The Advantages of eBooks Over Physical Books
Stuffing a library onto a Kindle
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My wonderful, late father-in-law started a retirement business buying and selling first-edition and rare books. One of his specialties was 19th-century illustrators. When I wanted to get his goat, I'd survey the vast shelves in his humidity-controlled basement and semi-seriously opine, "You know, I could fit all of these books on my Kindle and I'd never have to worry about all this clutter."
My bibliophile father-in-law had a terrific sense of humor but didn't laugh at my Kindle cracks. I knew my remarks would offend him — this is the juvenile way adult men show their love for each other. He loved to hunt down rare books, buy book lots at auctions, and visit his old friends on his bookshelves. He had zero interest in eReaders.
I'm cut from a different cloth than my father-in-law. For him, the pleasure was in the reading, the viewing, the touching, and the heft of books. I pined for e-readers long before Kindles and iPads made their debuts. Furthermore, I have little desire to own eBooks or pay for them.
I’m a moderate reader of between 40 and 70 books a year. Most of what I read comes from the public library’s Libby system.
Upsides of electronic books:
Ixnay on bougie books as decor
People love the look of tomes on their bookshelves. Why else would arranging books by the colors of their spines become a decorating fad? Companies like BooksByTheFoot sell books by linear foot in different color combinations to match the decor.
Pseudo-intellectuals can’t show off
We all have a friend with a smoking jacket who shows off his library of classics. When a closer look reveals the leather-bound, collected works of John Grisham, it’s time for new friends. Disclaimer: I read and enjoy Grisham novels but don’t want to own them, much less the leather-bound hardcovers.
