Recently I stumbled upon a new book by a well-known essayist who criticized electronic books and proclaimed that he would never read them instead of paper books. Though I've only checked its table of contents and some excerpts, a number of factual errors and inaccuracies immediately caught my attention.
I wouldn't be surprised if I were told that he has never read (enough) electronic books, as these errors and inaccuracies seem to suggest. But I would have to ask the author himself about this. Even meta-criticism must be based on directly examining what is being criticized.
In the meantime, however, this otherwise irritating book has given me a precious opportunity to reexamine how I relate to electronic books and when I prefer their time-honored counterparts instead of allowing it to remain a source of irritation. Here is what it has made me rediscover.
Generally speaking, I prefer electronic books mainly because they occupy far less physical space. This has become especially crucial for me in my present life situation - I'm thinking of relocating to another country when the time comes. For this very reason I left most of my paper books in the warehouse of a close friend of mine, who is a publisher of Chassidic books in Jerusalem.
In short, the fewer paper books I have, the easier it will be for me to relocate to another country. I spent the last month I was in Jerusalem, in September 2023, choosing which 100 books I would send to my present location by mail. I couldn’t afford to send more, as the shipping cost was very expensive.
I find electronic books especially convenient when they deal with information and knowledge. I seldom read them again. But when it comes to books on wisdom, especially those Chassidic books I sent here from Jerusalem, I do read them again and again, including on Sabbaths, when I can't read electronic books.
Furthermore, their presence is no less important than their contents. You may wonder how books can "radiate" presence, but I feel this especially when I am surrounded by them in my present room, which seems like a Chassidic enclave in non-Jewish surroundings. So even though I have electronic copies of many of these wisdom books, I have acquired their paper copies as well.
In conclusion, I see no reason to choose either paper or electronic books. I enjoy both though I benefit from them differently. If I had not stumbled upon this new book, which initially irritated me, I would not have arrived at this clarity. I am therefore grateful to this essayist for his provocative "manifesto". The best way to express my gratitude in action may be to purchase and read an electronic copy of this book. ;-)