The first book I remember reading on my own all the way through was “Little Black, a Pony”, by Walter Farley. I still have the book, but even if I didn't, I would remember just as clearly the storyline, the cover, the paper, the drawings and colours used in the illustrations. I would remember the feeling of contentment I got when reading it, and re-reading it, because knowing the ending didn't matter. Reading it, and enjoying the experience, did.
Reading is about many things, primarily imagination and intellect, but there are many other factors that come into play to make the experience of reading a book something that most of us still long for when we're doing something else. The cover, the paper, the font, the illustrations, the feel, the smell, the way the reader can be transported away from humdrum things and into happy relaxation.
In the UK, researchers at the Reader Organisation in Liverpool are exploring the way in which shared reading makes people feel better, and can even alleviate depression. Neuroscience tells us that reading unlocks remarkable powers, but it is not just the mechanics of reading that is the key - it is the whole experience.
Reading on the go
Today, you can read a book on your PC, laptop and even mobile phone (optometrists the world over must be rejoicing at this last one). The second and improved incarnation of Kindle - just one of many wireless e-book readers available, although Amazon's offering is not currently available outside the US - now lets users download around 1 500 books. To promote the Kindle 2, author Stephen King has written a short novel that is available exclusively as a Kindle download.
Neuroscience tells us that reading unlocks remarkable powers, but it is not just the mechanics of reading that is the key - it is the whole experience.
Janet Paterson, editor, ITWeb Informatica
Is this the thin end of the wedge? Kindle is a very clever tool, but here's another rub - it has the potential to shrink the entire book publishing industry, which means fewer books, so less reading, so dumber people who in turn want fewer books, until Kindle - like Stephen King's Pop - eats itself.
I would sooner lick the front cover of author's correction proofs of Mein Kampf than read a book on a screen. (Incidentally, Hitler's vile tome made the top of the bestseller list on Amazon's Kindle store in the “legal thrillers” category earlier this month...) While technology is important in that it offers us choice, it often comes at a price - for example, the growth of the Internet has seen a huge slump in funding for libraries the world over.
Choice is a wonderful thing, but when it also threatens to whisk us ever further away from those things in life that give it substance and form, we should choose carefully. (And when you get the coffee shakes, it's cheaper to replace a mass-market paperback than your cellphone or laptop.) The Internet and related technologies do not mean the end of books; but if we don't question the technology, they could mean the end of real reading.
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