Day 76: Book vs. e-Reader

I love books. Printed books. I really like the texture and the smell of different papers, the shape and the design of the covers. And the feeling of having them in my hands. After a friend’s suggestion, I started thinking about e-Reader, but I'm still not persuaded of buying it. So, let’s list pros & cons.

Books pros:

• Property. A paper book is something real. You own it, it’s yours. You can underline it, make notes in the margins and display in your bookshelf.
  
• All senses involved. Having a paper book is not just about reading. It involves more senses than just sight. Smell, touch and hearing are very involved in reading paper books.
  
• Libraries and used books. You can borrow books from libraries for free or just buy used ones. You can do book crossing. All that books can be read by dozens of people over their lifetime.

Books cons:

• Weight and space. Paper books are heavy and cumbersome. It can be awkward to transport them and sometimes it’s hard to keep them open at a certain page. Finally, you have to find the space to store them (and maybe buy a bookshelf).
  
• Perishability. It is just paper. So, real books are affected by dust, dampness, yellowing and silverfish. Then, you can easily damage or lose them.
  
• Cost and sustainability. Books have to be printed, packaged, and distributed. From paper to plastic and fuel: it is very expensive to create them. They have a real impact on the environment. However, at the end, they are easily recyclable.

e-Reader pros:

• Portability. A little larger than a paperback book cover, the e-reader can easily be transported everywhere: thousands of books in just 200gr.
  
• All-in-one. Dictionary, clock, internet browser: a great world is hidden inside this small and slight device. There are even many tools very useful for reading, like highlighting, notes and immediate translation of foreign words. 
  
• Privacy. People can't see what you are reading and you can protect your book (and device) with a password.

e-Readers cons:

• Cost and sustainability. e-Readers are very expensive (start from 89£)and then you have to buy the books (and you can’t buy used ones). As well as real books, e-Readers have to be manufactured, packed and shipped. What happens after? Are all parts recyclable or will they boost the e-waste mountain? No more trees and paper, but are we sure that will be better?
  
• Battery and lifetime. Reading depends on a battery. You can really be wishful to read a book, but if your battery is flat, you can’t. And you have to remember to charge the device. What if it suddenly stop working? What if it fall from your hand? And if it get stolen?

Great readers. A TerraPass study explains that "e-readers are the more environmentally responsible choice only if you are reading in excess of 23 books per year (almost two books every month)". But if the keyword is money, I don’t think I will buy an e-Reader.

Reading is culture and culture should be free. So, why pay for something that is already free? I’ve my answer, but…

What do you think?