Not so long ago I was talking to my friend Kim on the phone. Because I work in a library, she asked me if I thought that old-fashioned paper books would become obsolete. I told her that I didn't really think so because they are too convenient.
Many of them fit easily in a pocket or handbag. They provide a sensory experience, the breezy flipping of pages, the smell of paper, ink and glue, the feel of something solid which also holds ideas.
They provide the bearer with the right to have airs about their intellect or attitude. They become a device for isolation or, alternately, a topic for conversation.
They don't require electricity. All you need is some light to read by. You can stop and mark your place and find it again without much ado. You can read almost anywhere (...though I wish people would stop reading while they drive! The library has audiobooks for you!)
You can take books to the beach or the doctor's office. (Judging by the sand we hear shifting within the plastic covers, many people like to read outside.)
Yeah, e-books may be an up-and-coming idea, but do you really want to lug your computer to the beach? I don't think you'd be happy if you got sand in it. Sometimes it's good to be free of all the trappings of modern progress and technology.
Imagine falling asleep reading a paperback novel versus falling asleep with your computer. Sleeping with your computer could be hazardous to both of you!
For all our advances, it is my opinion that paper will not soon fade. As paper becomes a less common means of communication though, the less naturally resoucres we will find it necessary to use up. There's already plenty of paper for recycling....
2 comments:
I love books, as early as 1st grade I loved the smell of the books my teacher gave us to read, and the feel of the pages between my fingers, the promise they hold, even before a page is turned. Although I have learned to use modern computer technology, it will NEVER be able to replace a paper book, for me. print on a computer screen has no soul.
Yesterday I went to a paperback book exchange with a friend, the door was open on the shop, and I could smell the distinct perfume of old books halfway up the block! A smell that brings back years worth of memories for me, as it smells exactly the same as the first book exchange I found at 13, and as every other repository of old books I have found (outside of a library, which have their own unique smell). After leavng the exchange we went to Barnes & Noble, and browsed the new selections, rows and rows of magic and mystery, I could submerge myself in books, and never come up, if other obligations didn't so persistantly call to me after time. (And it's always too short a time!) I know there are some people who never learn to love books, but I think there will ALWAYS be bibiophiles like me, people who love the book, as well as the story or information it holds.
"(Judging by the sand we hear shifting within the plastic covers, many people like to read outside.)"
Oh how I adore books. The smell, their weight in my hand.... the doors they open to anywhere.
judi
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