"I Won't Read a Great Novel on an eReader"

[slayda]

Personally, I don't ever know that a novel is "Great" until I'v read it. I learned a long time ago not to take the opinions of others about what was good reading. Most of the required reading that I read in college that was "Great Literature" was (IMHO) junk that I would not have read for pleasure.

[ardeegee]

Originally Posted by Over

My only concern is that if there were a planetary disaster or world war, we might loose everything digital. Or the ability to use anything digital, while paper books will always be useable and readable, with or without electricity or a ereader. (Of course it can deteriorate and burn as well, but it need one less intermediate between us and the contents).

Quoting myself here:

https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...3&postcount=23

[J. Strnad]

I looked up the Wiki entry on the Library at Alexandria, trying to find the number of "books" it shelved. "Books" were scrolls at that time and it could take several scrolls to contain a complete book. Estimates are in the hundreds of thousands for scrolls, tens of thousands for books.

With digital editions, we can expect that thousands of people and entities have or will have thousands of books. Even if the Earth were physically destroyed, if a single SD card survived (the right SD card, of course), more books could be "saved" than ever existed at Alexandria.

If people were completely wiped out and this card were discovered by aliens, without some kind of Rosetta Stone technology, accessing the data and translating it would be a nigh-impossible task.

Imagine this future civilization, human or alien, that has for generations learned of the previous world only through surviving paper illustrations and books, suddenly discovering how to access all of the electronic data left behind! It would blow their minds.

[dmaul1114]

I can see where he came from having read 95% of a hardback before reading on my Kindle for a long flight (book was too heavy to lug to read the last 5%). Finished off the hardcover last night, and read some more on my Kindle.

I definitely prefer the experience of reading a paper book for sure. But on the other hand, I seldom re-read so I hate having a paper book to store or get rid of after reading.

So I'm generally willing to make a small sacrifice in preferred reading format to not have a physical copy of a book to dispose of after read (or to hassle with the library).

So I generally only buy paper books for two reasons now.

1. It's one of my favorites that I will re-read every few years.

2. Work related books--text books, books reporting on research studies etc. As those I need to be able to quickly flip through, highlight, jot notes in the margins etc. which can't be done to my satisfaction on current e-readers. Maybe a big screen tablet with stylus down the road will get me to switch to e-books there.

[BenLee]

Originally Posted by TGS

Ooops. I thought you said "I still can't get enough Moby Dick in any form."

LOL....we think alike

[rty]

When the first close cockpit fighter aircraft (which is much faster) was introduced, many veteran pilots resisted the idea. They claimed that airplane with a close cockpit will not allow them to "smell" the approaching enemy aircraft (the smell of enemy's engine fuel).

When the CD (Compact disk) was first introduced, many audiophiles were not happy with the "dryness" of the music quality as compared to the vinyl records.

And life goes on....

[rty]

Originally Posted by Over

My only concern is that if there were a planetary disaster or world war, we might loose everything digital. Or the ability to use anything digital, while paper books will always be useable and readable, with or without electricity or a ereader. (Of course it can deteriorate and burn as well, but it need one less intermediate between us and the contents).

My only concern is that I will not be able to pass down my entire collection of ebooks to my children, grand children and great grand children, because most of the ebooks purchased are DRM protected... unless of course they always remember my credit card number and the name printed on my credit card in order to unlock them.

[Jack Tingle]

Intriguing discussion. I read along, then I get to an absolute negative like 'never', or an exclusionary word, like 'only', etc. At that point my brain resets and I begin reading again. Is there any actual content in this discussion?

IMO, non-business textural information[1] should be read in the most economical and convenient form that brings one pleasure. (Otherwise, why read it?) If you're really into vellum and leather, great. If cellulosic cloth and tree pulp and animal hide glue gets you off, fine. Stone tablets; wicked pissah! I must admit, I find absolute rules or exclusions about such things absurd, and a bit hard to comprehend.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[1] I read business related information because someone pays me. I take whatever form they want to pay for.

[Worldwalker]

Originally Posted by Jack Tingle

Intriguing discussion. I read along, then I get to an absolute negative like 'never', or an exclusionary word, like 'only', etc. At that point my brain resets and I begin reading again. Is there any actual content in this discussion?

Nope, nothing to see here. Move along....

[Mickey330]

Originally Posted by slayda

Personally, I don't ever know that a novel is "Great" until I'v read it. I learned a long time ago not to take the opinions of others about what was good reading. Most of the required reading that I read in college that was "Great Literature" was (IMHO) junk that I would not have read for pleasure.

Hear, hear, slayda! Except, I have to add that I always feel so ... bad? ... ignorant? ... uncouth? ... when I don't like "Lit-rah-chure." I feel I am somehow failing the great Literature Guru or something. However, I like [mostly] the popular, current stuff - what I call "brain candy." Hey, reading is for my pleasure! At least you can't get cavities from it.

And, words are words, whether they come in a fancy leather-bound tome or on an e-ink screen. I just want the story.

I just have the feeling that these kinds of threads are like the age-old chicken/egg/which came first stories. The discussion can (has? will?) go on forever.

Marilyn

[L.J. Sellers]

I've gotten comfortable with the idea that there are a lot of "great" novels I'll never read in any form. And I'll continue to read some books in paper format from the library for as long as they're available. But I thoroughly embrace a digital reading future. So clutter free!
L.J.

[ficbot]

Originally Posted by Bremen Cole

Absolutely brilliant post So true about so many things. Most people cling to the familiar, and refuse to see that change is the way of the world.

Look at it this way---I am in my early 30's. When my 3-5 year old students saw my iPad, they assumed it was a phone, because a pretty, shiny screen you can touch which was all your stuff on it is a phone, right? Meanwhile, when *I* was 3-5 years old (which wasn't so long ago), the reality of my world was that you could only make a phone call in certain rooms of the house because the phone was PHYSICALLY ATTACHED TO THE WALL...

Some of my students have never, ever lived in a world where appliances had to be attached to the wall. The only thing attached to the wall in their house is the wireless router...

[Worldwalker]

When I was 3-5, not only was the phone (not a phone but the phone) physically attached to the wall, but it had a rotary dial.

I get a bit of a chuckle out of hearing people say "dial (some number)" when they're so young they probably never saw a phone with an actual dial outside of a museum.

My cell phone ringtone is a Western Electric Model 500 ring, and I have one of these (which is actually the handset design from the 302). One of these days, I have to take that handset out to the mall or something and sit on a bench having a conversation on it ... connected to nothing.

[J. Strnad]

We not only had a rotary phone, but it was a party line with our next door neighbor. If you picked up the handset and someone was talking, you had to wait. It practically killed my older sister, who took the phone into the hall closet to talk in private.

[Jellby]

Originally Posted by ficbot

When my 3-5 year old students saw my iPad, they assumed it was a phone

My nephews said the same when they saw my Cybook (it's not "shiny", but it's got a bright yellow skin): "is that a phone?" "No, it's for reading books" "What a cool phone! Can I use your phone?"

Originally Posted by Worldwalker

I get a bit of a chuckle out of hearing people say "dial (some number)" when they're so young they probably never saw a phone with an actual dial outside of a museum.

We still say "pull the chain" for flushing the toilet, I bet my nephews (other nephews) don't quite get what it means, toilets don't have a chain to pull anymore.