BY: CAROLINE ROLF
I love books – printed books. I have been visiting my local library since I was old enough to read. I love how they smell and the rough texture of the dated pages. I make notes in the margins and highlight important quotes. When my eyes can’t stay open anymore, I dog-ear the current page and drift off dreaming of fictional characters in a colourful world.
No, I’m not a retired bifocals enthusiast, who has given up on bras and needs an air-conditioned place to go between reruns of Pride and Prejudice. I am a 20-something student who likes to spend time in the library between classes and checks out used bookstores in my neighbourhood. I’m not alone in my love for books; many other millennials are evidence that digital natives actually prefer print. Oh, the irony.
In the next few months, bookstores are set to open in Chicago, Seattle and Wisconsin among others, which is undoubtedly an inconceivable gamble in a digital crazed society. But maybe not.
Rejoice paper lovers – we are seeing e-book sales slowing as many independent bookstores say their sales are rising. The Bookseller magazine says that the five largest general trade publishers in the UK, including Penguin Random House and Simon & Schuster, saw their ebook sales fall in 2015. So for those of you who predicted the extinction of the physical novel, to see print co-existing with ebooks might force you to reassess the domination of the digital market. However, digital publication will continue to remain an important element for many businesses.
Bookstores offer something quirky and unmatched by any online retailer. There’s nothing like the feeling of reading in natural light without a glare on your story, flipping physical pages and making it clear to those surrounding you that you’re definitely not playing Farmville. Some stories simply cannot be read on a device, like the psychological thriller The Girl on the Train. What’s more is the delight of finding a real gem for a cheap price at a used outlet.
Despite my witness to several bookstores closing in the past year, I still believe in supporting the little guys and trying a new author at the library before investing in a hard cover. Sometimes, you have a specific book you’re searching for and sometimes, on a rainy day, you’re just browsing the dusty stacks. The thing is, with a selection encased in brick and mortar, you never know what you’ll find. Perhaps the choice between print and digital doesn’t have to be black and white – perhaps one does not have to disappear for the other to flourish. For the time being, it is satisfying to think that the pendulum is easing back towards print.
Image sourcing: pradorevista.com, the-digital-reader.com
