Stagnant and dull, can digital books ever replace print?
Where will those explorations happen? I don’t know. But I do know that print has endured and continues to endure for good reason. Our relationships to our most meaningful books are long and textured. And until we can trust our digital reading platforms, until the value propositions of digital are made clearer, until the notes and data we produce within them is more accessible and malleable, physical books will remain at the core of our working libraries for a long time coming.
Craig Mod has gone from being a long-time avid Kindle user back to reading physical books. His essay captures the nearly identical evolution I’ve gone through with physical vs Kindle books. I haven’t bought a book on the Kindle in a long time. I don’t love them, and more importantly, I don’t trust them. I’m not willing to trade trust for convenience.