Books eBooks or physical copies?

Member
Joined
Aug 10, 2013
Messages
154
I just saw a pretty funny image regarding eBooks vs tangible books posted on the wall of my girl:
1911909_10151980557848581_991048580_n.jpg

Tangible books win! Haha!
Anyways, I've further broken down my preferences when it comes to books. For novels and stories, I prefer tangible books. But when it comes to reference materials, I prefer eBooks because I could easily find what I'm looking for.
 
New Member
Joined
May 21, 2014
Messages
5
Despite how easy it is the carry around ebooks, I still prefer physical copies.
I'm not sure the exact reason - it feels more comfortable and easy to read, somehow.
Maybe I'm just old, haha. But nothing beats the smell of a fresh book, its crisp pages unbent, ready for me to tear into.
 
New Member
Joined
May 22, 2014
Messages
2
I like to use technology so i would have to say eBooks. its quicker than going out and getting the book you want or ordering it. You can stay in the house and download an eBook.
 
New Member
Joined
May 23, 2014
Messages
20
I initially hated e-books because I felt they took away from the traditional charm of physically turning pages or bookmarking sections by folding the top edge of a page.

Then I started reading E-books in waiting rooms and on buses and suddenly those periods of time where I was previously inconvenienced by waiting seemed a lot shorter.

Now my cellphone is preloaded with tons of ebooks. I still curl up with a physical book every now and then but since I don't have much time to do that, e-books it is.
 
Member
Joined
May 20, 2014
Messages
68
I appreciate that electronic copies of a given medium--be it books, music, movies, or what have you--are more ecologically friendly than their traditional physical counterparts.

However, I regardless still like to own those traditional physical copies, to hold them in my hands, place them ordered on a shelf for show, etc. I'm also more confident that I'll be able to enjoy those physical copies at a whim for quite some time to come, whereas digital copies bring with them fears about Amazon deleting all of the eBooks I've bought for my Kindle, my hard-drives become corrupted, etc. (Although I suppose that a fire or flood could hypothetically wipe out my physical libraries.)

Beyond even all of that, I prefer taking a break from the modern world by turning all of my electronics off and enjoying a well lit physical, paper copy of a book in my hands--as opposed to turning my attention from all of the other glowing rectangles that I've been staring at all day to stare at yet another such screen for yet another hour! At day's end, this tradition route actually helps me wind down and prepare for sleep--something that a monitor's artificial light would probably not achieve.

Of course, this is all a matter of subjective preference.

If we should reach the point that traditional printed media is no longer feasible within my lifetime, I'll gladly switch over and join the 21st Century's digital revolution!
 
New Member
Joined
May 29, 2014
Messages
8
I too prefer E-books over physical copies although I am fine with either. They're cheaper and don't really weigh anything and you can carry a ton of them around with you. Some people will be nostalgic for them and I assume that eventually shelves of books will become less common in homes but ultimately the technology for an E-Book is just more practical than for a paper copy and people will get used to the transition pretty quickly.
 
New Member
Joined
May 31, 2014
Messages
14
I enjoy a physical copy myself. It is a shame that I can not have a physical copy of a book because of my lack of resources and storage space. My only alternative is to purchase e-books - it's how I save money. But the material is the same!

I would rather receive a physical book as a gift rather than a gift card for e-books. A lifespan of a book definitely out weighs that of a tablet.
 
New Member
Joined
May 31, 2014
Messages
5
I love books, I always have and always will, so it's a weird concept for me to use a kindle instead of holding a physical book. I also find it much easier to focus when reading things that are printed on paper, rather than things on a screen, I'm not sure why, it's just a personal preference. However I am currently overseas for a few months and my book collection is back at home, and although I have picked up a few books since coming here, I do feel like a kindle would be easier to manage. And I suppose another advantage of a kindle is that I can have multiple books on the go and not take up lots of room in my bag. But I don't think I'll ever switch!
 
New Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2014
Messages
16
I love both equally! I love the feel and just everything about psychical books, but I get eBooks much more. I can tuck my Kindle into my bag much much easier then I could a giant novel. A Kindle also weighs almost nothing, but books usually weigh a couple pounds, and seeing as I walk half a mile to work, and I don't like carrying around a bunch of weight in my bag. I love physical books for their tradition and I love eBooks because of convenience! (I also torrent a lot of my ebooks, whoops. I'm a poor college student!)
 
New Member
Joined
Jun 16, 2014
Messages
5
I prefer the hand held cover copies, then the eBooks, or nooks, or books on iPads mainly because I think technology is growing as fast as the minutes moves in the day and before we know it we won't be reading books in our front yards anymore. We won't hold books and read it with tea in our hands, and enjoy the fact that your reading a book, your hand is shaking, shivering from the intensity in that book, and you can't put the book down because you can't wait to finish it.

I like physical copies of books because it still makes me feel like the simply things like reading a book in the middle of the day in my back yard like I'm 8 years old again still matter in life.
 
Top