Ebooks or Real?

So the final post of Book Week addresses the all important, and much debated issue of "Ebooks Vs Real Books"...

What are your thoughts?

I love my Kindle and carry it pretty much everywhere with me in my handbag, but I also love having bookcases full of books in my house, and dreaming of my Beauty and the Beast library one day! It's great fun browsing through the Oxfam bookshop looking for new reads to add to my collection as much as it is downloading that new release in the series you just can't put down, and having it to read 30seconds after it's available.

So what is it about each side of the argument that makes me people feel like they have to choose between them? Does it have to be either or? Can't we be greedy and have the best of both worlds?

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There's no denying that there's something magical about the smell of new books, the luxurious feel of proper leather binding, the reassuring weight of a lengthy tome in your lap. But these features predominantly relate to hardbacks- I like to buy hard copies of series, collections or my favourite books to keep. A beautiful special edition of The Chronicles of Narnia, or a unique illustrated version of Alice in Wonderland. Are we in fact losing interest in paperbacks as long term investments and they are becoming the throwaway book, for the beach or the bath, and then passed on once read?

Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's great to be able to recommend and share your books with friends. Libraries are brilliant places of learning and sharing. You can go and take out ten books at a time, read them, and then return and borrow another ten! It's an amazing resource and one which I think should always be available, regardless of the progression of ebooks. There is a loan option on the Kindle but it's not currently available outside the US...

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The price of ebooks is another issue which could potentially sway you in favour of the real book- often they are not a whole lot cheaper, and people resent paying such a high amount when they don't actually have the physical object in their hands. I think that a transition to a situation where you buy a paper copy of a book and get a digital copy free to download would be a positive step. Currently added to the ebook cost of course, is the cost of buying an e-reader such as a Kindle in the first place.

But to me, that cost (currently £89) is totally worth the it for the advantages it provides! The most important is the storage capacity and variety- it's brilliant to have 2000 books on hand in your bag, packed into one small gadget. It definitely saves space when you're travelling! You have a choice of thriller, drama, comedy, mystery, historical etc depending on your mood, and if you finish one story, you can go straight onto another no matter where you are.

So, I think that it's not necessary to make a decision between ebooks or real books. At the end of the day, an ebook IS a real book. The story is the same, the author is the same, the publisher is the same and if a book is good then you will get lost in the tale regardless of the format. I will keep my Kindle to enable me to travel the world and still enjoy my love of reading, and also continue to add to my bookshelves at home so I can admire the beauty and sensory magic of the physical book. There is no reason not to embrace both- read either, as long as you keep reading!

A Mythical Publishing Tale- a brilliant analogy!