Oxford English Dictionary 'will not be printed again'

[Nerwen]

Originally Posted by Galadriel

No way are books going to vanish. An ipad simply does not have the charm or cosy feeling about curling up with a nice book. And heck, who could live without good ol' libraries? They're so lovely and calming.
I'd say whoever said that books are going to evaporate is completely off his rocker, and does not at ALL understand what people actually want.

Like I said, it won't be overnight, and it'll only happen when e-readers become good enough to do everything a book can, and then some. So... they'll be books.

Originally Posted by davem

computers/websites are not merely a 'different' form of the book - they are something entirely different & the approach to producing & telling the story is entirely different. A generation (maybe two or three away) brought up entirely on e-texts/websites will not 'get' a book like LotR in the way we do, because 'books' will not carry the same meaning or relevance to them

Content is far more important than the medium in which it's delivered– especially when we're dealing with text in each case. So, um... I'm afraid I think you're quite wrong. (Sorry if I'm starting to look like The Downer Who Always Contradicts Davem; I don't have a vendetta against you, mate, it's just the way the topics have been going at the moment.)

[Galadriel]

Originally Posted by Nerwen

Like I said, it won't be overnight, and it'll only happen when e-readers become good enough to do everything a book can, and then some. So... they'll be books.



Content is far more important than the medium in which it's delivered– especially when we're dealing with text in each case. So, um... I'm afraid I think you're quite wrong. (Sorry if I'm starting to look like The Downer Who Always Contradicts Davem; I don't have a vendetta against you, mate, it's just the way the topics have been going at the moment.)

More like 'if' e-readers become good enough...which they definitely will not. There's a charm about collecting books. E-readers will never have that.

[Hilde Bracegirdle]

I think there is a place for both forms, but wonder if in the future there will be enough of a market to support duel efforts. Personally, I do not care to read back lit text but enjoy toting around a paperback in my coat pocket. It is a more leisurely and intimate experience with no worries about battery levels or recharging. Nothing much to interfere between the reader and the author, beyond the odd typo or horrid cover.

I could see using an e-reader for books that I have no interest in ultimately keeping though. Realistically, from the writing and production side, it would seem electronic editions require less work (and workers) to deliver. Greener than printed material too. But this is not satifactory for well loved books. Nerd that I am, those are friends that I like to surround myself with.

I only hope that if the publishing world were to go strictly electronic, another line of business might crop up to print and bind the books at a reasonable rate, for people who want them that way. Both for individuals and libraries. In times like these with increasing population and technology decreasing need for human labor, we need all the employment oportunities we can muster.

Do e-readers hum?

[Ibrîniðilpathânezel]

Originally Posted by Hilde Bracegirdle

Do e-readers hum?

Only if you don't teach them the words. (No, they don't. And they don't build up heat like a laptop, either.)

I believe both forms can and will peacefully coexist, if not in the ways some would like. There will always be a market for books to appeal to bibliophiles and collectors, and certain kinds of books — such as ones filled with large, full-color and high resolution pictures, the "coffee tables books" as some call them — are just not the same when viewed electronically, not even on the best and biggest high-def screen. But the ease of portability and storage cannot be denied with ebooks. At home, I will take one of my copies of LotR off the shelf to read it, but on the road, I'm glad I can carry it — and four other Tolkien books — on my iPad, along with a whole bunch of other favorites. Both forms have their place, IMHO.