Introduction
During the recent years, the opposition between paper books and e-books has become quite topical. Numerous people nowadays argue about whether it is more comfortable to use a printed book or a digital device for reading. Although an increasing number of people choose e-books over paper ones, printed editions remain in demand. Some people, conversely, prefer paper books to their digital analogues. Whereas paper books are less accessible and comfortable for transporting than electronic analogues, they outdo digital ones in a wide range of parameters: printed books are better for health and do not depend on electricity, they also create a magic atmosphere, help to concentrate while reading and are more comfortable in use for some students.
Advantages of Paper Books
About half a thousand years ago, educated people of the European society were stunned with the revolution in book production. The first printing-press appeared to cause the threat of replacement for hand-written books by printed ones. It seems that the similar revolution is happening nowadays, as printed books get replaced by e-books. However, this time changes may turn out to be less radical and unequivocal. Reading printed editions is not only better for health, it is also more pleasant and helps to concentrate on the plot. These are the reasons why paper books remain popular among readers and surpass digital sources in some parameters.
Better for Health
The most important argument for paper books is that they are less harmful to human health than e-books. It is believed that monitors have a bad influence on the eyesight, thus, reading digital books strongly strains the eyes. Reading a printed source does not have such a dangerous impact on human ocular organs, surely if there is enough light and the reader sits in the right position. Besides, researches show that “electronic documents are hard to follow by the eyes, and that sympathetic nervous activity is induced in association with the rise of fatigue related to eyes and reading” (Bando et al., 2017, p. 49). These results prove the statement that printed books are better for those who have problems with eyesight and those who want to avoid them.
The Unique Atmosphere
Another reason for choosing paper books over electronic ones may seem unimportant, but it is significant true for “bookworms-aesthetes”. According to the taste of this type of people, books that do not smell like printer’s ink or sound like crunchy paper are unpleasant to read. Tactile sensation of pages, their sound and the hypnotic monotonous activity of turning them – all these factors increase the amount of pleasure from reading a paper volume. E-books do not create this magical atmosphere, which makes the process of reading more automatic and less exciting.
Independence from Electricity
Moreover, paper books are less dependent upon such technical achievements as electricity, plugs, and charging devises. To read a paper book, one needs a book itself and some light from the sun, a candle, or a lamp. Although it is possible to read an e-book without any light, the devise itself has to be charged. Moreover, an owner of the e-book has to use the Internet to download books, while a paper book does not require it.
A Better Concentration
It is also believed that a person reading a paper book is more attentive and concentrated than the one reading an e-book. Printed volumes are thought to provide a deeper immersion in the subject and a stronger emotional connection with the content. There are several reasons that can explain this curious fact. First, reading a paper book requires a closer physical contact with the pages, which makes the reader involved in the subject as well. Second, if there are other apps on the device used for reading, it is possible that a reader will be distracted by scrolling through these apps instead of reading. Finally, a collection of read books standing on the bookshelf is a clear evidence of the progress, which can motivate to continue reading.
Better for Education
Last but not least, paper books, according to some researchers, are more useful and effective for the process of education. First, it is possible to use more than one paper book at a time, while a reader should have several electronic devices to use more than one digital book at the same moment. Second, it is easier to work with several different pages in one book when it is a paper volume. It may also be more comfortable to use bookmarks and to write down some notes in the printed edition because it makes them more material and real. According to the research by Omodani et al. (2018), students using paper sources were more likely to give right answers to the questions than students using e-books or tablets. These results prove that the information read in the paper book is more likely to be understood and remembered.
The Predominance of Printed Books
The reasons above justify the devotion of most people to paper books. People prefer printed editions as they consider them as better for health and more pleasant to read. Moreover, working with printed books is more comfortable and productive, which makes paper volumes popular among scientists, teachers, and students. According to the research by Pew Research Center (2019), about 37% of American readers use paper books only, compared to approximately 7% of respondents preferring e-books. The amount of people who use both printed and digital editions is growing because combining these alternatives allows to benefit from both of them.
Advantages of E-books
E-books, similar to paper books, have their advantages that make them comfortable for some people. The most evident benefit of digital sources is their accessibility, which makes it easy to read any book without leaving the house. Moreover, one electronic devise is more portable than a stack of voluminous and heavy books. These benefits are important for some situations and make e-books a worthy adversary for the printed ones. However, e-books have a wide range of disadvantages, the most significant among which are eye strain, reduction of concentration and productivity, distracting factors, and some discomfort while using more than one book at a time. Contrarily, paper books may be uneasy to access and heavy to transport, but they do less harm to the eyesight, facilitate concentration and increase the amount of pleasure from reading.
Conclusion
Paper books have proved themselves as a reliable source of education and entertainment. People have been using them for centuries to share knowledge, spend some spare time, and create art. Although nowadays we have other information medium to use apart from paper, printed editions do not become useless or unnecessary. They provide people with information in a comfortable, healthy, and pleasant way. Paper books shall continue staying high in demand and frequently used, as they have a wide range of advantages. The tradition of reading printed volumes shall persist in the future to open this magical process of reading paper books to future generations.
References
Bando, S., Asano, H. & Nozawa, A. (2017). Analysis of physiological effect of reading books by paper and electronic medium. Electronics and Communications in Japan, 100(5), 44-50.
Omodani, M., Ota, N. & Eguchi, K. (2018). Comparison of paper and electronic media for studying tools. SID Symposium Digest of Technical Papers, 49(S1), 112-114.
Perrin, A. (2019). One-in-five Americans now listen to audiobooks. Pew Research Center. Web.