> The printed book will long survive as an aesthetic object. Electronic > books will replace it the way the horse replaced the automobile, for > day-to-day, practical, utilitarian purposes. Reading a novel, > getting a > recipe, etc. >
The mistake you're making, Mark, is thinking that reading a novel, or even a recipe book, is a utilitarian activity like getting from A to B. It isn't. Reading a classic book is like looking at a Rembrandt painting. There is a world of difference between looking at an original oil painting and looking at a reproduction, and it encompasses not just the act of looking, but also everything that goes around it, such as the gallery, the place, the people, the other pictures in that place, and many other factors. Reading a printed book is a similar experience and goes beyond the words themselves to encompass the book itself, your surroundings and so on. It's a long way from being utilitarian. If you (and more importantly the producers of e-readers) don't understand that then these devices are doomed to fail. Bob -- PDML Pentax-Discuss Mail List [email protected] http://pdml.net/mailman/listinfo/pdml_pdml.net to UNSUBSCRIBE from the PDML, please visit the link directly above and follow the directions.
