Google has announced its plan to digitize every book, every tome, in the printing world. And somehow, this hasn’t disturbed me too much. Maybe this is because I really was never so much of a computer guy, a man whose life is dictated by the bytes and bits of the processor. My world is inhabited by people, and most importantly, books. Mind you, my books aren’t digitized, and I am thankful for that.
For if they were digitized, how on earth would I read them in those cold nights in the light of candles when the electricity forsook me to visit her mom at the power plant? How on earth would I feel the rustle of the pages, the swiftness of the passage of time as I rushed through the chapters? How could I leave a tome partially unread, and then rush back to it, guilty in that I forsook a friend? Books aren’t such pages bound in a hard cover, covered with publisher’s ink. They are living entities, the sentinels of their time, and the markers of eternity.
To digitize them would merely take away their allure, their mystery from them, and render them so very ordinary. And yet, when I say this, I have committed the most abominable blasphemy, the most heretical sacrilege. For books have been the harbingers of change. They have given hope where hopelessness reigned supreme. They have consoled the grieving when the heavens seemed unable to come to provide succour. They have infused souls with inhuman courage when the hearts of men sought to liberate themselves from the yokes of oppression and tyranny. And in this context, if one were to ask the books, they would shrug their shoulders, maybe straighten out some ruffled pages, and say as simply,
Our's not to make reply,Our's not to reason why,Our's but to do and die.
Those who have delivered change will not shun change. For it is in evolution that we better ourselves. Maybe it is the destiny of mankind. It is not for us to question as to why it is just so.
For if they were digitized, how on earth would I read them in those cold nights in the light of candles when the electricity forsook me to visit her mom at the power plant? How on earth would I feel the rustle of the pages, the swiftness of the passage of time as I rushed through the chapters? How could I leave a tome partially unread, and then rush back to it, guilty in that I forsook a friend? Books aren’t such pages bound in a hard cover, covered with publisher’s ink. They are living entities, the sentinels of their time, and the markers of eternity.
To digitize them would merely take away their allure, their mystery from them, and render them so very ordinary. And yet, when I say this, I have committed the most abominable blasphemy, the most heretical sacrilege. For books have been the harbingers of change. They have given hope where hopelessness reigned supreme. They have consoled the grieving when the heavens seemed unable to come to provide succour. They have infused souls with inhuman courage when the hearts of men sought to liberate themselves from the yokes of oppression and tyranny. And in this context, if one were to ask the books, they would shrug their shoulders, maybe straighten out some ruffled pages, and say as simply,
Our's not to make reply,Our's not to reason why,Our's but to do and die.
Those who have delivered change will not shun change. For it is in evolution that we better ourselves. Maybe it is the destiny of mankind. It is not for us to question as to why it is just so.
8 comments:
I am not a fan either of ebooks. I understand the need of informatin dessimation, but not partucularly this desparate.
I remember having a discussion with Ankit once, and he said that reading encompasses all senses when reading a book and just one when on the comp. It is that usage of all your faculties that makes the book interesting.
But of course, pleasure is something that is derived and if you are an avid reader, it might not matter to you where you are reading from.
I always prefer a real book, but an ebook'll do when I can't get my hands on some book I want. Reading on-screen has become a lot easier since I got a LCD—my eyes don't hurt as much nowadays.
This mega-interview on The Physicality of Books is a must-read for all bibliophiles.
Oh and just to be clear, Google's Book project is not about reading books online. They scan all the books they get, and make them searchable. This is great for finding books.
You can preview only a few pages onlines; and only read the entire content of public-domain books whose copyright has expired. It's more about finding books than reading books online.
There's a great article on Salon that gives a nice overview of what the project is all about.
For old public-domain books, Gutenberg is an excellent repository.
Ankit, thanks for that info. I myself wasn't very sure about what Google was planning to do.
Digitization of books makes them accessible to those people who do not have the good fortune to access them at a library. One reason why ebooks arent too popular is coz we read them on comps.. Make books available on handheld devices and then watch the market explode! If our phones can take pics, record, etc.. ebooks is something they can support for sure.
Neeraj Jain
I am all in favour of digitzing books if it increases their accessibility. But just one doubt, if simple printed books are priced so much to make them inaccessible to the masses, pray how will hand-held devices fit within their budget? If we can reduce costs of hand-held devices to such an extent that any individual can easily afford them, then surely by such time, books also will have become very cheap. Then the choice is for people to make. My argument is not against technological advancement, rather it is an ode to the personal touch that a book offers, which I felt a computer or even a hand-held device is incapable of offering.
If one is looking for pure information and knowledge for research purpose, digitisation is a better bet, I feel.easier to access data.
Otherwise, when reading for pleasure, nothing beats a paperback and a cold night like you mentioned!
the feeling's mutual...
for me nothing beats a paperback with a mug of piping hot coffee...
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