The first electronic book was created in the early 1970s when Michael Hart digitized the Declaration of Independence. Since then, e-books have permeated literary society exponentially, especially since the invention of the Kindle in 2007. These inventions have created a rivalry between physical books and electronic ones, but despite the undeniable benefits of electronic literature, nothing can compare to a physical copy.
The purchasing of physical books can be a form of collecting for some people. The art of collecting things is a human tendency as old as the times of hunting and gathering, and the hobby comes with numerous benefits. According to an article on Art Basel, “a collection can offer life-support over time, a means of trading, a basis for community and communication, a stockpile of wealth and a mechanism of self-identity.”
Whether a person who buys physical books actively thinks about creating a collection while assembling their bookshelf, it is a practice that is out of reach for e-book users. Although an e-reader allows users to create their own electronic library of books, most benefits of collecting are lost on that minimized version of accumulating literature.
Another benefit of reading a book’s paper copy is the ability to annotate. Despite most e-readers coming equipped with note-taking features or the ability to mark a certain place in a book, nothing compares to the act of scribbling a thought in the margin of a paper book. There is a separate debate to be had about whether or not writing in a book should be encouraged, but for the die-hard book annotators, there is no substitute for a pen and paper.
Whether a person is annotating their book to contribute their own thoughts or to help them comprehend a subject of the page, writing notes by hand “seems to more deeply engage the brain in ways that support learning” than typing them or using a stylus on a touchscreen, according to NPR.
In a similar vein, not only does physical handwriting help with learning and comprehension, but reading a paper book also helps readers visualize and thus comprehend the material better. An essay by Anne Mangen and Adriaan van der Weel asserts that “print books and the substrate of paper lend an obvious physicality to individual texts, while e-books are not tangible volumes and are differently touched, held, carried and navigated.” The essay further goes on to reference studies that prove “object manipulation provides spatial information which is crucial for building coherent mental representations of the manipulated object.”
All of these factors contribute to one final motive behind preferring paper books over electronic ones: the aesthetic. Although most readers hate to admit it, and there are many other reasons that trump this one, reading a physical book comes with a certain intellectual aesthetic that cannot be achieved with a tablet. To put it simply, and perhaps superficially, reading a physical book, annotating a physical book and returning a physical book to a shelf full of its sibling volumes just looks better than any of those acts done with an e-book.
There is much to be said about the convenience and financial efficiency of abandoning printed books, but even more valuable is the fact that despite these benefits of e-books, people still predominantly prefer paper books over other modern options. Forbes summarized a study done in 2018 by Canon U.S.A. which showed 65% of survey respondents still prefer regular books to e-books or audiobooks. The hope is that this trend will continue as technology perpetuates more and more corners of society.
Sophia Rooksberry is a junior studying journalism. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnist do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Sophia know by tweeting her @sophiarooks_.
