Unit 3- Blog- Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn
After reading the article, “Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn”, Robert Bringhurst seems aggravated by the changes that took place of how books were made and the invention of the electronic form of a book. His love for books in this article is impressive, “It was through just such disintegrating paperbacks that many of us first learned how powerful books could be-and how much they deserved to be better designed and more lovingly and durably constructed” (Bringhurst p.23). In this article, Bringhurst does not believe there is any benefit to the digital type other than speed. His comment, “…in fact it may be downright ugly, as most things typed on computers now are…” (p 24) makes me think he is against computers and things that are made by them. Sounds as if he needs to get with the times and get with the digital age. A lot has changed in the two and a half years since this was written. Almost everything now a days is done on a computer or we say, “google it” and the information we need is right there in front of us in seconds. I would bet Bringhurt’s views would be different if we asked his opinion today on electronic books and the online material that can be so easily accessed.
Information can be found so much faster and easier now that computers are such a large part of most people’s lives. Yes, there are good things about books, how you can turn the pages, feel the cover in your hands, smell the pages, and really look at the colors of the cover. There are also a lot of good things about the electronic books other than just speed. You can carry literally hundreds of book around with you in your purse or pocket, they do not take up space in your home and they save trees and forests. There are positives to both versions of how a book can be made, digital or written.
Bringhurst makes a point in his article, “If the custodians of manuscripts and printed books allow those treasures to disappear, nothing will replace then either” (Bringhurst, p. 25). I believe this, but I do not think anyone is going to try and stop things being transformed into a digital form. When things transform into a digital form, like I said before, things become more assessable for readers who are in need for something right at that moment.
I found a web link, http://www.thrall.org/docs/ebooksandbooks.pdf, which compares eBooks and books at a glance. It compares everything between, legibility to greenness. This website talks about the ease of eBooks and books, “eBook readers and eBook software requires some very basic computer experience. Each eBook reader works differently and must be learned. Many eBooks cannot be shared due to licensing restrictions and “Digital Rights.”” (Comparing eBooks & Books, n.d). “Books are “as easy as it gets” in terms of use: you just open them up and start reading. No computers are necessary. Books can be shared and resold, unlike many eBooks locked into computer formats and licensing terms. Books can be browsed, while eBooks can be searched” (Comparing eBooks & Books, n.d).
I think there is a lot to be said about electronic books and other information. I would much rather read a digital book than have a ton of books on my shelf. Maybe it is because I am younger, I do not know, but my Mom feels differently about books. She would rather have a ton of books and hold them in her hand rather than have a digital copy. My Dad even bought her a Kindle for Christmas, but she still reads her “real books”. It would seem, it depends on the generation and that person’s preference to digital books or the actual book.
Work Cited
Bringhurst, Robert; Bay, Heriot. “Why There Are Pages and Why They Must Turn.” World
Literature Today 82.5 (2008): 20-26. Web. 16 February 2011.
Comparing eBooks & Books. Middletown Thrall Library. (n.d) Retrieved on February 18, 2011, from:
Vanessa,
ReplyDeleteYour explanation was almost the exact same as mine. The article you found that gave great detail of the differences from eBooks and actual books was pretty interesting. Our idea’s are pretty much identical about the fact that the digital age is encompassing the age of speed and feasibility, hint’s the fact that you were talking about how many books you are able to carry at once in your purse. This same number would be impossible with regular hardback books. This author should truly look at the differences within the text since in my opinion, there is no difference at all. The whole computer era is evolving due to the speed of printers, Internet, and the vast existence of space within a computer. Overall, great blog! It was interesting to read and I liked that I felt on topic when our blogs were nerely parallel in our thinking.
Nicholas Phillips