Poll: Books Vs. e-books

[annoyinglizardvoice]

I jut got an E-book. And with star bucks down the street all the ease of gettiing a new book is great. Not to mention the cheapness. I got H.P Lovecraft collection for a buck. For me holding a book open is kinda hard.

.....Don't make me hurt you....Don't make me do it.

You mean to tell me that you got H.P. Lovecrafts Collection on a KINDLE!?!?!

And you didn't once consider purchasing his Black Leather Bound Golden etched Necronomicon all for the low price of $25!?!

HOW DARE YOU!!?!? You sir are no Lovecraftian fan at all, you are merely a heretic awaiting his imminent doom as Cthulhu approaches his waking moments!! SHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAME!!

Hehehehe jk, in all reality I did rage a bit at the thought of Putting lovecraft on the kindle.....*sigh*
Either way I'm just glad that someone is willing to read him

Plus THIS is the Necronomicon I bought.

[HEADING=2]Isn't it so Beautiful!?![/HEADING]

Yes. Yes it is.

I personally ffind it easier to read from paper than from a screen. Plus I love the atmosphere of bookshops and libraries.

 

[Trololo Punk]

E-books are nice and convenient, but I only download them as a backup. Nothing like the smell and feel of a book you love.
Am I the only one who smells paper?

There is nothing better then opening a recently purchased book and taking a big whiff. Even if I get weird stares from others

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

Comparing an e-book to a real book is like comparing a limerick to a poem.

 

[Epona]

I can't understand them selling electronic strat guides for full price. Alt-Tab doesn't always work.

 

[Dethenger]

I can't say why, but I prefer real books. I guess it's just out of habit, since as a kid I'd sit for hours on end with a book and just read. However, I've more recently been conditioned to read off a computer monitor. It's nice not having to prop up the book, and scrolling offers more flow than turning a page.

 

[MagnetoHydroDynamics]

If it has writies inside I give diddy squat about the medium.
E-readers has hundreds of books, but are, well, odd techno-gadgets.
Books are well understood, reliable, study, but a terrible storage medium volume wise.

Also, reading is good for you.

 

[Something Amyss]

I have a Kindle and I love it. It's just like having an MP3 player over a CD player. I have hundreds of books at my fingertips, and even the store. This was REALLY useful when I was stuck in the hospital for a week.

I like paper books, I just like digital more for the sake of portability.

 

[CopperBoom]

I use my iPad.
Screw the e-readers.
Better than books though.
But iBooks is the best!

 

[funguy2121]

Which do you like the best,
Books - you know the paper thing that every one has,
Or
e-readers - like the kindle, and nook...
I personally prefer e-readers for the ease of getting new books...

I must admit, e-readers are awfully convenient. I'll probably break down and get one at some point, if I don't get an iPad or rough equivalent first.

Two reasons I prefer "real" books. There's some semiotic satisfaction in participating in certain cultural phenomena, and turning a paper page and requiring a light source is, for me, one of them. Also, looking at a screen produces a greater strain on the eyes. I really don't feel the need to take a break from reading once an hour if I'm reading from a book in a well-lit area. And I like long books. I grew up reading Tom Clancy (most of his books are over 1,000 pages long) and I'm a huge fan of Dostoyevski and sci-fi novelist Peter F. Hamilton, both of whom like(d) to pen 1,000+ page books. That's a lot of strain if I'm reading it all on a screen several inches from my face. So I'll stick with traditional books for the longer reads and, when I do buy a kindle or similar product, I'll use it for more Chuck Poliniak (Fight Club) fare.

 

[Madara XIII]

[HEADING=2]Isn't it so Beautiful!?![/HEADING]

That book.....where did you get it? I want that SOOOOO bad.

I bought it at Borders before it Shut down.
You can still probably find it somewhere. Try online. It doesn't cost that much. Plus it's worth it and is filled with all of Lovecrafts great tales and some of his lesser known writings.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die"

- The Mad Arab Abdul Alharzred

 

[sharinganblossom25]

Can I ruffle through the pages of an e-book? Do I have that lovely new-book smell with an e-book? Can I have little nicks and folds that make it unique and truly mine with an e-book? Can I put all my e-books on shelves on my wall and see how my reading tastes have developed over the years, and have them as general decoration for that matter?

So no e-books for me. Yes, all the above makes me a nostalgic old coot, but screw it, I like being that. Books have souls man.

Then, I'm a nostalgic old coot right with you.

 

[3AM]

You see a long time ago when I was fresh out of college and out on my own as a single guy I had to get a two bedroom apartment just to hold all of my books, comics, movies, video games etc. The walls were literally lined from top to bottom with shelves. Now I can hold the bulk of that entire room, minus the movies, on something I carry on my keychain. If I factor in the movies, the room, all told, would still be small enough to fit in my car's glove box.

There are things I prefer about physical media to be sure. However, if I am kinda amazed anymore to think about just how much media you can fit and enjoy on something as ordinary as your cell phone. I know with my cell phone (Xperia Play) I can read ebooks, read comics, watch movies, listen to music, play old console games, and so on. When I was in high school it would have been unthinkable to be able to do all that on my phone and even crazier to think that all that stuff would fit on a card smaller than my thumb nail.

I'm with you there. So much effort went into packing and unpacking books when I moved. There are a handful of authors who's books I'll still buy, but those are the ones that rated hard-backed books anyway. I understand the coziness of a fireplace, a book and a tasty beverage but my e-reader has a nice glow to it and the fire is still toasty and the beverage is still tasty and I'm still all cozy.

 

[Buzz Killington_v1legacy]

Looks like the ISBN for that Lovecraft edition (published in 2008 by Gollancz) is 0575081562. Go nuts.

 

[Housebroken Lunatic]

I bought it at Borders before it Shut down.
You can still probably find it somewhere. Try online. It doesn't cost that much. Plus it's worth it and is filled with all of Lovecrafts great tales and some of his lesser known writings.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die"

- The Mad Arab Abdul Alharzred

I've got that book too. It sure is a precious gem in my bookshelf.

 

[TheColdHeart]

I'm more of a fan of real books. As much as I can see the appeal for e-readers for travel and convenience, especially as I've recently got some rather hefty books that pretty much fill my bag themselves, I just like holding a book.

And the smell...you don't get the smell of a book with a kindle etc.

 

[Madara XIII]

I bought it at Borders before it Shut down.
You can still probably find it somewhere. Try online. It doesn't cost that much. Plus it's worth it and is filled with all of Lovecrafts great tales and some of his lesser known writings.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, And with strange aeons even death may die"

- The Mad Arab Abdul Alharzred

I've got that book too. It sure is a precious gem in my bookshelf.

Indeed it is. Can't get over the fact I got the last one in the store too.
The fact that I was as giddy as a school girl prancing about a book store with one of the most morbid and gruesome books in my arms definitely made that moment Golden.

I kid you not.

Plus I shall try and find this cologne one day.

 

[Da Orky Man]

Although I do love the feel of an actual book, I have been thinking of getting an e-reader for some time. But the prices of the e-books (£12 for an e-book, £3 for the physical thing!), DRM, power limitations and the price of the reader itself has put me off.

 

[Dimitriov]

Eh. They both have advantages and disadvantages. Books don't require batteries. Ebooks only weigh as much as whatever you're using to read them. Depending on the format, ebooks can be easier to search.

I think college textbooks should all come with a free electronic version. >.>

As much as I hate how expensive textbooks are there is a reason for it, and it isn't printing costs for the most part. The problem with textbooks is that it takes a lot of people, usually with numerous degrees and an expectation of decent pay, a lot of time to research and write the book. And unlike Harry Potter or Twilight the very nature of a text means it will only see a relatively limited circulation... so yeah supply and demand. That being said I am sure they could be less expensive, certainly if there was an electronic version, and it would be nice if the costs were more subsidized.

OT: I love me some actual paper. Reading a book on a screen, any screen, just isn't the same. The tactile sense is part of the experience, and I believe personally that the involvement of other senses (touch and smell) helps with the absorption of the information.

 

[Vigormortis]

I use both, when I'm at home- it's a hard copy of a book. Away from home I use my Kindle. And because I scan and convert all my books so I can use them on my kindle, my collection is the same on both. And I typically read a different book at home than I do on my kindle, so I can keep track of the progress of both fairly easily.

Honestly, I do prefer the feel of a book to the kindle. The big but of it however, it that dragging along 4-5+ books (I am an extremely voracious reader) it a pain when I'm travelling around, so the kindle is a big plus.

This is exactly how I feel on the topic. I use both. When I'm at home or in a comfortable, relaxed situation, if I want to read it's a physical book all the way. If I'm traveling, or in some other situation that would make carrying a hard-bound (I prefer hard bounds) book awkward, an e-reader (i.e. my kindle) is extremely handy.

Still, if I had to choose, I'd have to go with a physical book. The sights, sounds, smell, and overall sensations you get from reading a book can't be emulated by an e-reader. (yet)

 

[Dimitriov]

Comparing an e-book to a real book is like comparing a limerick to a poem.

Considering a limerick is a poem...

How about "comparing an e-book to a real book is like comparing a limerick to an epic or sonnet"?