I know an awful lot of people who think strongly one way or the other on the debate of e-books vs. print books: which is better to read? Most of my friends are conservatives on this issue: they prefer the printed book citing arguments of sentimental nostalgia. They like to curl up with a book, draw in their margins, and smell them. On the other hand, my friends who like e-books favor the new technology for its convenience and low cost. My novelist friend enjoys the ability to quickly send and receive drafts to peer edit, creating an effective virtual community.
Though you may see yourself on one side or the other, I believe that both sides find common ground in what they look for in the reading experience. Those who covet ebooks are not looking for an experience wholly different from reading print books. One study finds that most people favor an interface that mimics the print book design. We tend to enjoy ebooks that relive the familiarity of print books, which at this time, about everyone living considers the default. However, the added bells and whistles of ebooks are attractive. The ability to search and reach any point in the text immediately is invaluable to a researcher. Possibilities to quickly open apps like dictionaries are also valuable. Though ebooks offer these new applications, I believe the presentation will resemble its print father for a long time.
I do see where you are coming from claiming that most people who cling to books do so because of the nostalgia sense, but there are definitely other reasons at hand as to why a lot of people prefer books to e-books. For one, the experience of reading an e-book is completely different than that of reading a book. And the author’s message is portrayed differently through the style in which it is presented. Although the content may be the same, in reading from an electronic device you can’t take hand written notes in margins or highlight important quotations. You can’t feel the book in your hands or physically touch the pages. These are important parts of books, although they may seem small.