Traditional Books Or eBooks?

[zombieninjakitten]

I am curious about who here prefers traditional books, eBooks, or both?  Personally, I like an actual, real, traditional book but since I’m running out of space I have been buying bigger books on eBook format.  I have a Kindle Fire, a Nook Color, and a generic ereader that I got back in 2008 called a Libre.  It has no WiFi or anything but to be honest, it is my favorite ereader of the three.  Also, because it’s so old I can bypass the DRM on Kindle and Nook books, hack a program called Calibre a little bit, and get almost any ebook for free.  But, perchance I’ve said too much. 🤓😛

Anyway, what is your preference?

[Bouvre]

I like eBooks for things I know I'm going to mark up. I like the option of being able to make annotations, then disappear them or turn them on as soon as I want to see/not see them. Also, eBooks have made numerous titles accessible to readers with eye problems (making any book large font is an incredible innovation for a demographic whose large-print books were severely numbered). 

That being said, I love the feel and weight of a traditional book. I like being able to shut a book. I like the weight. I like choice in paper and I like specifically chosen fonts for the book, instead of a boilerplate selection of Times, Garamond, Georgia (no offense, Georgia, my personal favorite), Arial and so on. I feel I read quickly but more thoroughly through traditional books. Lines seem to hit me harder (though perhaps the books I read on eReaders weren't as good as I hoped).

Also, it's been awhile, but the last time I checked, eBooks also are terrible with formatting poetry collections. 

[DragonSinger]

I prefer physical books, but my body and lack of shelf space don't. For now, I buy mostly ebooks to check out new stuff, and then get hardback/paperback versions if I really like them.

[ghostrek]

traditional books i love book stores Monday i just bought star trek shipyards Starfleet ships 2151-2393

[QueenoftheDorks]

I love ebooks. They are so convenient. I had to switch back to traditional books because we aren't allowed to have electronic devices on the floor where I work, but man I love how easy it is to carry ebooks.

[GuyBeardmane]

I prefer physical books, only because of how distracted I get online.  Like, gimme a Kindle or a computer and I'm gonna look up porn before I try to read a book.

[Raptorpat]

I would think I'd prefer a real book, but i always had a problem where I'd get comfortable but only for reading pages on one side, so I'd have to constantly shift myself or my arm every other page or whatever.

Though I hate to admit I haven't recreationally read a book in years.

[Top Gun]

I have a hand-me-down Kindle I've never so much as charged, much less bought something for.  Dead trees or nothing.

[resurrected]

I prefer physical copy over digital copy on everything. 

I don't do ebooks, or digital movies. I collect both, and I want to be able to display them.

We have a mini library now. We all enjoy reading. 

I do read about random historical events online sometimes, but nothing too involving. Just to fall asleep to every night. 

We have a collection ranging from the macabre, to Verne, to ghost stories, to Poe, to science books, to Hawthorne, and everything in between.

[Poof]

I like traditional but I've been reading ebooks blown up on my tv lately

[DBZ4ever]

I am like Bouvre with the physical books. I like physical ones because I like the way they feel. The weight, the paper etc.

Which is good that I like to feel books because at my job I handle 200-300 a day.

[SnapItCrackItPopIt]

I like both.

Ebooks make it easier for me to have so many books without taking up so much space but I do like physical books for that comfy, nighttime reading under the light.

[Vamped]

I like physical books. Its something about the way they smell and having an actual book in my hands 

[scoobdog]

For me, E-books are just as good as paper books, and the feel of the binding or the weight of the book doesn't have any specific attachment.  I'm most fascinated by the idea of having a library at my fingertips.  There is one exception, though:  the novel I had bound for my Master's Thesis has special meaning as a physical embodiment that can't be duplicated by a PDF file.

Edited June 26, 2019 by scoobdog

[SnapItCrackItPopIt]

I like both but since I've been on the go for the past several years, eBooks have been a lifesaver.

[770312]

I read physical, electronic, and audiobooks. I do more of my reading with ebooks than physical books though because Kindles are light and easy. I don't listen to music so everytime I drive I'm listening to a book as well. Physical books are slowly draining me of my pennies, fancy publishers are too irresistible. 

[bipolar bear cub]

I love the smell and feel of real books, the tangibility works well and powers my desire to read.

However I do a lot of audiobooks for things I'm trying to learn, like philosophy or ancient texts.

I get pdf versions of books for back up if I can't bring a book somewhere or if I'm searching to cite something quickly. It's easier to control+f than manually search for something when doing research.

[nameraka]

Content is content.

[bnmjy]

ebooks

My county's library system has a huge e-book collection. Especially useful during a pandemic; you don't have to physically go to a library to get your book, and you don't have to touch anything anyone else has.

I really only prefer physical books if it's heavy on illustrations.

[Real_AirCooledGirl]

I prefer physical books. You can actually hold them in your hands and display them on your shelves. Can't do that with e-books.

[discolé monade]

hardback preferred

[-Ninja_Jesus-]

Ebooks when possible. I am not an organized person and I don’t yet have the space for a bookshelf.