For thousands of years, the paper book, in some shape or form, has brought the avid reader a way to expand his or her knowledge. The paper book has been used for research, studying, and enjoyment purposes. Despite the many purposes of the paper book, there have been many disadvantages and annoyances that came along with it.
Disadvantages
One disadvantage that many avid readers have expressed on the paper book is the amount of difficulty carrying around more than one book at a time. While some paper books are smaller, and therefore lighter, other paper books are larger and very difficult to carry around. Avid readers that travel a lot have had to either deal with the difficulty of transporting one or more book, or they have had to leave behind their best form of enjoyment.
The difficulty in storing and organizing paper works has also irritated many avid readers. Unless there is a full library in a reader’s home, finding the necessary storage space can be quite challenging. Most avid readers enjoy reading certain titles more than once. This prevents them from trading in a book or opting to utilize the rent-to-read options available to them. If a reader is able to find appropriate storage space for the books, they still have the task of organizing them in a way that will allow them to easily find certain titles. For the organized mind, this task may be easy, and even enjoyable. For those who are disorganized by nature, however, it can be a daunting task. For these reasons, and more, many readers have opted to turn in their paper books for an eReader.
Advantages
Though there seem to be many reasons to retire the paper book, there are many reasons not to. One of the most prominent reasons to not retire the paper book is because not all title’s come in a digital format. Though many authors are succumbing to the digital trends, many authors or right-holders still prefer to release their material in paper book format. Ultimately, this means that readers who stick to paper books have more reading material available to them.
Another advantage to the paper book is that paper books provide the owner with some beautiful art to look at. Many authors have worked long and hard on obtaining or creating the cover art that adorns their written work. For this reason, each edition of a book can easily be viewed as a piece of art. With digital editions of a book, that artwork is no longer present.
Though the disadvantages of the paper book may be too hard to overcome for some, they mean almost nothing to other. Many readers find it difficult to conform to the digital trend, simply because their books are prized possessions. Some readers find it easier to conform to these trends because the need to be able to access their books at any given time is more important. It’s important to note however, that, for most readers, the format in which they read a book is of little consequence. What matters most is the knowledge and enjoyment that can be gained from it.
