A number of people have been sharing a cool video which features animated books moving around a Toronto bookstore. It’s named ‘The Joy of Books’, and it’s a well-made, enjoyable creation which is fun to watch, as you can now see:
But possibly as a result of the title, a few people are using it as an example of why print is in some way superior to an electronic version.
And that’s rubbish, quite frankly.
There are two elements of books that elicit joy:
- What’s in the book
- What surrounds the book
None of that is inherent to print, eReaders, parchment, hieroglyphics or any other transportation medium.
What’s in the book:
Amazing writing and art will bring someone joy. I’m happy reading William Gibson books in print or on my Kindle, and if he decided in the future that he would only inscribe his work into the trunks of trees, I’d be trying to find a way to fund a private forest in my back garden.
As long as the typeface is legible, and the art is clear, then the transportation of it matters not a jot. Possibly my last line of resistance was comics and graphic novels, but even in this case I’ve overcome my reservations about reading them electronically when I’ve been borrowing an iPad. And as always, great writing and art works.
That doesn’t mean that there aren’t things that could be improved – reading a PDF on a Kindle can be frustrating when the text and font aren’t suited, but PDFs have always been the work of the devil regardless of how you’re forced to encounter them.
What surrounds the book:
Here’s where it gets more interesting. So the first aspect to transfer between formats is the social aspect. Reading to my son from a printed book or a Kindle doesn’t matter in terms of the benefit and enjoyment he gets from someone reading to him. Chatting about the book with other people isn’t diminished by a screen, and lending is a possibility now. In fact, electronically I can share Creative Commons books directly with friends around the globe, ensuring they can read the same ‘copy’ as me.
There are differences in the physical sensation. It’s not so much the turning on a page – the way buttons work to flick through a book on the Kindle is a pretty damn effective substitute. But particularly the smell of an aging book hasn’t been replicated electronically (Although it easily could). Not sure that’s a particularly great source of joy though – more an association that old paper quite often comes with great stories.
Then there are two tangible areas which reflect the hoarding of knowledge – the receiving of a book as a treasured gift, and resale value. The resale value of most books is negligible thanks to the massive inventory of mainstream paperbacks, so it really only applies to niche hardbacks.
And then we come to gifting – particularly if it’s a family heirloom or with handwritten notes. That’s the only area in which culturally it’s hard to put the same weighting on an electronic version, but that shift will undoubtedly happen to some extent, leaving either small inventories of the most popular gift choices in print editions, or print-on-demand for anything which isn’t in a classic gift choice.
Either way, the pleasure of the contents, the social aspect of sharing and discussing, and many of the other areas of enjoyment when it comes to literature are already present in electronic formats, and some of the others could be closely replicated. That’s why the joy is ‘in’ the book, not ‘of’ the book.
That is true,Dan. As an author and business man, I can relate to how you said, “But possibly as a result of the title, a few people are using an example of why print is in some way superior to an electronic version”. I hope more people discover your blog because you really know what you’re talking about. Can’t wait to read more from you!
Really interesting post especially in the growing Kindlisation of society. What I really want to know is…is it safe to read a kindle in the bath? I do a lot of leisure reading there and no one has been able to give me a decent answer, although 11 year olds reassure me these devices are waterproof.
Separately, regardless of the sexiness of print (or not), the rising price of paper and closure of presses, I would like to know if you think we may reach a tipping point in terms of all the power necessary to power Kindles, mobiles and iPads etc – ie surely there will be power cuts when everyone in the developing world wants a Kindle? I appreciate this might be like that old chestnut about ‘running out of oil’ yet the world is still full of motorists.
Finally, could you recommend any writers on the ethics of digital media and digital media and psychotherapy?
Firstly, I wouldn’t advise using any electronic devices in the bath, although to be fair, reading print in the bath is usually risky to the state of the book, if not the reader…
In terms of power – there is obviously an increase in electronic devices requiring power, but how that compares with the power demands for printing presses which won’t be running, or how it compares with the growth of electric cars, for example, I couldn’t say. My hunch is that the power companies will face increasing disruption in the future anyway, and finally we’ll end up with better and more sustainable options which allow us to tailor our own solutions, whether solar, wind etc. All those areas are only going to get more efficient.
Not sure about digital media and psychotherapy – you could try Jo Jordan (@jobucks on twitter) – I think she might be able to help.
In terms of the ethics of digital media, it depends on the subject. Obviously news and journalism has a lot of debate, and you could start with the Nieman Journalism Lab for example. In terms of general digital media and the effect it has on people, I’d recommend Danah Boyd for amazing research and insight into the digital world and teens.