Why not both? Each has their own set of pros and cons with different values depending on use-case and lifestyles. I have collections of both, and a many books i

Why not both? Each has their own set of pros and cons with different values depending on use-case and lifestyles. I have collections of both, and a many books in both formats. -- eg lookups... Ebooks win for fact lookup, like "alkyl-alkyl bond formation", however I'd go to the internet for that. Lookups that require the appendix are roughly on-par. Physical books win for plot referencing. Pages provide a physical heuristic for binary search, and current eink tech is much slower than physical page turns. Active displays are OK but I've yet to find a UI for effective binary searching Kindle books. -- Some more pros/cons, comparing physical books against the ebook+ereader combination. - A physical book can be purchased and immediately read. Ebooks require a devices (cheap but not free). - Physical books can be sold by their owner. Ebooks are cheaper, but often not by much and they can't be resold. - Used books can be purchased for dirt cheap. Ebooks are easier to steal, but legal acquisition requires buying new. - Loss of a book only blocks that one book, and costs as much as the one book. Ebooks cannot be stolen, but ereaders are much more expensive to replace. - Books can have form-factors tailored to their content. ereaders can zoom and reformat content, but their screen size is fixed. - Books offer rich calibrated colors. Most ereaders do not. - Books can be loaned to anyone for as long as desired. Ebooks can be swapped, as long as the book allows loans and both parties use platforms/devices technology that support loans. Sometimes with time constraints. - Books do not have batteries. Ebooks rely on ereaders with long-lasting but not infinite batteries. - Books are unconditionally owned. ebooks have fine print and vendor-lock in. - Books can be privately acquired offline. Ebooks always leave a paper trail. - Books are physical artifacts that can be passed down. ebooks have some vendor support for "family accounts" and such, but are much harder to pass down (plus open questions around licensing when companies fail). - Books can withstand serious blunt trauma, including getting thrown out of a 60mph car. Ebook readers cannot. - Books can be freely copied for personal use. Publishers are hostile to duplicating ebooks for personal use. - Books are an excellent source of emergency kindling when camping. ereaders are not, although some batteries can be used as fire starters.