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E-Books vs. Picard’s Syndrome
November 19, 2006 | 6:05 am
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By David Rothman
So what’s The Syndrome—afflicting millions of outwardly healthy people—and what does it have to e-books? Hint: It’s one reason why electronic “reports” sell much better than “regular” e-books.
Big thanks to Branko Collin for the pointer.
Detail: I’m not sure about the date of this original item at LewRockwell.com. Nov. 19, 2003, or 2006? Typo at the bottom of the article? Probably not—since there’s a reference to B&N’s “recent” exit from the e-book biz. Whatever the case, the article is still of interest.
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Comments:
It is certainly 2003, that’s what web page’s HTTP header shows.
It is also dated by not mentioning the Long Tail idea, under which the author’s example of the Yellow Page e-manual certainly falls.
North’s essay makes several valuable points about the bias against e-books. Yet, he does not emphasize one major point in favor of physical books – transferability. The owner of a physical book can lend it to another person. He or she can also resell it or give it to a library. Currently, many e-books are encumbered with cryptographic locks that make these fundamental actions difficult or impossible.
Detail: It is sometimes possible to resolve ambiguity over the date of a webpage by consulting the “Way Back Machine” at http://www.archive.org/index.php. The URL for “Picard’s Syndrome” was archived but not indexed on November 19, 2003. The web page itself was archived February 22, 2004. So the essay is about three-years old. But this temporal stamp means it was prescient in its depiction of the ongoing resistance to the adoption of e-books.
[Moderator's note: The anti-spam Dobermans ate Garson's note. I restored it and restamped the time so it would appear at the top. Don't hesitate to email me at drNOSPAMteleread.com if you have trouble posting. - David Rothman.]
I don’t think Gary North forgot to emphasize electronic locks. People who are willing to cough up 200 bucks for a single e-book won’t mind the lock much. He contrasts this with people’s expectations of electronic novels; apparently these should cost no more than one or two dollars. Do these currently exist — with or without electronic lock?
For generations, we have been taught to protect and value books. Right or wrong, we now hold them in a reverence that exceeds the words and thoughts they contain. Books are not just objects but icons that have become inseparable from the concepts of wisdom, culture and civilization. I’m sorry but I will never be as moved and inspired by a computer full of e-books as I am by a room full of wonderful and real books.
Don’t get me wrong. I am a big believer in e-books. But, after reading a particularly good book in its electronic form, I still find myself wanting a “real” copy.
JH
It’s worth noting, he said a couple of years later when he found this article in a text search, that the piece is indeed from 2003, because we noticed it then, too.