Are Books Disappearing?

[brm30180]

I personally love the convenience of e-books, but I still buy books I think I'm really going to like in print. That way if i want to read them more than once I know I still have them. Plus, I like the feel of a book in my hand.

[Maud Fitch]

My short answer would be "no". Oddly enough a sign of a good e-book is when it makes it into print. Explain that!

[rummageman]

If my e-reader breaks I’ll say darn, now I have to get to get another one. If the binding on one of my old books break I become genuinely upset. Because it’s not that easy to just get another one.

"Computers will never replace the comforting aroma of an old book."
R.R.James

[Abbles]

I have noticed over the last few years books are becoming a lot cheaper and that some book shops have started to close down some of their companies.

[skotz]

I dont think books will completely disappear anytime soon, but lets be honest, times are changing! It is similar to progression of music mediums. First there were 8tracks, then albums, then cassett tapes, then cds, now ipods.

[rummageman]

That’s a good point. But as of recently there seems to be a revival and renewed interest in vinyl records. Because the sound, as many a youngster are discovering, can’t be topped.

Not only are “old” record stores experiencing a comeback, but new vinyl records are being produced at a higher price.

For similar reasons books will never disappear.

[Bighuey]

Thats true. Records last a long time if you take care of them. They also have better sound quality. Ive got a Victor Red Seal one-sided record by Enrico Caruso made about 1912 or so that plays like it was recorded yesterday. I doubt if tapes or CD's last that long.

[BooksNJoy]

Maybe in a dozen of decades books won't be print anymore. Yet I'm not sure books would disappear, since the people who get paper books won't burn them since they love the item and what it contains. They knows that everything can be bought so if them want to get rid of the books they own, they would sell them. If nobody want paper books, libraries would be in need of them.

For me the only way the get rid of papaer books is to burn them (like in Farenheit 451). But I'm not sure it could occur.
Another element is that the whole population won't have access to a e-reader since some people can't read and some other don't have access to the internet.

[Snoots]

Obviously print books will follow newspapers into the dusty crapper. There are few things regarding aging and technology and negative evolution all thrown into time's cement mixer that make me sadder. My late nights include a Nook and library magazines and books and they all have their own personalities. Print words have left a permanent paw print in history whether in cave art, or Greek stone, or wisdom in quill Constitutional words. I don't think that cryo-electronics are frozen enough to maintain the power to keep electronic words alive (the power required to keep global electronic memory alive is astounding and unsustainable) when all that it takes to burn books is to pull the power switch. Human cravings now need electronic feedback and relevancy and immediacy almost much as sex and these cravings trump any curiosity or respect for history or its wisdom. Our library books are going to go away and that is why I'm learning to scratch in stone.

[mikeca]

It's a worry of mine also, with so many of the major booksellers going out of business. I sincerely hope not. The e-book has it's place, but I don't think it could ever replace an actual physical book for me.

[clotwins08]

Sadly with more bookstores and libraries closing I think paperbooks will soon be a thing of the past. We are in the age of technology and its more cost effective to do away with books. I 38 and old school. I have the first Nook that came out but bearly used it, I quickly reverted back to my paperbooks. True believer of "curling up with a good book...good paperbook that is".

[psychoken]

I believe that books will still be around. There will be demand for them.

[Shaka2ursystem]

I believe in a sense books are disappearing; paper back books. With e-books becoming the new rage, they are quickly accessible on almost every mobile device. It is now easy as long as you have battery life to read your favorite novel on any smartphone, android device or apple mobile device. The features on these electronic devices can do virtually everything you could with a paper back book. You can bookmark the page, highlight text and even safe free hand notes (that could be synced to the cloud for future viewing). So in a sense the print version of books is disappearing but many authors have already conformed to making their books in both print and e-book formats.

[nagathachristie]

I never want printed books to disappear!

That being said, I read the majority of my books on an ereader. I have a small house, prone to dust. Books would clutter it up. I like the amount I can read with an ereader, and you can find many new, good authors (which could have been rejected by print publishers), but I usually buy my favourite books in print anyway. Imagine there was a power outage for days and your ereader went out. At least you'd have a comforting collection of real books at home.

[madisonteach01]

There is something about being able to turn the page and hold a thick book in your hand. When I read on my phone, I don't like that I only have a percentage of how far I've read. I would prefer to know what page i'm on. However, any book that I've loved I've bought in print. Also, for my birthday and Christmas people often buy me books in print. I also enjoy buying print books for my daughter. An advantage of an ebook is that I always have my phone, so I always have a book with me when the oppurtunity arises that I have a moment to read. I think the convience of ebooks is what people like. You don't have to leave your home to find a great book to dive into.