Turning the Page on How We Read

While sitting in a waiting room recently, I observed an elderly couple, both reading on e-readers. The man tilted his head toward the woman and asked, “What percent are you?”

“Fifty-two,” she said.

“Eighty-five,” he responded.

For this baby boomer, born in the middle of the last century, it’s disconcerting to lose such basic navigational aids as page numbers. The electronic reading storm has cut their cables, setting proud old page numbers adrift, sinking to the bottom or wallowing in the currents, destined to be cast up on some distant shore called long ago.

Will page numbers even be denied their traditional role in footnotes?

As I write this, I am gazing at a handsome hardcover of The Iliad resting rather weightily on my desk, admiring its glossy black dust jacket with its elegant gold type, the black ribbon bookmark extending languidly from its creamy pages. I have not read the print version but have listened to the audio recording. So come to think of it, percentage might be more relevant than page numbers here as well.

My copy of the Iliad

I felt particularly justified in listening to this great work, since it was originally oral and was committed to writing only when it was already an old story. Today, owning the printed version is an affordable luxury I indulge in—and there is no better way to dip into its river of thought than to leaf through its beautiful pages.

But getting back to that couple in the waiting room—it’s actually a marvelous thing that two people can so easily read a book together. Of course, we could do this when books were limited to print, but it wasn’t common. Both readers could have their own copy. Or they could share one. A few years back during a plane trip, I watched as a couple read together. The man ripped his paperback in half and gave the first half to his wife. (Even I, who likes to get physical with books, was a bit disturbed by that move.)

For years I’ve asked people what they’re reading; these days, I’m also asking how they’re reading. I’ve been hearing some intriguing things.

Virtual book tastings

One woman, who has always been an avid reader, told me she reads even more books now just because it’s so easy to get new books on her e-reader.

And e-readers do appear to be causing a growth spurt in reading. The Association of American Publishers reports that in 2010, when e-readers were gaining traction, the market for trade books in all reading formats grew nearly six percent from 2008, to $13.94 billion.

Most of us have had the experience of just finishing a book and not wanting to say goodbye. Now, with a few clicks, we can be reading another book by that author in minutes. What’s not to love?

I asked another reader whether he consults The New York Times bestsellers list in choosing his books. He looked at me as if I were a simpleton.

“Oh, the Times is way behind,” he explained. “I see what’s popular online and read a sample for free. And besides, there are all these really cheap books available that are great reads.”

Sampling books with ease may be my favorite aspect of electronic books. When I wrote The Little Guide to Your Well-Read Life: How to get more books in your life and more life from your books back in 2004, I encouraged people to sample many books and be willing to put them aside. I explained the 50-page rule—that is, give it 50 pages and then give it the heave-ho if it doesn’t hold your interest.

Too many readers are still stymied by the clean-your-plate mentality—a feeling of guilt if they give up on a book. But I say, if you’re not giving up on at least 10 books a year, you’re not sampling enough—not truly opening up yourself to your rich inheritance as a reader that awaits you. Electronic books make sampling marvelously easy (although now we’ll have to substitute a 15 percent rule for the 50-page).

In an ingenious reversal of showrooming (that practice of walking into stores to touch the merchandise, only to go home and order online), I heard from one man who says he samples books at Amazon, decides what he wants, and then walks into his bricks-and-mortar bookstore to buy the print versions.

The books (still) on the bookshelf

Another blessing of electronic books is that they have solved the space problem. And I’m not referring to the advantage of taking an e-reader on vacation instead of a satchel full of books; I’m talking about your home library.

In the print era, many book lovers only with regret culled books from their library. “I can’t add a book unless I’m willing to give one up,” lamented Stanley Marcus when we visited his elegant home in Dallas years ago. And he had a huge library, amassed over his long, well-read life.

But now that we can keep track of what we’ve read in a virtual library, such as Good Reads,  Library Thing or Shelfari, we can also keep our notes on those books in the bookish cloud, and see them on our virtual shelves; it doesn’t hurt so much to say goodbye to some of the ones less important to us.

Besides, if you ever wanted a printed copy again, you could easily find it—a blessing we now take for granted in our post-Internet world.

One of the very best practices for a well-read life is to avidly build a library of books you might like to read—your Library of Candidates, as I call it. It allows you to make better choices of the right book for you to read right now, and helps ensure that you can always be in book love.

With electronic access, you don’t have to actually buy these books ahead of time and have them on your shelf, beckoning to you (although it’s a sweet luxury if you have the space for it). Instead, you can depict them in your electronic library—your wish library—and then get them virtually in your hands in minutes. How heavenly.

So today you can, with an easy mind, fill your home library of printed books with only your very favorites. Today we can each build a privately curated museum of printed treasures.

Making your mark (because it matters)

Leaving footprints in the Iliad

I realize many people are still reluctant to write in their books—Preservationists, I call them, as opposed to Footprint Leavers, like myself.  I say: bless you, Preservationists, for your thoughtfulness in imagining that someone else may want to read your book in its original condition someday. But I urge you to turn the page on that particular noble sentiment; with eBooks, people can always read unmarked books.

Instead of showing what Anne Fadiman calls courtly love, indulge in her carnal love. Get physical with your physical books—mark them boldly with your name and quirky marginalia; add the dates of when you read your books and where. Upon review, these marks will bring your reading experience rushing back to life and help you retain what you wish to hold in your mind and heart.

My personel Iliad time capsule

Interleave ephemera such as ticket stubs to the movie adaptation. Tuck printouts of emails you exchanged on the book, or your own typed review, inside the dust jacket (which makes such a nice little folder). Your hardcover books become personal time capsules—compact, beautiful, and lasting.

Know that it’s your personal marks in your books that not only make your book a unique artifact for your own enjoyment, but for the enjoyment of your family members who may outlive you, and for your grateful descendants.

The Swerve by Stephen Greenblatt

In his award-winning history The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, Stephen Greenblatt tells the story of how a canny librarian purchased a marked-up, 1563 Latin edition of On the Nature of Things for a few hundred pounds. When the librarian’s hunch proved correct, the value of the book, both monetarily and historically, was immense. That marked-up book was none other than Montaigne’s personal copy.

Of course, most of us will not be historical figures, but we are beloved by our own families, and especially by our survivors. Let’s give them something to talk about—hidden inside the cherished antiques your hardcovers will become.

Support what you love

Printed books are declining faster than any projections, according to a major book printer. Bowker Market Research reports that the market share for hardcovers dropped from 46 percent in 2009 to 39 percent in just two years.  By the first quarter of 2012, eBooks had racked up more than $30 million more in sales than printed books, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal: $282 million for e, $250 million for p.

So vote with your dollars and buy hardcover editions of the books you care about most—for the same reason we should send handwritten notes via first-class mail: to support the commercial arts we love. In the words of author Lynn Twist, “what we appreciate, appreciates.”

Besides, what do you actually own with an eBook? Not the book. That hardcover, on the other hand, is yours to hold and love and hand down.

At a dinner party last week, my table mate was telling me about a toddler she saw who ambled up to a coffee table book and swiped her finger gently on the page in an attempt to make it turn.

Will we have to teach new generations what pages were, the way we wonder how buttonhooks worked? When we say to a group of young people, “Let’s all get on the same page here,” will they gaze back with a quizzical look?

Call me romantic, but I hope the page metaphor will linger. After all, we still speak of turning down the lights (harkening back to gaslight, I suppose) and dialing phone numbers.

But it’s not just the metaphor of the page that I hope will live on. Like The Iliad, some pages—physical, bound, well-turned and even annotated—still belong on our bookshelves.

How about you, dear reader? How are you reading now? What observations can you share with me? I’d love to hear. Just click on the Comments link below. (If you’re reading this as an email, click here and you’ll connect to Comments).

Comments

[Joan Rice]

This was such a provocative column. I have to admit that I still just read hard-cover books or maybe paperbacks but no electronics. And, I would NEVER write in my book, having been trained by a librarian mother. I do enjoy enclosing informative articles about the story or author and I hope that some of my children and grandchildren will enjoy them some day. I have to admit that I now am doing much more reading because TV has become so boring. I have started in book clubs but soon left because, despite the benefit of reading books that I might never have chosen, I have my own long list that I must try to finish. Thank you for the fine essays that you provide.

[Charles A. Burroughs]

Hi Steve - -

A very well written and informative article about the written word in this digital age. I'll take page numbers over percentages any day. Fortunately, I always manage to find space for more (non-digital) books, even in boxes if need be, properly catalogued, of course.

Charles

[Joyce Spurgin]

I bought a Kindle a few years ago but had not used it much until last fall after I developed 4th cranial nerve palsy and consequent double vision. Reading became almost impossible. I've always loved to read plus I had just started classes for deacon formation in the Episcopal church. The Kindle was a life saver since I could increase the print size. I have since gifted myself with a Kindle Fire so I could have color. The 4th cranial nerve palsy has left some mild residual double vision and I have also developed congruence insufficiency, which causes a different type of double vision. I've completed a series of computerized vision exercises and had some improvement and now have special eyeglasses, but I still have vision problems, so I love my Kindle even more. I have improved to the point that I can read regular print for awhile with no problem, but the longer I read the harder it is to maintain focus. With the Kindle I just increase the print size as needed.

[jimare]

I'm thinking if you ask what I'm reading or how I'm reading it I can respond honestly, not at all or simply lie.

If I invite you for dinner, I can choose to show you my shelves of books or not.

If I eread or log my library at a "free" service, I have no choice whatsoever who can browse my "shelves," see what I read (or at least have bought), know my preferences (data mining), etc.

Like TV, ebooks and ereaders are the consumers -- not us.

[Rick Estep]

Steve, I recently went through my home library to get a count on my books. I only counted soft-covers and hard-covers, leaving out small pamphlets and such. Grand total: 323.
So now I'm curious, Steve. How many books do you have in your home library?
(Forgive me if you have already posted this in a past article)
Thanks.
ps. I still haven't decided on a Nook or a Kindle.

[Vickie Ranz]

I read both from my Kindle and from store-bought books. I have the stack of books still yet to read so I don't buy off my Kindle so much yet.

Traditionally, you can tell whether or not I really like a book and want to keep it because I buy them in hard back. Sometimes, though, they are no longer available in hard back and a paperback book has to suffice. I think I would be tempted to buy the hard back version if I'd read something on my Kindle that I liked and wanted to keep.

Somehow books that I have purchased from Kindle don't quite seem like they are mine. They still seem like they are borrowed (even though I own them). Although I see the space-saving benefits of buying digital books and having them stored for me on the cloud, I still worry about being able to access them whenever I want to and them being there in the future amidst the unknown threats of technology changes.

The thing I do like about the Kindle is that I can feel free to highlight and make as many notes as I wish without feeling the guilt of disrespecting the book by writing in it. (Although, I do see and appreciate your points about note- taking in books.) I can also transfer those notes anywhere. It's a nice advantage that doesn't represent itself quite as easily or readily as it does on a Kindle or other e-reader.

There are advantages to having both an e-reader version of a book and a paper copy of it. I hope that sales of e-books aren't so predominant that those sales squeeze out the market for printed and bound books. I would love to retain both.

I am a book buyer. That means that it doesn't matter if the book is brand new or very old, I'll buy it. I am not discriminatory when it comes to bookstores or any place, really, that sells books (like antique stores). I have bought books from all kinds of places. I can't see that trend ending until there are absolutely no more physical books in the world available for purchase. We still have a long time before that happens, I think. I think that's true especially when there are people who are interested in saving and preserving books for future generations. As long as those types are around, paper-based books will survive in some form.

Thank you for this post. I think it is one of my favorites. I especially appreciated the pictures that went along with it.

[Kathryn Richardson]

I love your thoughts, for starters. I don't have an e-reader but my husband does. (He who still doesn't understand his cell phone or how to text. Go figure.) I don't have one because I love to hold a book and turn the pages. I love the smell and the touch of old library books. Also, I'm terribly afraid of doing something wrong and messing EVERYTHING up. It was hard enough to learn what little I know about my computer. E-readers, like smart phones, seem WAY too complicated. But I figure if I ever get brave enough (and wealthy enough) to think about an e-reader and a smart phone, then, perhaps what I really want is an iPad. One device instead of two! But, what was best about your thoughts, is that now I can see why an e-reader or iPad might be a good idea. Clear my house of all those books I would like to read again but don't necessarily need to physically have. An the e-reader or iPad is WAY, way more convenient than the library. Thanks again for some very, very thought-provoking ideas!!!

[Claire Phillips]

Dear Steve,

In addition to having books in print (some things I must have to hold, to read and, yes, to mark) and on my e-reader and smartphone, I also enjoy books on CD. I am able to sample many different authors and genres without having to invest anything more than my time. It is an entertaining and informational way to pass my daily commute. I too practice a 50 page rule, or the first few tracks of a cd rule. It's not worth my time if it doesn't hold my interest.

Thank you for your thought-provoking posts!

[Kelly Seltzer]

Hi Steve,
Great blog entry(as usual). I have tried to get into the e-reader phenomenon. My husband has a Kindle and while I love the convenience, space saving and almost instantaneous access, it just doesn't do it for me. I still love to browse the bookstore and hold the book in my hands. I need to feel and smell the pages.It's an emotional connection of some sort that I have a hard time explaining. The New York Times posted an article on June 20, 2012 about how the French are actually shunning the e-reader in favor of books.The article states that from 2003 to 2011 regular book sales in France increased by 6.5 percent. We all know how poorly bookstores are doing in America. Perhaps it's our culture. We need everything immediately. A regular book begs us to slow down. Almost in the same way a fountain pen makes us more conscious of our writing. The weight of the pen feels luxurious. The flow of the ink is personal. Reading a book is the same type of luxury. It's an experience, not just a something to read.

[Mike Bollinger]

Another good read from you, Steve. Thanks. Am slowly making my way into the digital world with my iPad and must admit to its convenience when I am in travel mode. BUT I still love my paper library! Steve, a question? How do you keep track of your paper library? Is it by hand or do you use some sort of software? Am always looking for ways to upgrade my method

Keep up the great writing. Very refreshing.

[Samuel Kordik]

Excellent article, Steve. I found myself frequently nodding my head in agreement at your statements.

I am an avid reader, usually finishing six or seven books a month and usually reading in four or five simultaneously. A couple years ago, I did the math, and figured out I'd save money by buying a Kindle and Kindle editions of my reads. Since then, I've moved on to an iPad, and my experience has been great. eBooks let me notate and highlight to my heart's content, then access those notes easily later on. I am away from home probably three nights a week or so, and my Kindle (and now my iPad) take up much less space than a physical book does, and lets me take more books with me. I've even found that an ebook reader in a waterproof case lets me read in the bathtub or at the pool (places I'd never take my precious books).
I'm not reading more, and I still do buy paper books. My book buying stratagem has shifted, though, and now I buy with an eye towards sharing and posterity. I love being able to share an excellent book with friends and family, and maintain a growing personal library for that purpose. Books that are worthwhile get bought and shelved.
The other reason I buy books has to do with the notes I make in them, as you wrote about. If it's the kind of book I will go back through and reference in years to come, then I'll try to get it in hardcover and read it that way. Classics like the *Les Miserables* or great biographies like *Theodore Rex* (my current hardcover read) get that special treatment.

I've found Good Reads is a great way for me to keep track of what I've read; I've just started trying to use to keep track of my library. Currently, my paper library is tracked using Delicious Library, from Delicious Monster software company. It is fantastic software but its lack of availability on the iPad and iPhone are really limiting its usefulness to me.

[Jim Seiler]

Steve,
Your post raises many interesting points - one might say even dilemmas - regarding reading preferences. It seems that most readers are favoring a blend of electronic and "tangible" reading choices. But, I have noticed almost a sense of guilt threading its way through the comments. Guilt predicated on the notion we are somehow being disloyal to "real books" if we read electronically. There is a certain sense of irony, though, in expressing that guilt on an electronically posted blog, but that's just my take ... My opinion is the central importance in all of this is: just read. Let the rest work itself out in the moment, or in the plan - even desire - of the reader. Just read ... (I haven't lost touch with page numbers, they are an integral part of an ereader. Percentage, on the other hand becomes a concern of its own, since it determines how much power you have left to keep reading.)
Carpe diem

[Jacqueline Bradshaw]

Dear Steve,
This is certainly one of your best articles. I am on my 6th Kindle since I can't refrain from passing a great device onto my children and grandchildren. Like so many others, when a really great book comes along, buying the hardback for my permanent library becomes a must. Your 50 page rule certainly turned my reading life around. When the margins of my hardbacks are filled with notes and dates, it has become a way to pass thoughts onto my grans. I eagerly wait to hear what others think about this subject.

[Steve Leveen]

Thank you, friends, for your most thoughtful comments.

Jim, Yes! I agree, just read! And these comments reinforce the feeling that we've entered a kind of golden age of the book, as we can now read in many different ways to enrich our experiences. Should we feel guilty if we don't read or buy print books? I don't think so. I do feel a bit guilty that I don't read more--in any format.

Rick and Mike, you're causing me to try to do some count of my physical books. My guess is that it's between 300 and 500, which is really tragically small in my opinion. I know some have wandered off, but I feel better knowing at least that I keep good records of what I have read electronically.

Kelly, I love your link to handwriting. Now that paper books and paper notebooks are optional, I treasure them all the more.

Keep reading and writing, my friends!

S

[Susan Young]

Steve,
Several times I've noted your comments about writing in books, and while that is admirable, I cannot move myself to the point of actually doing it. I have come up with a solution and Circa helps me with it. I write an annotated bibliography over each book I read summarizing the plot, copying quotes (with page numbers or location numbers depending on if I'm in a paper/ink book or ebook), and making personal notes. It is quite an investment in time; however, I remember what I read better. The Circa system allows me to organize it all. Then, when I come across information about favorite authors, their inspiration for books, or book-to-movie news, it is easy to add that information to my Circa notebook--right next to my annotated bibliography entry. Through this mental workout, I have grown much as a reader.

[Royce Carter]

I love to read the old-fashioned way, a book in hand, but we are trying to inprove the reading of children in our local public school by giving them e-readers, and the school is working to provide books on them for them to use.

[Sabne Raznik]

I'm still entirely a print reader. I just cannot engage with any concentration on a screen. So I guess, at the age of 33, I'm more old fashioned than most! lol

[Maurice J Manley Sr]

Steve!
I have been a customer for many years; since the advent of the iPad I notice that your company caters to it only, and not any of the Kindle e-readers, nor the latest Kindle Fire. These devices deserve something, for as your catalog States on the cover "Tools for serious readers"--wouldn't you agree?

From a caring customer!

[Steve Leveen]

Dear Maurice,

Yes, you're right, and I think you'll be happy to hear that we do, in fact, have several new products coming out specifically designed to support the Kindle. You'll start to see them at the end of July and throughout the holiday season. Thank you for being a longtime customer--and a caring one. I am doubly grateful.

My best to you,
Steve

[Noreen]

Well, here I am with my beloved books that I have had to wade through to make room for more. It's like losing a dear friend but a person can only keep so much stuff. I have donated a lot of paperbacks to the troops overseas, helped maintain a library at the office for people to donate and borrow. I've brought bags to the library and given to charity. I love the written word and have it on my phone and on my eReader. I'm hooked up everywhere but my favorite venue is the written page that needs turning and a bookmark to keep my place. The only venue I haven't tried is audio books because I cannot listen in the car and drive and I really don't want someone telling me the story, I want to read it myself so the suspense, joy, sorrow are mine alone. I read to my grandchildren, the baby is 3 years old and needs 3 stories before nap and 3 before bedtime. The oldest is almost 5 and loves stories before bedtime as well (she's into princesses right now). It's contagious!!! LOL

[Raymond Schumann]

Steve, check out Eric Flint’s Salvos Against Big Brother.
Flint discusses electronic publishing from the viewpoint of a writer and editor.
Will paper books vanish?
How should copyright work?
What about Digital Rights Management?
What about online piracy?
Should a writer give his product away?

http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/2011/09/26/salvos-against-big-brother/