Wednesday, September 08, 2010

On E-Readers vs. Physical Books

Erik Raymond:
I don’t want to see physical books go away. They are too special to me. 
I was actually thinking about this the other day when my little girl helped me think more clearly. She is 1. And she really likes books. You know the kind. They are thick, indestructible paged books with pictures of dogs, goats, and blueberries. There are poems and stories. She has a ton of them. She loves them. 
If you have ever had a 1 year old ‘bring you a book’ then you know where I am going. She walks toward me with the book extended in her arm. She is repeating the word book and stretching it out to about 5 syllables. She then turns and carelessly but still confidently plunks down on my lap. She throws her head back on my chest and her little feet start fidgeting in front of her as she anxiously awaits the book to be read. Or, perhaps more accurately, the opportunity to see pictures. 
As a Dad I love these moments. Thankfully she is fine with repeating them with me.
But see, I have this fond emotional attachment with these little books. I could never throw them away. They are attached to memories with my kids. 
I have a hard time imagining that I could ever have my little one bring me my Kindle so I can flip through the pages as she drools all over it. Plus its not in color, yet. 
All of this to say that my little girl has helped me to realize how romantic the relationship is with books. We love them. We are in some ways bound to them like the endorser or the back panel. 
Perhaps it is the love for books that fuels the love for the e-readers. And I get that. It’s just that without the physical book I feel like I may loose something else that I am not sure I am ready to completely give up.
Read the rest.

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