Talking Books Network

Is There a Future for Printed Books?

Was it not a sign of the times that Dan Brown’s latest bestseller The Lost Symbol sold more of the Kindle version in the first two days than the hardback version. Yes, the Kindle version was only $9.99 while the hardback book cost significantly more at $29.95. But that an electronic version can outsell a printed copy is a significant sign that the way we read is changing.

In case you don’t know, the Kindle is an electronic device put out by Amazon to download and read just about anything you can think of from its 350,000 volume library of books and magazines. Once downloaded, the copy is yours to read when you like. The unit is not large, just five by eight inches, .3 inches thick, and with the ability to go days without a battery recharge.

Some were no doubt scared away by the initial price tag of $400, yet Amazon now says it will sell nearly 200,000 units by the end of the year. To help meet this goal the price has dropped 35% to $259, or, for the international version, $279. And since Amazon keeps track of what all you purchased, if the unit crashes you can always reload them at no cost.

Though it is possible to adjust the size of the type on the Kindle, Amazon has now a larger version called the Kindle 2. The screen is 9.7 inches diagonally, which is about the size of notebook paper. It too is but .3 inches think, has enough memory to store up to 3,500 books, and boasts an equally impressive battery life. The Kindle 2 sells at present for $489. Both units can be set to read the book to you though the voice is computer generated and certainly not the quality of a professionally done audiobook.

Neither Kindle is dependent on a Wi-Fi network to get access to the library, for they operate on a 3G network like a cell phone. As their ad states, a reader may hear about a book and be reading it in 16 shades of gray with less than a minute passing. The reader is able to get magazines or newspapers before they even arrive on the newsstands. Another nice feature is the Kindle’s access to an online dictionary. If the reader finds an unfamiliar word in a text he is reading, the scroll wheel can be used to select it and look up the meaning.

iPhone or Touch can also be used as e-Book readers through the free application called Stanza; thousands of free books and best sellers are available for download. Barnes & Noble provides a similar service through the eReader application, though, at last report, their e-Books are overpriced. An application called Kindle for iPhone is also available. The Touch and iPhone are smaller than the Kindle but they have color monitors (helpful for maps, charts, or pictures in books), the type size can be changed, and the Touch, for the same price, can do much more that just provide e-Books.

As nice as all this is, eBook readers have certain disadvantages. For example, though you paid for a book, you are not allowed to share it with others as you could a printed book. Though having many books at your fingertips is great, you can’t write in the margins or give them as presents for special occasions. You can never be too far from a power source, and, its cost means you have lost a great deal more if it is lost of stolen than you would lose in one book. Though you don’t need a giant print version of anything, neither can you pass down a book treasure to future generations. (Imagine the grandfather in Princess Bride reading from a Kindle!)

Paper and ink books many decline in popularity, but it will be a long time before purists will concede them as being a worthy replacement. There’s something special about the feel and smell of a printed book and no e-Book reader can replace it.

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