No more print books?

In this New York times article titled, Print Books: Should They Stay or Should They Go? by Nick Bilton, Bilton discussed his recent move and what valuable items he took with him. Bilton found himself torn between the idea of taking his hard and soft back books with him to his new home or to leave them in New York City with the rest of his memories. Being a writer you would think he would instinctively take his collection of prints with him, yet he questioned the matter. Bilton asked others for their opinions and discovered that his close colleagues were shocked that he would even consider leaving his books (as was I), while other felt differently. No matter what side people argued, there was a lot of passion behind this subject matter and I think Bilton put it nicely when he comment, "If I was talking about throwing away my CD or DVD collection, no one would bat an eyelid."


I find it interesting and true how no one causes a fuss when deciding to get rid of a poster or a collection of playing cards, but books appear to be a major uproar. Bilton finally decided to leave behind 80% of his collection, sparing his favorites and those most memorable to him. I think he made the right decision but for some of the wrong reasons. Bilton noted that he has a Kindle and can easy download these books again and save money on the shipping fees, yet to me, that is like saying you can retake a picture. I do not think reading a book on an e-reader is nearly as enjoyable as reading a print, although I would love to have one. This is a different experience, and I think Bilton gave up his books because he can replace them easily. 


The author mentions how he would not use many of these books if he chose to keep them, but how often does one use a book? Personally i consider books almost a decoration and display of your personality. I enjoy walking into someones house and browsing their book shelf to discover their interests, along with the fact that it looks cool to have a book shelf! Bringing books to the e-reader eliminates the sharing of books, something I still do not feel comfortable with. In the end, Bilton left his books behind and stated that "most will end up on someone else’s bookshelf, until they are forced to make the same decision too." this idea frightens me because one day the world wont need books and I wonder what will happen to them. As a child I have always imagined having a huge bookshelf in my house, but now and days that seems almost impossible. No one will share books with  me or buy me books, there is going to be one spot on a counter top for a Kindle or Nook and that will be the extent of it. NOT very aesthetically pleasing and interesting if you ask me!