Are Books Disappearing?

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Tiffanye1
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Re: Are Books Disappearing?

Post by Tiffanye1 »

I think we can say that they are definitely decreasing but disappearing? No. I can think of a few apocalyptic scenarios that would involve the loss of the printed word but barring anything of that nature I think there will always be those who prefer the physical copy of a book to a digital one. As long as we always make sure that the next generation grows up with the experience of holding a book in their hands, books will survive.

A book is like nothing else. Smelling the hint of vanilla while turning the pages of an old book imparts upon you a particularly comforting feeling as you discover whats lies within it bindings. The pleasure that we all experience when reading a physical copy of a book and not the digitized version is what will keep books from completely disappearing from our homes and our lives for as long as humans exist.
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Post by speedesch2 »

You will always have readers. Not everyone can afford e-readers and many readers prefer the paper version. The experience of opening a book, the smell, to hold it, to page through it, you don't experience this with an e-reader. Also many authors have their books available in both print and e-version, catering for both markets.
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Post by jesuisamylea »

The majority of the time, books are written to be enjoyed and passed on to others. Therefore does it really matter that more and more books are also being sold as e-books, people are still enjoying them in the end.
Physical, paper books may never disappear, it's clear that people love the feel and the smell of a new book and all the feelings it holds inside. The good thing about an e-book however, is how readily available it is. If you're itching to go out and get that new book but you can't, it can be downloaded almost straight away.
Personally I'm torn, I have an e-reader but I still pick a book up in a store every now and then. There's nothing wrong with a healthy mix of the two. I don't think books will ever disappear though, just like records are again increasing in popularity despite the intensity of the digital music world.
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Post by Swiss Guardsmen »

To some extent yes we find ourselves wondering where Borders went and if Barnnes and Noble will do the same we have fewer small bookstores and more books to buy for the Kindle but the amount of books we use is still gigantic!
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Post by chibi_kitsune »

I don't think print books are going anywhere in the foreseeable future. Although cheeper, ebooks lack a lot of the charm avid readers love and not every book has an electronic copy. Besides, not everyone has access to an eReader, or even want one, and many others utilize libraries. Also, I have to agree with Vault Dweller, I, and many of my friends, would much rather own the book than feel like we are renting it.
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Post by ipekbunsal »

Noo they are not. Books will always be there :D
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Post by SuduNona »

E books are great when airline weight limits on personal baggage mean you cannot pack the books you want on holiday without leaving most of your other clobber behind! But will never replace a real book.

And part of the mystery of choosing a proper book is finding it accidentally, which you cannot do with an E listing where you have to know what you want, who wrote it etc or you would wander forever among stunted summaries which do not replace opening a real book, feeling the pages, crouching near the bottom of a stack to read a chapter or two surrounded by rows and rows of enticing books.

The E store is not the same thing at all!
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Post by 1Book-a-Holic-Ila2 »

Yes, it's sad.
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RJohnReves
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Post by RJohnReves »

Mine sometimes do when I lend them out.
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Post by annareads »

I disagree with your last point, OP. After all, artists didn't stop making music when music went digital and people started pirating. I think if books do go away, they'll go the way of the vinyl record: the dedicated book-lovers (like a lot of us) will still have physical stacks of books, but we'll be seen as old-fashioned until physical books come back in style the way vinyl records recently have. Books will never go away entirely; we love them too much.
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Post by SparklingOne »

I don't believe they will stop printing books entirely ever. I do believe paper books will become premium items in our future. As it becomes more mainstream to read, learn, play on a variety of devices. There will always be someone who wants the real thing. Although I believe as more people get their information electronically publishers will charge more and more money from customers who wish their reading materials be printed in the paper format and that books will become a luxury such as art and affordable only for the rich.
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Post by Reading lady »

I think that you will see less and less physical books but they won't disappear. There are some that just have to be produced as the real thing. I know that the ereaders is affecting the bookstore business.

Don't think it will affect whether people will continue to write. Authors write because they want to write. Many don't need to for the money. It is just their self expression. . . their creative side coming out.
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Post by CA_Griffith »

I believe paper books will be around for a long time. I recall 20 years ago when we finally purchased desk top computers at work. The boss told us it would only be a matter of months before we would be operating a "paper-free" workplace. 20 years later we still had the computers and even MORE paperwork than before. I know it's not the same as the debate between ebooks and paper books, but people simply can not let that paper go.
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LivreLover80
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Post by LivreLover80 »

I still prefer to read my favorite books in paper form. E-books are great for immediate gratification and the readers are great for storage purposes, but nothing compares to holding the real thing. Plus, should catastrophe occur, paper books won't go anywhere but electricity might....teehee
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Zaynesmom
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Post by Zaynesmom »

I read a lot of free books off of amazon and some of them just are not good at all. They are horrible. But they are free! I think e-books give anyone a chance to get their work noticed. Are they pushing out paper books? No way! There will always be some people that want to hold the book in their hands and fold pages. Now that almost everyone has a tablet, laptop, cellphone, or an e-reader and can access a piece of literature practically anywhere, e-books are going to stay around.
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