The Book Is On The Table — Do paper copies still make sense?

Once upon a time, I became a bookworm. I simply love books and once the addiction started I would not hesitate spending all the money I could save on them. One of my favorite days of the week was Friday, and not because it meant the weekend was coming up. On that day my grandmother would take me to lunch after school and we would stop by the nearby bookstore to grab a new story that I would proceed to devour in the following afternoon. Oh that feeling of walking into that huge store and having to choose a new adventure! So many titles, so many genres, so many covers to go through…! And that way my personal library grew and grew… Up to the point that I damaged some shelves due to the weight of my books. Can you imagine being that lucky? Only a bookworm can fully relate to the feeling of opening a brand new book and whiffing that indescribable smell or the feeling of turning a page wondering what’s hiding next. Is it a new chapter? I had a love and hate relationship with the realization of moving my book marker and measuring how much I had already read versus how little I still had left. Can you relate?

This past week a huge annual book fair took place where I live and I was surprised to acknowledge its size. I could not help myself but wonder what’s the point of an event like that. Don’t get me wrong, as I’ve said before, I absolutely love reading, but to be honest, I don’t know if it makes sense to keep acquiring paper copies anymore. I got my first e-book reader (an Amazon Kindle) a couple of years back and I have to admit it allowed me to save (a lot) of money and read way more simply for the ease of carrying it everywhere no matter how big a book is. Sure I lost the smell and the touch of the pages, but that’s not the point of reading right? With time (and inflation) book prices got higher and higher. But the need to read did not go lower and lower. So what else can one do to survive? I see the point on a book fair to promote the act of reading, to educate society, to start discussion and get new authors out there. But to have as its goal to push as many paper copies as possible to an already in debt population? I don’t see the point.

What about the sustainable side of the discussion? First of all, a book’s lifespan is not long, specially outside a library and the fact that they get more fragile to lower production costs by the day. Putting that aside and being really honest here: bookworms are ridiculously jealous of their favorite stories. Pick one of your all time favorite books: would you really take the risk of lending it to your friend? Would you be able to ignore the constant thought that they would be going through your pages with dirty fingers or committing the sin of folding up a page or, even worse, the book cover? No way. If you answered yes to any of the above, you are no true bookworm. But the point here is: you buy a book, and chances are, you will keep that copy for as long and you possibly can until for a bigger reason, like you having to move somewhere smaller or further away, you might give them away if that book is still in good condition. And during the time you are the actual owner of a copy, how many times do you actually read it again? So I must ask: how truly sustainable is owning (an ever more expensive and fragile) paper book?

Think about it. I went digital. Would I like to go back? Sure. I am a nostalgic person after all. Am I ever actually going back? I don’t think so being realistic about it and taking cost and practicality into account. What about you, my fellow bookworm? Is there a point for perpetuating paper copies any longer?

But please: keep reading and carry on.