What’s the Future of Paper Books（节选）

李妍

The word “book” used to be so simple. We are all familiar with the feeling： craving the smell of a well-worn book， the weight of it in the hands； all of our favorite books are on shelves， and we want to see them every day. However the emergence of the e-book brings in a heated discussion： whats the future of paper books？ Will they be replaced， even disappear in the future？ I agree with Michael Agresta， a senior writer living in Los Angeles， who claims that “[t]he book will survive， but its place in culture will change significantly. I believe that the main use of paper books as a tool of conveying information may disappear， instead having different appearance and meanings when exist in the future.

Lets review the process of how human beings get to paper books： our ancestors first wrote on stone or shell； then， on trade bone； third， on bamboo and silk； next， on parchment； finally， on paper. Its clear that the change all over time， the choice we make and the direction we go are always follow the track of convenience and efficiency. Paperback books are， on the whole， small and lightweight， easy to produce and carry around. However， e-books are even better at—they're smaller and even lighter， and they're certainly cheaper and easier to produce. Being so small， it can fit into a pocket easily； being so convenient， people can do some readings whenever they are and download articles or books even when theyre not connected to Wi-Fi. Plus， e-books are so much cheaper because publishers don't have to make up the cost of manufacturing the books. Some people may argue that e-books are uncomfortable to read and do harm to our eyes. However， e-devices like “kindle” can already provide readers a paper-like reading experience. When you read on it， you may have the illusion that its not an e-book device， but paper under a piece of thin glass. With the quick development of technology， its easy for us to increase the text size， the color of the letter， or the whole background. Even in the darkness， you can change the light of the screen and read clearly， and thats what paper books cant accomplish.

As for paper books， the main argument about why they would not be replaced mostly based on their value of conveying information and knowledge. As we all know， paper books are our best friends as well as good teachers， they make us know more about ourselves， others and the outside world. However， in my opinion， their function as “an efficient vessel for text” cant serve as a supporting reason any more. Because only one e-book device can contain hundreds even thousands of novels， which means you can carry an entire small library with you wherever you go. Besides， the information stored in e-books can be updated in time， be spread widely and have little chance for missing. So the feeling of pity and disappointment while coming across fragments of poetry or some incomplete classic when you read on paper will all go in the wind.

Besides， e-books can create a new reading style and make reading more interesting and active. For example， when I read on a magazine about “Watergate scandal，” I feel very confused， because I know little about this event. However， when I read on an e-book， things become much easier. What I need to do is to link on the hyperlinks， and then the introduction of Richard M. Nixon， the background of the event， the reason and consequences， and comments all come out at once. Sometimes， when people feel bored about reading， they can also turn the text into voice or play some related videos easily. E-books can help learn knowledge as well as help them relax.

Moreover， nowadays， its more environmental-friendly to read with e-book devices， because a large amount of forest can be protected from being cut down to make paper. According to a report in China Daily， “Right now there are more than 200 million school students， consuming more than 550，000 tons of paper， which need to cut more than 11 million trees.” However its only a small part of trees cut down to make text books used by Chinese students. Whats the total number of trees we cut down for paper in China and the whole world is really hard to imagine. With lower cover of forest， “greenhouse” and pollution become more and more severe. Though the ideas like using both sides or papers， recycling used paper， or use other material like stone to make paper can do some help， but the effects are not obvious. As far as Im concerned， with the “green” mentality growing stronger and stronger in todays society， along with the endless growth of the internet， its a good chance for us to substitute e-books for paper books.