Ether Books and the Written Word

I get a visceral thrill from books. The musty smell of old paperbacks, the slight tinge of yellow on the page. Finding little pieces of ephemera in used books makes me happy. To date, I've discovered hardware receipts from the late 1960s, notes on the meaning of certain passages, and grocery lists. People collect this stuff. What are they going to do now?

Thick books make noise. Try putting one on a table - you can feel the impact. It's noisy. All of that research in one place. These words have manifested and can now be measured. 853 pages plus a ton of footnotes. Unlike ether words, they exist in the physical world for everyone to see.

Books require nothing more than the book itself. They don't require tools to read, unless you need glasses. There are no hidden costs.

Books and death are the great equalizers. A rich man or a poor man can read a book. They can both keel over from brain tumors, but the chances of them being buried next to each other is quite slim.

Books are unique. Cover art changes, according to when a book is published. Beautiful cover paintings, like the kind you find from the pulp fiction days. Those book covers were created by artists, with very little interference from technology.

But every now and then, I need to find a quote in a thick book. Unless I put a post-it note on the page at the time I'm first reading it, I will never be able to find it again. It disappears and even if I'm able to find the quote, it is never how I remembered it. I wish there was something like a find function for thick books.

And when I get a bunch of books from the library, I have to lug them around in my bag. Those fancy backpacks are no relief for overburdened shoulders.

Sometimes, when I go on vacation, I work. Which, of course, requires bringing a bag full of books. Several years ago, me and my books took a brand new suitcase on a trip. It fell apart by the time I got to Texas. Picking out which books to bring on trips is a drag, since I always have to leave some at home, alone, where they can do no damage.

I don't know if the written word will be cheapened by these ether books. But I would love to see how the Kindle Reader handles cover art.

Comments

[malachy walsh]

Have you read THE SEVEN STAIRS by Stuart Brent?

Someone who loves books as much as you do might get a lot out of it....

[Laura]

I haven't. What's it about? Did you like it?

[jde]

I, uh, always related to Jean-Luc Picard who still read real honest-to-God hardback books. I just read THE WALL BETWEEN by Anne Braden. Do you know it? I'm thinking it would make a great theatre piece.

I was a bit shocked to see Kindle Reader's price, and even by Toni Morrison plugging it. And yet, it would easy the load on the back, as you well point out!

Happy holiday to you, my dear!

[malachy walsh]

I love the book.

And I say why in the comments section of your post above.

Hope you try it.

[trav]

So far it seems most of the "covers" for the Kindle e-books look like this:

http://gizmodo.com/photogallery/AmazonKindleScreens/1000224643

as compared to the original print version:
http://www.amazon.com/Heat-Adventures-Pasta-Maker-Apprentice-Dante-Quoting/dp/1400034477/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196395522&sr=8-1

It's really kinda sad.
But I guess that's what you get from a monochrome screen and one font.