I like e-books. I’ve been buying more e-books than physical books, lately. Not that I have anything against physical books — quite the contrary: I love physical books. But in a one-bedroom apartment, there’s not a lot of room for physical books. (Which is why I tend to give books away.)
E-books are a great way to save space if you don’t have it. But they can’t do everything.
The Power of Physical Books
A friend recently loaned me Mark Z. Danielewski’s Only Revolutions. Like Danielewski’s first book, House of Leaves, Only Revolutions relies heavily on the formatting of the book. (We’ll see if I get through Only Revolutions…formatting like this in House of Leaves annoyed me, and I set it aside.)
More than formatting that would be tough to pull off in an e-book right now, one of the best things about physical books is the personal library.
Behold, the Library!
Flavorwire recently had a peek inside the libraries of famous writers. I love how each writer’s personality is reflected in their libraries.
As much as I love e-books, it’s weird to think there may come a day when the famous writers of the future all hold up the same reading device as others when asked to show off their libraries.
(It’s one of the reasons I think the physical books will always be around.)
There are some wonderful libraries here. Although I tend to read in spurts, I do enjoy holding a book. The convenience of e-books overnight on the train, or when traveling in general, can’t be beat, though.
That’s what I like about e-books, Mary: I always have books with me. Stuck at the DMV? Read a book. Not in the mood to write on lunch break at work? Read a book. It’s nice when traveling for long times at work, too. Having several books that you don’t have to pack with you is nice.
But I love a nice room dedicated to books. Especially in a time when people say they don’t have time, it’s a sign that you are in control of the time you have. While my library has always also functioned as an office, I definitely look forward to the day I can have a room full of books where I can sit and read.
I had wondered about “House of Leaves.” Still not sure if it’s my thing. Kind of reminds me of Crispin Glover’s “Rat Catching.”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/deathtogutenberg/sets/72157610462234001/with/3071834030/
CMS: I found the novelty of House of Leaves annoying. I don’t mind putting in effort when reading something, but there were definitely parts of House of Leaves that just seemed like, “It would be cool if I made people read along the edge of this page, turning the book a full 360!” It got old for me.
I haven’t started Only Revolutions. While it relies on formatting, it’s not as all over the place as House of Leaves. I think the thing that would get me about Rat Catching are the parts where things are laid over the text. With Glover, you KNOW he wrote those sections and just covered them. I think that would drive me nuts, like a missing page, here and there.
I’m not against people trying to do something different with books. In fact, with digital books becoming more common, why not cut loose and make a physical book something to be experienced in ways that an e-book can’t deliver.
I read this yesterday: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/04/books/publishers-gild-books-with-special-effects-to-compete-with-e-books.html I think there will always be people who buy books. Certain authors…I want the book. I read John Irving’s last novel as an e-book because I had the flu when it came out and couldn’t make it to the bookstore to get it. (And didn’t think about pre-ordering the book from Amazon.) It’s something I still want on a shelf, though.
“why not cut loose and make a physical book something to be experienced in ways that an e-book can’t deliver”
Yes, this is going to happen in an even bigger way. We’ve seen the lead-ins. The trick is coming up with something retro-lutionary while keeping the initial monetary investment down. Perhaps it will start small-scale, as an indie or underground movement. Then, of course, the corporations will catch up and copy.
I definitely look forward to seeing where the physical book goes. I never get attached to mass market paperbacks, although I have fond memories of some. But I wouldn’t want the beat-up version of The World According to Garp that I first read. But a first printing or a deluxe-edition hardback is another thing.
While I found House of Leaves to be gimmicky, I’m glad it exists…I’m glad somebody tried something new and that people bought it. Giving readers something worthy of documenting the unboxing of the book online is cool. Creating something physical that readers and even collectors appreciate will definitely keep the physical book around.
Now I know what to do with all my stickers and packing I’ve saved for no reason over the years. 🙂