Interesting... but he gaves a lot more word coverage to the negative aspects.

One of the major advantage of ebooks - the ability to change font size - gets barely a mention. The author obviously does not have a visual impairment. Not everything is published in large print, and the books that are tend to be geared towards the older person's market - where reading glasses etc are more usually to be found. It's a valid commercial decision. But think of the young person wanting to read the latest young adult fiction - hitherto, that's been really difficult, and audio was probably the best option. Now, a person with visual impairment can read the same edition as anyone else, and adjust the font for their own comfort. Not only a better selection of books, but also less feeling of being different.

One also wonders about his emphasis on heirloom books. Certainly I'd take care to pass on an illuminated manuscript and I'd be honoured to inherit one myself. However, do I feel the same way about my father-in-law's collection of David Gemmell paperbacks? I have to admit that I don't (and not only because I have my own e-copies). In this instance, he does seem to be rather living in the past. I would suspect that the contents of many people's libraries isn't passed down from generation to generation any more: it's taken to the local charity shop. It's the effect of books being available to the masses; they are not (or at least, mass-market paperbacks are not) treasured collectors' items any more.

But he does make excellent points about cultural heritage and libraries.