10 Reasons Why We Will Never Stop Loving The Printed Book
Books are the best!
We have already looked at the evolution of books over time and the possibility of the beloved printed book becoming extinct, threatened by the growing interest and love for e-books. The later one, we found out, is not true, luckily!
That’s reason enough for us to look at 10 more emotionally driven reasons of why the printed book will always be loved and never be forgotten!
1. We Love To Touch Books
Have you ever heard someone say that they love the feeling of holding their tablet or e-book reader in their hands? No? Me neither.
With books it’s different. The feeling of turning the pages, the smell of new books compared to old ones, fondling the haptic covers… We just love touching and holding our books.
2. We Love To Go Offline
Nowadays, we look way more often into a screen than into a mirror. Computers, TVs, smartphone displays, they are everywhere.
It’s time to take some part of life away from the screen. That’s why we love printed books! They allow you to get away from a busy offline life for once and enjoy the simple things.
3. We Love To Share Books
Isn’t it a strange idea, to lend your e-book reader to someone? Sharing digital books is difficult (due to DRM protection) and oftentimes even illegal. And once you give your e-reader out of hand, how are you supposed to read yourself?
Sharing a book is so much easier. Once you are finished with it, just pass it on! To you friends, a family member. Pass them down to your children or even exchange read books with strangers. While printed books may, sometimes, be inconvenient to carry around, they can be passed on and shared with much more ease and love!
4. We Love That Information Is Better Transferred In Books
Two studies back up that reading on an e-book reader conveys the read information not as good as when you read on paper. This holds for fictional content as well as for electronic text books. Especially children are easily distracted when reading e-books.
Thus, when you want to study and really remember the information you read, choose a traditional text book or at least print your information.
Readers Absorb Less On Kindles Than On Paper, Study Finds
Students Reading E-Books Are Losing Out, Study Suggests
5. We Love Our Books “Journey”
As you grow up, many books you read find their way into other people’s hands. But the ones you keep? They tell their very own story about your journey through the world of literature.
Old and used up copies of your favorite childhood stories bring you right back into this happier, simpler time. Stains, marks, kinks, smell… Books accompany you through your life, and you leave your mark on them. These marks, the cover illustration, or just reading the title on the back of one of your old books reminds you of where and who you have been at the point of time this book was your companion.
6. We Love To Make A Book Ours
Buy a beautiful e-reader sleeve or put some stickers on your e-book reading device. Neat. But what’s that compared to making a book truly yours?
In a printed book, you can write on the margins and add comments or reminders that way. If you read books in another language, you can add some translations of difficult or new words that way. Mark your books, with post-its or dog-ear a page. Underline quotes or important information.
The most beautiful way of making your book yours, however, is to add your own, personal Ex-Libris (or Bookplate) to the book. Show everyone who opens the book or lends it from you that it is yours!
7. We Love Choosing The Right Book
You want to read something new. So you go on Amazon or your book vendors online page and browse through some categories. With only a few clicks, your new e-book is on your e-reader. Not very exciting or stimulating, is it?
If you are not sure what to read first, instead of browsing some website, check out real shelves! Whether you go to your bookdealer of trust or wander along a bookshelf of a friend or relative doesn’t matter. Take a book out, read it’s synopsis, put it back, pull out a new one, browse through colorful titles and covers. Choosing the right book for your next read can be a little adventure in itself.
8. We Love It That Books Don’t Tire Our Eyes
At least not as much as staring at a screen. Especially when you need to use the backlight of your e-reader, reading for a long time becomes straining and tiring for your eyes.
A study from 2014, conducted at Harvard, proved that looking at a screen before you go to bed (may it be a TV, laptop, Nintendo DS, smartphone or e-reader screen) can cause you to sleep a lot worse. A real, physical book however doesn’t have a screen. Reading the black print on a soft (and not dazzling) white page does not tire your eyes as much.
E-Readers Foil Good Night’S Sleep
9. We Love Our Bookshelf
All e-book readers have some kind of library where you store all the downloaded books. Some even have a nice bookshelf display option. But… is that really all?
If you want to display the books you read and love, would you put your e-reader in a shelf? And what would you or any curious visitor gain from that? No, a real bookshelf has to be filled with new and old copies, marked and almost perfectly preserved books. They have, next to the memories mentioned under 5, decoration value. A filled bookshelf simply looks pretty. And your friends and other visitors can check out your collection. Come on, show off your books!
10. We Love To Connect Thanks To Our Books
When reading an e-book in public, all other people see is the black back of your device or the sleeve you chose for it. Sure it’s anonymous, and no one will judge you for reading 50 Shades Of Grey, but… is it worth it?
If you read a book in public, depending on how you read, the cover is on display for people around you. I don’t know about you, but I love to see people read books that I devoured and loved or books that I want to read in the future. It immediately connects you to the person reading said book. If you are not too introvert, why not spark a conversation about the read as well? There is nothing to lose, but new insight from a fellow book lover to gain!
What do You love most about books?
