Print vs. eBook

My personal dilemma for a couple years has been whether or not I'd like or want to buy an ebook reader. I've read reviews and watched youtube videos with commentary on which ones are best, but I still have reservations about buying one (besides the price).

Some of that dilemma is that I do enjoy having a book physically in my hands. I love flipping through a new book for that new-book smell or breathing in the scent of old-books when walking into used bookstores. It's great to be able to peruse bookshops, to pick up a book, leaf through it, see if it sounds interesting or if the writing style catches my attention, and then have the ability to purchase it or put it back.

That's part of the experience that cannot be replaced with ebooks. The best a person can get to looking into an ebook before purchasing it would be to read the summary or maybe a short excerpt. It's just not the same.

On the other hand, running out of space on my bookshelves is a reality, not a possibility. I spent much of this past summer building more bookcases and bookshelves. So having a small, light-weight machine that can fit tons of books would be nice.

A disadvantage to eBooks is that some people like to or need to write in books they read, underlining and/or circling passages and writing in the margins, which they cannot do in electronic format readers. In the future this will likely be added to the abilities of ebook readers, but for now, all one can do is highlight some pages.

I've read articles about a few universities that have tested the use of ebook readers for students. It didn't work out for several reasons. One was because there were complaints from students about not being able to mark-up the text. Another was that they were unable to quickly skim through the books to search for certain parts, which was especially troublesome when writing papers or taking tests where there are time limits. There was also some dissent about this because people who are blind or have severe visual handicaps cannot use ebooks. ='(

Then again, I suppose it would been more economical and Earth-friendly to read ebooks. It would reduce the impact of global warming (saving trees & forests = less carbon in the atmosphere). Of course, I have no idea what all goes into making the eBook readers, all that metal and computer chips and whatnot. Machines, especially computers, are widely used but infrequently mentioned when it comes to the negative impact on the Earth's resources that it takes to make them. Why is that? Because we love computers, have become dependent on them, and do not want excuses about how the manufacture of them might be adding to the world destruction. (lol. A bit dramatic, no?)

And because eBooks use less of our planet's resources to make them, they are sometimes less expensive than print versions of the same book. Or at least, they could be if publishers wanted to sell them for cheaper. I suppose the eBook market would skyrocket if prices went down, but that would be highly detrimental to publisher's print book sales. And people are too stingy for that in this economy, be that good or bad.

However I still would like to go into the publishing business, since I won't likely be able to become a published writer very quickly after college. Hence, I would be investing my job/career/income in the print book market. If I bought eBooks readers and endorsed them, that would be damaging to the industry I'm hoping to suceed in.

My grandpa once said that books are the only form of entertainment that are small enough to fit in your pocket that need no batteries to operate. I suppose some smartass could argue for a deck of cards, but you get the point. Even though ebook readers' batteries have a long life, they still need to be recharged every few days (or more often for the voracious reader). And many paperback books can still fit in a person's pocket, although I'm way too anal about keeping my books in pristine condition to do something like shoving them in my pocket. ^^;

The other issue is that I own a few dozen ebooks already. I read them on my laptop and have no problem staring at the screen for hours (I do so anyway nearly every day at work or at home doing homework). So, why would I want to buy an eBook reader?

Because it'd be more light-weight than my laptop.
But it's an extra expense I don't need.
I know. Which is partly why I haven't bought one.
The prices for ebook readers are decreasing every year.
Exactly.
What then?
The dilemma continues!