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We have all been told, somewhere down the line, to never judge a book by its cover, but when it comes to literally judging a book by its cover, well that’s how I choose! And I know I am not wrong in believing that’s how many of us make our decisions in book shops and libraries. One of my favourite things about a book is its cover, running my fingers along the overpriced foiling and embossing and wondering just how very crucial this is to the plot of the story. Oh and don’t even get me started on thumbing the pages quickly to get a whiff of that new book smell. Nothing wrong with an old book smell too, in fact if wisdom had a scent, that would be it.
And then there came the Kindle AKA e-books. I resented the very thought of these devices when first I discovered them . How could I possibly show off my impressive (half read) collection of books upon my shelving, feigning such knowledge, if it is all crammed into one tiny tablet? I straight away made up my mind that this was not the gadget for me. Then came time for a holiday. Yes my book was incredibly large and weighing me down, but I got 50% discount on a hard cover, how could I say no? So what it doesn’t fit in my handbag, or hand luggage?
Now on the plane however, I first start to doubt my decision when every turn of the page I am nudging elbows with the complete strangers next to me (admittedly stealing all the arm rest space). I just had to persevere the flight until I knew I would be loving my book on the beach, warm in the sun. The bruise on my nose however tells of another story. How do you get comfortable reading, whilst blocking out the sun and not straining your arms till they are shaking above your head in a desperate attempt to read a hard cover book? You don’t. This book and my travels started to plant the seed of doubt in my head about the printed page.
Don’t get me wrong, I am still all for the “book” but when it comes to travelling I like to upload and go with my Kindle. I will even admit to in my lazier moments, taking advantage of the screen lighting at night, rather than have to rely on my bedside light switch. I have also recently taken to magazine subscriptions on my iPad rather than cluttering my apartment with fire kindling. The same can be said about my post box, as companies are now starting to learn the benefits of online catalogues rather than filling your post box with junk mail and saying “here, throw this away”.
This all comes back to the question of whether books and print in general will soon be just a memory. My answer, most definitely not. I use my Kindle, tablet and books in conjunction with each other, in fact at times they even complement one another. As a smart man, Stephen Fry, once said “Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs by elevators,” and I could not agree more.
