Posted on 09 December 2010.
By Jorie Logan, Editor-in-Chief
The idea of books as we commonly know them was developed as early as 400 AD. The ancient Egyptians and Greeks used papyrus to record their stories, and the Sumerians engraved their words into clay. The first printed book (which was, in fact, the Bible) was created around 1455 by Johannes Gutenberg of Germany.
Over 500 years later, it’s about time for the next technological advance, right? In our own technological era, books are now becoming more modernized, even into digital form known as an “e-book.” Many e-book devices are available to readers, such as the Amazon Kindle, Barnes and Noble’s Nook, or the iPad, created by Apple.
According to WHS librarian, Mrs. Karen Galenis, there are some advantages to electronic books.
“It’s cheaper and more convenient when I think about just carrying around one thing rather than a heavy textbook,” she says. “I foresee that all textbooks will be electronic one day.”
Junior Adam Terry sees a bright future for e-books as well.
“Everything is so technical nowadays,” he says, “it seems it [the e-book] will only get bigger.”
Despite the progressive steps we have taken through the invention of electronic books, there is one question that often arises among avid readers everywhere: are electronic books really more practical than the centuries-old paper book?
“More people can read a paper book,” said Galenis.
Tangible books have been around for hundreds of years, and likely aren’t leaving anytime soon. They are accessible virtually everywhere. Contrarily, one doesn’t see e-readers casually lining bookshelves every day.
Although the Nook from Barnes and Noble provides the option of sharing via WiFi access, the monetary value is depreciated; tangible books have timeless value that digital devices do not.
Besides the fact that tangible books are forced to compete with digital ones now in the market, Terry still has good words regarding the paper book.
“I like paper books; it’s easier for me to focus,” he says. “I like the smell of the pages.”
Galenis agrees with Terry.
“I love the smell of books, I like to have them in my hand, and I like to write in my books,” she says.
So what is the major difference between the two?
“All the content is the same, just the format is different,” states Terry. “A lot of people would rather be on computers, so it’s easier to accommodate for them [through e-books].”
Additionally, e-books are much cheaper in the long run.
“[E-books are] cheaper than paper books by $5-10 usually,” Galenis says.
Although e-readers like the iPad currently run at a steady price of about $499 on www.apple.com, the price of digital books for sale on the iBook store is far less costly than tangible books themselves. Apple offers as many as 30,000 books in a range of genres for free on the iBook store, and several others have a starting price of 99 cents.
However, there are still countless dedicated paper-lovers out there.
“I don’t think [paper] books will ever die,” said Galenis, “but I do think they will become less popular with time. I hope not in my lifetime.”
(Photo of Adam Terry reading a paper book by Allison Graves)