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If I drop a pbook in the bathtub, I've wiped out a $7.99 (or less if I've used one of those Borders coupons) book, though I can still probably dry it out enough to finish reading it.
If I drop my ebook reader in the bathtub, I've wiped out a $200 reader and something like 2,500 ebooks (at least, I would if they were DRM-restricted).
I think that's why people are paranoid about the security of their ebooks (and also why I don't use my ebook reader in the bathtub).
It's not likely that something bad will happen to my entire pbook library all at once, at least barring major fires. It would be very easy for something to happen to my ebook reader. While I keep it away from bathtubs, there are always random hardware failures, unfortunate accidents, and big butts. For someone whose ebooks are DRM-restricted, so they can't be used on a replacement device, a loss like that would cost them an entire library. As it happens, my ebooks are all DRM-free, so I have them safely tucked away on my HD (and sometimes read them there) and, since their sources are either PD or clueful, I can download new ones if I need to. It's not an issue for me -- but it could be a potentially huge issue for, say, a Kindle owner and their rented-in-the-guise-of-bought ebooks.
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