![]() In some ways, physical books are far more durable than the devices we use to read their digital counterparts. You just need an internet connection, and you’re off to the races. ![]() With digital and audiobooks, on the other hand, you can start reading immediately. While Amazon has made it possible to order a book at almost any hour of the day, you still have to wait for it to arrive. ![]() If you know you want to read a specific book and just need to get a hold of it, then physical books have their downsides. Most of us, however, don’t have the space to transport a library of 400+ books wherever we go. Granted, Charles Darwin managed to do it during his voyage aboard The Beagle (a voyage that planted the seeds of On the Origin of Species). But if you want to carry multiple books or your entire library, then physical books aren’t very practical. And one of their major downsides is a lack of portability.Ī single book is reasonably portable, provided you’re not lugging around Ulyssesor Infinite Jest. Con: Not Very Portableįor all their virtues, physical books aren’t perfect. This way, you can look back at the book years later and marvel at what your past self found worthy of note. Not only that, but a physical book invites you to leave your own marks for future pondering. Some people might find this annoying or disrespectful, but I think it’s fascinating. Sure, you won’t find as many of these artifacts if you buy new books, but used books are full of them. This ranges from any inscriptions from previous owners, to the time and place the book was published, to any interesting annotations in the margins. Pro: They Have a HistoryĪs physical objects, books carry a history. To expand your horizons, you need a place where you can touch and truly browse the books. Online bookstores attempt to replicate this, but all they do is show you more of what you already like. If you’re looking to discover something you could never have imagined, then you can’t beat the experience of browsing a physical bookstore or library. Maybe you’ll even find some foreign language books to peruse while you do your business, as in the bathroom at Capitol Hill Books. You’ll find carefully curated displays of books on issues new and old. You’ll find sections about topics you didn’t even know existed. You never know what you’ll find when you walk into a bookstore (or public library, for that matter). And these bookstores offer something that online shopping cannot: the chance for random, serendipitous discoveries. Though they’re far from what they were in their heyday, brick-and-mortar bookstores still exist. But given the choice, I’ll still stick with paper books for complete disconnection. Of course, you can nearly replicate this experience with a quality e-reader such as a Kindle Paperwhite. If your goal is to spend sustained time with what you’re reading, then it’s difficult to match the calm and focus that a physical book brings. This points to one of the main advantages of physical books over their digital counterparts: disconnection. And, most importantly, you don’t have to worry about your book distracting you with notifications. ![]() You don’t need to plug the book in or worry about it running out of battery. To read a physical book, all you need is enough light to see (unless you’re reading braille, of course). Here are the pros and cons of physical books: Pro: Digital Disconnection And despite claims of them being obsolete, physical books are still very much alive. Physical Book Pros and ConsĮven though digital books continue to become more common, physical books are still what most of us think of when we hear the word “book”. With this information, you can find the format that’s best for your needs. Below, we examine the pros and cons of physical, digital, and audiobooks. In this post, we’ll attempt to find an answer. Is there an advantage to listening to books over reading them? Should you read books on a screen or on paper? Does it really matter? ![]() With so much choice, however, you may be wondering which type of book is best. And you can even buy physical books that are compact enough to fit in your pocket. You can listen to books while you work out or commute. You can read books on your phone, computer, tablet, or good old-fashioned paper. Not only that, but the choice of book formats is wider than at any time in history. From the public domain books on Project Gutenberg to the free digital and audiobook downloads from your local library, books are more accessible than ever before. ![]()
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