“Far Eastern Economic Review Malaysian correspondent S. Jayasankaran said the sale of electronic versions of books through the Internet had in fact pushed sales of printed books in places like the United States. ‘I would think it is impossible for the Internet to replace a book,’ he said.” – The Star Online, Malaysia.
The TeleRead take: Wrong! Granted, we are talking about evolution, not the immediate death of p-books, which I hope will always be around in limited form–just like horse-and-buggy rides in places such as Central Park. Still, Jayasankaran is extrapolating from present technology rather than looking ahead to popularization of, say, E Ink. I doubt he even knows that it exists–and that e-books with flippable pages won’t be that different from the conventional variety. Deane Barker once felt like Jayasankaran, but now is of a different mind:
Prompted by Microsoft’s generosity, I’ve started reading e-books, and I think I’m addicted. I read a book last year called “The Social Life of Information” which put forth all sorts of reasons why e-books weren’t going to work. I agreed with it then, but after actually trying it, I’m hooked.
I started out with Bill Bryson’s “A Short History of Nearly Everything.” I read it in Microsoft Reader, mostly sitting on the couch with my trusty Toshiba Satellite in my lap. I’d even take my computer to bed, resting it on my chest. It was much more natural than you’d think. After a few pages, I mentally slipped into the book just as if it was a hardcover. Before I knew it, 600 pages had zipped by. (Phenomenal book, by the way.)
Reading a book on a laptop is much, much more natural than I imagined for one important reason: a laptop sits up by itself. You don’t have to hold it like you hold a book. On the couch, I’d slouch down with the laptop out on my knees, one arm holding a drink, and the other arm draped over a cushion. Every once in a while, I’d reach out and hit the space bar to “turn” the page. It was almost… luxurious.
I’ve gotten in the habit of reading over breakfast. I’ll sit the laptop on the counter, eat a bowl of cereal, and stop only to turn the page. When I’m done for the moment, I just close the laptop and it suspends itself until I “open” the book again. Because of this, my supposed need for an e-book reader or a Tablet PC has evaporated. Neither of those would keep themselves upright like my Toshiba.
I myself find Tiny Reader vastly superior to Microsoft Reader or Adobe Reader for my purposes–and, of course, I believe that a love of DRM and Passport, not a love of literature, led Microsoft to come up with The Offer. Too, for me at least, a tablet computer or PDA is much better for e-books than a laptop is. Still, Deane Barker’s heart is in the right place, and who knows, maybe S. Jayasankaran will someday catch up.
Still more on the joys of e-books: The Iron Monkey blog comes up with its own favorites–including the high-res Sony Clie. Jenny Levine also uses a Clie for e-book reading, although actually I believe she owns an earlier model.
Meanwhile a progress report on An Autobiography, by Anthony Trollope, as read via Project Gutenberg: Again and again he alludes to the mediocrity of his youth. With exaggeration? I don’t know. But given all the reading he did to catch up as an adult, his autobiography serves as a great argument for e-books, especially as a medium for the classics.
Of course, I suspect that Trollope had easier access to them than many people in 20th-century America do to the best p-books. Another part of the case against Jayasankaran? Rather than simply replacing p-books, the “e” variety can reach people without conventional alternatives. Amazon.com is no replacement for Gutenberg (for classics) or the proposed TeleRead (for classics and contemporary books). Gutenberg offers the ultimate in browsability. You can instantly take a chance on a book–and on being drawn in–without any cash transaction. Priceless.
(Central Park photo via ArtToday.)
