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During Book Expo 2009, more than one publicist asked me if I would be
willing to accept e-galleys. I said absolutely (mainly because that gives me an
excuse to buy a new and different e-reading device; for a book babe, I'm quite
the gadgetista). One publicist in particular said that it's tough to get editors
and producers to accept e-galleys since many of us prefer to "flip back and
forth" while reading.
I think we all need to talk more about this, perhaps the greatest drawback
to screen reading. It doesn't matter what kind of reading material I'm holding
-- novel, textbook, magazine, cookbook -- I flip back and forth constantly while
I'm reading. Sometimes I'm flipping pages to recall a character's name or action
(was it Miss Scarlett with the hammer? Or Colonel Mustard with the
candlestick?). Sometimes I browse back and forth to make connections. Often,
with biographies and memoirs, I flip backwards and forwards to cement
photographs and memories together. There are probably as many reasons for
flipping around in a book as they are reasons for reading a book.
Of course, e-reader makers have attempted to replicate flippage, allowing
users to highlight sections, annotate pages, and place as many bookmarks as they
like (if you used actual bookmarks with the alacrity that I do while reading an
e-book, a normal hardcover of several hundred pages might resemble a doorstop
fit for a fortress). While these functions can be handy, they're not as fast as
our brains.
I think that, ultimately, is the test of any tool -- not just e-readers.
Can it do something better, more quickly, more efficiently than our bodies or
brain can? If not, what is its use? The book on the bookshelf (to paraphrase
Henry Petrowski) is a quietly perfect tool. Even though I'm fascinated by
e-books (for me, it's portability that matters), there are many things they
don't do well.
What do you think?
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I am reading my first online book, the Mystery of Edwin Drood. It is an 1870 copy that has been downloaded or uploaded. I find that I have to note where I stopped and then use the cursor to locate the correct page with each reading. I guess I am impatient, but would like somehow to be able to go to that page directly when I start a reading session. The good old paper book mark does that for me in hard copy.
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I have to agree with DocPenn here. I am impatient too. I have not yet made the jump from paper to digital regarding books because I feel it is faster to skim through pages, get to bookmarks, write, etc., on a paper book. On the other hand, it is annoying the amount of space books take in my house. I cannot fit them all! And I do not want to be buying shelf after shelf... so maybe one of these days I'll be paying a visit to the nearest electronics dept. store...
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