5 Reasons Real Books Beat Out Digital

Alright, I'll admit it, I am way super biased on this particular subject. I am one of those people who avoid reading digitally at almost all costs (yes I even have been known to just print out articles I want to read rather than viewing them online). For me, I think it all comes down to the feel of holding something in your hand and being able to process what your reading without any of the myriad of distractions you face while reading on the web.
For years I've watched the steady decline of my favorite pastime. Between 1992 and 2002, there was an estimated 14% decline in reading in the U.S. (Source: National Endowment for the Arts, Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America, June 2004.)This trend has been so distressing, that I more than welcomed the advent of eReaders in the last few years. Now however, I worry that digital books will edge out the printed words that I so dearly love (just as digital music has all but destroyed the cd market in recent years).
On that note, here are 5 reasons that real books beat out their digital counterparts everytime.

1. What happens when your 3 year old grabs your eReader out of your purse and drops it on the floor or starts banging out a melody on the kitchen table? How about just the everyday dangers that objects in your purse are subjected to? I know I won't even keep a bag of chips in mine, they end up smashed to pieces before I get a chance to eat them. When I grab my book and throw it in my purse as I head out the door, the last thing I want to worry about is having it break due to the rigors of living in my purse.I also have been known to keep a book in my car, one in my locker at work, on in the bathroom...you get the idea. I for sure couldn't keep up these practices if I relied on ebooks, if only because I would be terrified of having them stolen. And lets not even get into trying to keep an Nook or a Kindle safe in the bathroom, with small children I don't think that would even be possible.
2. One of the best parts about a printed book is that they need nothing other than a set of eyes to be made to work. There are no batteries to charge or replace, no cords to connect and keep track of. No screen protectors to purchase, and no worrying over protecting the screen if you opt out of buying them. No keeping track of battery life or memory left. No organizing, no brightness and contrast adjusting, and no size increases (although it would be kinda neat to make the text bigger sometimes without needing reading glasses). Even if all those things don't seem like a real big deal, think about this; what happens when in the first hour of your 10 hour road trip, your eReader takes a dump and completely stops working? Don't we all know that technology always breaks down at the worst possible time??? I think I'll go low tech and reliable any day thank you very much.
3. When it's time to go and buy a new book, chances are there are multiple outlets within a couple miles of your home which offer a wide selection of titles as well as prices. From the big box stores like Barnes & Noble, to the small mom and pop bookstores than can still be found in small town America. From thrift stores, to flea markets, yard sales and church rummage sales, pretty much anywhere you go, you can find books worth reading at a reasonable price. And if driving to get your books is outside of your comfort zone (or if you live out in the boonies) you can always browse from the comfort of your living room on all the many websites out there. Obviously this gives you a far greater selection to choose from versus electronic books, just on the basis that you can't buy ebooks at Goodwill. It's also good to keep in mind that when purchasing ebooks (or print books for that matter) online, it's sometimes difficult to know who to trust. ALWAYS do your research before purchasing online, research the site, as well as the book. You'll be glad you did.
4. When you purchase an ebook, there are always conditions upon your using and distributing it.
   

   "Only certain eBooks are eligible for lending......a customer who has purchased an eBook on the Barnes & Noble.com Site may loan that eBook to only one person. Currently, the maximum number of times that an eBook can be lent is once per eBook title for a period of up to 14 days."(Source: Barnes & Noble TOS)

   "you may not modify, adapt, translate, rent, lease, loan, sublicense, assign, resell or otherwise distribute in any way the Manuscript"(Source: Free-eBooks.net Terms of Service)

   "The Software will provide Amazon with data about your Kindle and its interaction with the Service (such as available memory, up-time, log files, and signal strength). The Software will also provide Amazon with information related to the Digital Content on your Kindle and Other Devices and your use of it (such as last page read and content archiving). Annotations, bookmarks, notes, highlights, or similar markings you make using your Kindle or Reading Application and other information you provide may be stored on servers that are located outside the country in which you live" (Source: Amazon License Agreement and Terms of Use)

   As you can see, a purchased eBook is anything but your personal property. There are limits placed on just about every aspect of use and ownership. They even tell you how long you can loan a book for!! To me that is just completely ridiculous (although some of my friends might light to enforce that on me since I am notorious at holding onto borrowed books, I always return them though, scouts honor!). And I don't care how private a company's Privacy Policy is, I'm not sure I'm entirely comfortable with them collecting data from my eReader on my reading habits. This all boils down to property ownership. When I buy a book, whether from a book store or from the flea market, I know that I own that book, it officially becomes my possesion after purchasing. I can read it, loan it to a friend, donate it to the library (transfer ownership), I could rent it out (think textbooks), I could record myself reading the book and have it as part of a podcast, and best of all, when I'm finished with it I can sell it at any number of places, including my own front yard. Stand up for your rights and buy hard copies!
5. Books are a one time buy, that cost little or even nothing if you look hard enough. There's no chance of accidentally having them deleted,  no hardware needed to use them ('cept glasses if you need them). You don't even need to own them to be able to read them! Just visit your local library, or browse your friend's shelves, and take as needed. You can even just head to the local bookstore and curl up in one of their cozy chairs and dive in. Any way you look at it, actual books are by far cheaper than their digital counterparts.

 Which do you prefer, real or digital books? 

Leave a comment below, and weigh in on the debate.