Hard copy books V digital

Use this forum to talk about ebooks and ebook readers. Whether you have an ebook reader, are considering getting one or never plan on getting one and want to talk about why you think traditional books are better, use this forum for anything to do with ebooks or ereaders.
scuster
Posts: 23
Joined: 21 Jan 2014, 19:59
Bookshelf Size: 0

Re: Hard copy books V digital

Post by scuster »

From a environmental viewpoint I would guess that a digital copy is more friendly because you don't need to throw the book away when done reading it and take up landfill space. Although the environmental factor is at play I would say that I would prefer hard copy because it is easier for me to follow along with instead of my eyes jumping all the screen due to to the glare that the electronic devices do to me.
User avatar
s13kid
Posts: 1
Joined: 21 Jan 2014, 21:46
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by s13kid »

I've been on the fence as well.

I would say I much prefer a real book, but as everyone has stated the pro's and cons its hard to not be drawn to and e-reader.

I'm actually slightly against them as well from an environment stand point and I have no facts to base this off of. I would much rather see hard paper books and plant some trees vs all the energy and resources that goes into designing, manufacturing and shipping e-readers or tablets. Especially with tablets growing in popularity which have are based of a 6 month life cycle are they not? Hardly better for the environment if you ask me. /end rant

Anyone out there hesitant to go to an e-reader with end up being pleasantly surprised?
User avatar
H0LD0Nthere
Posts: 445
Joined: 18 Jan 2014, 23:04
Favorite Book: Til We Have Faces by C. S. Lewis
Bookshelf Size: 52
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-h0ld0nthere.html
Latest Review: "Adventures in space & fiction fantasy" by Robin G Howard

Post by H0LD0Nthere »

I'm with you, Vivid_rainbow, in general I prefer the experience of reading a hard copy. There is the smell. Thank you, Santanico, for that wonderful quote. My Dad will sometimes literally bury his nose in a book, inhale, then say, "Ah! It's a best smeller."

Other advantages of hard copy ... You can look at your shelf and see at a glance what you've got. No scrolling.
When you want to find a particular passage again (e.g. because you are writing a review), it is much easier to page through a hardcopy book than to try to find it on Kindle. Trying to find stuff again in a Kindle book drives me bonkers. I may need to build some skills there. :)

And yes, RaeGeorge, I agree that hard copy books are much better for reading to kids. They want to point to a million things on the page, they want to help you turn to pages. You want to point to words. How can you do all that when touching the screen changes it? Also, my experience with this is limited, but it seems to me that artwork can be more elaborate and just better when it's printed than when it's on a screen. And good illustrations are such a huge part of children's books.

That said, there is a place for my Kindle. Car trips. Provided that we are somewhere with signal, I can "shop" for a book while riding in the car. It comes to my Kindle immediately, and then I can read it! I have done this in the middle of the Great Plains. That is really terrific.
Latest Review: "Adventures in space & fiction fantasy" by Robin G Howard
User avatar
I-sabella
Posts: 2
Joined: 22 Jan 2014, 10:04
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by I-sabella »

I love print books and also love ebooks. They have different qualities. If there is a book I am really interested to read I then acquire it in its format either printed or digital. They can coexist in a positive way.
Thanks for your post! very interesting
User avatar
Danielle Eve
Posts: 6
Joined: 22 Jan 2014, 10:55
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-danielle-eve.html

Post by Danielle Eve »

I agree for study Electronic is better, you can carry all your subject books around with you all day no problem. Although, nothings beats a good old-fashioned hardback book when reading your favourite stories. Also my bookshelf just wouldn't look the same if I only placed my Kindle on it!
Jasper
Posts: 52
Joined: 08 Feb 2014, 12:24
Favorite Author: Stephen King
Bookshelf Size: 3
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-jasper.html
Latest Review: "The River Way Home" by Mary E. Dawson
fav_author_id: 2376

Post by Jasper »

I use both, but I prefer hard copy books.
Latest Review: "The River Way Home" by Mary E. Dawson
User avatar
LittleWilma
Posts: 247
Joined: 28 Feb 2014, 02:10
Favorite Author: Jeff Melton
Favorite Book: Dark Destiny
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-littlewilma.html

Post by LittleWilma »

For me, it's all about the reading material, not the format. I love books and have a ton of them. I love browsing bookstores, but I don't have the emotional attachment to holding the hard copy in my hands and turning the pages like some people do.

-- 19 May 2014, 23:26 --
Santanico wrote:I can see the advantage of Ebooks (space saving, more convenient for travel, and yes - save the trees!) but there's something about real books that makes me weak at the knees. For me, I find great pleasure at looking at my 4 fully stocked bookshelves and knowing I'll need another one soon because I'm running out of room.

Rupert Giles (Buffy) said it best:

"Smell is the most powerful trigger to the memory there is. A certain flower, or a whiff of smoke can bring up experiences long forgotten. Books smell musty and rich. The knowledge gained from a computer is - it, uh, it has no texture, no context. It's there and then it's gone. If it's to last, then the getting of knowledge should be, uh, tangible, it should be, um, smelly."
The smell is one of the reasons behind the one hard copy book that I have an emotional attachment to. When I was in the fourth grade, my family and I lost our home to a fire. There was more damage by the smoke than by the fire itself. My parents' Bibles both got smoke damage. Daddy got his restored somewhat and he got Mama a new one for Christmas that year. I don't remember why I asked Mama if I could have her old Bible, but i did and it is one of the two material possessions I would grab, if I had to get out quick. The fire was over thirty years ago and the Bible still smells like smoke and I every time I smell it, I feel a sense of peace. It reminds me of all the trials that God has brought me through and all of the blessings He has given me.
"I like liquor — its taste and its effects — and that is just the reason why I never drink it."
-Stonewall Jackson
User avatar
Alexandra Bayer
Posts: 266
Joined: 11 May 2014, 21:52
Favorite Author: Richelle Mead
Favorite Book: Vampire Academy Series
Bookshelf Size: 3
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-alexandra-bayer.html
Latest Review: "Anonymous" by Christine Benedict
fav_author_id: 782

Post by Alexandra Bayer »

For me, I'd choose hard copy any day.
Think, believe, manifest.
Latest Review: "Anonymous" by Christine Benedict
User avatar
mtnhicks
Posts: 160
Joined: 20 May 2014, 20:45
Favorite Author: Stieg Larsson
Favorite Book: <a href="http://forums.onlinebookclub.org/shelve ... 5837">City of Thieves</a>
Currently Reading:
Bookshelf Size: 2626
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-mtnhicks.html
Reading Device: B00IKPYKWG
fav_author_id: 2552

Post by mtnhicks »

Hard-copy. I don't mind reading books on my phone or laptop, but I'd rather have the hardcover in my hand, not paperback, HARDCOVER. There are times when reading digitally is better, such as reading Uncle Tom's Cabin, for the first time, from my phone while at work.... Of course, I bought the hard-copy after I finished reading...
Titanoboa92
Posts: 141
Joined: 20 May 2014, 01:38
Bookshelf Size: 5
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-titanoboa92.html
Latest Review: "Aim For The Moon" by Gladys Lim

Post by Titanoboa92 »

Hard copies are the way to go. I understand the advantages of electronic, but I don't see myself getting one any time soon. I like having something tangible in my hands. It's exciting for me to actually be able to see my progress through a book with the use of a bookmark. It's also easier on the eyes, and that Buffy quote Santanico mentioned is perfect.
Latest Review: "Aim For The Moon" by Gladys Lim
User avatar
crazyforbooks
Posts: 9
Joined: 20 May 2014, 23:40
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-crazyforbooks.html

Post by crazyforbooks »

I love my Kindle. So much more convenient to bring to work and for reading in bed. But I do miss the feel of holding a book in my hands, and I do love seeing all the books on my bookshelf. Books are so pretty. It would be a shame if they were non-existent. I'm really afraid that our kids will grow up not knowing what it's like to find something in their textbooks by looking at the index. What if computers crash?!
User avatar
SignoreTaco
Posts: 10
Joined: 08 May 2014, 03:10
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by SignoreTaco »

ok, i am a DIE HARD FAN of paper,touchable books.
there is nothing and i mean NOTHING greater than the smell of a new book, i cant explain it but im sure you know what im on about, i don't think i could stand having one of those electronic reading devices because, lets be honest, books are meant to be READ not viewed upon by some gadget! even turning a page is fulfilling and the feeling you get when you open it for the first time... it's like, like the purest form of awesomeness. The feelings i get after finishing a book and closing it are indescribable and there is NO way that you can feel the same way when you read from a machine!!
User avatar
SuzyMarie5
Posts: 5
Joined: 15 May 2014, 11:03
Bookshelf Size: 0

Post by SuzyMarie5 »

Since the Dawn of Kindle and E-reading, I have to say I do read more of my books on Kindle... However I also still read plenty fo hard bound & paperbacks... partly because of high cost of new hard bound books. i do go to book sales and try to pick up newer best sellers...
ejmontano
Posts: 13
Joined: 21 May 2014, 16:12
Bookshelf Size: 0
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-ejmontano.html

Post by ejmontano »

I'd like hard copy way better than the digital. I love flipping the pages of the real book.
David Dawson
Posts: 304
Joined: 02 May 2014, 21:39
Bookshelf Size: 12
Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-david-dawson.html
Latest Review: "The Mystery Factor" by Michael Brightman

Post by David Dawson »

scuster wrote:From a environmental viewpoint I would guess that a digital copy is more friendly because you don't need to throw the book away when done reading it and take up landfill space. Although the environmental factor is at play I would say that I would prefer hard copy because it is easier for me to follow along with instead of my eyes jumping all the screen due to to the glare that the electronic devices do to me.
That said, I don't think I've seen that much, if anything, written about the manufacture of e-readers. I know the ethical/ environmental impact of a smartphone is pretty grotesque, so I wonder if there are similar issues with kindles etc.
Latest Review: "The Mystery Factor" by Michael Brightman
Post Reply

Return to “E-Books and E-Readers”