The world is changing. Unfortunately, many things go out of date as they get replaced by newer and newer technological innovations. Remember music CDs and walkmans? What about DVD movies? If you’re old enough, you know USBs and MP3s came in and changed the way we consume media forever. And now mobile phones are an all-in-one place to get everything done. The same goes for books. For some time now, we have been able to read our favorite novels not only on paper but also on an e-book reader. The question remains, “Paper or electronic book?” This question is asked hundreds of times. There is an eternal contest among readers torn between the classic reading experience and the “modern” one? Both the book and the reader have their pros and cons. If you are still undecided, let’s consider some aspects that can’t go unnoticed.
SMELL
The biggest and most appreciated aspect of having a paper book is the ability to smell it. The book that has just come out of the printing press has that earthy, woody, smoky, even faint-vanilla odor! It may seem strange to some, but many like the smell- yours truly included! I can’t count the times I’ve hovered my nose above a book to smell it! When it comes to electronic books, we probably don’t have what scent to be delighted with. An e-book reader, even a brand new one, will likely smell like plastic, burned plastic.
PRICE
The price of a paper book ranges between $5-10 and sometimes even less. Sometimes bookstores or other stores selling books offer various types of promotions, and thus you can even buy a new copy for $3-4. Buying an e-book is associated with a considerable cost (prices range from $ 60 upwards). However, it is worth investing in this type of equipment if you value the utility coming out of it.
Having an e-book reader, one can buy a monthly subscription, providing access to tens of thousands of e-books. Many titles appear on the day of the premiere! One can cancel the subscription at any time. What’s more, in order not to buy a pig in a poke, readers can first take the free trial period, which is 30 days. As such, die-hard readers who buy lots of paper books can go on to calculate the money they spend on paper books per annum. In the case of the electronic version, expenses are limited only to the purchase of the reader and the subscription of course.
CHARGING
What can I say … Yet another device to charge. E-readers slowly run out of juice, but when that happens, you have to plug them into the wall before they’re good as new again.
WEIGHT & SPACE
Regardless of which novel you choose, it has to be heavier than an e-book reader. It’s always better to have something “neat” that can fit in your purse, right? Can you imagine carrying a Harry Potter book with give-or-take a 1000 pages’ worth of fiction to read on the tram-ride back home from work?! Those days are gone- maybe.
PROTECTION
The main downside of paper books is they are easily damaged. One coffee spill et au revoir! This also applies to the e-book reader, actually. Both a paper book and an e-book can hardly withstand skinny-dipping or coffee tasting. Unless you possess a waterproof reader, keep your beverage aside.
LOST
In the event of losing your book or one you borrowed, your wallet will not suffer as much as in the case of losing the e-book reader. As already mentioned, these devices do not come cheap.. so in this field we have a clear winner.
LIGHTING
The lack of adequate lighting in the case of a backlit reader is no longer a thing. In contrast, reading a paper book with candles is not the most pleasant thing to do unless you seek the charm of the setting. It turns out that you need electricity to do either, funny.
COVERS & ILLUSTRATIONS
Beautiful covers and illustrations in paper books are always eye-catching and are the pride of all bookcases. On electronic readers, covers do exist, but it’s not the same as in paper covers, no? Nothing can replace a paper copy. Ravishing covers are there to admire, touch and indulge in.
ALL IN ALL
As you can see, the “debate” between a paper book and an e-book continues. Some people prefer the electronic version because the reader is more handy, can fit many thousands of books and does not wear out so quickly. As for the paper version, readers love it for being able to touch it, smell it, and more. It just has its charm. Personally, I prefer the paper version because it has “that something”, a captivating presence. It’s up to you then to decide, as long as you do indeed make the effort to read!
Check out our other article about buying a laptop here
