Would you like that book in print or pixels?
Armed with a shiny new gift card, I set about fulfilling my reading wish list this week. There was only one problem. For each title, I hovered over the “add to cart” button, wavering unsteadily between two options: print or ebook.
In the past, the print vs. digital decision has always been an obvious one. I wanted to feel the weight of a book in my hands, inhale that new (or used) book smell, and wander my way through the geography of its pages. My Kindle library, on the other hand, is made up largely of books I couldn’t find at the university library two hours before a class. The sensory aspect of print always won out; ebooks were second-string.
Lately, though, the gravitational pull of digital has dragged me right into the center of the debate. It used to seem as if digital libraries were isolated ones. When all of our recent reads drift into the abyss of the cloud, we lose that particular intimacy of hovering over a friend’s bookshelves, running a finger over the titles, and uncovering the stories behind the stories.
That’s the thing about personal libraries. They bear witness to the places we’ve been and the people we’ve loved. The collective provenance of our books is like a time capsule. Where were you when you read this one, and who were you with, and where did you get it, and who had it before you? The used books and those with personal inscriptions are of particular interest. They remind us of our connections to friends and strangers.
And anyways, have you ever had an author sign your ebook?
But despite the compelling arguments for print (and I can think of many more), I am beginning to glimpse the possibilities for reading in community with ebooks. You can read together long-distance and share impressions in real time with 24-Hour Bookclub. You can share favorite passages with Readmill, and you can even browse your friends’ digital libraries with Goodreads. I’m just touching the surface of these and so many other possibilities, but I’m excited about reading as a communal sport. I hope it lands comfortably somewhere on the spectrum between very quiet alone-time reading and social media overwhelm.
In the end, I bought one ebook and one print. I’m devouring the former while I wait a whole forty-eight hours for the latter to arrive, in all of its weighty, book-scented glory. As for the rest of my list, I’ll let you know how it goes.
Dec 28, 2012 @ 11:30:22
I had similar feelings about e-books, Lisa. I did love that when I highlighted or commented on passages, I could recall them at the end in a group and I could later turn to a book and see all the points that had once jumped out at me. I use that feature a lot when I write my end-of-the-year reviews now. At the same time, I cannot walk through the Harvard Bookstore without purchasing every book they have on sale or in the remainders pile and that I have been meaning to read. I remember that after three years of e-books while I was in the field in conflict-affected places, it was so refreshing to actually look at a book cover and see what it felt like in person! Enjoy your reading! xo
Dec 31, 2012 @ 12:39:51
Roxanne, I miss the Harvard Book Store so much! I passed it nearly every day of college, from Quincy to the Yard, and always loved stopping in for a browse. I hope you’ve been picking up enough remainders to count for both of us. As for ebooks vs. print, I think the question has often been framed as either-or, but it turns out the two formats just have different qualities. I’m very thankful for both options. Happy reading and happy new year too!
Jan 02, 2013 @ 14:52:18
I walk this line frequently as well. For me its often been a question of space. I used to buy whatever caught my fancy (that I could afford) and loved having stocked-to-the-brims bookshelves. But then I moved. The task of sorting through all of my books and saying goodbye to so many has changed my perspective. Now I purchase in print the books that I think I would choose to pack, store, and/or move. I try to think about how I would feel about the book if I hadn’t seen it in a year- would it be a joyful reunion or just thrust on the shelf?