Now, I love to read. Mind you, due to the economic circumstances I like to call: "Having an outrageously high rent", I can't often purchase new books. However, I have quite a collection of older books and read them all regularly. I just love reading, fiction or non-fiction.

So, the new-fangled development when it comes to reading is e-books and e-book readers like the Kindle and iPad. So I thought I'd put it to you fine fellows: Do you prefer a paper book or e-books?

Myself, I have no overt preference, though I suppose I have a soft spot for real books just because of nostalgia. Also, there's something special about curling up under warm covers just before bed to read a few chapters of a favourite book. I don't get that sort of special feeling with a small computer pad and a glowing screen. Maybe its the feeling of paper between fingers, or the smell, or whatever it is, there's just something special about a good book, especially a hardcover (for me, at least), that an e-book reader lacks.

I find it very unpleasant to read long texts on a screen (probably haven't read a single post on this forum that's longer than my monitor) so it's real books for me.

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My real books never need batteries and I never have to worry about changes in format making them obsolete. Until they can make the same promise about e-books, they'll remain a limited part of my library.

I don't know, I kinda like holding 115 books in the palm of my hand.

I have a Kobo. Not the wireless version, the previous one. I bought it in August, and it's apparently already obsolete. Other than a few problems I've had syncing it with my library (when I finish reading a book, it doesn't transfer that to the library; it sets the Kobo back to where I was when I last synced), it works great.

I can't say I have a preference overall, but for reading in bed, definitely my laptop. My bed doesn't get any proper room light (I don't have a bedside light) and having a laptop is like book + warm cat all in one.

I prefer real books. I regard the Kindle as a threat to my livelihood, and I loathe the thought of a favorite out-of-print book being unavailable because the technology to read it is obsolete.

I like both, to be honest. There is really nothing quite like the smell and feel of a book in my hand. I like being able to write in the margins when something important strikes me (textbooks I own, not rented books). However, for someone with limited space, a Kindle is wonderful. I like having thousands of books that take up only virtual space. I like being able to instantly download -- for free -- many classic books, without having to drive anywhere. Most regular fiction is cheaper on Kindle than at Barnes & Noble. The instant download is also pretty important, since physically getting to another location to purchase books is difficult.

Since the Kindle and many other e-readers use electronic paper, it really isn't at all like reading text on a computer monitor. I also really like being able to make the text larger or smaller as needed.

Lady Anne, quite a number of out-of-print books are being saved as ebooks, often available for free. I think that with ebooks we have a much better chance of saving books that would otherwise either be completely lost, or would become collector's items, and thus out of the price range of most people (and libraries). Also, the same person who is going to buy a particular book, whether it be in hard copy or as an ebook, is still not going to the library for that book.

I love real books, but I also have Kindle for Android (tm) and it's pretty sweet because I can read all kinds of books for free. I can also access the internet with the phone, and use it to shave my balls. Pretty neat device.

Plus, the undocumented radiation means you won't need to worry about any accidental pregnancy caused by the contents of your newly smooth scrote!

I have to say real books only because I never had a chance to read e-books. My mom has an e-book reader but she fills it with incredibly boring romance crap so I can't be bothered.

As someone who read e-books on a PDA purchased specifically for that purpose BEFORE IT WAS COOL (aka around the end of 2000 - the bloody stone age as far as e-book tech was concerned), I do quite like the concept of e-books, particularly on a device with a backlit display so you can read in bed without a bedside lamp. Furthermore, e-books are enormous space-savers - no need for shelving etc. Finally, if you are reading texts in foreign languages, there are often dictionary functions built right into the reading device, which is highly practical especially for languages utilizing Chinese characters (because looking those up can take forever if one does not have the right technology on hand). On the other hand, currently, e-books (at least the non-pirated and non-Gutenberg'd ones) are too expensive for what you get - sorry guys, I'm not paying as much for the pure text in file form as I would for a "dead tree" version.

Furthermore, if I was offered to exchange my paper book library for e-books for free, I don't think I could do it. Real books have the advantages that a) they don't need batteries/a charger, b) if I accidentally drop one in the bathtub (rare occurance, but it has happened), I'm not out of hundreds of dollars instantly and can probably even salvage the book, c) the book's contents cannot be altered after you bought it by the respective distributor (here's looking at YOU, Kindle, though this may not be a problem if you use a different platform), d) if you use an e-book reader that is not optimized for, say, outside usage, reading becomes a problem, while with a real book, any light source will do, and e) call me sentimental, but I like the smell of a book and the sensation of turning pages better than pressing buttons.

I'd say that I prefer different types of books for different occasions - if I can only get a text one way, I'll obviously take it that way, but if not, it depends on the price and my personal fancy.

I prefer real books on the basis that my eyes are already bubbling masses of computer screen-heated blood barely held together by cling-film eyeball skin and I don't want to make things any worse.

Saleha wrote:

Nihilist wrote: Android (tm) [...] and use it to shave my balls. Plz to be making how-to video.

Seconding. I just got an Android (tm) powered phone and I want to show the fucker who's boss around here (it is my balls).

Also, I prefer real books. But e-porn.

I would like e-books if it wasn't for the fact that they tend to hurt my eyes after I've been reading them for hours on end. Plus I sort of love the smell of real books.

I like both. I have about 3,000 real books (the space! the shelving!) and I also have a Sony ebook reader (the 505) with 450 ebooks on it. So, I'm torn both ways.