Friday, October 14, 2011

Paper-book: where have my good times gone?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQHX-SjgQvQ

When I was a kid my grandmother was working in a book store in a small city. In my memories this book store was a place like nothing else, a kind of dreamland. I was a big fan of comics and it was so impressive to see all the fixtures full of books. Before looking at the draws page by page and reading the stories, the first contact with my heroes was the book itself. Seeing the books in the fixtures, taking one, looking at the cover, looking inside, taking another one… was my first pleasure. Then I sat in a quiet side of the store, focusing in one book from A to Z, and nothing else around could distract me. During these years I read so many comics like Tintin, Spiderman and the Smurfs. I bought my favorite ones and I was so proud to get them at home. While I was reading my grandmother was talking to the customers about the new releases, sharing her opinion and giving advice's about what to read.

These times are gone. I am no longer a kid, the book store has closed, like many other book stores are doing every day. The sales of books are going down… and the e-book appeared: digital and cold. No more pleasure to touch it, turn the pages, go back and forth. Nowadays we read on the same device as we consult our bank account.

But may-be I am too nostalgic. Have the e-books killed the book stores? I don’t think so. The book stores were closing anyway before the e-books occurred. The e-books represent a great opportunity to get people back to reading more. They give an access to reading to more people, like the ones who live far from the big cities. They give more choice than we can get in any book store. And they allow more writers to be read since it is easier to post a novella online than being “paper-published”.

So Tintin, I am pleased to see you again… in my i-pad. What? You are as well at the movie theatre in 3D?


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