The Irreplacable Books

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

In his article "Books and Other Fetish Objects," James Gleick describes the thrill a bibliophile or historian can get from handling an old text.  He is quite right-- It is a thrilling experience.  However, merely handling any book can be an experience in itself.  There is something that makes one feel comfortably blissful while holding a book, and despite the good qualities of digital texts, this feeling is something that they cannot replace.  Gleick wonders in his article if the ease of e-texts are "an example of 'be careful what you wish for?'"  I am inclined to have the same concern.

Recently, I was scandalized when someone said he couldn't wait for the day when libraries focused on ebooks and were fully online.  Libraries?  Entirely digitized?  No more books?!  I found the thought so horrible that it actually made me a little sick to my stomach, and I replied to my acquaintance that I hoped I never saw that day. 

I can't imagine a world without books.  I agree fully with Jorge Luis Borges that "...Paradise will be a kind of library," and by that same token I believe a world without books would be a living Hell.
  

Don't misunderstand me.  I believe that digital books certainly have their uses.  An e-reader would be exceptionally useful on a long airplane trip, for example.  Digital sources can be more easily searched, and therefore are a blessing and a boon to any student or researcher. However-- despite my working as an IT tech-- I do not agree with the common philosophy that newer is always better.  I don't think books ought to be completely replaced.  The idea of a world without them is both distasteful and frightening to me.  I believe that libraries would loose a lot of their beauty and charm in they became no more than E-Book Rental Stations-- if, indeed there was any need to have a physical building at all.

The fact is that while, as I've said, digital texts have their virtues, they also have their drawbacks-- which most people foolishly tend to over look.  Besides the fact that e-readers lack the comforting presence and stately appearance of books, they are also short-lived.  Technology, by it's very nature, moves forward quickly, and thus the e-reader one pays $300 for will be out-dated within only a few years.  A person who bought an e-reader five years ago, when nearly every MicroSoft-related gadget was compatible with Windows XP, may find that their e-reader will not work with their new Windows 7 laptop.  Beyond that, their is the fact that machines-- all machines-- wear down over time.  E-readers and computers are no different.  Even if they do not become obsolete, they will eventually crash.

Of course, I might be a little bias.  Bibliophile is a very accurate term for me, as I am admittedly addicted.  I simply can't get enough books.  I love them not only for their content- though that, of course, is a a great source of joy- but for their look, their feel and their smell.  There are few sights I find more comforting and uplifting than a book shelf- and in fact I dream of having a library in my home.  If there is any better way to spend a cold, rainy day then curled up in an easy chair by a fire with a good book and a cup of coffee, I haven't found it.  If there is any more pleasant activity for a mild spring or autumn afternoon than sitting out door reading, I have never heard of it.  Books are my constant companions, and make the most excellent of acquaintances- quiet, unassuming and amiable.
  

Employees at the local Borders, as well as at both my county and campus libraries, know me by sight.  My favorite haunts, however, are used bookstores.  I often tell friends that books are never really "used," just "pre-loved."  "Besides," I'm likely to add.  "Books are like people; It's what's on the inside that counts!"  There's something fundamentally endearing about used books, and, of course, the prince increases their appeal.
  

You see, I am a re-reader.  I can't help it.  When I find a really good story, a book that touches my soul, or just an interesting tome of knowledge, I read it again and again.  (There are some favorites, like J. R. R. Tolkien's the Lord of the Rings that I read almost annually.)  This, combined with my love for the mere presence of books, leads me to buy a great number, and to almost never discard any of them.  (I've been known to purchase as many as 50 books from a single library sale.  As I said previously, I am truly addicted.)

I read nearly everything; From histories to fantasies, from true crime and mystery to sociology and politics, I love it all.  A well written book on any subject is always a welcome addition to my collection.  I'm afraid I've become an infamous know-it-all, especially on certain favorite subjects, due to my constant reading and research.  I try not to be, but I seem to fail often enough to spawn a number of good-humored jibes.
  

True, I could find much of the same information online, and honestly it would probably be quicker and easier to locate in that format, but nothing can ever replace the gentle weight of a book in my lap, the whisper of turning pages, and the distinct, soothing smell of a bound tome.  Reading, I think, is more than an activity.  It is an experience to be enjoyed and savored; something unique that both provides tranquil solace and draws readers together.