On Books and Ebooks 

by Hugh McGuire

Co-founder of BookOven.com, founder of LibriVox.org

Posted: October 28, 2008 12:29 PM

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hugh-mcguire/on-books-and-ebooks_b_138340.html

Ebooks are not in opposition to print & paper books; they are a parallel tool to get the content contained in a book.

This Huffington Post article may not be the newest article in the world, but I think the statement above summarizes it well.

I have a Kindle. I enjoy using it. I love that I can carry multiple books on it at one time. If I don't feel like reading one book just then, I have options.

And there is nothing like holding a book in your hands: the smell, the weight of the book, the textures. It's a  heady, sensory experience that feeds the mind as well. Plus I love looking at them on the shelves. Some of them are real treasures to me.

And I used to love audio books for long car rides. Audio books have been a blessing for my mother whose eye sight is no longer the best in the world.

What do you think? Are ebooks in danger of replacing print books? Or, are they simply a parallel resource?

PS: At the bottom of the Hugh McGuire article there are a few websites listed with links for free ebooks such as Project Gutenburg.