E-book or Paper Book - The Great Debate

When Oprah Winfrey introduced the Kindle on her TV show, much to my surprise, my son ordered one for me. He knew I had shelves lined with bulky books and thought it would be a solution to my storage problem. As soon as I loaded my first book, I realized the advantage of its features, instant gratification being the first. The book was in my hands ready to read in a matter of seconds. Adjustable font size was the second thing I found delightful since I was beginning to struggle with the print in some paperback books. E-books cost less too.

I’ve always preferred reading in bed. I once observed I’d never need a sleeping pill. Just hand me a book and I’d soon be asleep, especially a textbook. I soon noticed the Kindle had another feature I liked. There was no need for me to fumble around to find a bookmark when I was ready to turn out the light; just flip the button and it would remember where I left off.

When I talked to some of my friends about the new technology, they groaned and said they still favored the feel of a real book in their hands. They argued that they often flipped the pages of their books back to refer to a page read earlier, something that was difficult with an e-reader. I had to confess they were right about that part. I also had to admit that I was unable to underline passages in an e-book.

So, have I switched totally to e-books? The answer is no. I still have shelves bulging with my favorites. I have some really old books I’d never give up. How could I toss an early edition of Gone With the Wind, or To Kill a Mockingbird? They are like old friends. Or that 1915 edition of Gray’s Anatomy that belonged to my mother. I even have a bookcase up in the attic where I store a few books I’ve promised myself I’ll read someday. There’s one about how Cortez conquered Mexico, and another about Livingston in darkest Africa.

I don’t believe that paper books will be abandoned soon. But e-books are here to stay also. I’ve read that at least 27% of Americans read on an electronic device, and the number is growing. I’ve also noticed that libraries still have a lot of people enjoying them. So let’s celebrate books, all kinds.

How about you, dear reader, what is your preference, e-book or paper?  

Authors' Night at the Exeter Library

Mary Benton, Sylvia Ross, Suzanne Clevenger, Jeff Spalsbury and I, Gloria Getman, had a great time celebrating National Library Week at the Exeter Library last evening. It was such fun to swap stories about how our books came into being, the traps and pitfalls and finally the success when published. We had a very receptive audience with such thoughtful questions. The librarian joined in the fun as time allowed and was anxious to have a copy of each of our books for the library. The punch and cookies were good too. 

Ray Bradbury and E-Books

My local newspaper featured an opinion piece by John Sweeney, editor of The News Journal in Wilmington, Delaware. In it he revealed that Ray Bradbury warned about books ‘in the air,’ and that he never would have allowed a digital version of “Fahrenheit 451” to be released if Simon & Schuster hadn’t told him that unless he agreed to it, they would no longer keep the book in print.

A number of authors have expressed concern about the impermanence of digital books because e-books can be removed, revised, and reloaded. In fact, they can be endlessly revised and perhaps even subjected to censorship. It doesn’t take much to imagination to envision various scenarios along that line.

Remember the big flap over Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn and how it was altered for young readers? In the years to come, if your child’s text books and library books are all digital, think how much easier it will be for a publisher from sanitize such classics for the schools. The picture of our real history, warts and all, will be lost if that happens.

At this point, I must say that I embrace digital books. I have over a dozen books loaded in my Kindle. Just last week I uploaded my own book, Lottie’s Legacy, to Kindle, and I hope many people will enjoy my offering.

But I also have several shelves of books made of paper, some very old. I have my mother’s nursing textbook from 1915, where I’m able to read about medical and nursing practices of that time. In the future, if as predicted, brick and mortar libraries disappear, current books like that would be lost in a digital haze. Historians and genealogists constantly comb the world’s archives for authentic source material. Without libraries, will our history be lost?

Each new advance of science, technology and art comes with a hazard, whether it’s genetic engineering or e-books. It’s my opinion that we must consider the issue of digitalizing all written material carefully. The truth is, we need both types of books. That’s my opinion. What do you think?