Quote:
Originally Posted by kovidgoyal
I would have to say that an electronic copy (without DRM), provided it's made with the same production values as a paper copy, is worth much more. It's far more useful, portable, durable, accessible and storage friendly.
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Kovid, you are correct for as far as you go. if the only value a book has to you is in the here and now, then you are correct. If, however, a book has value to you in other senses, then you are incorrect.
Consider this: would you rather own (and own is the key word here) an ebook version of the Gutenberg Bible or the pbook version? Or a signed first edition pbook of a Hemingway novel or the ebook version of the same book?
And forgetting the obvious collector's editions above, would you want your children to consider a book as a disposable item? After all, the foundation of knowledge and learning is the book (and I'm not discounting the value of the Internet in expanding it), and I want my children and grandchildren to understand the value of that foundation, even as they build on it and move toward the ephemeral version represented by the ebook.
In my house, I banned my children from
only reading books online; they were required to make biweekly trips to the local bookstore with me to purchase books to read and for their library. This taught them several things, not the least of which was the value of books as learning tools and as reference material, lessons they were able to apply in their school years.
I would finally note that not all knowledge sources are available in ebook fashion (i.e., digitized in the broader sense, not just in relation to our readers) and for researchers -- historians, archaeologists, etc. -- there is no substitute for the original item. Consequently, knowing how to use pbooks is an important skill.
Consequently, as much as I think ebooks are great -- especially for fiction that will be long forgotten in a month -- I think pbooks have a value far greater than ebooks will ever attain. Besides, who ever heard of a collection of first edition ebooks being auction by Christies for millions of dollars?
