A Book Lover’s Dilemma: E-books or Print Books?
It’s every book lover’s dream to have a never-ending pile of books to read—and to have shelves and shelves full of them. But with the rapid advancement of technology and the ever-increasing prices of paper, a new question pops up in one’s mind whenever they want to buy a book: Should I get the physical or digital copy?
For many avid readers, this question isn’t answered based on preference alone but also on practicality. Many people still prefer the print format but are oftentimes driven to buy an e-book because it’s simply not feasible to have a physical version of every book they want, especially when there aren’t many local libraries to borrow from or bookstores to buy from. Given these factors, e-books offer certain advantages that make them a practical alternative to print books.
The Advantages of an e-book
The cost
At the heart of most decisions where one chooses to buy an e-book is often the difference in price. With limited selections in bookstores and the high cost of paper, e-books have become massively cheaper than print books. With e-books, you can buy more of your favorite reads with the same amount of money.
2. The portability
Aside from their cheaper prices, e-books are also much easier to bring around. They can be accessed anywhere, available on all of your devices for as long as you have the necessary app or browser.
3. The storage
On top of e-books’ portability, they also take up much less space than physical books, often amounting to only a few megabytes on a device. With e-books, it’s possible to bring a whole library containing hundreds—if not thousands—of books with you wherever you go.
However, for those of you who are staunch print book supporters, not to worry! Physical books have their own fair share of advantages over e-books.
The Advantages of a Print Book
The experience
Compared to e-books, most people find the experience of reading a physical book much more enjoyable. The fact that you can touch the book while you read it and feel its pages as you flip through them makes it much more immersive than an e-book.
2. The focus
With print books, there are much less distractions than e-books. Since you forgo the notifications and pop-ups of a device, it’s much easier to focus on what you’re reading. In fact, it’s been proven that physical books actually help with retention and comprehension, as the immersion helps readers better absorb and remember the book.
3. The ownership
Arguably, one of the biggest advantages of a print book is that you get to own it. Once you buy the book, it’s yours. You can do whatever you want to do with it, and that includes lending it to others and annotating it. In contrast, it’s much harder to do so with e-books, as you don’t truly “own” your copy but only the license to access them.
So, should you buy a print book or an e-book? Ultimately, there’s no right or wrong answer, as reading is an experience unique to every person. Those who find themselves traveling often or have too little space at home would probably prefer e-books, while those with enough space and prefer the feel of the book would probably choose to buy the print version. In the end, what matters most is not the form of the book, but rather the reading experience. After all, that’s why we read: not just to learn, but also to enjoy.
