In normal situations embracing the latest technology is a
no-brainer. The telephone was an obvious step up from smoke signals
and African drums. The personal computer left the typewriter eating
dust. But when it comes to the switch from paper books to e-books,
I’m far from sold.
Last week I sat down to draw up the requisite list of pros
and cons of purchasing an e-book reader. On the pro side was
convenience. I can download books instantaneously. For once I can
actually purchase a Stephen King book quicker than he can write
one.
With a Kindle or a Nook I can download public domain books
for free. Want to read John Locke’s Of the Conduct of the
Understanding? No? Okay. But it’s free. Still no?
There is nothing like an e-book for ease and comfort of
reading. A few days ago, I cracked open a 900-page hardcover
edition of The Gulag Archipelago. The cover was loose. It
was difficult to hold. The damn thing was so heavy my forearms kept
going numb. Reading that book was like wrestling with a fat
woman.
Another thing. I tend to change living quarters about as
often as a family of gypsies. All that boxing and lugging around my
library is a pain in the sciatica. The thought of
simplifying my life by having all my books digitized on one little
gizmo the size of birthday card has a definite appeal.
Finally, when the black helicopter guys come to burn
my Friedrich Hayek and
William F. Buckley e-books, they will have a much
harder time of it. Ever try tossing tiny zeros and ones onto a
bonfire?
CURIOUSLY, CONVENIENCE ALSO TOPPED my con list.
You see, I am an irresponsible, compulsive book buyer.
Sometimes I see a book on Amazon and I think I’ve just got to have
it. It doesn’t even matter what the book is. It’s just so easy to
buy books. In fact, it’s too easy. There should be a waiting period
for book purchases, sort of like when you want to buy an M-16 from
your local gun shop.
Of course, no sooner have I purchased a book than buyer’s
remorse sets in. What was I thinking when I bought Amanda Knox,
My Story? But it’s too late. The book is already in the mail.
Or in the ether, as the case may be.
With e-books you lose the benefits of a physical home
library. If you are like me, you tend to judge people by the books
on their book shelves. The advent of e-books means we’ll actually
have to talk to people before we decide if we really want to talk
to them.
Last, but not least, good old-fashioned paper books don’t
shut down in the middle of a paragraph when you forget to recharge
them.
Then, early last week, Amazon made me an offer I couldn’t
refuse. The company came out with a $79 Kindle. I was sold. Or so I
thought.
The first thing I did was check out Amazon’s e-book
prices. Let’s say I wanted to purchase David Brooks’ latest
bestseller The Social Animal. The Kindle price is $13.99.
But what’s this? A used hardcover in great condition, plus Amazon’s
absurdly high shipping is only $12.42. Hmm. Or say I wanted to read
Phillip Caputo’s A Rumor of War. I could buy
a good used paperback, plus shipping, for $4. The Kindle version?
$9.99. Even better, I could stroll down to my local hipster used
book emporium and head shop and buy a copy for $2.
I could be wrong, but I thought the whole point of e-books
was that everyone would save on paper, printing, and mailing costs.
To make matters worse, you don’t really own your e-books, at least
not in the traditional sense that you would own a paper book. If
you try to trade, resell, or even give away an e-book, a black
helicopter will land on your roof.
As for me, I think I’ll stroll down to my local hipster
used book emporium and head shop and see if there is anything good
on the shelves.
