For whom does the bell toll? Today, it was Borders. The book seller behemoth fell to the online acumen of its major competitor, Barnes and Noble. Now, over 400 stores will be shut and some 11,000 people will lose their jobs, according to a recent article in The Baltimore Sun. From a brick-and-mortar stand point, Barnes and Noble must also read the writing on the wall. The sad part is, the industry is doing it to themselves.
This past year, I had a student who bought himself one of those electronic readers. He tried to sell me on the idea of buying one. It should be known that I’m a committed bibliophile. I love the feel and the texture of a book. I love the smell and the sensation of turning pages. It is such a tactile and intellectual experience. It was fostered as a small child when my parents displayed the joys of reading. Being a bit of a loner as a kid, I loved and depended upon books. Now, I see my students, those who like to read, curling up to an e-reader? It is a sad and typical sign of today’s generation.
So, my student looks at me and says he can hold thousands of books on this thing. First of all, no one reads thousands of books at one time so what is the point of that feature? At most, you might be one of those people who can read two books at the same time. What energy does it take to carry two books? I can see if they were encyclopedias but other than that, this feature of the e-reader does not hold water. The commercials say you can even read the e-reader in bright sun light. You know what else you can read in bright sunlight…books. Some books on the e-reader, particularly older or classic ones, are free. Such things exist in the real world as well. They are called libraries. Would all of you e-readers be sad if you could not annotate your own personal copy of Plato’s Republic upon checking them out from the library? There are only about five people in the entire country who have any business writing suggestions on the margins of their copy of Plato’s most famous work. My student is not one of them, neither am I and no offense, I believe that might go for anyone else reading this blog. It also has a feature that can allow you to identify the definition of a word. You know what else does that? A dictionary.
The more I see the commercials and talk to those who have it, the less benefit I see with the e-reader. However, when I walk into Barnes and Noble, there is a grand display to entice the modern reader to abandon the printed word. A bookstore promoting an e-reader seems, ultimately, counter-intuitive and self-destructive. It is quite likely bookstores will die out and I realize that I might come across as an old guy wishing for simpler days, but why must they provide the instrument of their own death?
This past year, I had a student who bought himself one of those electronic readers. He tried to sell me on the idea of buying one. It should be known that I’m a committed bibliophile. I love the feel and the texture of a book. I love the smell and the sensation of turning pages. It is such a tactile and intellectual experience. It was fostered as a small child when my parents displayed the joys of reading. Being a bit of a loner as a kid, I loved and depended upon books. Now, I see my students, those who like to read, curling up to an e-reader? It is a sad and typical sign of today’s generation.
So, my student looks at me and says he can hold thousands of books on this thing. First of all, no one reads thousands of books at one time so what is the point of that feature? At most, you might be one of those people who can read two books at the same time. What energy does it take to carry two books? I can see if they were encyclopedias but other than that, this feature of the e-reader does not hold water. The commercials say you can even read the e-reader in bright sun light. You know what else you can read in bright sunlight…books. Some books on the e-reader, particularly older or classic ones, are free. Such things exist in the real world as well. They are called libraries. Would all of you e-readers be sad if you could not annotate your own personal copy of Plato’s Republic upon checking them out from the library? There are only about five people in the entire country who have any business writing suggestions on the margins of their copy of Plato’s most famous work. My student is not one of them, neither am I and no offense, I believe that might go for anyone else reading this blog. It also has a feature that can allow you to identify the definition of a word. You know what else does that? A dictionary.
The more I see the commercials and talk to those who have it, the less benefit I see with the e-reader. However, when I walk into Barnes and Noble, there is a grand display to entice the modern reader to abandon the printed word. A bookstore promoting an e-reader seems, ultimately, counter-intuitive and self-destructive. It is quite likely bookstores will die out and I realize that I might come across as an old guy wishing for simpler days, but why must they provide the instrument of their own death?
My dear learned friend! First off, you show a fantastic skill with this blog. A skill I already knew you possessed. To send a reply as a non-native speaker is daunting, but I know you forgive my shortcomings in language, I hope your readers do to. As the proud owner of the first generation Ipad, I have a opinion about your post. The books on "tablet" tribute to the comfort of reading anywhere, everywhere. I very much support your students on this topic. You see, I am an avid reader and own many books. Also I am a person who loves to travel, but hates to fly. Those long flights on cramped planes are a lot more bearable when you can read on them. Why read and carry a paper book, if you can have multiple books with you in a tablet computer on those cramped flights? In two weeks time, I will fly to the Carribeans and I do not expect a big choice of bookstores over there...nor do I want to stuf my suitcase with heavy books. Again the Ipad is a simple solution. Lightweight and small. The Ipad is an addition, it will not replace books,never.It will contribute to more reading. Once you own a tablet, you still want and buy books. But it is modern times...a bit like having discussions on a blog instead of face to face....
ReplyDeleteKeep writing! Tamar