in Culture, inTouch, Technology
inTouch: The Kindle, Unplugged
People have been buzzing about the news that Amazon says more people are buying Kindle e-books than paper books. Smartplanet.com reports that “Since April 1, for every 100 print books Amazon.com has sold, it has sold 105 Kindle books.” This figure includes books that aren’t available on the Kindle, but does not include Kindle books that are available for free.
As a culture, we knew this day would come, but we still seemed surprised by it and are still trying to explain it to ourselves. So we really admire the creativity of Rachel Walsh, a second-year student at Cardiff School of Art & Design, who–when given the task to “explain something modern/internet-based to someone who lived and died before 1900″– decided to explain a Kindle to Charles Dickens. She managed to visually capture the essence of this phenomenon that many of us can hardly explain to ourselves.
An e-reader is not just a container for one book, but a container for many. And like your home library, your e-book library will grow and change over time. Amazon chose an apt name for this product since the word “kindle” can mean to start a fire or stir things up. The appearance of Amazon’s Kindle did stir things up—some people got interested in reading in a portable electronic format and competitors got stirred up to produce their own e-readers.
In Charles Dickens’ time, a book could be used to stir up imagination, to light a fire in the mind or, if necessary, to get an actual blaze going. I recently attended a panel where fiction writers were asked about what books they’d take on a deserted island. One person said this was the time for an e-reader, since you could take a large number of books. However, another joked an e-reader would be of little use if you needed to start a fire.
Some of us cling to the idea that an e-book will never replace the tactile experience of reading a paper book. Is that you? Or have you tried an e-reader and found that you like the convenience it offers, despite the changes in your reading experience?
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About The Author:
Jada.Bradley
Jada Bradley (jadabradley.com) is a Washington DC-based writer and educator who enjoys telling stories in formal and informal ways. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post and online. She holds Masters in Spanish Translation and is a great supporter of creative expression in the various forms it takes. She also writes about local cultural events as D.C. Cultural Events Examiner for Examiner.com. Her blog, In Other Words, can be found at inotherwordz.blogspot.com.
David posted on June 1, 2011
I like the smell of books much more than that of e-readers.
Sharon M. posted on June 1, 2011
I’m still torn between the desire to dogear pages, and write in the margins – as opposed to caring a stack of books in one small device.
black friday kindle fire posted on November 22, 2011
We do enjoy reading your article that is useful for every people in this town.