The Advantages of Physical Books

For years there have been whisperings of digital book readers which can store hundreds of novels; early adopters trumpeted the benefits of being able to carry your entire library around in your pocket, and the joys of switching between novels at a whim.



Now the age of the digital book has truly arrived. Ads for digital book readers are on bus shelters and the TV – ebooks are even appearing on public transport, the same way iPods did in the mid-noughties.



While ebooks have many benefits, though, there are also several unique advantages to physical books. Books are both a vehicle for knowledge and entertainment, and an aesthetically pleasing ornament; from leather-bound volumes of Dickens to glossy airport thrillers, few things bring a touch of class to a room in the same way as a wall of books.



For many avid readers, your bookshelf is your trophy cabinet, where you display your social capital and your literary tastes – the books you enjoy (and the ones you feel you should enjoy but haven’t quite gotten around to reading yet). Visitors inevitably browse through their friends’ bookshelves, and there are few objects that bring more pleasure to loan to friends than a favourite book (presuming that it’s eventually returned!).

One advantage of ebooks is that they allow you to switch quickly and easily between reading material, but it could be argued that books are meant to be enjoyed in a different way to magazines and websites. Rather than flicking between books absorbing bites of information, novels often require the reader’s full attention – holding a physical book, where you can clearly see your progress through the pages, provides a focus for the reader’s concentration.



Then there’s the pleasure of entering a book shop itself. Whether it’s a musty second hand shop with tomes piled haphazardly against the walls, or a well-stocked chain where you can get a coffee with your Kafka, shopping in a book shop is unlike any other form of retail therapy. You can browse as long as you like, you can even sit down and sample the wares before buying, and because the items you’re purchasing are purely for your entertainment but also carry an edifying cache of knowledge, you can splurge on books and walk away feeling both indulgent and intellectually improved.



Physical books, being made from paper and glue, also never need to be recharged – and they make fantastic, and reasonably priced, gifts, which can be inscribed to ensure the receiver never forgets who generously gave the gift.



Whether it’s a hardback, paperback, picture book or coffee table book, all physical books benefit from the same advantages – but be careful, once you start collecting books, you may find it difficult to stop!