I don’t think I can do it.
I’ve heard of the Kindle since Amazon debuted it in the fall of 2007, and I know of comparable electronic book readers, such as this one by Sony, but I don’t think they are for me.
I prefer holding a book in my hand and flipping pages. Tactile books. Feeling the age of the page. Smelling old ink.
But who am I kidding?
I prefer reading newspapers and magazines online than on print, so will books be next in my phase of shifting to an electronic medium?
I hope not.
Reading about the Kindle 2.0 hitting shelves this week, I hope it stays away from me. Far away.
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Ari Herzog is an online media strategist and Newburyport City Councilor-Elect.
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Ari,
I’m an old-school book lover, with a special love for science fiction. Cut my teeth on Ace doubles in the 60’s, have a full collection of science fiction magazines from 1968 forward, and have shelves of first editions that are among my most prized possessions.
I’m looking forward to good ebook tech – but the Kindle isn’t it. I think it’s a good five years away, and must have:
1. Really good resolution- at least 1200 t0 2500 dpi. I know this sounds insane, when 320 dpi is considered high-def, but it’s not. 1200+ is the same as offset printed paper in your hands.
2. True open access with no DRM – make that available, let me load and read any pdf file – that will be a reader I will buy.
Like Ed, I’m waiting for much higher resolution and no DRM. I also want more than a “book” reader. I want a full web access device – blogs, online newspapers, online magazines, Twitter (:-) – plus any PDF, .txt, or .doc I want to upload. Include a good Notepad and excellent annotation functionality as well. I want a cross between a netboook and a PDA with always-wired capability and a reasonably-sized screen. Then the books will be an “add on” and I’ll decide if I want those.
I don’t expect to stop buying/reading real paper books becuse I, like you, enjoy the feel and the turning of pages. (I’m also the sort who reads ahead sometimes (shame). Not sure how to do that in a Kindle.)
I’m having the same thoughts. As much time as I spend on the computer, it is usually with multiple windows open, multi-tasking on several projects at once. I read lots of information online and, as an O’Reilly author, have an unlimited subscription to Safari Online. Tech books are perfect for an online experience, as are textbooks and other reference publications. But I don’t read books (fiction, non-fiction), or even short stories, on the computer.
I love the feel of a book in my hands and don’t think a Kindle can match that – at least not yet. I also know that when I fall asleep reading and my book drops to the floor, it won’t break.
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Every so often we run out of bookshelves in my house. We go through a laborious process of looking at every book and ruthlessly build a delete pile. The last one filled the back of the minivan and then halfway full again. We then put all the rest of the books back … and still have no empty shelves. And the last time I actually re-read a book? Well, there are a few, but there are always new books to read and the old ones just gather dust. I came to the realization that books are a disposable commodity.
I was skeptical of the Kindle, but got one for Christmas last year and became a fan very quickly. The first book was a little odd (OMG I’m reading a book on this thing!) but now I prefer it to paper books.
It’s lighter than a book, yet holds hundreds. It’s easy to hold one handed – no fighting the binding. When you fall asleep reading, it turns itself off and when it comes back on, it’s right where you left off. (I love this feature!) You can mark locations, highlight text, and add annotations; the highlights and and annotations are also written to a text file you can download. And it’s pretty tough. I’ve dropped it a number of times with no more harm than having a page or two turned. When my eyes are fatigued after staring into a light source all day (aka computer screen) you can bump the font up. You can read any place there’s light: easy chair, desk, kitchen table, beach. The search feature spoils you pretty quickly – can’t do that in paper. It even comes with free web access and a simple browser – adequate for newspaper and blog reading. (I actually tweet from it quite often!)
E-Books are cheaper and have a minuscule carbon footprint. I’ve saved so much on books that I have no qualms about buying another copy of that rare book I want to keep or share in paper. The free mobireader software easily converts text, PDFs, and DOCs for upload via USB; I’ve only run across a couple that didn’t work. I routinely copy work reading to my Kindle to bring home instead of printing things out.
As for the DRM issue: it’s the only way to convince publishers to go along. If you don’t get the big publishers to sign on, you won’t get most of the good books. (There are a lot of free or almost-free books available; with most, you can see why they couldn’t get a publisher.) Publishing is a pretty marginal business as it is and they feel that they have to protect their revenue. Can’t say I blame them.
Well, as you can see, I get pretty excited about it. The interesting thing is that I never would have thought that I would like it so much. I thought it would be a kind-of-handy thing, but never imagined that I would come to prefer it to paper books. Since it took a book or two to get used to, it’s not the sort of thing you would find out from a store trial or demo.
I sooooooooooo feel your pain, Ari. I, too, like to actually hold books. In fact, I highlight important passages or parts I want to go back to sometimes because I’m that nerdy. I find myself in libraries and bookstores just because I like the smell of books. As much as I do read my news and stuff online, I just don’t think I can give up real books. There’s just something not natural about it … kinda like instant coffee. Sure, it’s drinkable, but it’s nowhere near as good as the real thing!
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Ari —
Sorry, but reading on the Kindle and newspapers and books is not mutually exclusive; instant access to the LosAngeles Times, for example, is available on the Kindle whether you live in Boston or are traveling and want to see how the Grammys were covered in LA.
As a book lover as well, the best feature on the Kindle is you get to instantly download the first chapter or so for free, before deciding if you want to buy it at a substantially reduced price — and more green-conscious way — from the bookstore retail.
As a Kindle user I can say it is indispensable while traveling as well. It’s where the puck is going.
Cheers, bcarr
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Ari,
Just this morning someone asked me if I already have a Kindle.
I actually share your view on this one, I love holding books, I love buying books. I have a nice collection of really old books as well.
I read Brian Carr’s comment and thought about the green aspect. I have not purchased a newspaper in years and the green aspect has influenced that decision . I try to only buy used books in second hand stores (a hobbie on the verge of obsession), but I too can see Kindle taking over. I haven’t even seen how it worked yet, out of fear I might get used to it too quickly
That’s the thing. The “green” aspect of printing new books vs making it available electronic. I’m behind that. For the record, I rarely buy new books (and when I do, I try to buy local at places like the Jabberwocky Bookshop), but usually either borrow books from the library or emulate Yael and visit used stores.
Sarah, you’re a big fan of these book readers, so let me ask you a question: Suppose you’re on page 223 and you want to flip back to what occurred around page 40. With a tactile book, it’s easy to thumb back and forth between the two pages–and even with a web page, you could have two versions open at the same time–but with a Kindle, you can only see one page at a time, right? No such thing as a split screen between pages?
Hi Ari, I wrote a book. I went to a writer’s conference to see if I could sell it. I found out that the ‘old-tradtional’ way of publishing is failing. I do believe the paper book will be with us for a while but the new way to get books is by ebooks or audible. I travel quite a bit and used to take a suitcase for my books, now I have an iPod and I listen. I have many friends who have Kindles and love them. Imagine, all the high school backpacks only carrying a Kindle like reader- and inexpensive college books. I decided to self publish my book, after giving it away, free in many forms online, because my husband wanted to ‘have on on our shelf’. So it sells for $20.99 on Amazon for the paperback and around $7 dollars for the Kindle download. The Kindle may not be perfect, but the computer has come huge leaps and bounds in just a few years. Many books are now available on iPhones. Japanese write books on cell phones that become best sellers.
The future is here.
When I settle down with a break, it’s very much an escape. I already do so much of my reading online; sitting on the couch with one more electronic device would just feel like more work. I wonder if 1200+ dpi could solve this problem? I’d like to think so, but I’d have to try for myself. And until I can afford a Kindle, it’ll remain books for me too.
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Hi Ari,
I’ve had friends try to convert me to Kindle but I’m rather stubborn about traditional books. I love the heft, the worn down spines of favourite reads, the mere act of flipping pages and inhaling musty aromas – nothing an e-book can provide. Tracing spines on my bookshelf, ruminating over my next read is a pleasure I can’t think of abandoning.
I lean towards second-hand books that possess the magic of quaint messages and doodles; the hallmarks of travelling bibliophiles: post-cards, train/museum tickets, stamps and pressed flowers and feathers.
I am sure the publishing landscape will change in the years ahead but reading an e-book under a tree or from a hammock just isn’t the same for me.
There’s a great article here on the greener way to enjoy the printed word.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/feb/05/ebooks-ethical-living
Ari — having been an avid reader my entire life (I’d rather spend time reading a book than watching TV), I can’t imagine life without “real” books (paperback/hardcover). The feel of a book, smelling the ink, turning the pages is something I wouldn’t want to give up. I keep a pile of new books next to my bedside table and feel a certain thrill when I catch the spine/title of one that is waiting to be read. Like Stacy Lukas, I underline and highlight passages to return to and I even go so far as to use different color pens/pencil/highlighters/flags; although I’m sure some e-book technology allows (or will allow) this, but to me, it just wouldn’t be the same. There is something personal about seeing your remarks in your own writing about a passage that had an effect on or moved you in some fashion, a feeling you couldn’t quite get from a computer generated notation. Technology/media is an integral part of my life which I’m sure will only intensify over time, but I think I’ll always prefer physical books to ebooks/reading books online.
My wife is a massive book fan and has a huge library of books via her 5- bookshelves. These are just unread ones. We also have a storage cupboard full of about 6-7 boxes of finished books.
From a green and storage point of view, I bought her the Sony 550 eReader (that Kindle is one ugly sucker!). She loves it and uses that when commuting, as opposed to filling her bag up with different sized books.
While I’m as tech as they come, I definitely love having a dog-eared book kicking around. It’s old-school, but so am I
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I am the same way. I really enjoy holding onto the actual book, flipping through the pages and keeping it on my shelf when I’m done. There are some things that for me technology won’t replace, this is one of them. And yes, I do like smelling the ink as well.
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I agree with @ariherzog the kindle isn’t for me. [link to post] (via @CraigKessler) *Ditto – it’s all grayscale! Wanna Da Blob it
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I got my husband a Kindle of x-mass. He LOVES the thing. I mean LOVES it. For all of the reasons listed above, especially the green factor. I think most of all he really likes the instant gratifacation factor. He can search a subject, browse some titles, download a few samples, and buy a book all within minutes without ever leaving his chair. For those that don’t find shopping a social experience there is a lot to be said for this. I agree with Ari, and enjoy the tactile experience of book reading. Plus I enjoy the physical search – because I am never really that sure what I am looking for.
Ari–you hit on such a compelling topic that I not only HAD to read your blog while on vacation, I also HAD to comment. I, too, love books. I like looking at their spines. I like the way they smell. I like to dog ear pages and be able to visually see just how much I’ve read and how far I have to go. I like to bring the actual book with me to book club. Also, after working all day on a computer, I don’t want to look at more computerized back lighting at night when I read.
That said, I brought 5 books with me on vacation. I always do this. I never know if I’m going to like a book or not, and my greatest vacation fear is being caught on vacation without a good book, so I always bring many. Now that the airlines have a weight limit on the checked bags, that means I had to carry these books in my carry on, along with my magazines (at least three), Sunday New York Times, and laptop. Needless to say, my back and shoulder were killing me by the time we got to our destination. I made a mental note to hit the gym more often. Seriously.
On the way back I will be three magazines and one newspaper lighter, but I will have all five books because I can’t part with a book easily once I’ve read it. I can’t just leave it behind. I must hold onto it for while, stare at it, think about how good or how bad a read it was, and then, and only then, donate it to the library or to another person.
In just this one case, I can see how the Kindle might ease my life. I could download not 5 but 20 or more books onto it. I could read as much or as little of whichever ones I want during my vacation–and they will all weigh the same, which is the weight of the kindle itself. I can keep them stored on there for as long as I wish. I would not be able to donate them afterward (I don’t believe?), but my back and shoulders might be able to get over that small downside.
Since I don’t travel often, I don’t think the Kindle is a good investment for me, but I would gladly accept one were someone else to gift one to me.
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What is it about holding a book that makes it such a sacred item – that turning it into a digital reader is borderline blasphemous? Yet we can cast magazines and newspapers to digital void without a care… very interesting.
Can’t say I’m any different – I like the comfort of flipping pages.
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I have always loved books – and have a huge collection of favorites. The problem was, I always ran out of shelf space. Or…I would be craving a book at 10pm, and have no way to get the book in question. I figured that the Kindle would be a good way to remedy the situation. But, mine has yet to arrive. My family in law ordered one for me a couple weeks before xmas and still have 3 weeks before it arrives. I will be interested to see if it is all that I hoped, or if I will feel the same way as you…
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Hey Ari,
WriterDad wrote an interesting post on this topic recently. Like you, he prefers paper books. Thought I’d pass the link along in case your readers want to see more on this subject.
http://writerdad.com/blogging/reading-online/
Ari, Kindle doesn’t do split screen, but you can go back and forth between “pages” quite easily, especially if you have already bookmarked the pages. More often, I find that I want to go back to something earlier, but have no idea what page it’s on. That’s where the search feature gets real handy.
Christina, the resolution isn’t as big a factor on an ebook because it’s not glowing (well, that’s my theory anyway.) The only time I’ve had difficulty reading is from eyestrain, which is easily remedied by changing the font size. That’s one of the things I miss when reading from paper. However, that the Kindle2 is supposed to have a better resolution.
I love books and holding one in my hands to read it. I am torn about the green aspect of the digital format but I am not ready to make that step. Plus, what would I do without the piles all over my house that I am always falling over.
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