Hardback mostly if it was a gift or some gigantic book, paperback if we got it for ourselves. You opened the cover, read the a course in miracles the front and back cover once again and then got on with it.
Then E-books stormed in. Although electronic documents have been used since the 60’s at the latest, the change from a limited audience and limited purpose tool to an alternative to the conventional printing and publishing methods did not take place until the internet took a place in our daily lives. Today however, E-books are altering the way we read. If the general book reading public was reluctant to adopt the digitised version of print into their lives, the knowledge and experience of the potential advantages that E-books provide have made the people grow closer to this new way of reading.
Significant voices of resentment still exist in some pockets about the apparent change that has taken place in the world of printing. Let’s look at what exactly are the good and bad points or rather, let’s do an analysis. E-books Vs Printed Books.
Availability – Bookstores are everywhere. Internet is even more widely available in most of the civilized world. If you download your books on your E-book reader, then all that stops you from reading is the lack of electricity. Sitting at home and you hear about this great new book and your nearest bookstore is half an hour away? Bet you wouldn’t mind downloading it instantly and getting done with a hundred pages by the time it would have taken you to travel back and forth from the bookstore. Also, old books are not going to go ‘out of print’ digitally because they are never really printed. E-books win.
Storage Space – Store 10 books on your device (change the number according to your reading speed and frequency) and you are good to go for a few weeks to almost any corner of the planet. Would you be happily carrying so many books? Not really. E-books win.
Convenience – This is not as one sided as it may sound at first. You are standing inside a train, what would you prefer a reader or a book? Sprawled out on the couch on a rainy Sunday, what would you want to have in your hand? Are you ever going to prepare for your entrance examination with an E-book reader? No because you would be partially blind by the time you finish studying. Sure, in a dark room the E-book wins, but I wouldn’t read it on the bed at night because the chances are I will drop it or sleep on it and break it. Print wins here.