Eli Bendersky's website Note: "Kindle" here can be probably replaced with any good electronic book reader. I only happen to own a Kindle, so my personal opinion is confined to it.
Here are some thoughts on the relative merits of "real" paper books and books read on a Kindle:
Why a Kindle is better (in no particular order):
- Smaller, slimmer and lighter than most books, while still being big enough to provide a good holding and reading experience.
- Much easier to put down and come back to the correct spot later. Not only you don't need a physical marker, but the pages themselves are significantly smaller so it's easy to stop at the first paragraph and know this is where you should resume reading. I appreciate this a lot when reading while watching my daughter, which means I should put the book down each minute or two and come back to it later.
- Easier and cleaner to highlight interesting sections and get back to them later - no need to keep a pen around.
- A blessing when reading several books simultaneously (which is frequently the case for me). This becomes quite important when traveling.
- Practically every book from Amazon available for you 15 seconds after you decide you want to read it (and you can read a sample before paying).
- Has a built-in clock.
- Has built-in dictionaries and you can install more.
- Adjustable font size is a blessing for people with poor eyesight (although this is thankfully not my problem yet, I can see how important this is).
Why a paper book is better:
- Its battery lasts longer.
- Illustration quality is higher, especially in non-fiction books where this is important, and where high-quality color illustrations may be crucial. I think this is temporary, though - it's hard to believe it will still be an issue 5 years from now when e-readers have better screens.
- More reliable. In normal day-to-day conditions this isn't a big issue, though.
- Costs much less so you don't worry too much about it getting damaged, lost or stolen.
- Has the good-old feeling and smell of paper. I must admit, however, that when I read on a Kindle, I miss this feeling much less than initially imagined.
- Gives you the opportunity to fill shelves with books, which is a terrific adornment for every home, especially the "office room".