Paperchains

Sometimes it’s a delight to hold and read a printed book: the texture of the cover, the weight of the book, the beauty of the fonts and images all bring a luxurious aesthetic to the experience of reading. People commonly enjoy reading works of fiction printed on paper.

But sometimes books are just tools — we want to look up a fact, discover a technique, make notes, learn something. Often a printed book is not as convenient or efficient as an electronic text where you can use the power of the computer to search for a word or phrase, highlight or annotate the text, copy and paste extracts into a storage file, or click a link to further information.

The next time you’re looking for a textbook, a reference book, and instructional work, think about whether an electronic copy would meet your needs. Publishers don’t always make it easy to find their (legal) ebook versions, but they are often available if you look hard enough.

One immediate advantage is that delivery is instant: purchase and download, the start reading. No waiting for couriers or postal services.

And then, you don’t have to store or dispose of the book: no bookshelves required. Your ebook will likely fit easily, with hundreds of others on a CD, or store it on your computer’s hard drive or an online secure storage service.

As an example of needing to look around, consider the book Maria Langer and I co-wrote: WordPress 2 Visual Quickstart Guide. Buy the easy-to-find print version from Amazon, or buy the ebook from the publisher. Or, join the Safari Online service and read the book online.

Next time you’re thinking of buying a book take a moment to consider: is print the best format for this book for me, or can I do it differently?