But You Can't Read an Ebook in the Bath

[CallOfCth'reader]

Originally Posted by Steve Jordan

Or maybe we'll just get over the need to display our books, a fairly artificial way to "present" ourselves to others anyway, and find some other way to decorate our homes and spaces...

It's as 'real' as any other way that people use to present themselves to others. If you're going to look down on that, you also need to find ways to replace every single other way that people choose to 'individualise' themselves.

I'd like to see how you're going to replace the choice of colours in people's homes.

[CallOfCth'reader]

Originally Posted by neilmarr

The value of a book is in the words it contains. The very best delivery system is what is most convenient its reader. I think most here will agree that, although treebooks have charm, they do not compare with a comfortable, effective e-reading device.

Perhaps 'most' would. I certainly wouldn't. I use my e-reader for the convenience it brings, and to a lesser extent the aesthetics of it (Sony 505): I value it's functionality, the ease of use, its ability to hold many books, the way I can lie in bed and read with one hand (winner!), its sleekness, and a few other things that were in my mind until I started typing this.

I value pbooks for their contents, and also for the 'container' itself. The fact that it is a pbook doesn't detract from the contents, it only adds to it: the feel, the look, and (in some rare cases) the smell.

In my opinion, a valid comparison is when presenting a gift to someone: although the gift is the 'prize', putting it in a nicely wrapped gift box only adds to the experience rather than detracting from it. Or, a more personal comparison (for me), is my choice of ideal reading beverage: either a single malt whisky, or a fine brandy. Sure, they would taste the same if presented in a plastic lemonade bottle and poured into an orange Tomee Tippee beaker, but there is no way that I'd believe that it had the same experience value as the genuine glass bottle and a drinking glass.

To suggest that an e-book is 'better' than a pbook, is as narrow-minded as suggesting a pbook is better than an e-book.