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How much of a byte is your eReader taking out of your local bookstore?
Several weeks ago, I wrote to ask whether you were going to buy an iPad. And now that I’ve given in to the urge myself, I’m faced with a new version of the question I addressed in my first blog post a year ago: “If print is dead, who killed it?” (in which I argued that it’s NOT dead).
On my honeymoon weekend with my iPad, two books had just been published that I wanted to read, and I was faced with the decision about whether to go to the iBooks store, or the Barnes & Noble down the street.
As a lifelong bibliophile who worked for two publishing houses—and also as one of those snobs who much prefers hardcovers—I was pulled to the hardcover version of one book (the new John Waters memoir, Role Models) because I know it’s a book I’ll want to have (and to hold) for years.
The other, Jonathan Alter’s history of Obama’s first year in office, The Promise, is a book I can live without having on my shelf because once I read it, I’ll likely not have the urge to dive in again.
So, what does this say about how we perceive the value of a printed page… and when it’s exactly what’s needed, versus when an electronic facsimile will do just fine?
What books (and newspapers) are you reading… and how?
Have you given in to the e-reader urge, or are you stuck in (old) school mode (some or all of the time)?
Categories Digital Media, Outside the Square
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