One of my favorite pastimes is roaming through bookstores. I’m a book lover and enjoy browsing the shelves and leafing through whatever catches my eye. I like the intimacy of smaller book shops, particularly those with floor-to-ceiling bookstands, but also appreciate larger stores with plenty of titles.
If technology has its way, strolling through bookstore aisles may become a thing of the past. With the advent of electronic books (e-books) the days of ink-and-paper books are supposedly numbered. While our ancestors read from clay tablets, the next generation will apparently view texts and novels on a battery powered device called an e-reader.
Welcome to the age of digital information where a hand-held e-reader can literally store hundreds of books. The first e-reader on the market, the Amazon Kindle, arrived in Australia late last year. Its makers claim it will revolutionise the way we read in the same way the iPod changed the way we listen to music.
Like all technological breakthroughs, e-readers come with pros and cons. On the upside, they are lightweight and portable and can fit snugly into a small bag. School kids will be able to carry one e-reader instead of a backpack full of text books. E-readers also provide privacy - no one knows what you’re reading as there’s no tell tale book cover.
But on the other side of the coin, I can’t imagine curling up on the lounge with an e-reader. Nor will I be able to get the author to autograph my e-book. Unlike hardcover books, e-readers may break if dropped and they need power which may not always be available. Also, the look, feel and smell of a new book provide an important tactile experience which e-readers can’t replicate.
While the debate rages between e-reading evangelists and hardcover traditionalists, the jury is still out for me. I’m sure gadget lovers will readily embrace the e-reader but I’m yet to be convinced it will overtake paper books. At the end of the day, books are symbols and many of us like to display great works on shelves in our homes and offices.
Despite predictions to the contrary, DVDs have not led to the demise of movie theatres, the Internet has not wiped out shopping malls, home banking has not eliminated branches and I can’t envision e-readers replacing paper books. Many people will continue to read cover-to-cover rather than “disc-to-disc”. Personally, I’d much rather turn the page of a book than fine-tune the pixels on an e-reader.
Regards
Paul J Thomas
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Posted Monday, March 08, 2010 
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