The Fate of Books

We got into a really interesting conversation the other day about the fate of books.  With the advent of e-books, a lot of people are abandoning the old-school, physical book.  Sort of like what happened to records, tapes, and now CDs through the years.  Thank you very much, iTunes.

Me?  I still like a book.  I'll confess that I'm not a voracious reader and I certainly understand the merits of e-books, especially when it comes to storage and reading while traveling.  But I just like the physical nature of holding a book and flipping through the pages.  It's comforting.  Not so much maybe for fiction, but for decorating, cooking, fashion, and photography -- at least for me.

But many of the people that I was with the other night felt quite the opposite.  They are ready to abandon books.  Get rid of them out of their lives and carry it all on an e-book.  They see books as heavy baggage and I get it, totally.  For those who love them, e-books have changed their lives, allowing them to read as many books as they want where ever they want to.  Even on the beach with no glare :).

So what's your take?  What do you think is the fate of books?  What's your experience?  Jim.