|
I read the NYTimes article, it was an interesting hypothesis. Of course, the dirt simple answer, is for the person snooping to say "Oh! New Kindle! May have a peek?" and then check out the reading list that way. My printed book-stacks are off in other rooms, not where I entertain. For someone in Manhattan, writing for NYT, kind of unlikely they'll have separate rooms, probably they didn't think it through. eBooks, while they're still relatively new, actually make it more likely for someone to be able to snoop.
But ultimately, my reaction was ultimately "Who cares?". I remember when PCs first came along, with local printers, people decried the speed with which people could write and edit. Some said that all great novels should be written on a typewriter (and I suppose before that, in long-hand), so that the writer took time and carefully crafted the work, that cheap PCs made it too easy to write. And while there are some luddites still out there, I think the general consensus is that it is the less time spent typing (or writing in longhand), the more time left for writing. Probably someone somewhere is decrying the demise of cave painting, too.
Ultimately eBooks will make it easier to acquire literary works, easier to carry them around, and easier to actually read them. eBooks are still in their infancy, but they will change the way we read, and from what I can tell, ultimately for the better.
Paul Jones
|