The electronic book reader – a novel innovation?

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It’s interesting that one of the biggest marketing pushes in bookstores this Christmas is not a book.Ворона

Retailing at around £200, the likes of Waterstones are marketing ebook readers alongside the usual seasonal biographies and cookery books in their stores across the country and online, desperate to install them as the latest ‘must-have’ gadget.

Each to their own I say, but I really think that the basic idea – reading novels on a small screen – is fatally flawed. Just think about it for a minute. Most people do not read large chunks of text, whether at home, in the office, or whilst travelling, on large computer monitors, let alone tiny screens. We much prefer the tactile quality of paper, the sheer pleasure in turning the page. We also have far more control over the reading distance to make it comfortable to read.

Many electronic devices make our lives easier, safer and provide harmless entertainment. However, I can’t help but think that this aims to diminish, rather then enhance, one of the few innocent and personal pleasures we have left in the digital communications age – the joy of reading. Back to that well-thumbed book…