I kind of go both ways on the issue of whether to have hard copies or go all electronic. Personally, I love the feel of a hardback book in my hands and I would never want to totally get rid of all books. On the other hand, I can see where having electronic copies of everything would really help, but I think they should continue to make hardcopies as well. There are tons of benefits to using each one, so it is not like one is so much better than the other. With electronic copies, one can access them almost anywhere and it is usually much cheaper to access them than to go out and buy them from an expensive bookstore. With that being said, I could go to a thrift store, a used bookstore, or a website like Amazon and get them just as cheap.
I would not ever give up my hardcopies though. I cannot even describe what it is about a book, but I just love picking up an old book smelling them. I love the smell of an old book. I also love to look through them to see if I can find if the previous owners had left a little something in them. It is always sad to get a book at the thrift store and see where someone has written a note to their mother, father, or child, and they get rid of it. I would never get rid of the books my mother bought for me as I was growing up because they mean so much to me and an electronic copy could never do that.
By reading your post, I can understand the sentimentalism Gleick discusses in his article. Being able to physically hold a book in your hands or literally see the markings you wrote in the margins evokes memories and feelings beyond comprehension.
ReplyDeleteBooks have more value than people tend to believe. In my opinion, books will become a rare commodity one day, making them worth double, or maybe even triple the amount they are worth in today's society.