Debates: VERSUS?
The reader's nostalgic feelings for printed books are also used as a pro-print argument. It's true that I look at my bookshelves with fond memories, but that applies equally to my library and my digital bookshelf. What is the difference?
John: I can't say I have the same feelings when I look at a tablet screen's worth of summary data and thumbnails as when I look at a row of well-ordered bookcases, but feelings are beside the point. Ebooks are a fact of life, not a fad, and I'll probably read more books, not less, as a result. Today, it is more cost-effective for me to reach for a printed dictionary, or re-read a favorite printed book, than to spend the extra time and money needed to go "all digital." Tomorrow, there will be better digital alternatives, but for now I have good reasons to use both formats.
John Parsons (john@intuideas.com), former Editorial Director of The Seybold Report, is an independent writer, ghostwriter, and editor. He is the co-author of the interactive printed textbook, Introduction to Graphic Communication, on the art, science and business of print, which has been adopted by Ryerson, Arizona State, the University of Houston, and many other schools and vocational training centers. Custom editions of the book are under consideration by major printing companies and franchises for internal training purposes.