As more and more people make the switch to the digital forms of media, information and communication, the then conventional forms are left to rust and rot. If this can be said for reading books, though, we cannot be as certain – at least not yet. With all the fancy devices and gadgets that the modern generation (and those who try to be part of it) use in reading books, the publishing industry may be thought of as suffering by a significant dent. This is the reason why most, if not all, publishers are already offering digital alternatives of their titles. To accommodate the changing needs of the reading public, their services must adapt.
However, this may be a sentiment not shared by absolutely all. They say you can never replace the smell of a book’s pages, especially one that has aged over time, kept safe in the bookshelf of your living room. Nor can you buy the slow process of discoloration of each page. These may seem petty reasons, but for a handful of book lovers, the whole reading experience cannot be replaced by technology – because the book in itself is already technology at work. As they say, some things are better left unchanged, and maybe this is true on many levels. In the end, it ceases to become a debate – well, as long as publishers continue to provide both versions of the book, print and digital.
David Appell is one writer who feels strongly about the way books are presented. He believes that books, once concretely upon man’s hands, are capable of creating an experience beyond the very words that make up the stories inside them. He says that the books that you have are able to say something about yourself, about your life. Read more about his defense of print books and see his personal list of indispensable book titles.