The Supposed Wave of the Future

    Nooks, Kindles, eBooks-- will be taking the place of printed books.At least that's what many people are saying these days, at least that's what Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon would have you believe. It's about the convenience, the cost, the technology. That's great and everything, but I beg to differ. There are plenty of people in the world who hold a book in their hands, the loved books with fine paper/leather/cloth covers and their various qualities of paper and texture held to the bindings. An eBook can only express itself by the words on the screen. A book with paper, ornate bindings and the pungent odors of ink will be absent from the complete package.
    For those who are true book lovers, this new wave of publishing has to be a terrible dream. On demand books that you can get in an instant take away from the thrill of holding a book in your hands. There will be no running your fingers along the spine, feeling the creases in the paperbacks from parts of the book that were especially favored, no tactile appreciation of the finer leather bound tomes. There will be no smelling the pages that seem to unlock more of the story. The paper, some thick and some thin depending on quality, begs the reader to see more than what's written. If it's an old book, you feel the essence of the previous owners. Who read this before? Who pored over the words, painstakingly looking for meaning? What caused that smudge on the print? A tear over the words, a drip of coffee, a quick moment found during a meal for the reader desperate to know what happens next? The musty odors ingrained in the paper speak just as loudly as the print.
    No matter the age of the book, there is a pleasing, comforting scent that can only be found in a book. Have you ever smelled your computer or laptop? It's weird, but I have. It doesn't exactly heighten my excitement for a book if it smells so plastic and factory produced. Reading a book is a sensual experience, requiring more than just the senses of sight and touch. Each edition, volume, size and look of a book are far beyond what a Kindle or Nook can promise. They said TV would replace radio, too.