Advantages and Disadvantages of E-books and Traditional books

There are many ways to read a book in today's world. Whether it's through purchasing an e-book online or by buying traditional books at a store, books have come a long way. There are several advantages and disadvantages of both e-books and traditional books.

First, we will discuss the advantages of e-books. 

1) E-books are easily accessible. You can purchase e-books at the tip of your fingers. You can read them on your phone, on your tablet device or any other electronic device anytime you want.

2) In comparison to printed books, e-books are much more environmentally friendly. As e-books are the digital version of a book, it does not need to be printed like traditional books which saves trees. Another reason e-books are environmentally friendly, is that there won't be any pollution associated with shipping as e-books do not need to be shipped to a store near you like printed books.

3) E-books help to preserve books. E-books are ageless.  Unlike traditional books, e-books will not rot and fall apart with time. Your printed books might start to fade with time, and the pages might turn yellow. However with the e-book, as long as there is no problem with your electronic device, your e-book will look the same as when you first bought it.

4) If a catastrophe were to ever occur, you will not end up losing your entire book collection. As long as your electronic device is safe you have nothing to worry about.

However, e-books also have some disadvantages.

1) When you use e-books, you are staring into a screen. In the long-term, it does cause damage to your eyes.

2) E-books are not exactly cheap, sometimes it costs the same, if not more, than the actual printed version of the book. As traditional books have to be printed and shipped, it does not make sense if the electronic version of the book costs the same amount, or even more, than the actual printed version of the book.

3) Did you know that when you purchase an e-book on your electronic device you have not actually bought the e-book? You have just paid money to have the license to read the book. Which means, the license can be revoked anytime the company deems necessary. I would suggest checking the terms of service when you buy an e-book next time.

4) I mean this is obvious but if you want to read e-books, you must have an electronic device. Electronic devices are not cheap. Especially if you are looking to shop for a specific tablet for reading such as a Kindle. You have to first pay to buy the hardware, then pay to purchase the e-books to fill it up.

On the other hand, we also have traditional books.

1) Traditional books are timeless and the feeling of holding an actual book in your hand is like no other.

2) Traditional books are also comparatively better for your eyes than e-books, as it does not put excess pressure on your eyes the way that staring into an electronic device does. Print is better for the eyes than light from electronic devices. Studies have shown that print books help retain memory of what you have read in the long-term.

3) If an e-book and printed books cost the same amount of money, it would be more worth purchasing a traditional book than a printed book. As I mentioned earlier, traditional books have to be printed and shipped, it does not make sense if the electronic version of the book costs the same amount, or even more, than the actual printed version of the book.

 4) You can collect your traditional books in your bookshelf. There is a certain novelty factor in collecting traditional books and filling your shelves with new books you have gotten. People can also get to know you better by seeing the types of books your bookshelves are filled with.

Nonetheless, there also some disadvantages to the traditional way of reading.

1) Print books do take up a lot of space, especially if you have the habit of regularly purchasing them. Your bookshelves might get full then you need to think of new places to keep your books.

2) Print books aren't actually environmentally friendly. First, you need to cut down trees for the paper. Then you need to ship the books to different countries. All of which contribute to pollution associated with shipping.

3) Over time, traditional books tend to disintegrate and fall apart. This can be troublesome if you are someone who enjoys travelling with books or if you plan to pass the book to someone else.

4) Books may make their way to landfills, if someone chooses to throw it away. In order to destroy the book there, it produces twice the climate change emissions than the manufacturing process of the print book itself.

In the end, it all boils down to preference. Some people might prefer the convenience of an e-book, while others may prefer the comfort of a printed book. However if you are someone who prefers traditional books, I would suggest you to check out your local library and borrow books from there in order to be more eco-friendly.