4 ms·

Anecdotal, but every reader I know (including me) flirted with ebooks and then switched back to paper. For me, it’s less strain on my eyes, it always works eve

Anecdotal, but every reader I know (including me) flirted with ebooks and then switched back to paper. For me, it’s less strain on my eyes, it always works even without electricity, I can lend it out to friends easily, and I like to expand the aesthetic of my bookshelf. I’m also more likely to reread all or part of a physical book. Ebooks are simply inferior.

ghaff 8y ago
As long as it's mostly just flowing text, I much prefer ebooks. A lot of my long form reading happens when I travel and a tablet or a Kindle Paperwhite works much better than a book in poorly-lit planes or hotel rooms. Sure, there's an aesthetic to certain books but that doesn't apply to the random paperback or even popular hardcover novel. And I appreciate the decrease in clutter. I recently donated a bunch of older "classic" paperbacks that are works I can download for free or near-free anytime I want.
zrail 8y ago
Counter-anecdata: I have purchased and read far more ebooks than I have paper books in the last decade. I currently use a Kindle Paperwhite at a somewhat large type size which has completely relieved my eye strain. Also after having moved my books between four apartments and our current house, the next time we move I’m prepared to just toss the lot of them.
Semaphor 8y ago
Opposite for me (for fiction). I started reading ebooks with the original Kindle keyboard and never looked back. I always felt that books were cluttering everything up (I read 20-60 per year), I enjoy not having my arms hurt from holding books in an awkward position and I feel that the eInk display is just as good as books, but it's better for reading in some light conditions. I still buy books once in a while, but those are either non-fiction or I want them for the pictures (e.g. a book by Brom whom I knew through his art on MtG cards)
- drivingmenuts 8y ago
  Same here - I tend toward military sci-fi (most of it is very bad) and so disposability is key to not building up a huge collection of junk. The few physical books I own now are tabletop RPG manuals, because they are needed as reference during games when batteries running down would be inconvenient. Certain reference manuals (The O'Reilly Zoo, for example) are more useful as physical books, as well. Besides, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow (not planning on it today), it's not there's anyone to inherit my stuff.
  - rurounijones 8y ago
    > Same here - I tend toward military sci-fi (most of it is very bad) As a reader of many many Kindle unlimited military sci-fi books I sympathize and recommend the "Nameless War" ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12356877-the-nameless-war https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12356877-the-nameless-wa... ) trilogy as the rose in the manure of books I have read of this genre in the last few years. There are occasional spelling mistakes etc but the story itself is fantastic and the military scenario believable.
jrgaston 8y ago
I'm of the opposite opinion. While I enjoy the look and feel of a book, I'm tired of carrying them around when I travel and moving them when I, well, move. Best of all I can sit on my couch, wine glass in hand, and seconds after reading a book review in the Times I've got that very book in my hands.
justadudeama 8y ago
I personally try to read all of my books on Kindle. I take a lot of notes and highlights in my books, and with Kindle I can export those and keep them forever (and also have it be searchable), whereas a book it takes up a ton of space and is much less accessible.
the_watcher 8y ago
Ebooks solve specific problems that paper simply cannot, the biggest being that you can carry an entire library in a package smaller than a typical paper book. Beyond that, ebooks can be acquired immediately, and many vendors allow you to sample the book prior to reading. All that said, I've also returned to paper for essentially anything I anticipate wanting to take more than a few notes in, or really referring back to at all.
the_watcher 8y ago
Adding to my prior comment - I agree that the actual experience of reading a paper book hasn't been matched too closely by ebooks (yet, to be fair). However, there are two things that ebooks do wildly improve - long books are not any heavier, and footnotes/endnotes are just way, way more consumable on a Kindle than a physical book.
kirykl 8y ago
I've returned to paper because they're mostly priced chepaer than the ebook equivalent
Kagerjay 8y ago
I read all my books on kindle normally, with the exception of textbooks and things that are more dense or books that require large paper sizes.
wilsonnb3 8y ago
Ebooks are easier to carry. You can use one to take your entire library on vacation instead of just a few books. Some of them have lights built in for reading in dark environments. They're much easier to use one-handed than most paper books. Some of them are waterproof and will survive being dropped in the bathtub better than a paper book. You can change the font and text size to suit your preferences. You can instantly download a new book when you want to read it instead of waiting for it to arrive in the mail or going to a bookstore or library. They are not "simply inferior" as you put it, even if you happen to prefer paper books.

ghaff 8y ago

As long as it's mostly just flowing text, I much prefer ebooks. A lot of my long form reading happens when I travel and a tablet or a Kindle Paperwhite works much better than a book in poorly-lit planes or hotel rooms. Sure, there's an aesthetic to certain books but that doesn't apply to the random paperback or even popular hardcover novel. And I appreciate the decrease in clutter. I recently donated a bunch of older "classic" paperbacks that are works I can download for free or near-free anytime I want.

zrail 8y ago

Counter-anecdata: I have purchased and read far more ebooks than I have paper books in the last decade. I currently use a Kindle Paperwhite at a somewhat large type size which has completely relieved my eye strain. Also after having moved my books between four apartments and our current house, the next time we move I’m prepared to just toss the lot of them.

Semaphor 8y ago

Opposite for me (for fiction). I started reading ebooks with the original Kindle keyboard and never looked back. I always felt that books were cluttering everything up (I read 20-60 per year), I enjoy not having my arms hurt from holding books in an awkward position and I feel that the eInk display is just as good as books, but it's better for reading in some light conditions. I still buy books once in a while, but those are either non-fiction or I want them for the pictures (e.g. a book by Brom whom I knew through his art on MtG cards)

drivingmenuts 8y ago
Same here - I tend toward military sci-fi (most of it is very bad) and so disposability is key to not building up a huge collection of junk. The few physical books I own now are tabletop RPG manuals, because they are needed as reference during games when batteries running down would be inconvenient. Certain reference manuals (The O'Reilly Zoo, for example) are more useful as physical books, as well. Besides, if I got hit by a bus tomorrow (not planning on it today), it's not there's anyone to inherit my stuff.
- rurounijones 8y ago
  > Same here - I tend toward military sci-fi (most of it is very bad) As a reader of many many Kindle unlimited military sci-fi books I sympathize and recommend the "Nameless War" ( https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12356877-the-nameless-war https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12356877-the-nameless-wa... ) trilogy as the rose in the manure of books I have read of this genre in the last few years. There are occasional spelling mistakes etc but the story itself is fantastic and the military scenario believable.

jrgaston 8y ago

I'm of the opposite opinion. While I enjoy the look and feel of a book, I'm tired of carrying them around when I travel and moving them when I, well, move. Best of all I can sit on my couch, wine glass in hand, and seconds after reading a book review in the Times I've got that very book in my hands.

justadudeama 8y ago

I personally try to read all of my books on Kindle. I take a lot of notes and highlights in my books, and with Kindle I can export those and keep them forever (and also have it be searchable), whereas a book it takes up a ton of space and is much less accessible.

the_watcher 8y ago

Ebooks solve specific problems that paper simply cannot, the biggest being that you can carry an entire library in a package smaller than a typical paper book. Beyond that, ebooks can be acquired immediately, and many vendors allow you to sample the book prior to reading. All that said, I've also returned to paper for essentially anything I anticipate wanting to take more than a few notes in, or really referring back to at all.

the_watcher 8y ago

Adding to my prior comment - I agree that the actual experience of reading a paper book hasn't been matched too closely by ebooks (yet, to be fair). However, there are two things that ebooks do wildly improve - long books are not any heavier, and footnotes/endnotes are just way, way more consumable on a Kindle than a physical book.

kirykl 8y ago

I've returned to paper because they're mostly priced chepaer than the ebook equivalent

Kagerjay 8y ago

I read all my books on kindle normally, with the exception of textbooks and things that are more dense or books that require large paper sizes.

wilsonnb3 8y ago

Ebooks are easier to carry. You can use one to take your entire library on vacation instead of just a few books. Some of them have lights built in for reading in dark environments. They're much easier to use one-handed than most paper books. Some of them are waterproof and will survive being dropped in the bathtub better than a paper book. You can change the font and text size to suit your preferences. You can instantly download a new book when you want to read it instead of waiting for it to arrive in the mail or going to a bookstore or library. They are not "simply inferior" as you put it, even if you happen to prefer paper books.