Comments on: The Tactile Book http://blog.bookoven.com/2008/10/18/the-tactile-book/ we make books Thu, 04 Mar 2010 17:37:51 -0800 hourly 1 By: hugh http://blog.bookoven.com/2008/10/18/the-tactile-book/comment-page-1/#comment-22 hugh Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:21:27 +0000 http://blog.bookoven.com/?p=395#comment-22 Especially when you imagine this: you could spread the entire corpus of written human knowledge (pre-1923) everywhere in the world, essentially for free, using ubiquitous ebook readers already in the hands of just about every teacher in even the poorest countries in the world: that is, the mobile phone. Especially when you imagine this: you could spread the entire corpus of written human knowledge (pre-1923) everywhere in the world, essentially for free, using ubiquitous ebook readers already in the hands of just about every teacher in even the poorest countries in the world: that is, the mobile phone.

]]> By: Christine http://blog.bookoven.com/2008/10/18/the-tactile-book/comment-page-1/#comment-21 Christine Mon, 20 Oct 2008 12:57:01 +0000 http://blog.bookoven.com/?p=395#comment-21 I never thought about ebooks that way. I was stuck comparing the two. I see now though it's just different. Access, portability, utility. I get it. Very helpful. Thanks. I never thought about ebooks that way. I was stuck comparing the two. I see now though it’s just different. Access, portability, utility. I get it. Very helpful. Thanks.

]]> By: hugh http://blog.bookoven.com/2008/10/18/the-tactile-book/comment-page-1/#comment-20 hugh Mon, 20 Oct 2008 11:39:18 +0000 http://blog.bookoven.com/?p=395#comment-20 There should be no tension between loving the object of the book, and recognizing the usefulness of ebooks - whether or not you choose to use ebooks yourself. Portability, choice, access, convenience, etc are all advantages of the ebook, versus permanence, tactile feedback, and a host of other technological advantages of books. But "I prefer not to use ebooks" should not be confused with "ebooks will not be used by anyone." After all, I *prefer* to talk to people face-to-face, but I recognize the *utility* of the telephone...and in a sense one has very little to do with the other. I'd suggest the same could be said of ebooks. There should be no tension between loving the object of the book, and recognizing the usefulness of ebooks – whether or not you choose to use ebooks yourself. Portability, choice, access, convenience, etc are all advantages of the ebook, versus permanence, tactile feedback, and a host of other technological advantages of books.

But “I prefer not to use ebooks” should not be confused with “ebooks will not be used by anyone.”

After all, I *prefer* to talk to people face-to-face, but I recognize the *utility* of the telephone…and in a sense one has very little to do with the other. I’d suggest the same could be said of ebooks.

]]> By: Christine http://blog.bookoven.com/2008/10/18/the-tactile-book/comment-page-1/#comment-19 Christine Mon, 20 Oct 2008 04:21:06 +0000 http://blog.bookoven.com/?p=395#comment-19 Good. Now I don't feel so weird for smelling my books. At the risk of sounding like a luddite, I just don't see the appeal of ebooks. I am too much in love with the book as a whole. It's not just about the words and ideas. Favorite books are precious things to be treasured, shared, given away. Good. Now I don’t feel so weird for smelling my books. At the risk of sounding like a luddite, I just don’t see the appeal of ebooks. I am too much in love with the book as a whole. It’s not just about the words and ideas. Favorite books are precious things to be treasured, shared, given away.

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