Actual or Online Books?

zararina

zararina

Legacy Member
There are now online books and those who have tablets can load some books to it and they could just carny it and read like the actual books. With that being said, do you still prefer actual books or online books?

Personally, I still prefer actual books since I get used to it and it is more friendly to my eyes.
 
I prefer printed books instead of the digital kind. There are times when I read only e-books, when traveling for example because carrying many books is not practical, but when I'm at home printed books are the choice. There's something special about feeling the texture and smell of paper, at least for me.

I'd encourage kids to read books in printed format since it creates some sort of bond with the books. Reading in digital format is nothing special, there's too much contact with technology as it is.
 
I too prefer bound books.I have used both and both are just fine with the reading process,but reading online can get you stray away from your path.Too many distractions.Overall it depends on the user's choice,perception about both vary.
There is nothing that can replace the touch of a book and reading on them..:P
 
I like actual books. No matter how easy it is to get access to online and digital books, I still go for the real thing. Books have this weird smell they give out when their new, and I absolutely adore it. I also like to run my fingers through the pages of the book; I somehow feel more connected to the author when I do this. I also like to look at an actual book especially if they are a thousand pages long. I remember holding Michener's Poland for the first time and I felt very intimidated by it and excited at the same time. I finished the book in about a month. Anyway, books are meant to be printed and not digitized just for the sole purpose of convenience.
 
I prefer bound books. I love the thickness, smell, feel of the paper and seeing the read pages side slowly grow until it is larger than the "yet to read" side. I tend to skim over parts of eBooks. They just don't hold my attention like bound books do. I was a bookworm growing up, books are part of my personal identity.
 
DDavies said:
I prefer bound books. I love the thickness, smell, feel of the paper and seeing the read pages side slowly grow until it is larger than the "yet to read" side. I tend to skim over parts of eBooks. They just don't hold my attention like bound books do. I was a bookworm growing up, books are part of my personal identity.
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Smell of the paper..??You seem to be a voracious reader.I completely second your thoughts and moreover you and i probably share something in common.I too was a book worm until i learnt the realities of life.:P.Good that i have met someone who is like me..:P
 
I can't get used to electronic books. To be honest, I can't stand them. I rather spend hours on the internet searching for the book I want and then wait for a week or so until it arrives, rather than buying an e-book version of it. I don't just adore the smell of paper, but also the glue, the ink, the feeling of holding all those pages in my hands, while lying in bed. I am a collector of old and rare books, regarding them as my teachers and friends.
 
I definitely prefer bound and printed books over the electronic variety. The ebook and Kindle are fantastic when on the move, since I can store a number of novels into a small space but nothing beats the feel and look of a traditional book. It really is just a feel thing for me, but it may also be my fondness for beautiful publishing, which is sometimes lost when we make a digital copy of the book.

I also love having the option of marking and writing into my books when I'm reading. I find it makes me connect with the book more and treat is as sort of a diary for my thoughts that I had as I interacted with the author's words.
 
I prefer printed books than ebooks. They are easier to read although they don't offer the convenience of having multiple books on a single device. My eyes get tired after reading 10-20 pages of ebooks. Apart from convenience, the feel of having the weight of the book in your hands feels just perfect.
 
Bound books will be just like vinyl LPs soon. (which I have a number of) They will primarily fuel a subculture that enjoys some of the aesthetics and history of the physical thing.

Digital formats are great for saving on energy, resources, space, and weight. Not much of a manufacturing cost. No driving back and forth from stores or mailing. As the technology grows with them (they are still relatively new), you will be able to do all the same things... like write notes (and erase) with a stylus on every common ereader/tablet/comparable future device. Someone will cash in big by developing custom frames/skins which make your ereader feel like a real book-- you might even have a few (leather, rustic, big, small, coloured, etc.) for different moods or uses. Eventually, there will be the option for individual pages, like a physical book, which display digital content... so it would feel and look just the same.

The best thing, in my opinion, about the digital format for books is its application in schools. No bags loaded with dead weight! No need to replace lost or damaged textbooks. Syllabi, resources, assignments all up- and downloadable. No more copying. No more asking for more sheets of extra paper. No more needing to buy new physical updates of texts and dumping the old. Simplicity for teachers and students, more emphasis on content and activity.[DOUBLEPOST=1398895844][/DOUBLEPOST]Scroll is to codex as Gutenberg is to...?
 
I prefer actual books because I don't want to stare at a screen too long. Also with college, ebooks aren't really all that cheaper than actual textbooks and well even if they are, most of the time you can sell your textbook back and make some money back,whereas you can't sell an ebook. The only good thing about ebooks though is if you have to bring books to class, you don't have the weight on you but in college hardly any classes use the book in-class.
 
I do not have a preference but think they are both necessary. However, that being said, I am not about to go 'green' and get rid of all my precious books. My library is a form of decoration in my home and I find the holding of a book more comforting than a tablet. Also, computer, t.v. and tablet screens have been known to keep a person awake at night making it difficult to fall asleep. Traditionally, night time book reading helps a person fall asleep. And so I think there are different times when the uses of these two different forms of media would be warranted. The e-book market cannot be disputed as the less encumber some form of media and so lends itself to travel, to filling ones time gaps while waiting, as well as to the economy as they are normally cheaper in price than the printed book.
 
Online books are definitely much more convenient to carry. I was also recently surprised when I visited our area's library to see that most of their books have ebook versions as well which you can borrow online and return online as well. I think this is really way so convenient and you can carry it with you everywhere you go.
 
I still prefer actual books. While there may be no significant difference, I think I like actual books more because I did not grow up with a tablet. Perhaps I would like online books more if I was more accustomed to them.
 
I have not read ink-and-paper books for many years. When I was younger, reading is my hobby and I read books everyday. Now I live mainly in cyberspace and books in pdf format is my preferred reading material. Considering that the costs of books have gone up tremendously, I think online books are a viable alternative. The main thing is to read. Doesn't really matter what the material is.
 
I am a little old-fashioned, so I would definitely choose paperbacks over ebooks/audio books. I sometimes use ebooks/audio books though, but I still prefer the traditional ones as I am a book hoarder as well.
 
The problem with online books is that you can't read them the same away as you would with a paper one. I don't like reading at the computer because I keep getting distracted with something else on the internet.

I have never own an e-reader but reading on a tablet isn't my cup of tea either. Until someone proves me otherwise I stay at actual books and comics.
 
I prefer the real thing. When i say real i mean with pages and smell and everything that goes with it. Somehow i am not able to focus when i read online. It is beyond me why but for the same amount of time while reading a hard copy of a book a can read two or three times more. And i really like the history of the book,hence, i like to read older printings. The pages are yellow or a corner is missing. You can see some coffee circles and small drawings of hearts. The sound and smell is always a mystery in my head and i always wander where was that book before i bought it.My brain is thankful an my imagination is working overtime. You don't get that from e books. No sir.
 
My preference would always be actual books. I like flipping through the pages, touching the paper and inhaling that new book smell. Nothing beats the experience of reading when it's reading an actual paper book. There's just something about it that can never be replaced by ebooks!

But of course, ebooks are not worth nothing. They're still books in digital form! But I don't enjoy reading on gadgets much since they hurt my eyes and make my head ache as well. The only good thing with them is you can bring all your books with you wherever you go. That's something I cannot do with actual books.
 
The sense of touch involved when you are using hard copy stimulates neurotic pathways which stimulates the learning experience. There is also a sense of accomplishment after completing a hard copy which is lacking in reading online books. That said and done, online books make for a flawless learning experience.
 
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