It Doesn’t Translate
The world is being converted to ones and zeros. There hasn’t been a day in years that I went without touching a computer and for the most part I can roll with it, but it dawned on me the other night while watching my husband by the fireplace reading a book on his iPhone; some things don’t translate.
In this instant gratification world everything is digital or heading that direction. I don’t have to go rent a movie – I can download it. Instead of waiting until I have time to go buy a CD or order it online – I can download it. And now with Kindle, iPad and the other gadgets, books are digital too. This is where I draw the line.
An unexplainable calmness sets in when I touch a book. Probably engrained in my memory from a life of loving and respecting books. The only time my Grandpa Jim ever spanked me was for dog-earing pages in my own book. “We have to respect books; they hold our history and should outlast us by generations.” He told me. I didn’t understand it then, but I do now.
Books aren’t only how I relax; they are an extension of myself. This feeling goes beyond the printed words and stories into the visceral components. When I hold a book my left hand braces the spine with my thumb folded in front to keep my place. As my eyes approach the end of the right page the neurons flare and my right index finger instinctively slides behind the page in preparation to turn without allowing the tale to miss a beat. Paper has a sensual side that has been taken for granted with centuries of availability and service.
The practical purposes of ebooks are not lost on me, but it’s not the same and it never will be. If my own history is to repeat then eventually I will succumb and the thought of this makes me sad. I owned a record store for years, but still occasionally (not always) when I think of a song I want on my iPod I cannot wait to buy the CD filled with seven songs of which I feel lukewarm toward and four that I love. Like most everyone else, I download the songs I want and move on. Even though I have followed the sheep, I still miss the tangible CD. I miss the artwork and the credits and the individuality that is expressed within. I have seen the choices that go into making them first hand and even the style of packaging tells you something about the artist.
It seems a little ironic for me to admonish the transition to digital books as just yesterday I was in deep battle with my husband over something quite opposite. He is a pupil/follower of Dan Kennedy who is a business/marketing genius. Although I am not nearly as involved as MWD, I read Dan’s time management book and got a lot out of it. MWD recently subscribed (again – he used to years ago) to Dan’s newsletter and he checks the blog daily. I was amazed that Dan’s newsletter is a physical snail mail package. Years ago when I read his book, I learned the Dan did not adhere to the digital world of email and other forms of electronic communication; he did most of his work with faxes. That was so long ago that I assumed that by now he had grown with the times, but I was wrong. According to MWD, Dan still uses faxes and someone else deals with the email and web work. I thought about how much time, money and paper that Dan could save by sending his newsletter in an email and I voiced this opinion to MWD who immediately rebuked that I “just didn’t get it.” He tried to explain to me how it’s not the same and it doesn’t translate, but he was right: I don’t get it. I should though, because I have no intention of reading my books on anything but paper.
I’m with you on this one. I need to feel a book, flip the page, smell the ink and have something to put on the shelf when I’m done and they add a nice energy to the room. I like to highlight things and make notes. I get satisfaction out of seeing my books with creases, folds and cracks down the spine. Plus, I know it will be there when I want to re-read or check something and I don’t have to worry about it being deleted or a ‘corporation’ of some sort removing it without my consent.
I’ll eventually purchase a reader to use for travel. Far easier to take 30 books electronically than to carry them.
But at home I won’t ever give up on reading “real” books.
@Gina – I didn’t even think about that factor. Some of our books have a zillion little sticky notes in them! And I have heard about books being deleted. How frustrating! Putting it on the shelve does give me a sense of accomplishment and comfort.
@Jack – How long of a trip do you take that requires 30 books? Wowsa! I think iBooks really work for some people, just not this people.
Hi Clair,
Most trips don’t require 30 books. But there have been times when I have been fortunate enough to go away for more than a month.
As I read this I realized how long it has been since i read anything on paper. I’m a loser.
[...] case you couldn’t tell, I’m a book junkie. My wife is also. For Valentine’s Day this year we scheduled a perfect date – sushi in San Antonio and then [...]
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This post was mentioned on Twitter by clairdevers: Do you think an ebook is the same as a paperback? Please comment: http://www.clairdevers.com/2010/02/it-doesnt-translate/ #ebooks #writing…
You’re right. It’s not the same with an ebook and it won’t ever be. The thing for me, though, is that I don’t want it to be. As much as I adore books and hope to one day have a home office decorated floor to ceiling in nothing but, I have never found their pleasure to be tactile. For me, it’s the ideas inside that matter, what I can get out of the words and how they’re put together. The language makes me engaged, not the way I get a handcramp from holding a hardcover for too long with my right hand.
For me, my line comes in with books I use for research. If I am going to be writing a paper using a book, I want a hard copy. I need notes in the margins, highlights on pages, underlined text, and arrows connecting ideas. I simply cannot do that with the Kindle’s annotation feature, no matter how useful it is in keeping my ideas for a passage.
When I read for pleasure, however, I prefer my body to be comfortable and my eyes easy. I’ve found that the Kindle (it’s the only ebook reader I’ve used, personally) lets me sit in any position and not worry about my back/hand/side/neck cramping like lots of books do. Because of not having to worry about ever losing my place or keeping a spine cracked, I can actually get into some funky positions and enjoy my reading instead of tolerating it while I find a position.
In the end, it’s all personal preference anyway. And I have too many books right now on my shelves and I’m out of space, to boot. So the Kindle wins for me. Until I get that home library-office, that is.
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