[WT Sharpe]

The anti-ebook people with whom I feel the greatest empathy are those who point out how you lose so much of the traditional reading experience with electronic devices. I’m speaking here of the folks who remind us that a real book is something solid that you can hold in your hands; that you can feel; that you can smell.

I understand that because I like feeling and smelling paper books as much anybody. Why, some days I spend hours in libraries and bookstores just going around feeling one book after another. Whenever I find one of particular interest I pick it up and--after first looking around to make sure no one’s watching--give it a good long sniff.

However, for reading, I prefer an electronic book reader. They're lighter, easier to hold, you don't have to worry about losing your bookmark, definitions of unknown words are only a couple of clicks away, shopping for books is quick and hassle-free, and since they're small enough to hold in one hand, those of us who like feeling and smelling books while we read can always keep a good-smelling and tactilely gratifying paper book nearby for that purpose.