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You read it here first – this is a new chapter for book lovers
THE first time I saw an eReader was in February. I was on a plane, flying back from Egypt. The man in the next seat placed it on the fold-down table and began to read. Normally, I avoid any conversations on planes, as they usually lead to discussions about the quality of hotel resorts and package deals. But I was intrigued enough to ask what the slim, silver object in his hand was.
He was keen to show it to me. He had downloaded all his holiday reading on it – five books in total – which meant he had not had to take five novels with him in his luggage. He let me hold this object. Bound in a leather case, so at first glance it looks like a very slim book, it opened to reveal an elegant silver screen, with a few simple buttons on the bottom. About the size of an average paperback, it was flat, slimmer than a mobile phone and a press of a button revealed at least two dozen novels stored digitally.
Loving books and reading, I had "eReader envy" immediately. I also like technology; I had the same feeling looking at the eReader as when I first saw an iPhone: pure lust. Being a radio broadcaster, I love pressing buttons and use digital technology every day.
I also travel a lot and the idea of being able to download a book whenever I wanted, to have it digitally shrunk on to this hand-held computer screen and not having volumes to carry around appealed to me. I did some research and was put off by the price – about 200 – but loved the idea. I finally gave in four months later, when I was at Terminal 5 at Heathrow and it was on offer in the Duty Free shop. The thought of an eReader and the desire to own one had not diminished.
I love it. However, what I didn't expect was that having it would raise so many other issues. I now miss physically holding a book in my hand. I look nostalgically at my bookshelves – a history of reading from childhood and university to the present day. Books well loved, well handled, feeling familiar and comforting. I miss bookshops themselves – that distinct smell, judging a book by its cover, discovering new authors and being in a place with so much choice right in front of me that I can pick up, discard or buy.
You download eBooks quickly on-line. There are several versions of the eReader available; and an internet search quickly tells you where you can download for your chosen machine. While I had bought actual books online; now I could browse eBooks electronically and choose instantly. This seemed just a little sterile.
Sometimes, the book I may want from a back catalogue is either not available, or very expensive. Online booksellers are just catching on, so choice will improve.
You can get all the latest best sellers and so pulp reading is easy and it is slightly cheaper than buying the actual book. Penguin are promising their catalogue will be online by the end of the year.
You have to get used to reading a one-page screen. There is no glare and the screen is well-lit. The battery life is enormous, so you don't have to keep charging it up.
However, my Sony eReader has a masculine feel to it: dark covers, sophisticated silver on the inside and just geeky enough for the boys. It is up there with shiny iPods and glitzy mobile phones. I'm looking forward to the availability of more "girlie" covers.
One female friend loves her eReader. The Sony comes with 100 classic books free on a CD-Rom and she is happily reading Anna Karenina and all those books you never quite got round to. However, it is her partner who does any online downloading, as she says she hasn't a clue.
But, as I sit with my electronic book, I have wondered just how far this will go. If we all start reading like this, the use of paper may reduce drastically but bookshops will suffer.
We have seen a revolution in the music industry with the downloading of music digitally and all the copyright issues there. The publishing industry – and authors – must have a concern about how downloading will affect them.
E-reading is in its infancy. My view is that it is an extension
of how we read, a convenience. Like having a telephone landline and a mobile phone. This is a way of enjoying books on the go: read and delete.
So, I'm taking no Luddite hammer to electronic reading. It's a brave digital eWorld. I still go in bookshops and just inhale. After all, if I see a book I want, I can always just download it when I get home...
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Saturday 26 May 2012
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