By Julia Simsion
This time last year, I was asked to write a blog post about my love of the printed book. And now, with physical book sales rising for a third consecutive year, is there a better reason to revisit why I remain committed to not buying an e-book?
From a professional point of view, I’ve seen companies like our customer Screen benefit from this rising trend, with the Truepress Jet520HD High Definition Inkjet Web Press being sold to both publishers and book printers alike.
But on a more personal level, I’ll admit I felt a bit relieved that I’m not alone in the satisfaction I get from reading a physical book. I thought maybe I was an old-fashioned reader in modern times! But while The Guardian reported last year that it’s actually the younger generation leading the way in buying printed books, another report pointed to “screen fatigue” as a reason people are giving up e-reading. So in the digital world we live in, reading a hardback feels like a welcome break from devices and social media, where distractions like incoming calls, messages, emails and so on can keep you from fully losing yourself in a good story.
In my previous blog post, I explored why my holiday reading will always be a printed book, and why the pleasure of choosing and reading the physical version is something I look forward to all year round. There’s nothing I enjoy more than scanning the shelves in a bookshop and finding something that catches my eye. I usually have some idea of the genre I want to buy, but it’s interesting to look at the various covers and designs and imagine the stories, messages and settings an author is trying to convey visually. If I like what I see, I’ll quickly glance at the back cover or inside flap, and if it holds my attention further, I’ll read the first page or two. Scrolling through thumbnails on a small screen doesn’t create the same effect, and once you start reading, you don’t remember the artwork either.
Writing and thinking about this, it also only recently occurred to me just how much variety printed books offer in the fonts they use, and how few fonts their digital counterparts offer by comparison — which is odd, given how many other computer applications use different fonts. Whether I’m reading a novel I’ve recently bought or flicking through a cookbook to find a recipe for a family dinner, for me the font used may be one of the most defining features of a printed book. It doesn’t just set the style and genre — it can also affect the readability of the text. E-books, on the other hand, despite offering the ability to increase font size, create a certain sameness in their limited font choices.
As a parent, I also think reading a physical book sets a good example for my children. It’s immediately obvious what I’m doing when I’m reading my latest novel — unlike when I’m looking at a digital device, which, for one of my past habits, usually meant I was online shopping. That’s another activity that has shifted from paper to digital over the years. I remember, as a little girl, flicking through the pages of a glossy Kays or Littlewoods catalogue, marking pages with the latest fashions, and often tearing them out to stick on the fridge as a subtle hint to my mum!
These days, instead of sharing those catalogue pages with my mum, I love giving her a printed book I’ve just finished and loved. Giving her a physical book and getting a thank-you for such a great read is far more personal than recommending a title to download. It’s a physical product that gives me a sense of connection, and even takes me on a journey. An e-book would deprive me of that joy.
And if a friend or family member doesn’t want my book, I can take it to a local charity shop, giving it a longer life while raising money for a good cause. On the other hand, there’s nothing better than discovering a good read when you least expect it. This has happened to me a few times while visiting a hotel or guesthouse and browsing the “borrow and swap for free” bookshelves. And whenever I was reading one of those books, I never had to worry about the battery suddenly dying just as the story reached its climax!
That’s what printed books are about — they have a past, or forgive the pun, a story behind them. Yes, you now have the option to fit War and Peace in your pocket, but once it’s been read, does it stay on the e-reader? Sadly, I’ll probably never get close to seeing the Gutenberg Bible or, for that matter, any of the world’s oldest known surviving books, but they exist as visible, tangible proof that a printed manuscript can survive the test of time.
When all is said and done, I think there’s a psychological satisfaction for me in holding a physical object rather than a string of code, and I honestly can’t see that changing.