To e or not to ebook, that is the question

 Does the rise of the ebook mean the fall of the printed text? Print—in terms of its standardised form and its dissemination in books—was first introduced in Europe around 1440 when German goldsmith Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press in the Holy Roman Empire. Hitherto, the printed word was handwritten only, limited to unique manuscripts and accessible only to those who could read, write and afford to own the necessary materials and equipment. Gutenberg literally changed the world, some referring to the effect as the ‘Printing Revolution’,  enabling ideas in religion, science, politics, and culture to be transmitted more easily from place to place and facilitating a European population that engaged more readily and freely with the written (in this case the printed) text.  Just 80 years or so after Gutenberg’s invention, German Monk and theologian Martin Luther invoked a transformation in the way people, namely Germans, thought about the world when he translated the bible from Hebrew and Ancient Greek to German, not only framing the first coherent Germanic language translation of the Bible but at the same time shaping the German language; what became the schism of the Church; as well as the nature of German culture. In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries print mattered: it mattered how it was produced, to where it was transmitted, and by whom it was consumed.

I recently visited Wartburg Castle, Germany where Martin Luther ensconced while he translated the bible, fearing for his very life 


Today we communicate largely through technological extensions of our brains and limbs, using Twitter, facebook, the laughably named Pinterest, and other social media: so does the printed, tangible book have a place?

Do you know and love the smell of old books or even new ones? That musty smell reminds you of the history and thoughts embedded in each page, sometimes compounded by marginalia from a past reader which is at times persiflage, at others pejorative, but always a find.  Do you enjoy the sense of gratification when you find a book in your local second-hand book store after one year of searching, knowing that after each previously failed attempt you resisted the temptation to click a few buttons on your laptop and have it hit your front door mat before the week ended?

An antique book store I found in Leipzig, Germany. It was beautiful inside and out. 

The question we face in all of this is how do we merge the love of the old printed books with the emergence of the technologically nouveau, that is, the ebook? There are many reasons why people might choose ebooks over printed books: they might travel, I hear that’s the main reason one should buy one. Because when you go on holiday instead of hiring a separate van or plane for that one book you usually bring and never quite manage to finish you can simply pop the ebook reader into your handbag, luggage, pocket and you have an entire library of books that you probably won’t read in a life time at your finger tips. 

No more of this...

And more of this.

Others’ contention is that ebooks reduce the amount of paper being used. I hear you. But think about the amount of water, petrol, packaging, air miles, and so on necessary to manufacture, transport, sell and deliver your little square of, ostensibly, environmentally friendly technology. I doubt the rise of the ebook will harness the end of climate change. And if we continue to recycle the books that already exist, there is little influence on the world of trees. In fact, any form of recycling is a necessity in our increasingly climatically precarious planet.

There's no ebooks in here. 

Let’s think briefly about why the world shouldn’t fully embrace the ebook as the future of the printed word. The main reason I don’t have one is because of the thought that the 78 year old Granny in my local cafe smirking at her ebook reader over a cup of tea and scone may actually be fantasising over the lurid, sex-crazed mania that is Fifty Shades of Grey. I think I’ll give the ebook’s cold, hard, digital wonder a miss, thanks. 

I'd rather see a granny dressed as a pirate.

I ask all ebookers one question:  would you be happy if hereafter books were only available as digital downloads? I wonder what authors would think. It seems the printed text is going through the same dilemma as the music world: musicians continue to complain about the impact downloads (whether illegal or not) are having on their income. My guess is that most authors and, possibly, many readers would frown at the thought of never holding a soft bound copy of their favourite novel or caressing the pages of an inspirational memoir. But why?There are a myriad of reasons. Maybe you have the same dream that I have that one day you'll own a house in which every book you've ever read lines the walls.

  

 I don't think I could achieve the same effect with this.

A more altruistic reason is the fact that if books weren’t printed the people who can’t afford to part with over one hundred pounds for the latest ebook reader (about 80% of the world’s population) would be excluded from the necessity and pleasure of reading. Even if ebook readers were available to all, as my friend indicated recently the downside is that you can’t share the book you most recently read with your friend, you can’t leave your ebook reader on a park bench for the next person to pick up and embrace the narrative that changed your perspective on love, life or money—well you could but you’d be short significant pocket every time inspiration or generosity struck.  The ebook’s individualistic exclusiveness seems to be contradictory to the progressive, community spirit of other technological and communication developments of the past decade. If the only reason for the ebook is convenience then I render it part of the same ridiculous cluster of American inventions including the drive-through bank, or the drive-through anything  (pharmacist, off-license, super market) for that matter. My purpose isn’t to discourage you to enter into the virtual ebook world, go for it and tell me about it. I wait to be convinced that ebooks better the intrepid readers’ experience of buying, reading and sharing printed books. Watch this space.