Sunday 19 February 2012

'E-books can't burn': essay by Tim Parks

'Only the sequence of the words must remain inviolate. We can change everything about a text but the words themselves and the order they appear in.'

Interesting article on e-books by Tim Parks.

3 comments:

Amy said...

Thanks for pointing this out. Although I am someone who appreciates the physicality and aesthetic qualities of objects enormously, I remember thinking after I got my kindle that I was buying words, pure and simple, and rather liking the idea.

nmj said...

'buying words, pure and simple'

That is a lovely way of putting it, Amy.

I am still slow to conversion but I *am* getting there, thinking all the while that it is not either or, but both.

Jonathan Franzen is not so persuaded: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/hay-festival/9047981/Jonathan-Franzen-e-books-are-damaging-society.html

Amy said...

I haven't read Jonathan Franzen yet, but I wholeheartedly agree that it is not either/or. The kindle has its place, but I don't think it should replace books. I'm sure I've said this here before but I have a large collection of large art books, which could *never* be replaced by my kindle.