When I was a kid I wanted to live in a library. Like the cramped gothic ones you see in Harry Potter movies, except I dreamt of those before she wrote about it. I remember the first time I went to Shakespeare & Company bookstore in Paris when I was 24. I saw a guy sleeping in fetal position on a red velvet cushion near the window – surrounded by books. That was my dream home.
Today my real house is a humble New Orleans version of that. I have high distressed shelving filled with books (and the dust they collect). Though now the bottom three shelves are filled with baby books for my toddlers to ‘read’. I’m pretty minimalist when it comes to material things. Most of the stuff I value would fit in a backpack. But books have always been my hoarding holdout. I buy them without thought. If I want to read, I read. To me there can never be too much money spent on continuing education. And even if you’re reading pop or smut, this pleasure costs a pittance compared to most hobbies, or even addictions. I rarely throw any away, and I still have some paperbacks from high school on the shelves, underlined with what I thought was important 20 years ago.
But about seven months ago my philosophy began to change. I was running out of places to put books because of the baby-proofing, and I knew the kids would have to be a few years old before I could put any valuables back out on display. So I looked into eReaders and bought a B&N Nook in January. My intention was to eliminate all paperbacks and replace them with eBooks, and then only purchasing harcover books in titles I deemed worthy. I’ve kept at this plan for most of the year, but my response has been different from what I expected…
I thought I’d have to force myself to use the eReader over paper books, not the other way around. But after the initial techno-glitches and learning one’s way around a new gadget, I was hooked. In fact, now, when I find a title worthy of being put on the hardcover shelf I grumble because it’s too heavy and hard to hold while snuggled in the bed compared to the eReader. Plus, I can have any book, at any moment, anywhere. Kinda hard to beat that. The thing does have a few drawbacks but I suspect the next version will fix it.
So this has me rethinking if I need paper books at all. Which paper books do I want to keep? Definitely no more paperbacks, mainly because they don’t last. Reference? Why bother, since we use the internet to look everything up. And yet, the idea of having no paper books makes me very sad. This item, the portable written word, which has been with the human race since its first civilization thousands of years ago, and one of the few common objects we share with our ancient ancestors – now destroyed by Amazon.com?
I don’t fucking think so.
But how to rescue quality paper books and still be practical? Once technology is on a roll there is no stopping it. The eReader, and whatever comes after it, will destroy the book as we know it. Which leaves us with only one option to saving the paper book from extinction.
The paper book must now be considered collectible art.
Like book collectors do with their first editions and inspections of book bindings. Perhaps eReaders may rescue the art of exquisite book-crafting from the tacky “mass market paperback”. So instead of the rooms I have filled with books right now, I will have one or two bookshelves filled with quality editions of books that resonate with me. Book that shaped my life, and continue to inspire me. Books that I will read over and over. Books I wish to pass onto my children. Books that will teach me how to stitch a wound when the power is out (hey, I live in New Orleans, a survivalist shelf couldn’t hurt).
But seriously, whether we like it or not, the book, like recorded music, will be almost entirely digital at some point. And the bookshelf, like the shelf you had made to fit compact dics and DVDs, will soon be obsolete. But that doesn’t mean it has to die. My husband Q, for instance, still collects a small amount of vinyl music albums because he likes the sound quality. Perhaps I will follow his lead and buy books this way too. Because sometimes you just like to live in the non-digital world, and remember what it’s like to be human, and really feel things.
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Beautiful post. I would buy an eReader myself, if I wasn’t so into the “free-ness” of the library. I can get any book I want(new books even) and if I don’t like them I return them for free. You are right though; the paper book is history(art history),
two words my friend.
cook books.
i can read recipes all day on the net but dem books is whats makes me a better home cook.
Yes, I do LOVE cookbooks. I refuse to even try a recipe anymore if it doesn’t have glossy photos to show me the final product. Besides, there is still no digital cookbook alternative that can stand being splashed with boiling olive oil.
I just went through much the same thought process when I decided to get my nook. Knowing that I have twins on the way, space and time are two things that will become very scarce, and I wanted to clear out the house of many of Trent’s and my book collection to make room for some of the babies belongings. I was very reluctant to purchase an e-reader because I love books, the heft and smell of the paper, the way they become old friends. I knew though, that one the babies were born I wouldn’t have much time to run to a bookstore or the library, and so the nook gave me the instant access to any book that I would want to read, anywhere I could find a wi fi or 3G signal. I also decided to keep books that I felt were like volumes of art, books that shaped my childhood and that I would want to pass on. Trent did the same. I doubt I will ever totally stop buying books, but I agree that likely they will become more scarce as technology moves us ever forward.
You’ll definitely be stuck in place for a couple of months so the Nook will be most helpful with the babies!
You’re jumping the gun on something that can’t be predicted. The comics community has a similar fear currently based on rising costs of product and the release of the iPad. But the truth is that we are nowhere near replacing books. Only a small portion of people have eReaders. Will they become more popular over time? Possibly. But it’s dependent on a number of things. For instance, as energy costs rise, will people want to spend money to power unnecessary entertainment devices?
Books aren’t going anywhere in our lifetime.
Also- reference books are the LAST thing you should throw out. Like you, I do all my research online (because I’m lazy). The truth is that is a bad habit. Books are held under scrutiny for fact-checking. The internet has no such mechanism. Anyone can post anything no matter how untrue. Research should remain in books.
I assume the allure of comics is mostly visual so I think they may be the last to go extinct.
As for anything that’s simply written words, I disagree. Amazon sold more eBooks last Christmas than paper books. That is a huge sign. Also, the problem with reference books in paper form is that they expire. You have to get the new edition every year or the info is out of date. If you frequent some reputable websites, the info is just as good, and more timely. This is why encyclopedias are dead.
this is your best post of the year.
:)
i love collecting books. my library at home is my little cave where i hide out from the world.
Thanks!
Book recycling?
http://www.designspongeonline.com/2010/07/book-tables.html
I guess for the excess books that would work. Maybe I’ll make a coffee table out of my political science books. But I want some paper books to actually keep their old purpose too :)