Can e-books replace paperbacks?

nan m · Post by **nan m** » 12 Sep 2013, 13:19

I love ebooks but I still feel that they cant replace paperbacks. Paperback has got its own classic attraction.

Age777 · Post by **Age777** » 25 Sep 2013, 20:04

I hope not. If something cataclysmic ever happened we'd be set back to the stone age if books were gone.

jellymonty · Post by **jellymonty** » 20 Dec 2013, 08:29

I certainly hope they don't replace paperbacks. I have my kindle and its only convenient for me when am travelling. I don't like reading eBooks or using eBook readers as i tend to lose focus and I'm distracted with surfing the web. So I don't think paperbacks will die. Some of us still enjoy using them.

FNAWrite · Post by **FNAWrite** » 20 Dec 2013, 09:41

Of course they will. Before this century is out (still 90 years to go).

gligoric · Post by **gligoric** » 21 Dec 2013, 02:24

This question is moot and academic. Ebooks have replaced paperbacks, period. Just look at the comments on this thread. Observe the young ones around. Paperbacks will serve a different purpose from now on, say, as decoration, something to hold and behold, as paperweight, as pillow in a pinch, or, “as legacy.” But as food for thought, paperbacks are passé, thoroughly thrashed by a much better and versatile medium, the ebook.

I myself belong to a generation who loved traditional books, but alas my peers and I will soon pass away, replaced on this earth by new borns having no attachment whatsoever to physical books. Adelante!

PageTurner12 · Post by **PageTurner12** » 21 Dec 2013, 06:18

To me, the way the story is displayed doesn't really matter. I will admit, when e-readers first came out I saw them as a personal attack on book shops, libraries and the actual books themselves. After receiving a Kindle for Christmas a couple of years back, however, my viewpoint completely changed. I still buy hardbacks and paperbacks, I still visit libraries and book shops, but I also download some books on my e-reader. Honestly, it's the words and the way they are put together to form a story that matter to me, not what I'm holding as I read it.

Maud Fitch · Post by **Maud Fitch** » 21 Dec 2013, 08:50

A lot of old and new things co-exist side by side. When synthetic fabric came on the market, it was thought that polyester and lycra would spell the end of wool and cotton clothing; there's tiny earbud headphones and large DJ style headphones; there's fossil fuel-guzzling cars and tiny eco-electric cars; there are people who go for walks and there's people who go to the gym; even within our houses wood resides next to aluminium, glass next to plastic.

Currently it boils down to personal preference but I think we'll have that choice for a long time yet.

Fayejames1 · Post by **Fayejames1** » 21 Dec 2013, 19:41

I enjoy ebooks and ebook readers since that's been my primary source of reading as of late. However, nothing beats a paperback book on hands! I have quite a few paperback and hardcover books and I am looking to acquire more. I don't know what it is about having the physical book in hand but it is a preference. Sometimes the ebooks hurt my eyes and I've never needed glasses but I feel I will soon if I keep at it with the ebooks. Nonetheless, the ebooks are convenient. It beats lugging around a book when you can have it accessible in your phone!

Rrica79 · Post by **Rrica79** » 21 Dec 2013, 23:18

Part of me feels that books will go the way of the vinyl record. They're somewhat romantic and nostalgic and fun to hold, but impratical and expensive. I had a collection of 1500 records when cassettes came out, then I had tons of those. I had 10,000 CDs at one point. Now, I have nothing but mp3s. I suppose, some day, down the road, all I'll have is whatever music I've purchased for direct to brain downloading, or something futuristic like that.

Likewise, I feel the book might go the way of the do-do bird. but that makes me sad. I love to hold a book. The feeling of the pulpy pages on my fingers, the scent, all of it. Love it.

Please Kindle, don't kill my book collection!

Mom2Grey · Post by **Mom2Grey** » 21 Dec 2013, 23:58

For me, they just did.
And I couldn't be happier

Meg0169 · Post by **Meg0169** » 22 Dec 2013, 15:16

I agree nothing can compare with holding the actual book in your hands. I love seeing how far I've come in a book and how much I have left to enjoy. However, I do also enjoy reading on my Kindle. It's convenient in that it allows you to look up the definition of words or to highlight a passage that you find interesting. You can also write notes to go along with your highlight. My library also lets my rent books straight to my Kindle, so it's nice to have that option as well. The downfall of the e-reader is that it runs on a battery and a bit of water can mean its demise. I use both intermittently, reading a normal book during the day and a e-book on my Kindle at night (I'm usually reading 2-3 books at once).

I don't think e-books will ever replace paperbacks, but they are a convenience for the reader on the go or the night reader. However, true book lovers will also buy their favorites in paperback.

soldierscowgirl · Post by **soldierscowgirl** » 22 Dec 2013, 16:25

Never will an e-book be able to replace a paperback book. There is nothing like the feel of a paperback in your hand and being able to turn the pages yourself. It saddens me to think that in less then ten years time paperback books will be collectables, not actually still used.

FNAWrite · Post by **FNAWrite** » 23 Dec 2013, 09:30

"This question is moot and academic. Ebooks have replaced paperbacks, period"

Rerally? What are all those paper-bound items at mu local bookstore? How do you account for the fact that I buy new paperbacks in the market, but not e-books?

I think you better check around before making such pronouncements which are easily proven false.

"Never will an e-book be able to replace a paperback book"

Nor will pay TV ever catch on when it's available for free or a steering wheel replace the feel of reins in one's hands.

emiskull · Post by **emiskull** » 23 Dec 2013, 14:02

I was looking forward to finding this question on here, and my answer is no. At least, they won't in the near future. There is still too much market for physical books.

That said, it will be a shame if they do ever die out, because they are probably the best machine we have ever invented. No power source, no internet needed, but you still learn and feed off the new ideas and enjoy it. Not only that, but they don't just quit working suddenly.

smaudy44 · Post by **smaudy44** » 29 Dec 2013, 23:55

I'm one of those people who are always behind on gadgets and technology - I don't think I would enjoy reading ebooks as much as I enjoy actual books. Reading a paper book is just a very pleasurable experience - turning every page slowly, smelling that crisp papery smell, etc. When I read books online, my eyes just get tired so easily.