E-book vs Paper book

People who enjoy reading often find themselves asking the question of which book format would best suit them: paper or digital? I will attempt to share my experience in navigating this dilemma.

According to Statista, a market research company, 23.4% of Americans purchased at least one e-book in 2020, while 44.6% purchased at least one printed book during the same year. Additionally, 32% of Americans did not purchase any books that year (fortunate individuals). These statistics suggest that people in the United States still prefer printed books for reading.

Why e-books?

There are several reasons why e-books can be advantageous:

1. Ease of information retrieval: Using the search function in an e-book makes it much easier to find and retrieve specific information. This saves a significant amount of time and effort, which is not possible with printed books.

2. Highlighting and quick referencing: E-books allow you to highlight and annotate any part you need. You can easily find and refer back to those highlights within seconds without causing any damage to the book itself. This is a feature that printed books lack.

3. Portability and accessibility: By using e-book apps like Kindle on your phone or tablet, you can have your entire library with you wherever you go. It provides convenience and easy access to a wide range of books at any time.

Based on these advantages, my conclusion is that e-books are particularly well-suited for non-fiction books that require logical analysis, rely on knowledge, and contain information that you may need to reference frequently.

Why printed books?

1 A paper book appeals not only to vision but also to tactile perception through touch. You can hear the rustle of pages or tap a book on a table. And, of course, you can smell it. I love the smell of books, the mixture of typography ink and paper glue scents. Printed books have a stronger emotional impact compared to their electronic counterparts.

2 I see an author behind printed books, and I can imagine them. Reading a printed book is not just about consuming information; it's more like having a conversation with a wise person from the past. Somehow, when I read e-books, the author remains entirely anonymous to my imagination. I find it difficult to recall their name after finishing an e-book.

3 I don't sleep well after reading an e-book. Initially, it was a subjective feeling until I learned about the blue light effect. Screens such as TVs, phones, e-readers, emit blue light, which inhibits our body's production of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone that helps us fall asleep, so if our body doesn't produce enough of it, we struggle to sleep. Therefore, if you have trouble with sleep, you should be cautious with digital reading.

My conclusion is that fictional books or any other books that appeal to your emotions should be read in printed versions.

We would also like to offer you our paper leather bound book Frankenstein by Mary Shelley.