Diving Between The Pages

Today I'm going to pause from my normal blog about translating my father's book.

On Wednesday, I was listening to The Takeaway, one of my favorite "current news" programs on NPR here in OKC.  They were discussing e-books.  A publishing company had recently announced it will be focusing
primarily on developing its e-book brand.  The company will no longer be printing paperbacks.  Instead, paperback novels will be provided on an on-demand basis only.

Whaaaaaat?

Don't get me wrong.  I think there is a market out there for e-readers.  You know, those technologically-savvy people who have an i-this and i-that or some gizmo that orders your takeout, does your homework, maybe even feeds your dog.

No, I'm being cynical.  I would probably enjoy an e-reader if I received one as a gift.

You see, I absolutely love to read.  Not a day goes by that I don't pick up a book, pull open the cover and thumb through the pages.  I love the feeling of getting lost in someone else's words  The feeling of floating outside of myself and into the world of their creation and leaving behind my overly-structured, overly-controlled, overly-articulated life.

What I thought was going to be a temporary step onto my soap box immediately after I heard the news story turned into three days of contemplation.  I've mostly been thinking about my love affair with books.  Note, I said books, not reading.  I know reading will always be around, but if other publishing companies follow the example of the one featured in the piece, which an interviewee said they would, then what will become of some of my most prized possessions?

I tried to think back to my first visit to the library, but I think I was too young.  What I do remember perfectly clearly was my favorite show as a child.  Call me a nerd but I never missed an episode of Reading Rainbow.  Not only did it introduce you to new books, the show also showed you real life examples of the topics of books.  One of my favorites was when LeVar Burton brought us to the Boston Museum of Fine Arts and showed us the extensive mummy collection.  The book featured in that episode was Mummies Made In Egypt.  And who can forget the kids at the end?  I wanted so badly to be one of the kids talking about a book they had recently read.  I used to practice.  After I finished a book, I would practice what I would say if I got to be on Reading Rainbow.  Then I would end it with...say it with me..."But you don't have to take my word for it."

Little did I know, a TV show would shape my future love of books.  A little ironic, isn't it.  To me, books provide more than just entertainment.  Books give us an experience.  Trips to the library, getting lost in the stacks, smelling the dust.  The crack the spine makes when you open a brand new book, your fingers getting black from the ink on the newly printed pages.  Holding the corner of the page because you absolutely cannot wait to flip and see what happens next. Curling up in a comfy chair and getting lost as you dive between the pages.

 And it's not just the personal experience.  One of my favorite things to do is recommend great books to friends.  I love pulling a book off my shelf, handing it to a friend, watch him, usually her, gaze at the cover, run their fingers over it and decide they're going to give it a try.  Books can help build community, whether it's sharing books like me, or making new friends at the library or the book store.  In our ever-becoming isolated world, we simply can't afford to lose a force that can potentially bring people together.

I have no doubt I will get an e-reader at some point in my life.  I just love reading too much.  And I've heard great things about it, particularly the ability to carry so much reading material in one little device.  I just hope the market for the traditional book doesn't get diminished in the process.

And just to tie into the rest of this blog, a look at the book cover for my father's book.  A celebration of his work.  Imagine how anti-climatic it would have been for him if it was just a thumbnail on the internet as you download your e-book.