I found an interesting article from
The Star Tribune about the future of books and bookshelves, especially in the home. One home library owner lamented,
"I hope we never live to see the day that books are eliminated from the home." Me, too.
I think it's somewhat humorous that people are concerned about the future of physical books and bookshelves. I understand why readers want to have digital books (I own an e-reader myself), but I'm not sure that the physical book is dying, at least not yet. I want to believe that there are still those out there who love the feel of a book and the beauty of a shelf full of them that they would never want to have just digital books to read. I suppose what I'm saying is that I will always hope that there are readers like me who derive joy out of having books surround them in their homes and who savor the comfort of snuggling down with a book (not an e-reader) on a rainy (or not so rainy) day. Those are two things I would not want to give up.
Another quote from the article:
Home builders are still putting in bookshelves, and people are still accessorizing with books, said Marie Meko, a designer with Gabberts Design Studio. But clients are increasingly selective about what goes on the shelves, she said. "People want books that look nice, not just paperbacks. Not just rows of books, like in old libraries. We're not piling them on shelves."
She obviously hasn't met me yet.
Click here to read the whole article.
How about you? Are you a "piler" like me? How many books/bookshelves do you have in your home? Do you prefer reading one type of book (digital or physical) over another? What is your opinion about the idea of the physical book being an "endangered species"? Please leave a comment.
3 comments:
I too hope they never go away. I'm hoping that there are plenty of other people out there who are like us. Personally, I'm proud of my 3000+ books library and I like them to look like a 'library'. I never did understand this trend of books as accessories...or let's organize our books by color so they look more aesthetically pleasing...or, better yet, let's place them on the shelf backward, spine facing in, for an even better effect. Give me a break! I mean really...what could be more aesthetically pleasing than books placed in the traditional way on the bookshelves? Nothing, in my opinion.
I, too, am a piler! So long as I'm around, there will be great need for bookshelves! ;-)
From the statistics I've seen, I don't think the physical book is in danger of extinction. I am definitely a piler! I only have room for three bookshelves–one very large, one medium, and one small, and I try to neatly pack as many books as possible into them.
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