E-books or Paperbacks?!!

Books waiting to be read

I am a bibliophile, someone who is in love with books ever since I remember. I even got a best library user award while in school because of my addiction to books.

The debate e-books vs. Paperback books rages the world over as to which one is better. I am simply not bothered to give my support to any of these groups.

Did the first paperback books pose such a dilemma to the readers? Did they have trouble welcoming the latest entrant to the world of knowledge? I don’t think so. Those who love books does not care which form they arrive. I have equal love for e-books as well as physical books. Recently, the majority of books that I have read are in the e-book form. While on a long journey, I prefer e-books as I can carry around thousands of e-books on my laptop, phone or kindle.

Now to compare the two:

E-books	Paperback
Cheaper to purchase	Costlier than e-books
Easier to carry around. A kindle can hold thousands of e-books	Carrying paperbacks in your travel bags can break your back.
Easier to find word meanings or to mark portions of the book that you found interesting using the online thesaurus. Your scribbling and comments can be erased when you wish to.	You have to carry around a dictionary if you want to check word meanings. Highlight some paragraphs in your book and you leave an unsightly mark, which can’t be erased unless you used pencil.
Instantly downloadable from online portals. So you get to read them at your convenience.	Paperback books ordered from online portals take time to reach you. So you are kept waiting.
A data crashing can delete all your books in a flash. The benevolent water can turn mischief-maker if you drop your e-reader in a puddle.	Paperback books can stand the test of time if they are kept at a distance from termites, fire and water. Your favorite book can be with you throughout your lifetime without much damage.
You can read in darkness and be a night owl devouring your favorite story without disturbing anyone.	You need adequate light to read paperback books and often face resistance from other members of the family who plead to switch off the light.

Though e-books seems to win in terms of convenience, true bibliophiles will never bother to find who wins the battle eventually. I wouldn’t. I am interested merely to gather the bit of knowledge the book is going to deliver.

As long as Muse romances writers and readers romance the books, I don’t fear anything. Let there be peace. Let those who prefer e-books own plenty of them and let paperback lovers fill their home libraries with loads of paperbacks.

Have a great day folks!

 This post is written as a part of Indispire on Indiblogger