Books!

January 28, 2014 at 5:07 pm | Posted in History, Publishing, Reading, Ways of Living, Writing and Life | 13 Comments
Tags: children, coffee table, digital books, digital publishing, e-books digital books, electronic delivery, libraries, print books

   Most of the time, when I enter somebody’s home, I can immediately tell whether or not there are readers in the house.

There might be a book lying on a table or by a chair. There could be a bookshelf in the living room or a pile of books on the coffee table.

I know that anyone who comes into our home would know that we are dedicated readers, The crammed-full bookshelves around the walls, the books sitting on the coffee tables and the dining table, as well as tucked into nooks and crannies here and there would tell them.

I have never not had books in the house. I grew up with books and they became my delight and my escape. I am pleased to say that all our grown-up children also have books and they are passing that love onto our grandchildren.

One wall in my study

In our house now, my husband and I have bookcases filled with books – lots of books – in every room but the bathroom. There are also boxes of books in our garage that we don’t have room for in the house. We have more books than we need, but I would never say there are more than we want.

I taught for some years in remote indigenous communities where books were foreign objects. You would never see a book in any of their homes. They had never been a part of the culture, because their culture was an oral one. But that oral culture has been breaking down for years.

One of my greatest delights was teaching the children to read. Another was helping the adults tell their stories and writing them down. We made books in class which the children illustrated. The children could then read them as well as listen to them, and they would not be lost amidst the tantalising enticements of television and movies.

Many years later, those children communicate with me and others through writing and reading. Some of them have travelled overseas to places they would not have known about but for their knowledge of reading.  Indeed, one person just today said how thankful she is to be able to read. I am sure that if I went into her home now, there would be at least a few books and magazines around. I am thankful for that.

   The tremendous increase in electronic delivery of reading matter over the last couple of years has led, in some sections of the community, to a change in patterns of reading.

Many who once bought printed books now buy electronic books either instead of print or as well as. My husband and I buy both; digital books are very convenient for when we are travelling, though some types of books are still more suitable for print rather than digital format.

I have heard several people say they are getting rid of their print libraries and just having e-books that will no longer take up space, or “clutter” their homes. I can’t imagine not having print books. The feel, smell and delight in them cannot be replaced by a plastic screen as far as I am concerned.

However, it is almost inevitable (unless there is a major breakdown or change in the earth’s electrical environment) that most reading matter will eventually be delivered electronically.

When that happens, how will we be able to tell when we are entering the home of a book-lover?

(c) Linda Visman

Where do you stand on the print-digital spectrum in book formatting and reading? Do you prefer one over the other?