I don't care how books smell either

[Ea]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

Wait until you move a few times. Those physical books lose a lot of their appeal when you're shlepping boxes of them up three flights of stairs.

Yes!

Originally Posted by fjtorres

Oh, my achin' back!
I'm going through that drill right now and wondering how I ended up with 60 cu ft worth of dead tree pulp. (New place will have a library and I hope it'll look cool but for now...)

I sympathise. I've just moved, I had abt. 1.2 cubic meter (40 cu ft). Over the last months before moving I culled a few shelves worth of books. And after I moved I ended up giving away at least as many books again. I was really shocked that is was so much.

That said, even if I prefer reading e-books (at least fiction), I still like to own some of them in paper version, too, and I don't think a living room is a real living room without books. One's choice of books are after all an expression of who one are, and apparently I feel a need to have that on display at some level. And books are also a good conversation starter for guests.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Ea

Yes!

I sympathise. I've just moved, I had abt. 1.2 cubic meter (40 cu ft). Over the last months before moving I culled a few shelves worth of books. And after I moved I ended up giving away at least as many books again. I was really shocked that is was so much.

That said, even if I prefer reading e-books (at least fiction), I still like to own some of them in paper version, too, and I don't think a living room is a real living room without books. One's choice of books are after all an expression of who one are, and apparently I feel a need to have that on display at some level. And books are also a good conversation starter for guests.

I keep all my books in my book room, which I rarely show people. My husband keeps his books in his office / media room. Judging by the rest of our home, we're illiterate, lol.

I've moved repeatedly for work, so movers always do the packing and moving, and my employers pay. Moving estimators love people with large book collections. The actual movers don't seem to, lol. I owned one house in which the book room ended up on the fourth floor. Those movers were not happy campers.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I keep all my books in my book room, which I rarely show people. My husband keeps his books in his office / media room. Judging by the rest of our home, we're illiterate, lol.

As a child, I always used to wonder where my friends' families kept their books. There were usually only a shelf or two of books. Though given what I remember of them, they didn't have more books in their homes.

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I've moved repeatedly for work, so movers always do the packing and moving, and my employers pay. Moving estimators love people with large book collections. The actual movers don't seem to, lol. I owned one house in which the book room ended up on the fourth floor. Those movers were not happy campers.

When you have someone to do the actual work - and I assume packing and un-packing as well - you can afford to keep more books

My father told me of the first time he and my mother were moving. The mover didn't bother to check in person how much they had - a couple of teachers with young children = usually not much money and few possessions, but they happened to be in their late thirties, and readers, and in my father's case, prone to impulse book-buying.

I don't think that mover ever again failed to check in person before he gave an estimate.

[Maggie Leung]

Originally Posted by Ea

As a child, I always used to wonder where my friends' families kept their books. There were usually only a shelf or two of books. Though given what I remember of them, they didn't have more books in their homes.


When you have someone to do the actual work - and I assume packing and un-packing as well - you can afford to keep more books

My father told me of the first time he and my mother were moving. The mover didn't bother to check in person how much they had - a couple of teachers with young children = usually not much money and few possessions, but they happened to be in their late thirties, and readers, and in my father's case, prone to impulse book-buying.

I don't think that mover ever again failed to check in person before he gave an estimate.

Lol. Bad move by your parents' mover. Good thing he wasn't moving them cross-country.

I do own a good number of books, but keep only those I wanna reread. I prefer to unpack them myself. (Movers will unpack, but your books end up in disarray.) Over repeated moves, I learned to take photos of my bookshelves beforehand. When my books arrive on the other end, I reassemble them like a jigsaw puzzle. It's much quicker than my going through all my books, getting caught up and leaving off unpacking to read, lol.

I know a former book critic with 30,000+ books. He moved, ended up having to store many of his books. He would fly back to his old state and visit his books in a storage locker, lol. His wife then won a fellowship with a moving stipend. With so many books, they had to pay out of pocket. Their moving estimators loved them.

[Ea]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

Lol. Bad move by your parents' mover. Good thing he wasn't moving them cross-country.

LOL - good joke Technically, it actually was cross-country - just the country being little Denmark The lorry also punctured on the way - no doubt due to the weight of the books - and the mover didn't get there until midnight

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I do own a good number of books, but keep only those I wanna reread. I prefer to unpack them myself. (Movers will unpack, but your books end up in disarray.) Over repeated moves, I learned to take photos of my bookshelves beforehand. When my books arrive on the other end, I reassemble them like a jigsaw puzzle. It's much quicker than my going through all my books, getting caught up and leaving off unpacking to read, lol.

That's a very good idea, then you don't need to shift so many books to get them in the right order. Which reminds me, my non-fiction is not in much order yet...

[tponzo]

I totally agree about the tactile, sensory appeal of physical books and have been part of discussions with other readers pro and con.

I also have been buying books for over 30 years and have moved many times. I have friends and relatives who refuse to help me move anymore (lol). I temporarily moved out of the country once, left boxes and boxes of books with a relative and came back to find them gone, most of them were irreplaceable.

I currently pay monthly storage for mostly books because I live with my sister and have no place for them. That doesn't count the boxes I brought to her house and the books bought since moving in two years ago.

I also travel quite a bit and use public transportation "nuff said.

So as much as I really like the sensory appeal of physical books I also really appreciate my Sony PRS 900. I currently have over 100 books in it and counting and just the thought of trying to store that many more physical books is mind boggling.

Reading more than one book at a time? No problem, I've got both (or 3 or more ) with me and can switch back and forth. Finish a book? Go back to the home page and pick another one easy as touching the screen.

There are still books which I want to own a physical copy as well as the e-book (pay attention publishers, deals and bundles can be made!) but I am really glad I made the investment.

[Spiffy]

Originally Posted by garygibsonsf

I'm glad someone started this thread, because one of the things that bugs me about the whole 'smell of books' argument is that a lot of the time what people are really smelling - particularly in terms of old or second-hand books- is rotting paper. You're smelling the long, slow death of your book as it slowly turns yellow and crumbles - a fate which, assuming you're not allergic to occasional backups, your digital text (okay, assuming it's multiformat or has been de-drmed) will never suffer.

Well, except for what they're confusing it with. The much older tradition of books which used to smell good because they were wrapped in animal skin (which, when treated properly DOES smell good... at least until it stops being treated properly, and then it can either smell like nothing, or even bad).

[GlenBarrington]

I love the tactile sensation of the page advance button. I love the little Repetitive Stress twinge in my right index finger when I press that little button. I love how warm the reader feels when it is freshly charged.

These are intangible rewards that paper just can't duplicate. And that's why paper books are inferior to 'e'

[HamsterRage]

Originally Posted by Ea

As a child, I always used to wonder where my friends' families kept their books. There were usually only a shelf or two of books. Though given what I remember of them, they didn't have more books in their homes.

The sad truth is that the majority of people would never think of reading a book for pleasure. So the chances are that most of those families didn't have any more books than what you saw.

[J. Strnad]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I love the tactile sensation of the page advance button. I love the little Repetitive Stress twinge in my right index finger when I press that little button. I love how warm the reader feels when it is freshly charged.

These are intangible rewards that paper just can't duplicate. And that's why paper books are inferior to 'e'

The big loss came when we moved from papyrus scrolls to paper books. I loved the reedy smell of papyrus and the continuous flow of the scroll over the herky-jerky movement of text through pages.

[LDBoblo]

Originally Posted by J. Strnad

The big loss came when we moved from papyrus scrolls to paper books. I loved the reedy smell of papyrus and the continuous flow of the scroll over the herky-jerky movement of text through pages.

I've never quite understood this analogy, or rather I've never appreciated its intention. Many people who call upon nostalgia and emotion to defend their preference for real books simply aren't able to sufficiently articulate their opinions. Sure, some folks are simply stubbornly ignorant, but many others do not fully appreciate intangible media.

Scrolls, books, clay tablets, stacks of photocopies, carved toilet seats...all of these things are tangible and can be interacted with directly. They do not depend on intermediary devices, complex electronics, or software to remain usable. That is a big advantage for many people.

I still wish it were possible to print/bind ebooks conveniently and cheaply. I am stuck buying hard copies of every book I really enjoy.

[ThomasMc]

Originally Posted by TGS

It makes me wonder how many book aficionados would really enjoy the transition to ebooks if they just tried it.

I've been reading eBooks for years, and much prefer them over bulky, heavy paper books. My other-half refuses to even try them, insisting paper is better.

I guess it's like yogurt and buttermilk: an acquired taste that is savored once learned.

[GlenBarrington]

Well, MY intent was to make fun of the sensuality argument. All things have their own sensuality. The love of a given sensual feeling is generated in our psyche and that feeling is not inherently lovable. THAT is something we bring to the table.

I don't know much about the nostalgia angle. I never thought about it much.

[Teyrnon]

Originally Posted by GlenBarrington

I love the tactile sensation of the page advance button. I love the little Repetitive Stress twinge in my right index finger when I press that little button. I love how warm the reader feels when it is freshly charged.

I love that I've managed to go a year without paper cuts.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by LDBoblo

I still wish it were possible to print/bind ebooks conveniently and cheaply. I am stuck buying hard copies of every book I really enjoy.

1- Laser printers are dirt cheap, these days.

2- Book binding is a fun hobby for many.
http://www.aboutbookbinding.com/

3- I've done a few myself. The manual labor aspect is quite therapeutic; right up there with woodworking. I'll probably give it a try again one of these centuries.