I’ve never been a fan of the Kindle. I like real books. I like the smell of old pages, of new pages, I like to write in the margins, fold my corners and go back and read those excerpts again. I like giving away books and take pride in the weight of books I have to transport whenever I move, as if carrying around a heavy trophy of knowledge. Basically, I’m a nerd. So when contemplating my reading options when I go to Kazakhstan, I came to the conclusion that when I’m only limited to transporting 100 lbs, books aren’t the best investment .
I decided that the Kindle was a smart choice because it’s lightweight, I could preload books before I move and the environmental footprint that I was concerned about before would be offset since I wouldn’t have books shipped all the way to Kazakhstan.
While doing research for my job, I found that universities are testing pilots that distribute textbooks through the Kindle.
This makes a lot of sense considering:
– this would take out the printing costs, which means lower costs for students – it would save paper and unneeded weight in your backpack
– updates in textbooks wouldn’t mean thousands of books being disposed of or recycled
– no worries about being able to sell back your books for the fraction that you bought them for…or being stuck with a book you can’t sell back but don’t have the heart to dispose of (recycle)
While digging deeper, I found that the carbon emitted over the life of the device is offset after the first year of use. According to an article from the New York Times, “in 2008, the U.S. book and newspaper industries combined resulted in the harvesting of 125 million trees, not to mention wastewater that was produced or its massive carbon footprint.”
“The report asserts that printed books have the highest per-unit carbon footprint — which includes its raw materials, paper production, printing, shipping, and disposal — in the publishing sector. “In the case of a book bought at a bookstore,” Ms. Ritch said, Cleantech’s measurement “takes into account the fossil fuels necessary to deliver to the bookstore and the fact that 25-36 percent of those books are then returned to the publisher, burning more fossil fuels.”
After that, Ms. Ritch said, there are three common next steps: “The publisher then incinerates, throws away or recycles them,” she said.
When the Kindle came out, I was sad that books probably had the same fate as albums and cd’s when mp3s came out. Goodbye. But after reading about the footprint of the publishing industry, I have less sorrow. I also considered how authors would profit from e-books but if you’re taking out printing costs, that could mean more money for the actual creator. As far as bootlegging goes, I don’t see it any different than a public library. I would have to say I haven’t purchased the majority of the books I’ve read in my lifetime.
If anything, having books electronically provides greater exposure for authors. Instead of reading a review and putting it on your “to-read” or “to buy/check out” list, you can download it immediately and get started! Also, who needs a publisher with e-books and why should we let publishers decide what we would want to read?
It’s a new age and I surprised myself at how little consideration I gave the Kindle before. I completely ignored its environmental benefits because of my attachment to books and justifying it by using mostly used textbooks. It makes me understand other people that I sometimes judge because they refuse to change old habits that are terrible for the environment. Changing values is hard.
I will always enjoy the feel of an actual book but I don’t think the Kindle is going to take that away from me just yet. Besides, all of the good books have already been printed!
May 26, 2010 at 1:49 am
I do have to say I still enjoy a real book. Although I can see the benefits of a Kindle, I just can’t bring myself to buy one…yet. Also, I would hate to be really into my book and, oh no, the battery runs out on the Kindle and I am left with nothing…
http://www.wutevs.wordpress.com
May 26, 2010 at 4:05 am
Actually, the Kindle battery life is 3 days (and it actually lasts 3 days!!), so just charge it overnight 🙂
May 26, 2010 at 6:48 am
And…(I have a nook, by the way, which I love!) the battery lasts even longer if the wireless is off and you are just reading a book. The e-ink uses no power unless it is changing pages. I haven’t charged my nook since Friday and it has 50% battery after reading for several sets of several hours.
May 26, 2010 at 7:31 am
I’m with Raul. Real books work for me far more than ebooks. Th texture of the pages, the rustle of the cover… I could just die of happiness.
May 26, 2010 at 1:53 am
Thank you for this insightful review of the Kindle. I got one for Christmas, and while I do love it, I still find myself coveting and buying paper books, too. Your article is making me love and appreciate my Kindle even more!
May 26, 2010 at 2:09 am
I have the same conflicting woes! I love books and flipping through the pages. If i succumb to the Kindle I’ll feel like I’m throwing away tradition and getting closer to being a modern day made digital-zombie.
But… I’m pretty keen on doing my part to nurture the environment. The scale of which we could eliminate destructive processes is pretty extensive.
At this point, the $260 price tag is making it an easy choice for me. No Kindle for this reader… yet.
May 26, 2010 at 2:15 am
Enjoyed reading this! I have helped to start a Kindle program at our middle school this past year. It was a pilot program. It met with great success that we are now purchasing more Kindles and partnering with M-Edge Accessories. To read more about our program visit: http://www.edukindle.ning.com or read about our program in the May issue of School Library Journal.
Glad you are liking your Kindle! I am as well!
Happy Reading!
Kathy
May 26, 2010 at 2:29 am
Thanks Kathy!
I work for a university and have looked into how to get some kind of pilot project started here! I remember how some textbooks in middle school were very outdated. The Kindle provides an opportunity to update and distribute easily!
Congratulations on the successful Kindle implementation!
May 26, 2010 at 2:19 am
In addition to the environmental benefits, the Kindle lets you download previews of books for free so you can take the book for a test spin before you buy…and it’s a higher quality spin as well since you’ll puruse the preview at your leisure and not hurridly inside a bookstore or airport shop.
Kindle lets you bookmark pages and even dog-ears the corner on the screen. You can also highlight sections of text and add notes. Then whenever you want to go back to them, you can view all your highlights for that book and it lists them for you and will take you straight there with a click.
My dad (almost 70 now) used to take his newspaper to his local coffee shop. I bought him a Kindle and taught him how to download newspapers from all over the world, including his favorites like the WSJ. Now my mom tells me he is at the coffee shop everyday downloading newspapers and books and sipping his coffee.
I used to pay $100+ for the annual subscription to the WSJ but like a lot of people, I had unread dailies piling up as I generally only had time to read the weekend edition which they don’t sell alone. With Kindle, I canceled my subscription and download just the dailies I have time to read. Saved me a fortune and God knows how many trees.
Kindle books are generally cheaper than even the paperback, but of course higher than used books. You can delete them from the device but can reload them anytime from your Kindle Homepage and you don’t pay anything like an annual “connection” fee to download.
There are only two real downsides. The Kindle has pictures, hi-res but grayscale only. I am sure that will be resolved soon. The second is that airlines won’t let you read your Kindle during takeoff and landing. Sometimes I think this is a conpiracy to force me to entertain flower bed fountain purchases in their Sky Mall magazine…haha.
Happy Kindling…
May 26, 2010 at 2:41 am
Buy a nook. They have airplane mode.
May 26, 2010 at 4:53 am
Wow, I didn’t even think of the piling up of newspapers. I too have made the same mistake of signing up for a yearly subscription for a newspaper while living in the dorms and carrying the old papers that had piled up down eight floors.
We have a college newspaper on campus that everyone picked up just to read the comics in the back. I thought about how much paper could be saved if it were available online and how much less of a headache it would be for janitors to not have to pick up newspapers strewn all over the place.
Good for your dad for giving up the comfort of a real newspaper! It’s just another example that anyone can make the transition easily.
May 26, 2010 at 2:25 am
I’ve been wanting a Kindle off and on, but I really like own books and building my library of books and bookshelves. It seems inevitable that Kindles and iPads will take over books in general, though.
May 26, 2010 at 3:44 am
I have a Kindle and I keep it in my purse. I can read whenever I have a free moment and it takes a lot less room than a paperback. Sometimes I let my son read on it while he is waiting for me at the doctor’s appt.
I like the iPad for the color, but i think it is too heavy. The kindle is lightweight and actually much easier on my eyes than real books and I can adjust the font size.
I have lots of books on my bookshelves, and many of those will never go away, but I find I am reading more since my kindle is much more convenient.
May 26, 2010 at 11:01 am
I have been reading ebooks long before Kindle came along. But I still like the feel of paper. I particularly like to look at my stacks of books. It gives me a sense of the knowledge contained in every page. Somehow, I never got to finish most of the ebooks I bought. There are many books that I haven’t even opened, but they’re just there, waiting for me. I don’t know yet if I’ll fall for the Kindle.
May 26, 2010 at 2:31 am
I’ve been on the fence about the Kindle. Like you, I love to read. I love holding a book, turning the pages. I love going back and reading certain passages over again. I revisit books I’ve read like they’re old friends. But you’ve definitely got me thinking about the positive benefits of the Kindle. Thank you!
May 26, 2010 at 2:37 am
Very good to read, especially from a book-lover’s perspective. I have many book-loving friends, and they are all over the Kindle (love it or hate it) scale. I used to work in an independent book store. I love books. I think the Kindle is an amazing tool, and I think publishers and book enthusiasts should be flocking to it rather than running from it. People can still have physical books, but the Kindle won’t HURT reading and writing. Look at the music explosion due to the digital movement in that industry! I think that, with the right people advocating for this digitization of books while maintaining the industry for writers and others, it can work out to the benefit of all (except possible some booksellers, who might be downsized).
May 26, 2010 at 2:38 am
Great post. This is the second one I’ve read this week that talks about the digital medium replacing paper books. On the one hand, it makes me sad to think of not holding a physical book, and on the other it’s a relief to not have to keep expanding bookshelves. And the impact on the environment is another factor…
May 26, 2010 at 2:40 am
I too just bought a Kindle, and I am the kind of girl that ingests paperbacks, I love them. Since trying out the e-book though, I feel it’s far more practical and I enjoy reading on it more than I expected.
Also I’m proud of books for keeping up with the technological age and demand. At least they aren’t sitting back and letting the world move on without them.
May 26, 2010 at 2:41 am
Oh and add on. I still buy books.
May 26, 2010 at 2:42 am
I had all of your concerns when I initially got my Nook, from Barnes & Noble, rather a Kindle but ultimately I’m supremely satisfied with it.
Like you I’m moving but I love to read so the simple portability of an e-reader trumps everything. The sad thing though is that you can’t loan any of the books out to the ex-pats in your community.
The green aspects are ultimately negligible; I believe one has to take into account the fact that an e-reader requires toxic chemicals as well as petrochemicals to produce. If anything, you’re just reducing the number of trees used in printing. Not to mention the fact that the half-life of some of the Kindle components is going to be in the area of thousands of years.
And as far as having the battery run out during a good section it happens – but remember you can download those very same e-books to your laptop and keep reading them there. It also gives you a reason to pick up that occasional book that isn’t in e-book format.
Color/Grayscale issues should be considered null as books, save for graphic novels are printed in black ink on a single tone paper.
And those notes you want to take, dog-earring, etc can all be done on an e-reader. That’s why a Kindle has a keyboard and the Nook have a touchpad.
So just think of how many books you read in a month, and then factor in how long it would take a book to be delivered to you in Central Asia – not taking into account customs and shipping fees.
With that in mind, now think of the additional price you pay forgetting books to you while abroad. Ultimately you can save that money and put it towards an e-reader.
Enjoy Kazakhstan.
May 26, 2010 at 2:47 am
I struggle with this, as well. I’m a tech junkie and love the idea of a new toy. But, I love the feel of a book in hand. I haven’t jumped yet, but probably will soon.
May 26, 2010 at 2:48 am
E-textbooks would be a great way to mitigate the damage done by the Texas State Board of Education too!
May 26, 2010 at 2:54 am
I’ve had my Kindle since November of 2008. I thought I would miss real books too but I was forced to read one recently and found it awkward…
Thanks for the information… I feel even better now.
May 26, 2010 at 3:00 am
I really like your post because I thought about Kindle numerous times. Actually the only reason I still haven considered buying one is my close attachment to books. I love to carry them around, fold the corners, make notes in them, etc…
But I agree with one thing…the replacement of books by electronics is inevitable.. I’m not old fashioned in any way( i have iPhone, notebook and other things) but this makes me kind of sentimental:)
May 27, 2010 at 3:42 am
ouh i feel the same way too..
😉
May 26, 2010 at 3:03 am
What a great post!
Like you, I really enjoy the “feel” of a paper-book, but there seem to be lots of benefits with e-reading. For example, I love the fact that you could read so many classics for free.
I’m not sure if I’d agree with publishers becoming unnecessary. There have been many self-published books around, and I agree that it might help ‘democratising’ reading, like mps’s and internet did with music. But when I read self-published books (and I’ve only read 3 so maybe I’m not the best to talk about this) I often find myself thinking that often editors and publishers are very good for novels.
May 26, 2010 at 3:07 am
yeah, i have a kindle and i absolutely adore it. My boyfriend knows what a bookworm i am so he bought me one past Christmas and it has been hands down the best gift i could ever ask for. We are currently trying to get one to a lot of people, because now all our family wants one, and man it ROCKS. it took about 60 secs to start up, and another 60 seconds later, i was browsing their hall of FREE books….TONS, i am talking millions of free books, for any type of reader you are.
its not just classic books without copyrights either, a lot of people want to give you the first book in their series for free so you want to read the other ones. So we got a really good book called “sushi for two” that is one of three in the series and my boyfriend, out of all people, could not put this kindle book down.
they have all genres too, including my favorite: mystery. i believe i got agatha christie books for around 3 dollars…which is WAY less expensive than anything i could’ve gotten at a bookstore. we love to read daily blogs, articles, newspapers…its our own library, customized to fit our needs.
not just that, the battery last for weeks! not days like they promised, but weeks! i charge my battery maybe twice a month. it is the most amazing thing.
It also plays MP3s, it has the text to speech option for when you are driving, and a 3g wireless internet that lets you browse ANY page.
one time, i was at my aunts house and my cousin wanted to sing “santa baby” i quickly got on the kindle, and found the lyrics just like that. i mean….not too shabby.
plus its not hotspots like the i pod touch, or a subscription like the Sony reader, no, its free, ANYWHERE in the WORLD internet.
I’ve even tested out the reading thing on the ipad, and i still find my kindle a lot more convenient….its smaller, fits in your hands, and i guarantee that once you start reading, you will feel as if it was a book you were holding. i never knew the difference.
May 26, 2010 at 3:14 am
I love my books, all three thousand or so of them. Paper, ink smell, feel, weight, the whole thing. Never thought I’d go for a Kindle, but a friend gave me one and I do very much like it.
I’ve noticed that I read more and cover more ground with the Kindle for an odd reason: the text display limits the amount of text you face for each ‘page’. Rather than face two full pages of text, you see only a small amount, enough to read comfortably without intimidating your brain with a bunch of text. Press the button and move on to the next kindlepage. Click click click, and it’s past bedtime. Reading happens faster. It’s odd, and not something I expected. On the other hand, I’m the only person I’ve come across who’s noticed this. Could be I am, as often noted, not a mainstream human. Oh sigh…
May 26, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Oh no. I don’t have a Kindle. I was going to get one then got bogged down in the Kindle I vs Kindle II debate, decided I didn’t like the II and I wasn’t paying II price for a used I – so now I am waiting for the III.
In the meantime, I use mobipocket reader to convert all kinds of text, html, adobe files to mobipocket e-books that i read on my PDA.
Like you, I find that I am flying through books at least 30-40% faster than with a printed book. I prefer to read with the PDA for that reason unless I am studying then I would still want pages to write on and a pen in my hand.
And…thank goodness…I have never been accused of being a mainstream human either. LOL. GOOD for US!
May 26, 2010 at 3:15 am
I’m on board with new digital reading technologies. I think they have the potential to lower our carbon footprint as well as really changing the face of what we consider “literature” — graphic novels and comic books have starting doing this in print form, but it’s nothing compared to the art we might produce when we think of text and video and new media all as the same kind of fully integrate-able data.
But I will pose this:
What about our community centers, that center on the book? Independent bookstores are on the fast downward spiral to certain death. Libraries and library science programs have and always will be about more than books, and they continue to do an excellent job of “keeping up with the times,” as it were. But what does the library become if we phase out the book?
I’m pretty open to re-considering these spaces and pushing them to be more inclusive and more interesting, but there may be a greater loss here than the book-ness of books. In fact, I think that is a loss which is far too overblown in such conversations. Rather, what about the communities we have built around books? What do they look like when we no longer have books?
May 26, 2010 at 11:19 pm
You are right. As a child, I spent a significant amount of time at our library. We had summer reading programs in the summer where we read books for prizes and I always finished it for the ten punch swim pass you would get as a final prize! When I go back to my hometown to visit, the librarians still recognize me, or at least wait until my name pops up to confirm it’s me! Libraries are important. However, I think that we can maintain community center if they are community built! There are so many ways to reach out to the people around you! I don’t think E-readers can take that away.
May 26, 2010 at 3:16 am
Although I don’t have a Kindle, I know two people who use Kindle/Sony Reader because they are visually challenged and can no longer read book print. The ebooks print size can be enlarged to whatever size works best for you.
May 26, 2010 at 3:21 am
When I was in college- I started to hate books… well textbooks. Such expensive and heavy books filled my bookbag and broke my back. Not to mention the frustration of buying a book I barely used for $150 only to sell it back for a measly $30 bucks!
I didn’t buy too many NEW textbooks while I was in college. So unless the Kindle version is relatively cheaper than used textbooks, I wouldn’t count on college students (who don’t even wanna spend money on textbooks anyways) to go for the Kindle simply because its lighter and more convenient, or is better for the environment. We don’t mind the inconvenience of buying a real used textbook if it cost us less money…
I was definitely one of those nerdy kids who loved browsing through the library. I checked out, so many books at a time when I was younger, I always left with a grocery bags of books. And I read every last one of them. I love the feel of authentic books, cracking pages, even the paper smell lol. I love curling up and reading for hours; bookmark marking my progress- and being able to see that I’m more than halfway through, yay! But thats not good because I don’t want the story to end! lol. Yes these are simple reasons… but reasons enough not to Kindle.
May 26, 2010 at 3:59 am
1) You got $30 for a textbook?! I NEVER got more than $10 my entire time in college (averaged between $5-8).
2) It’s almost guaranteed to be cheaper since the bookstore doesn’t have to buy (and pay shipping on) 200 e-editions.
May 26, 2010 at 11:21 pm
Used textbooks are great but there is too much incentive (MONEY) to “update” textbooks and phase out the used ones so the publisher and author can continue to make money. It’s so frustrating when I can’t sell back my overpriced textbook because of a new edition.
May 26, 2010 at 3:24 am
I too am a bibliophile but I broke down and bought a Sony Reader. I did it to decrease the migraines I get from reading. I can enlarge the text of my digital reader, giving my less eye strain. The screen has no glare and I bought a case with light that lays over the entire screen and provides gentle illumination. I’ve used it for about six months and I can say it has greatly reduced my migraines.
I generally read three books at a time, a fiction, a non-fiction, and a book that will teach me something I don’t know. I like being able to carry all of them in one small package.
However, there are some books that simply don’t work well in a digital format. For example, books that rely on color pictures as part of their message, like children’s books or graphic design books. Books with pages that you’ll want to reference later are not great in an e-reader either. You can bookmark the page but then you have to wade through all your bookmarks to find the specific bookmark you’re looking for.
I don’t think I’d like textbooks on an e-reader for the reasons listed above. It would be hard for me to learn from flat black and white illustrations that may not fit on the screen, and it would be tough to study from a book that you can’t easily and quickly flip through.
For these reasons, I think readers should have a choice between hard copy and digital formats.
May 27, 2010 at 8:53 am
I’m a book reviewer so I still get lots and lots of paper backs to read for work. I love that but I also love my Sony reader.
As for the subject of note taking while I read I solved that the way my eighth grade teacher suggested. 1 piece of notebook paper with the name of the book and an Envelope. When your done with your book you store the notes in the envelope. When the envelope gets full I pop my notes into a binder and weed that out when the binder is to full. Just an idea come visit my blog for some great books both E and in print. I did just join yesterday so I don’t have as many reviews up as I’d like.
May 26, 2010 at 3:26 am
I have the same problem with Kindle. I love my books and do display them as a nerdy badge of “stuff I’ve read and know about”. Plus I love going into book stores and buying a book I know nothing about then discovering a great new author or story. However, you do make quite a few good points on behalf of the Kindle and I’m thinking my reasons for not wanting one are just me being stubborn and old-fashioned. I didn’t treat cd’s this way when they came out! I embraced them! I suppose I should give it a try before I judge, if for no other reason than the convenience of having it when I fly!
May 26, 2010 at 4:41 am
I’m glad you came to the same conclusion as me. It was a weird feeling because I consider myself pretty eco-conscious but couldn’t fathom not reading real books anymore! Having a Kindle makes traveling anywhere seem much easier!
May 26, 2010 at 3:53 am
I absolutely love this post. I like the idea of the ease of a Kindle (or a Nook), but just can’t handle the thought of not having an actual book in my hands. However, I never really thought of how great it would be for textbooks, not to mention the environmental impact of it all. So, while I’m still a total physical book person, this does make me rethink and entertain the idea…
May 26, 2010 at 4:04 am
I feel the same way about books – I don’t just love to read them but to smell them, write in them, generally abuse them. When the kindle came out I took a pretty hard stand against it, but about a month before I left for my peace corps service I backtracked and bought a kindle. Without even getting into the possible environmental benefits of e-books, I think you’re going to be happy you bought one. I am in a much smaller country than you will be, but I’m still so rarely in the capital (where the peace corps office is) that I never pick up new books. I can’t buy books in Macedonian or Albanian, let alone in English here…the kindle kept me sane for most of the winter, as it probably will you.
and good luck with your service!
May 26, 2010 at 4:37 am
Thanks! It’s nice to know other volunteers have found the Kindle to be useful!
May 26, 2010 at 4:06 am
I happen to have a Nook (the Barnes And Noble device) which I like. But the “carbon footprint” of the publishing industry I couldn’t careless about. The convenience of not having to find space to put all the books is enough for me. And my school already offers e-text that are compatible with my Nook.
May 26, 2010 at 4:57 am
I’m glad you and other readers have provided info on other types of “E-readers”. I may have to look at some consumer reviews to pick the best one! Competition is great, especially when it comes to developing an E-Reader that is built out of more enviro-friendly materials than what’s on the market now!
May 26, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I have done a lot of research despite ultimately not making a purchase.
Your decision IMO should hinge on the availability of material in the country you are going to.
The signal quality is going to matter.
May 26, 2010 at 4:13 am
I am accessing your blog via a recursion portal from 2123 so I hope you can read this. I found a kindle and a paperback copy of Slaughterhouse Five in a box of my grandmothers’ posessions. Slaughterhouse Five still works. And by the way, invest heavily in………………….
May 26, 2010 at 4:13 am
It scares me to think that nothing is going t be left behind of this and future generations. People get this idea that because something is digital it is forever. Paper can last hundreds of years, digital has a shelf life of only a decade in some cases.
May 26, 2010 at 4:44 am
There will be plenty of things left from this generation. For example, a generation that found new ways of doing things in order to live more sustainably. What’s the shelf life of our planet at this rate? It sounds cheesy but I’ve worked in offices enough to know that most of the use of paper is unnecessary. I don’t think paper will become obsolete but I think we can make a few sacrifices and still maintain those records that are important for history.
May 26, 2010 at 4:31 am
I also like the feel of the real books. The major hurdle for me to shift to Kindle is the highlighting thing. I really love to highlight what I like in a book and put my notes on the margins. Kindle perhaps provides some electronic version of highlighting but doing it in real is so good that I am not able to shift to Kindle.
May 26, 2010 at 4:31 am
I can’t see myself going ‘Kindle’… I love reading more than food, but also I enjoy the anticipation of saving money for a book, that feeling of WOW when you finally get to buy that book you wanted for so long. Maybe one day I will give up my silly attachments to the wonderful feeling of books, but that is not happening soon!
I realize books have a rather large carbon footprint, but if paper get saved on other areas as well, then maybe books won’t be that big of an issue?
May 26, 2010 at 4:42 am
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May 26, 2010 at 4:46 am
Interesting post, I recently bought a Kindle and so far I like it. But I also agree with you that I enjoy the feel of having the physical book in my hands for reference and for the actual feel of the book itself.
Therefore I do not see my Kindle as a replacement for physical books but as a supplement to them.
May 26, 2010 at 4:49 am
Very interesting to see the carbon footprints advantage to the Kindle!
To me, there is nothing like walking in a book store and taking a deep breath of the paper fortified air. I, too, was quickly discouraged about the future of books when the Kindle arrived on the scene. Sliding a finger across a screen, or even touching a button, doesn’t hold a candle to feeling the weight of a book in your hands and peeling back the story page by page.
However, the advantage for college students is fantastic. The aggravation of handing over loads of cash to use a book for a few months was excruciating. And often, once the semester was over, a new book would replace it deeming resale virtually impossible.
I have been considering purchasing one of these “new fangled do-dads” and I think I may just have to think some more about it. The convenience and the ecological advantages seem to be overruling my penchant to have full bookshelves.
May 26, 2010 at 4:52 am
I love my Kindle and know a couple people who purchased textbooks via Kindle. You can bookmark, highlight, and make notes in the margin, just like a paper book.
My batteries last about a week, so I’m not too worried about running low, although it has happened, and then drat, I have to wait ’til I get home.
I love getting periodicals delivered on my Kindle, too, and the built in browser and dictionary are great.
The only drawback I see is no page numbers. This is especially frustrating if I’m discussing a book with someone else who’s read the paper copy.
May 26, 2010 at 4:58 am
Thank you for this new perspective — I’ve been staunchly resisting the Kindle for many reasons (I like the feel of books, books are better social intros, it’s too new, etc etc), but its environmental friendliness can’t be discounted!
May 26, 2010 at 5:10 am
Kindle is convenient. But lighted computer screens are terrible for the eyes. Pixels slowly destroy your sights. I use the computer often, but I try to restrain adding any new technology that isn’t necessary. I stick to my laptop, cell phone and mp3 player. Businesses are just trying to get your money with newer technology and have you spend more time on their products. It’s mainly about the bottom line. Just stick to the basics.
May 26, 2010 at 5:14 am
I don’t own an e-reader yet, simply because the cost isn’t down to where my budget can accommodate one. (Mortgage, college tuition for the kids, lousy economy, etc.) As an author, I enjoyed the perspective presented by a reader, particularly the consideration of the environmental effects.
Several writers own and adore their ereaders, and I expect to buy one eventually.
The only statement of yours I take issue with is this: “As far as bootlegging goes, I don’t see it any different than a public library.”
Libraries BUY the books on their shelves, meaning that those authors will get their 6% royalty on those copies. The disadvantage of having hundreds of readers for each individual copy is offset by the fact that libraries buy multiple copies.
E-pubbed authors get a royalty payment per download. It’s a percentage of the purchase price, just as for a book, and the percentage depends on the author’s contract with that publisher, as are the use of free downloads to sell the rest of a series, free chapters, etc.
Copyright law is pretty clear that writers and musicians have the right to be compensated for the time and effort we put into creating the works you enjoy, whether it’s electronic or a book/CD.
Bootleggers are thieves, period. It’s not like they’re loaning a book out to a few friends. They get income from ads and by charging people to join their sites. This amounts to thousands of dollars a day that these sites earn, even as they rob every single author they list of royalty income.
You strike me as a thinking person, so I ask you to reconsider your comparison of bootleggers to libraries. As you pointed out, e-books cost only a few dollars. Please support your favorite authors by going to a licensed site and purchasing ebooks there instead of abetting criminals.
May 26, 2010 at 11:28 pm
I’m sorry but I guess I shouldn’t have used the term “bootlegging”. I meant that if one person buys a download and then sends it to someone else, it would be like the library making that one time purchase and then patrons using it multiple times w/o paying a fee.
I don’t steal music and I actually still buy CDs on occasion so I see the E-readers doing more good than bad for authors. Thanks so much for your unique perspective on the subject!
May 26, 2010 at 5:25 am
My cousing was given a Kindle for Christmas – she works in Moscow and apparently Amazon refuse to deliver there because the postal workers steal everything!
May 26, 2010 at 5:39 am
I hope that the Kindle will actually encourage people to read more by making it so convenient. I don’t get why people are so scared that the Kindle will like kill reading or something. Words are words. The story is the story. As much as I like the smell or feel of a book, it doesn’t change what’s inside. Whether you read it on a Kindle or in print form, a book can still change your life. That’s what’s really important.
May 26, 2010 at 5:43 am
There is nothing like reading a real, printed book. But economically speaking my Kindle is the best investment I ever made. As a college student, it seriously cuts down the price of text books and as an avid reader, it lets me go to Borders whenever I want (so to speak) and lets me purshase books at a much lower price. I do love this thing!
May 26, 2010 at 5:46 am
Nice, intellectual breakdown! I love the feel of books, flipping the pages, marking and folding sentences…but a small convenient Kindle to keep in my purse, solves many other issues. I was worried about the production of the Kindle, but now I know it pays off quickly. Unlike the battery of a Prius…
thanks again!
May 26, 2010 at 5:51 am
One more thing to think about:
Paper books may be obsolete in a decade or two. When was the last time, I manually wrote a note? I have a note application on my phone, which I (usually) don’t misplace and no paper waste is created. Babies now will grow up on Kindles and other tech gadgets. The very ones that we once were skeptical about, these babies won’t know any other way.
May 26, 2010 at 5:56 am
Good read and some excellent points. I have to say I thought of some of those two before owning my Kindle. And I absolutely LOVE it! The only thing I don’t like is not having the ability to give away a book after done, but as I see it, that can benefit the author.
May 26, 2010 at 5:56 am
I am a fan of printed anything…especially books. I never considered the environmental implications of the kindle…and now you’ve presented me with a reason to consider owning one in the future (environmental stewardship).
thanks for the post!
May 26, 2010 at 6:06 am
In my view, electronic reading devices such as the kindle cannot replace books. While I understand its merits in a scholastic setting — you can’t write on its margins, underline favorite sections, or hug it when you finish reading it.
http://www.4girlsblog.wordpress.com
May 26, 2010 at 6:17 am
It’s definitely the way to go; and for larger books the advantages and economies are correspondingly greater — think of the carbon footprint saving on the printing and shipping of War and Peace!
May 26, 2010 at 11:47 pm
Ha! Still on my “To Read” list. Maybe now I can read it with less guilt!
May 26, 2010 at 6:21 am
[…] link to your primary sources in your blog posts? (Notice how this blog’s author links to the original New York Times blog […]
May 26, 2010 at 6:44 am
I’ve been thinking about getting a kindle for ages, but for me the real barrier is cost: not the initial outlay, but the fact you have to pay for books. I hardly ever buy any more because I read so many that I can’t afford it – instead I have become our local library’s most dedicated follower! I hadn’t realised you could get books for free – what do people think – are they a decent and varied selection?
May 26, 2010 at 1:58 pm
You should check your local library to see if they have the OverDrive program set up. There you can download, ergo, borrow, ebooks from your library. Also, check out e-publishers like Samhain, Loose-ID, Carina Press, etc for low-cost reads (and new authors).
May 26, 2010 at 11:50 pm
Very cool! I’m glad libraries are keeping up with changing times!
May 26, 2010 at 4:14 pm
I live in an older city that used to be fancy but is now totally broke so my local library has a great selection of older books and pretty much nothing published after 1985. I’ve read first editions from 1850 but couldn’t find a single thing on the current bestseller list. Aw well, I love my kindle!
May 26, 2010 at 8:17 am
I don know what i feel about it yet. Books are very special to me, and it`s quite sad that books might be a dying breed…Books looks good,they smell good,they dont go out of battery… Kindle`s got a lot of plussides,but it`s a gadget and gadgets can break down and then you loose everything you had on it. Books dont break down,they can burn up,can be destroyed by water etc…but how often do these things happen? I have been thinking about getting myself a Kindle,but there`s something holding me back.I guess it`s because I dont trust electronics,electronics dont last forever. Neither do books,but at least they last longer than a Kindle.
May 26, 2010 at 8:24 am
Kindle definitely has some pluses, but I’m waiting new improvements to come out before I buy one. gotta give a device like this at least five years before it becomes truly worthwhile
May 26, 2010 at 8:29 am
Great review on the benefits of e-reading, especially the carbon footprint. I used to be against the idea… I’m quite sentimental about the books on my shelves, and Kindles are expensive. But I got a Kobo a few weeks ago and I love it! The Kobo may not have all the bells and whistles of the Kindle, but it costs over $100 less ($149 at Chapters in Canada, I think it’s the same price at Borders in the US). I love the portability and the feel of it, and I actually find it more comfortable to hold than a lot of paperbacks… it’s easier to turn pages one-handed if you’re drinking coffee, for example! I agree with comment #19 about reading faster, I’m on my third book in two weeks… that’s more than I previously would have read in two months.
May 26, 2010 at 8:48 am
Hi again!
I think your post has generated great discussion. A nice feature for schools & a selling point for my administration – you can dowload one title onto 6 Kindles for the price of 1 title. Just did it again today. My husband & I each have our own Kindles & can share titles that way.
May 26, 2010 at 9:22 am
I couldn’t decide between a Kindle and a Nook when I decided to buy an eReader, so I decided not to get either. Instead, I opted for the Sony Daily Reader. There’s a bit of glare, but overall it was a great investment. Plus I can take books out of my digital library, so I don’t have to buy every book I want to read. I don’t think Kindle or Nook has that yet. But I hope you enjoy your Kindle regardless (the screen is much better).
May 26, 2010 at 9:28 am
you know what? i can live with all of this to have that rich, awesome feeling of real in my hand. those trees are gonna come down anyway, if not for books, than something else. i might as well have my hard copy of The Perks of Being a Wallflower with my marginalia written from each of the 6 times i’ve read it in the last 7 years.
i’m not horrendously environmentally conscious. or care.
and books will not suffer the same exact fate as albums and cd’s. just as with newspapers and magazines, books will be around for a lot longer than people are giving it credit for. we enjoy that physical feel of paper in our hand, doing the crossword in NY Magazine in pen just to spite the creator (damn you, Maura B. Jacobson!), or ripping out articles to hang on the walls of my bedroom too much to be rid of it completely. the literary industry will not be what it was, but it will still be.
May 26, 2010 at 10:23 am
The battery life is the worst thing. It makes me stick to books. I can take three books to an exotic location with no charger and they can keep me entertained the entire trip. However, a Kindle or Ipad will die within the first 3 days of that trip. If they get around to making solar powered e book readers. The kindle will have sold me off the bat.
Great post though!!
http://zenanarchyfoundry.wordpress.com/
http://welcomehomecreator.wordpress.com/
May 26, 2010 at 10:27 am
i love books too, but also enjoy bits and bobs on my mobile when on-the-go.
there’s something romantic about having a real book in your hands though. besides, books, the ones that matter, are meant to grow old with you – yellowed pages, doggy ears and all.
May 26, 2010 at 10:42 am
You will absolutely love your Kindle. While I completely get the tactile pleasure of books made of paper, I’ve never really understood why my bibliophile friends have decided that the Kindle is an either/or debate. I download books on the Kindle, buy new books from B&N, and get books on loan from our local library. All three fit a need for me. Sometimes I want the hard copy for my shelf, sometimes I’m too cheap to pay even the $9.99 Kindle price.
However, all formats have one thing in common – the story. And that’s the real reason we love books, not the feel of them in our hands, but the places they take us in our imagination.
Like some of the others, I’ve never given much thought to the environmental impact of books made of paper. Interesting to see it laid out. Still, I suspect paper books will be around for a long time to come. For many things – children’s books, for example – it’s still the best format.
One last comment on price: My Kindle paid for itself within 8 months between free or low-cost downloads and the $9.99 best sellers.
Enjoy your travels with your Kindle!
May 26, 2010 at 10:54 am
Got a Kindle for Christmas…been a reader all my life…love books. Now I love my Kindle…sometimes I’m so caught up in the story that I try to ‘turn the page’! lol And I have been able to down load many free books. Carry it with me wherever I go. Definitely getting my money’s worth! Bought my sister one – she feels the same way. Love to read more than ever!
May 26, 2010 at 11:08 am
When I was just a child, my favorite place was the library. Simply put, I love books.
I like to read my books and write in them too. This is computer run-faster-world. Many years ago before the computers became a must-have, or even available to the public, Mr. Brown, a historian said to the class, “The day is coming when computers will rule this world. Man will be no more. He will become extinct.” I raised my hand and said, “This is a history class. What you just said is impossible. Man created the computer. The computer didn’t create man.” He argued. I said, “Then who will program the computers?”
Kindle or not to Kindle. Of course, do whatever you want. As for me, books will not become extinct during my life time. Yea!!!
May 26, 2010 at 12:07 pm
Thank you for a very insightful entry about Kindle. Reading it from someone who likes actual printed books and from someone who cares about the environment, I’m happy I ran into your entry! I also love printed books, I always smell the paper, (i just love the smell of newly opened books), anyway, I think i would want a Kindle for myself to prevent myself from having spine injuries. I’m a university student and I carry around a heavy backpack full of books *sigh*. I just hope my books would be available electronically. =)
Thanks again!
May 26, 2010 at 12:13 pm
Given the fact that we now know Global Warming and “carbon offsets” and all of that are utter nonsense, I would strike that off my list of concerns, if I were you, and stick to issues we know to be sound in terms of environmental impact. Such as trying to limit the use of paper and printing, etc. If environmentalism is your criteria then, clearly, an e-reader is the way to go. Thanks for the review.
May 26, 2010 at 1:08 pm
Great minds think alike!
May 26, 2010 at 10:56 pm
Haha, What a witty title you have there! 🙂
May 26, 2010 at 1:19 pm
Good post. I had not considered the impact that Kindle could have in student text book purchases–that would be something.
May 26, 2010 at 2:04 pm
what about eyesight sticking continuosly to screens and now to kindle?
May 26, 2010 at 2:57 pm
I bought a Kindle last year, but it hasn’t stopped me buying books, much to my husband’s disappointment! However, it has reduced the number of books that I buy in paper format. Anything that I don’t want to keep forever I buy in the Kindle and I just love being able to download a book as soon as I want it and not dragging round a bag heavy with books when I travel is a huge positive.
May 26, 2010 at 4:19 pm
I am so on the fence re: kindle- i know it does have its benefits and it probably is the way of the future… but I love nothing more than browsing through bookshops (and libraries!!) I just love…books… not small computer screens…
May 26, 2010 at 4:39 pm
I am a devout page turner, and replacing those wonderful smelling pages for the smell of plastic has been difficult to genuinely consider, let alone do. Because yes, having a real book does feel like being part of some deep tradition.
But alas, books are extremely wasteful. I’ve always known this, and yet it’s still difficult to want to buy less of them and read on a Kindle, or Nook, or iPad, or whatever. My friend let me use his Kindle for a day, and it just didn’t feel the same.
And by the way, LibreDigital, an e-book publishing company, just secured $8.1 million in venture funds. Since traditional publishers aren’t receiving venture funds for papers books, it just shows how drastic the change is in the publishing industry. When that much money is being spent, you know it has a lot of support behind it.
“Oh the times they are a changin’….”
Great post! Thanks.
Adios
http://beatthepulpwriting.wordpress.com/
May 26, 2010 at 5:06 pm
I, too, love books in the traditional way, and just looking at the print on a page is a part of that. As the ‘e-ink’ is getting better I suspect I might be able to like digital readers just as much.
However, what keeps me from buying one is the lacking ability to make notes on the pages. I read a lot of academic literature, and it is necessary for me to relate my own thoughts to the text in the book. When this feature is enabled, I am all on board.
Btw, thanks for a great post.
May 27, 2010 at 11:00 am
And perhaps if there was a way for you to email the passage and your notes to yourself (that is more versatile or advanced than what is currently possible)?
Highlighter pens already exist.
May 26, 2010 at 5:50 pm
Thanks for this great post. I see a Kindle in my own future. Recently on my blog NARRATIVE I discussed a book that puts digital reading and writing in perspective and also made me feel better about adding an e-reader to my mix.
May 26, 2010 at 6:50 pm
I have a hard time accepting the idea of Kindle at the moment, but I imagine that in 10 years, I will think: Whoa, wasn’t I behind the times?
Although it’s true, as people say, numerous drawbacks, including the inability to give away the book when you’re done, to hug it, to feel it as an artifact beneath your hands.
I wonder how long it will take to spread worldwide? Certainly I haven’t seen any around here.
May 26, 2010 at 11:02 pm
Yea! I started my blog as a record to look back on and think about things past and although the Kindle is less of a journal entry, I thought it would be fun to look back and think how silly I was for being so hesitant about e-readers when they will probably be much more common (and hopefully cheaper!) in 10 years.
May 26, 2010 at 6:57 pm
I read Barnes and Noble, and Kindle (and others) on my iPod Touch. I’m a print publication designer who will likely never buy another all-text printed book. I’ll buy paper and ink specialty books though. I love having all of my music, audio books, novels, etc. in something that I can hold in one hand. (I’m 67 so this isn’t innovation just for the young).
May 26, 2010 at 7:59 pm
To take your theme a bit further: yes, I am addicted to books and read at a fast pace. I do not live in the UK now so books in English are not easy to find. There are a few in the Library, but not a great selection. You can of course buy them on Amazon, but thats costly, and if you inadvertantly buy one you have already read….!! So I have been toying with the idea of buying a Kindle. I hadn’t made up my mind, but your blog has probably taken me a little closer to a decision! I have only to research the running costs. Thanks.
May 26, 2010 at 8:28 pm
I’ve had a sony e-reader for over a year now and it’s been one of my best investments. It’s so useful on holiday or even if you just finish a book quicker than you expect. Have to say I prefer the sony over the kindle though, for all those considering it’s worth having a play with both before splashing out.
May 26, 2010 at 9:02 pm
My mother got me a Kindle for my birthday a couple of months ago, and from a technical point of view, it really is not worth it. I like e-books a lot, because, like mentioned above, it is difficult to carry around several thousand-page textbooks. Even so, I will always also get the paper version, either from the library or the store.
However, just like I am picky about the books that I read, I am also picky about the medium, and the Kindle so far is the worst. The pages are very dark and not in color on the device, and Amazon charges a ‘delivery’ fee for books you order off the website on your Kindle, if you aren’t in the U.S. Which sort of ruins the point of it, since e-readers are meant to make things easier and cost-effective…
May 26, 2010 at 9:23 pm
I wouldn’t be motivated enough to consider getting a Kindle unless it offered books out of print (and I could change the font), there were sound effect options, it came in blue, and selected excerpts were narrated by the likes of Tilda Swinton, Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons, Cate Blanchett, or Charlotte Gainsbourg.
I really like your take on to kindle or not, though. Your points about school textbooks and new editions are very astute.
May 26, 2010 at 9:34 pm
Been thinking about purchasing an eBook reader for a while. Can’t decided between the Kindle and the Nook (expect the Nook is not yet available in the UK). Both seem great. A friend has a Sony and is says its OK but he wishes he’d waited. I’m hoping that at some time in the future there will be an eReader that will be able to read ALL ebooks from ALL sources. So that the Kindle can read ebooks from Barnes and Noble and the Nook can read Amazon ebooks. Being tied to one outlet puts me off. Or am I missing something and they can already read each others ebooks?
May 26, 2010 at 9:45 pm
Digital mediums do make life easier for readers, but a hardcore reader can never really abandon books for ipad or kindle. Books offer something so ingenious which cannot be replaced by digital mediums. Ofcourse they can make u happy for a while but at the end of the day, we will still miss our old bulky/thin/fat/short/long books.
May 26, 2010 at 10:19 pm
I absolutely love my Kindle. I received it as a Christmas gift and love having books literally at my fingertips. I was worried about how I was going to like it as well … but if I get the hankering to read an actual book, I can still pick up one or borrow from a friend. When I first got the book, I read a ton of the free books and got a broader sense of different authors out there. Now, it goes everywhere with me and is way lighter than carrying around 3-4 paperbacks when I’m going on a weekend getaway.
Also, now that we are fixing to make a big move to another state … I’m sure that my husband will be glad that our bookshelves haven’t gotten any fuller since Christmas. That’ll really help the movers out.
I enjoyed reading this a lot! Thanks for your input.
May 26, 2010 at 11:00 pm
I too have a kindle and have used it for about a year. I love all the benefits (environmental, ease of use and portability). My only complaint is I believe that the price of e-books are too high compared to buying hard copy – (with e-books there are no printing, distribution or storage costs). So in the beginning I downloaded a few new novels, now I go to public domain websites like http://www.gutenburg.org and read those classics (Hawthorne, Dickens etc) that I never got to read as a kid)
May 26, 2010 at 11:05 pm
The Kindle is new to me. I will check it out.
May 26, 2010 at 11:28 pm
I like the way reading my Kindle sparks conversation with strangers. I wrote about this in my blog post, Fondle My Kindle.
also, my kids love borrowing it and right now, one of my 10-year olds is reading “Alice in Wonderland”. It was free! and it is a classic!
May 26, 2010 at 11:31 pm
I like paper books and I love ebooks. I just published my first book. It’s on my blog.
I know that a lot of people loooooooove the romantic feeling of reading a paper book. And on the otherhand, some environmentalists say why waste trees?
I think paper books are good but it’s kind of a tie with me as far as ebooks and paperbooks are concerned.
May 26, 2010 at 11:41 pm
I recon that a man’s got to do what a man’s got to do, no matter what others think of him for doing it; but if he has to Kindle in public it’s better for him to keep it to himself, as if I were him I’d prefer to read a paperback instead.
May 26, 2010 at 11:58 pm
I will say lets do both ^^ kindle to go and not-kindle to stay.
I will surely be sad not to see racks of racks of books… the various colors, lengths, thickenesses, and smells; entertainment for the mind, the eye, and the nose!!
Imagine a library without books, urgh.. or home without books; I know a lot of people who use books as decor, we all do at some point, it gives life to the place or show that people lives there at least: I dare say – no books, including papers and mags, no life
Real books definetely entice people more to read them than kindle.
May 27, 2010 at 12:36 am
I love real books, but now I will consider getting a Kindle in the next couple of years thanks to your article. I am not ready for it yet.
May 27, 2010 at 12:52 am
It happens every time when one technology is superseded by the next. Imagine how the readers of scroll would have complained about books: Imagine turning pages instead of this seamlees glide… Fact is something is lost but else is gained. Kindle is not an electronic book, it ia an electronic library. Yes great to page a book, but unimaginable wonderful to carry your library with you. And nothing beats sitting 12 o; clock at night in bed and with the click of a button wander throught the largest bookshop on the planet, order a book or two and withing 60 seconds, yes 60 seconds it’s there!
May 27, 2010 at 12:54 am
I love, love, LOVE my Kindle. I’m a book nerd, too…but I’ve had my Kindle for a month, and I don’t think I’ll be looking back. It’s nice to see over the top of my nightstand for a change.
Thanks for this great post. I’m happy that my Kindle is officially “guilt-free.”
May 27, 2010 at 8:34 am
I prefer the Nook, by barns & noble…
but that’s just me…
May 27, 2010 at 12:55 am
I got a Kindle as a gift and I love its convenience. After reading the newsletter from my wonderful local book store about how hard it is for them to survive, I put the Kindle away and went to the bookstore again. I will miss my local bookstore and I feel like it is a way better way of browsing and finding books unique to my interests. I read an editorial in the Atlantic a few months ago that made me feel better about using my Kindle because it made me realize the Kindle is better for the environment and the inevitibility of the end of the corner bookstore with the current technological trends.
May 27, 2010 at 12:58 am
I have also asked myself, “To Kindle or Not to Kindle.” I LOVE that new-book smell but also like new technology. I combined the best of both: I bought an iPod Touch and downloaded the Kindle app. Then I downloaded two books (one on the cheap and the other free). I still read “normal” books but when I forget to grab one to take with me when I head out of the house (which is rare since I buy purses specifically large enough to hold a smaller sized book) I have the Kindle app as a backup.
May 28, 2010 at 7:06 am
HMM.. you bring up a good point. I just bought my husband an Ipod touch and was wonderign if this would be a better purchase for me than an e-reader that only allows for reading books. How expensive is the app? Do you find reading on the ipod as easy as the kindle. Not sure how such a small screen would feel on my eyes after a while.
May 27, 2010 at 1:47 am
[…] a related matter, I was reading this blog earlier about someone who finally, despite a lot of hedging, broke down and got an Amazon …. Scroll down and read some of the comments. Person after person told almost the same story: […]
May 27, 2010 at 1:51 am
I think I’m going to put in a vote in favor of the Kindle. Now, I don’t actually have one yet, but I want to say that, despite the sentimental value of a room filled with bookshelves, the real value of a book is what it says. Content is what matters, and doing things electronically keeps the content.
May 27, 2010 at 2:32 am
I use kindle on my iPhone, and while I too love “real” books (aside from environmental concerns), I bought some of my textbooks for school on kindle, so that I can have them with me at all times, without having to carry so many around. I find it quite helpful.
May 27, 2010 at 2:51 am
I think the hard thing is to deal with piracy, e-books are not hard to reproduce, it is hard to make it (for example, in my country Brazil we can’t have a e-book comerce yet because we don’t have a machine who copies it)… it will really be a pain for the industry.
And at other side, everybody can be a author and publish his own books… just like happened with mp3. The internet is changing things in economy, the consumer is gaining power over the industry…
May 27, 2010 at 3:39 am
my eyes get dizzy staring at the monitor while facebook-ing, reading blog articles and such. I wonder how will it be to read through kindle from the first page up to the last.
n that is my excuse..hehe 🙂
May 28, 2010 at 7:03 am
This was a major concern of mine too as I continue to consider purchasing an e-reader. I’d love to hear other thoughts on this.
May 27, 2010 at 3:53 am
I bought a Kindle a short while ago, and have fallen in love with it. Like you, I considered several angles associated with the purchase — although I hadn’t considered the carbon footprint, and am VERY glad you have. I published several posts on this score about a month ago now, I guess.
For me, the greatest win the Kindle represents is its organization of periodical content. The Kindle has (and I suspect other such readers would too) breathed new life into magazine subscriptions I barely bothered reading, and has even given me something I’ve not had in years: (The time to read) a daily newspaper. The sections list allows you to browse the content by subject in much the same way you might peruse the subject lines of messages in your e-mail program. This allows me to skip articles that don’t interest me, or to view specific articles, peruse as far as I care to, then return to the list. Of course, you may also just read the content through without the aid of the sections list.
I’ve canceled my print subscriptions to The Economist and The Nation in favor of their electronic equivalents. Far less recycling to deal with as well.
Apart from that, as you probably already know, you may download TONS of classics for the Kindle for free or nearly free (I’d certainly spend $1 on Mark Twain’s > 300 works).
I wholeheartedly favor the Kindle, and encourage you take one for a spin. Look at it this way: you may download the aforementioned classic works to your heart’s content — I’d bet the value of those alone, in print form, is worth the price of the unit.
May 27, 2010 at 4:50 am
I would find it very hard to make a complete transition from a binder to a bot. But, as you have marked in this writing; I will have to hand it to Kindle, it certainly holds many useful places, in the book, and years, of twenty-something.
As far as all the best books already having been written. I some how doubt that, as you have not written your last one yet. Great Post, have fun.
May 27, 2010 at 4:52 am
I much prefer the old school style… picking up a good and reaading. I get enough bright light monitor staring all day long, I’d rather sit back and enjoy a nice, easy on the eyes, book.
May 27, 2010 at 5:14 am
I honesty thought that I was going to miss reading a “real” book ….that is until I actually got my Kindle!
I initially bought it because I homeschool my son and I wanted a particular set of historical fiction books for him. It was cheaper for me to buy a kindle and download the large collection for free than to actually buy the “real” books.
But something happened….. I fell in love with my Kindle! Since I tend to read several books at a time, I always had a stack of books on my nightstand or coffee table. Not to mention newspapers and my sons books! The stacks are gone now and the house is less cluttered! (The minimalist inside me says “Yay!”)
I do still buy a few books and I can’t help but browse the book aisles of thrift stores for a good find but I do love my Kindle! My sis just bought a Nook and she loves it, too!
BTW, if you keep your wireless turned off, the battery will last 2 weeks even with frequent reading!
May 27, 2010 at 5:53 am
I recently have decided to embrace the digital age… books, audiobooks, mp3’s, movies… all of it. Yes, it’s strange not having the CD case, or the DVD case or the weight of the book… but my house is getting clear of clutter such as CD and DVD racks and bookshelves full of books I’d probably never read again. It’s liberating in a way. I like the idea that all my media exists on one external hard drive. Backups recommended.
May 27, 2010 at 6:01 am
The Kindle sounds pretty cool, but it is like 3-400 dollars and you have to pay bills on it! But the 3-400 dollars could cover the cost of all the thousands of books you’ll read for the last of the lifetime!
May 27, 2010 at 7:05 am
WRONG… Lower costs don¡t mean best prices for students. It means better profits for companies behind publication, thant may (or may not) reduce the prices.
May 27, 2010 at 7:29 am
i love to read . i feal the kindle would bring a new veriety of books and no more laate fees. or walking to the library and searching the miles of shelves.
May 27, 2010 at 8:29 am
NOT TO KINDLE
Nook is better. 😛
May 27, 2010 at 10:31 am
Wow. Great points made here. I must say that I currently share the same trepidations you did up until recently, but after reading your post, I am seeing the other side of this argument. Thanks for opening my mind! (I’m a little ashamed that I haven’t given this any thought, considering that I fancy myself quite the informed little environmentalist!)
May 27, 2010 at 10:32 am
I love books and reading. I knew about ebook, but just heard about this Kindle thing. I will get more info about it. Thanks for the article!
May 27, 2010 at 10:39 am
No, I’m sorry but it’s just wrong. Digital books are just not books. Give me an age-stained, crinkle-spined old volume any day. Even when I was backpacking I filled a third of my bag with books. I love them too much to leave the behind!
May 27, 2010 at 10:44 am
Love real books.
Love my Kindle. I’ve had the first one since a couple weeks after it came out. It’s paid for itself many times over, especially with the compatibility with things in the public domain. (nook, as neat as it seems, doesn’t support txt or doc files.)
May 27, 2010 at 11:05 am
Huh! This is a really intriguing post. I hadn’t thought of the carbon footprint of a book. I too love to read and love the feel of a book in my hands. I had only considered a Kindle (or an iPad for that matter) as a commuters tool – certainly not an environmentalists. I had thought if I was ever in the position of commuting by train in the city again – an hour each way, one or the other would definitely come in handy.
I’m not rushing out to buy one… but I’ll definitely keep this in mind the next time I’m talking about their benefits.
May 27, 2010 at 11:52 am
Can a Kindle SMELL like a book? I want one but I do love the smell of library, bookstore and books. MMMMM!
May 28, 2010 at 7:00 am
thank you for this perspective. I’ve been considering an ereader for a few months and really want one but the prices are still just too high. I was considering the kindle and then started comparing to others. That led to more decision issues than anything:)
I see Borders has a new basic e-reader coming out for only $149 which is great but it doesn’t have the wifi capability. Nowadays why buy anything that doesn’t include wifi? So, I’m still going back and forth as to which one I should buy. I appreciate all the comments on the different ereaders. Will help in making my decision.
May 28, 2010 at 1:07 pm
I love my Kindle!! I travel quite a bit so my hubby bought me one. Too bad that I can’t find it…shhhh, don’t tell him!
http://etcher101.wordpress.com/2010/05/
May 29, 2010 at 12:14 am
I am not a fan of any kind of e-book, I find them really impersonal. I have started book crossing to spread the written word because I believe that everyone should be able to enjoy a real book as you described in the beginning of your post.
May 31, 2010 at 12:18 pm
I love reading, but I find e-anything hard to read on. Granted, the only thing I’ve attempted to read an e-book on is my phone, which is definitely not ideal. I read rather quickly and it is tiresome to constantly be advancing to the next page with a small screen.
A friend of mine bought the Nook recently, but he hasn’t used it much. I tried it out for a little, but the touch interface was laggy for me and I don’t know how much I like the ink that generate the text each time you turn the page. It seems…strange. Plus, they are expensive. I am all about doing my part to save the environment, but I wouldn’t want to waste money on a product I would rarely use and rather just visit the library or work my way through the stacks of books I have already as presents from family members.
I do think, though, that it is a good thing to have if you are going to be out of the country or on vacation somewhere for a long time. Books are HEAVY and I could never leave home without at least one.
June 1, 2010 at 1:15 am
[…] carbonique du livrel — le livre électronique — comparativement à celle du livre traditionnel (To Kindle or not to Kindle, sur Limited Prerogatives). Elle m’a fait […]
June 1, 2010 at 2:34 pm
makes me want to buy a new kindle
June 1, 2010 at 6:26 pm
I honestly believe that with the advent of digital storage, we really should explore making more use of these kinds of devices. It may not “feel the same” as a real book, but in the end all that matters is the text. Devices like the Kindle that help preserve our planet are a step in the right direction.
June 2, 2010 at 6:46 am
[…] miss, but what might be a good thing is that these devices might save a lot of trees. As the post “To Kindle or not to Kindle?” from “Limited Prerogatives” points out, a lot of those wonderfully smelling and feeling paper books end up wasting a lot of […]
June 9, 2010 at 8:19 pm
[…] To Kindle or not to Kindle? (via Limited Prerogatives) I’ve never been a fan of the Kindle. I like real books. I like the smell of old pages, of new pages, I like to write in the margins, fold my corners and go back and read those excerpts again. I like giving away books and take pride in the weight of books I have to transport whenever I move, as if carrying around a heavy trophy of knowledge. Basically, I’m a nerd. So when contemplating my reading options when I go to Kazakhstan, I came to the conc … Read More […]
June 12, 2010 at 1:48 am
[…] that is ignored. We often like to conveniently ignore the values that we hold dear to our hearts (like books!) in our conservation efforts. Baby-making happens to often be one of those values. Some reasoning […]
June 17, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I love actual book but sometime go anywhere can not carry many book. Kindle will help me when far from my house