a paragraph or turn back to an earlier page for a bit of a recap. It’s not quite the same on a Kindle and, with the progress percentage bar at the bottom of the screen, I feel like I’m on a mission to achieve a certain percent by the end of my reading session. A book has a more relaxing appeal to it.
Seems there’s two debates happening here – one is about access to reading material (as a reading vehicle, the Kindle wins out) versus the experience of reading (here the book is king).
Right here, the book is winning 5-3 against the e-reader…
FYI, Jeff Goins wrote this week on why he loves his Kindle – see if you agree with this reasoning, which isn’t too far off my own: http://goinswriter.com/kindle-touch/
As you have touched on I think accessibility is the winner
with the digital formats, I love my Kindle as it is light and buying books on
it is cheaper and quicker than ordering a book online or going to a bookstore.
I love my iPhone and (my husband’s!) iPad for quick access to news feeds etc.
To satisfy my need to stay informed digital wins. On the whole, I think you’ll
have to mark me down as being for the e-reader…
The only BUT is that whilst I haven’t bought a new paper or
hardback book in ages I do like flicking through a newspaper and I have boxes of
books that I never want to throw away because they represent different stages
of my life (favourite reads, study books etc.) I also love spending a few hours
browsing in a library or bookshop. For me, reading a printed book or newspaper
is an indulgence that I rarely get time for, I feel I need to set aside time to
read printed matter whereas I read digital information ‘on the go’.
It’s perhaps sad but true that in between looking after the
kids and working I can’t ever imagine having much time to relax and indulge in
printed matter, but I don’t exactly miss it, thanks to the e-reader(s).
Thanks Russell, another interesting topic.
Thanks Sarah. Interesting feedback. I think we all have dreams of an idyllic life, where time slows down, the sun shines, and we can sit back and browse a newspaper or carefully read through the pages of a book. Unfortunately, life isn’t really like that for most of us so we opt for convenience i.e. the e-reader.
So I’ll chalk up a vote for the electronic device over the book in the name of reading ‘on the go’ rather than indulging on the side 😉
5-4 to the Book.
Oh! I have an Ipad and a kindle app on it. I read through the kindle too, but always prefer holding a book in my hand. Funny, i also resolved recently to read more newspapers and books! 🙂 I think it helps with expanding my creativity 🙂
Noch Noch
I also thought I’d never cross the line from a book in the hand to a Kindle. But it’s been almost a year now and I’m hooked. The ease of having it on your person means I definitely read more (with a lighter handbag and less shoulder strain to show for it). Those 15 minute snippets waiting on someone/something become a stolen pleasure. Handing a bored teen my Kindle on a flight and having them find a book to occupy them for a few hours was priceless; now we have 2 (mine and the family’s). I love being able to move between books, depending on my mood, which has been especially helpful while reading a number of books as research for the one I’m writing. Ebooks are less expensive, no postage, don’t kill trees. Several moves have had us culling our book collection but we’d never go down to none (love the look AND feel of a home with books). Books for birthdays and Christmas are big in our family, and I don’t see that changing. So long story short? I’m not an either/or kind of gal, never have been. Vive la BOTH!
I’d rather have a real book any day! You will never see me with an e-reader.
Hi Noch Noch, thanks for stopping by.
Me too, by the way. I think it’s a good resolution – creativity is not always as easy to come by staring at an electronic screen (for me anyway). Finding space for these sources of inspiration is the issue! Good luck with your resolution.
6-4 for the book/newspaper?
Great response and the perfect argument for both. Thanks, Linda.
I can see the advantages of the Kindle and still see the rationale for keeping books (books as Christmas presents wasn’t something I’d considered but this is also big in our house/family). I can’t really imagine giving a Kindle book as a present but I said the same thing about iTunes and I’m now perfectly fine with handing over a voucher for birthdays, etc. How the world turns and changes, eh?
7-5 to the book then (I’m counting your vote for the book AND the Kindle).
Thanks, Catherine. Great to see you standing by your guns.
8-5 to the book.
Thank you for the link! Very amusing and reminds me of something someone said when we bought our first camcorder, that spending the entire time filming an event mean that you weren’t really there, living it and being part of it. By filming it, you put yourself behind the camera and you become removed. I have to make a conscious effort sometimes to ut the camera away and just soak it up. It’s the same with the books, yes my vote should be pro kindle, but I absolutely agree that there is no satisfaction from buying an ebook, and yet mountains of it gained from a visit to a book shop. And I don’t lose myself when reading a book on the kindle, I feel a step removed, but maybe that’s from the newness of it? Perhaps in time I will.
I also miss the smell of a new book!!!
Glad you liked the link.
Maybe one day they’ll create a smell for the Kindle and the sounds of the pages turning… or maybe we’ll just get used to it all?!!
I was given a Kobo (Canadian) e-reader for my birthday a few years ago. I thought I would never use one, ever as I love books. I use both. However I prefer the printed word. Time and place as you say but I don’t think that electronics will eliminate books.
Hi Melissa – thanks for your comments. I haven’t seen a Kobo yet but have heard of it. Agree with everything you say 🙂
Though I understand the need and the attraction of e-Readers, I think there will always be a place in our world for physical books. But if the book as we know it is about to begin its demise, I hope that this does not happen during my lifetime.
Me too. I think that would be a pretty sad day, even if I am just being a sentimental old fool!
Great piece. It sums me up pretty well. I am in love with books, but have to admit I am having a steamy affair with my iPad. I feel guilty but just can’t stop. It started innocently enough, but the guilt now is killing me……..
Thanks Paul. A steamy affair… lol. I must admit my use of the iPad is stealthily increasing but I stubbornly keep returning to my pile of trusted books by my bed. The guilt is ever-present here too.