Monday 14 November 2011

Kindling the book-fueled fire.

The power of books should not be underestimated. A precursor to the internet, books have started wars, inspired genius, spread ideas and changed the world.

Little hinged vessels of knowledge, books are a small gateway to another reality. They help craft alternative realities for a reader. Books are teachers, companions and entertainers all in one neat portable little package.

But the ‘package’ of books is changing forever.

The development of eBook readers is following technology’s dizzying rise into mainstream society. According to Amazon, sales of eBooks are actually exceeding paper books. This is a sad state of affairs.

Let me tell you why.

By reducing the majesty of a book to mere pixels, much of the benefits of the reading ‘experience’ are lost. With eBook readers such as the Amazon Kindle, there is no tactile feel (so no pop-up eBooks then) no texture and no soul. You lose the sense of accomplishment you normally gets after reading a chunky hardback book, replaced by a thin, easily breakable piece of plastic. Drop a book, it wont break, keep reading.

In my view, eBooks have created a need that wasn’t there in the first place. Can you imagine a public library building filled with eBooks? Try sharing an eBook when it can only be viewed on a proprietary device.

Real books don’t need perishable batteries and LEDs - you can even burn them if your reading expectation falls flat. Compared to the printed page, it’s 25% harder to read words on a screen (although this doesn't apply to eInk). Best of all though, real books can possess one thing an eBook can never have. 

The author’s signature.

Not the pixelated, 'eInk' representation of a signature, but a real one. One that the author themselves has clasped the book to write. Through the book, a bond is created between the writer and reader. What could be a better reading experience than that?

Better finish there, my laptop battery will run out shortly.

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