Books held in your hands vs ebooks.

[twin1954]

I was wondering a couple of things. I am old and have time to wonder about trivial things. Anyway I was wondering how many prefer to read a book that you can hold in your hand and turn the pages or digital books? Also was wondering how the digital age has affected the library systems and book sellers.

I have a decent library but find that I read more from the digital now days. I can manipulate the font big enough and even mark up passage as I please.

What say you?

 

[Bible Highlighter]

I also prefer reading online or digitally, as well. The only exception to the rule on this is reading black and white educational comic books like Scott Mcloud, David Chelsea, etc.

 

[nChrist]

I was wondering a couple of things. I am old and have time to wonder about trivial things. Anyway I was wondering how many prefer to read a book that you can hold in your hand and turn the pages or digital books? Also was wondering how the digital age has affected the library systems and book sellers.

I have a decent library but find that I read more from the digital now days. I can manipulate the font big enough and even mark up passage as I please.

What say you?

I do the same thing for many of the same reasons. Space and convenience are other considerations. Example: I have the equivalent of a large Bible Study library on my iPhone. I use the same program on my home computer, e-Sword. There are really many other big pluses. I like being able to search an entire library in seconds and have the answer in my hands.

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I was wondering a couple of things. I am old and have time to wonder about trivial things. Anyway I was wondering how many prefer to read a book that you can hold in your hand and turn the pages or digital books? Also was wondering how the digital age has affected the library systems and book sellers.

I have a decent library but find that I read more from the digital now days. I can manipulate the font big enough and even mark up passage as I please.

What say you?

I prefer digital, but paper can be faster, it depends. For searching across a library on a subject, digital is superior no question about it. For searching words in Scripture, digital is superior.

One of the great advantages of digital books is the pages never turn yellow or tan with age. A number of my books that I've owned for several years, because of the inferior paper quality, are gradually turning yellow, some are more of a tan color eventually to brown and brittle. Seems to me fewer and fewer books are printed on acid free paper these days. I have a few books printed on acid free paper, and the pages are as white as the day I received them.

Another advantage to digital, is highlighting and notes, easy to do, and no space/margin limitations, no need for notebooks.

The only real downside that comes to mind are the effects of device screens/monitors on the eyes over time.

 

[JM]

I prefer a physical book and use pencil to mark it up. I always sign my name in the back and on the inside front page I mark the price I paid for it.

After reading, even years latter, I can recall what the page looked like and my notes or marks that I've made on that page. Research shows that retention of the information is higher when you read a physical book.

I also use cursive still (often a fountain pen) because the act of writing allows the creative juices to flow.

I use to write out my responses for CF on paper. I just don't respond as often now.

I still read online but it just doesn't stick with me.

Yours in the Lord,

jm

https://www.thriveglobal.com/storie...f-why-you-remember-print-books-so-much-better

https://lifehacker.com/5898644/read-a-physical-book-when-you-really-need-to-remember-something

https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/handwriting-creative-skills/

http://www.cursivelogic.com/why-cursive/

 

[tampasteve]

I prefer a physical book for religion/theology and non-fiction and ebooks for fiction. My wife prefers ebooks so I do not spread my library around the house

I prefer a physical Bible, but have them on my Kindle as well for when I travel.

 

[Willie T]

I prefer Hard Copy. But, I am cheap, so I have a lot of digital books also. They are sometimes free.

 

[Kaon]

I was wondering a couple of things. I am old and have time to wonder about trivial things. Anyway I was wondering how many prefer to read a book that you can hold in your hand and turn the pages or digital books? Also was wondering how the digital age has affected the library systems and book sellers.

I have a decent library but find that I read more from the digital now days. I can manipulate the font big enough and even mark up passage as I please.

What say you?

I prefer physical books and pages, because I have an aversion to original texts being changed, or edited clandestinely. I like to have the original copy to reference.

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I prefer a physical book for religion/theology and non-fiction and ebooks for fiction. My wife prefers ebooks so I do not spread my library around the house

I prefer a physical Bible, but have them on my Kindle as well for when I travel.

I can agree with this position, with one exception. For any book where I know I'm going to need to go back and refer to various sections later (reference books), I prefer a physical book...unless the electronic version is well-indexed. Electronic indexing is invaluable. For technical books at work it enables me to find a specific part of the book very quickly, so I can refer to it and get back to what I'm doing. For debate online a searchable online Bible with cross-referencing is the only way to go.

I got a Kindle for the sake of saving space, because my wife was complaining that the bookshelves were all filled to capacity. We tried getting more bookcases, but they filled as quickly as we bought them. It just wasn't a good solution. I find that the Kindle with e-ink is just as readable as any book, just so long as it's the sort of book you would read straight through and never have to go back in search of some particular passage (fiction, for example).

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

One of my favorite sources of free digital books:

400 Free Books Monergism.com

All hits and no filler...well none I am aware of.

 

[JM]

I just spent another $100 bucks on physical books!

 

[Apologetic_Warrior]

I prefer Hard Copy. But, I am cheap, so I have a lot of digital books also. They are sometimes free.

I'm cheap too, last order from Christianbook.com I spent around $40 on about 20 books, most of them published by Crossway. They're always running 80-90% off deals, even the books marked as "slightly damaged" are okay, usually just very minor defects, nothing a person would not find in a brick and mortar Christian bookstore.

 

[twin1954]

My wife won’t let me buy more books. All of my bookshelves are full and we have no room for more. I am kind of stuck with ebooks now.

 

[JM]

I feel your pain. If you have a good ereader though you're not suffering too badly.