What Do You Do When A Book Isn't Available For eReaders?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by Keryl Raist

How about the rest of you? Will you still read DTBs?

No. They're too heavy, and inconvenient. The fonts are too small, they don't remember your place, and they take up too much room.

Although... I confess that I do like a nice hardback to look at and perhaps leaf through. There is something rather nice about a shelf of good books, and I like excellent typography*.

But actually use one to read all the way through? Ugh.

* I suspect many people felt the same about printed books instead of manuscript copies. And about books instead of scrolls. And about paper instead of clay tablets. Good old baked clay. Now that's what you should use for stuff you really want to keep.

[Caltsar]

Almost always, if I want a book I don't have, it will go onto a list of books to buy when the eBook comes out... very rarely do I buy the dead tree version. And though I do admit to piracy above (in the past), it was always limited to books I had physically on a shelf... and most of those pirated books have already been replaced with legitimate copies anyway (except the Harry Potter books and Ringworld... GRRRRR)

[queentess]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

* I suspect many people felt the same about printed books instead of manuscript copies. And about books instead of scrolls. And about paper instead of clay tablets. Good old baked clay. Now that's what you should use for stuff you really want to keep.

Originally Posted by Caltsar

(except the Harry Potter books and Ringworld... GRRRRR)

Arrrrr!

[wodin]

I have bought several copies of the Harry Potter series, both in paperback and hard cover, and would dearly love to re-read them; but refuse to carry a huge pbook around. I also refuse to venture into the darknet to retrieve an e-copy of them so I just read something else.

[Keryl Raist]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Although... I confess that I do like a nice hardback to look at and perhaps leaf through. There is something rather nice about a shelf of good books, and I like excellent typography*.

I have a friend who makes a point similar to this. She loves the look of books. She loves having them in the house. She loves the idea that her children will grown up with actual books around them, learning the whole 'books have a tangible presence and are your friends' sort of thing. She talks about how the pictures on a cover can ignite your curiosity and draw you in. And she's concerned that kids even ten years from now won't have that experience.

[Belle2Be]

Originally Posted by queentess

The question was "So, what do you do when the book you want to read only comes in the Dead Tree Version?" [emp mine]

There are many many answers to that question, and it doesn't have to be as cut and dry as "I will read the DTB".

I've tried reading pbooks since getting my ereader, and I just don't enjoy the experience. The books I tend to read are big heavy monstrosities, and I miss the convenience of a dictionary right at my fingertip. If it's less than 200 pages, I might consider it. Maybe.

The only pbooks I still read are cookbooks, crafting (knitting, etc) books, and children's books.

As far as I know, there are only 2 main formats for books, paper and digital. If it is only available in the DTV (which is as the OP stated), that excludes the digital format, and therefore the question is will you still read it in DTV. Seems pretty cut and dry. Especially since there was further clarification of "'are you willing to put up with a paper copy?' ".

[queentess]

Originally Posted by Keryl Raist

I have a friend who makes a point similar to this. She loves the look of books. She loves having them in the house. She loves the idea that her children will grown up with actual books around them, learning the whole 'books have a tangible presence and are your friends' sort of thing. She talks about how the pictures on a cover can ignite your curiosity and draw you in. And she's concerned that kids even ten years from now won't have that experience.

I prefer the experience of talking about the stories and discussing the books to gazing at a shelf of books. Digital thumbnails of the covers do an equally great job of marketing the book.

[queentess]

Originally Posted by Belle2Be

If it is only available in the DTV (which is as the OP stated), that excludes the digital format

You are welcome to continue to think this

[ProfCrash]

Originally Posted by Keryl Raist

I have a friend who makes a point similar to this. She loves the look of books. She loves having them in the house. She loves the idea that her children will grown up with actual books around them, learning the whole 'books have a tangible presence and are your friends' sort of thing. She talks about how the pictures on a cover can ignite your curiosity and draw you in. And she's concerned that kids even ten years from now won't have that experience.

I have books in the house. When I have kids, I will have even more books in the house. I can't see handing a 2 or 3 or 8 year old an ereader.

The good news is that those books are thin, small, easy to handle, and fir nicely in the hands of a child.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Keryl Raist

I have a friend who makes a point similar to this. She loves the look of books. She loves having them in the house. She loves the idea that her children will grown up with actual books around them, learning the whole 'books have a tangible presence and are your friends' sort of thing. She talks about how the pictures on a cover can ignite your curiosity and draw you in. And she's concerned that kids even ten years from now won't have that experience.

For me, e-books are an addition, not a substitute.

[Grimm]

No p-books if it can be avoided. I prefer using my reader. I have not bought a p-book since starting with e-readers.

[Billi]

Originally Posted by queentess

Just to forewarn you, this is going to turn into a piracy thread...

Or maybe it sounds more like another snobbish “I would never read a paper book again”-thread?



I still love paper books very much, I love reading on a device as much, too, and I would see absolutely no problem if only a paper version of a book would be available. For me, it's about the books, the stories and about reading and not about the devices to do so!

[queentess]

Originally Posted by ProfCrash

I have books in the house. When I have kids, I will have even more books in the house. I can't see handing a 2 or 3 or 8 year old an ereader.

The good news is that those books are thin, small, easy to handle, and fir nicely in the hands of a child.

Agreed. I have a very small child at home, and she LOVES her books. We read to her nearly every day from (gasp!) paper books. But all my books? I donated them about 6 months after getting my first ereader when I finally realized I would never read those books in paper format again. Ever.

I will admit that I bring up my digital library in Calibre from time to time in Cover Mode and just flip through the covers They are oh-so pretty.

[hgwlackey]

First I decide if I really, really (really) want to read it, and if I do, I stick it on my Amazon Wish List so that someone might get it for me when a gift-giving ocassion rolls around. I don't add just any book to list because I hate to be all "Darn, they got me THIS book when I really, really, really wanted THAT one." So if I don't really, really, really want it, I stick it on another (offline) list instead, which I run through every few months to see if an ebook version finally came out for any of the titles on it.

[Belle2Be]

Originally Posted by queentess

You are welcome to continue to think this

Then please, do share why you feel the need to make this discussion a debate about piracy?