First, I would like to say I love the guy with the cute red bow tie (Sidney Offit). He is just too cute! I am a book lover and although the kindle, I-Pad etc..are tempting… I cannot see myself giving up books for the convience of an e-reader. At home I have two six-foot book cases full of lovely books. Some I’ve read and some are patiently waiting for me to read them. I need to feel, smell and write in all of my books to connect to them. I love when I pull one of my old reads off the shelf to find handwritten notes of thoughts I had during the time engaged it.

There were a few comments that stuck out to me from the video. One guy said, “Being surrounded by books is really exciting to the imagination. It gives you a feeling of being around other peoples genius”. I totally agree. I guess that is why we pick up a book and turn to the back to find out the authors perspective of a particular subject. I can stay in a book store for hours browsing and choosing my next reads for a future date.

One book owner stated, “People who like books seem to be pretty interesting people”. I agree. A person who reads alot (depending on the type of books they read) have very interesting perspectives towards life.

“In writing a letter there is something about the process of composing it, sealing it and mailing it that is much more considerate” ~Sidney Offit
Yes, Yes and Yes. This shows a person that you took time out of your Crazy day to consider them at that moment. I even like to choose stationarey that would compliment the person I writing to.

Overall, I do not think that bookstores will be completely out of business. There is still a market for people who prefer visiting bookstores and holding a physical book in hand.

I really enjoyed watching this video because it shows the audience that technology is taking over the printed books. Everyone are able to download books to their kindle/ipad or whatever device they have. There is no use for publishing books anymore. However, books create a whole new atmosphere and gives a sense of warmth, unlike the new devices we have today. I would prefer reading something on a published book because to me, it is easier for me to read. Whenever I read on a device, somehow, I can’t concentrate and tend to skip sentences. This video is interesting in that it poses a question if bookstores will out of business because of these technological advances. I honestly think that even though having a device is more convenient and much more lighter than carrying a heavy book, having a book is necessary.

Over the past couple of years, e-books, kindles, iPads, tablets, etc. have taken the market by storm. All of these forms of electronics have taken over the act of physically reading an actual book, but I am not worried. Personally, I feel that actual books will never “go out of style” because there will always be a particular group of people who actually enjoy reading a physical book versus reading from an electronic.

For example, I particularly like having a kindle. It is convenient and light weight and it can store multiple books at a time, which is a plus because once I have completed my book, I can instantly choose another book to read. On the contrary, one of my close friends actually prefer to have an actual book to read. She stated that reading from a kindle, computer screen, etc. bothers her eyes and that she would rather read the physical text.

It is amazing how quickly society caught onto the trend and how quickly many people converted over to tablets, etc., but it’s also very interesting how people actually prefer a book. When the kindle, nook, etc. was made, all of these electronics were made with the idea of convenience. The creators were thinking: “How can we make books more convenient?” I feel that books will always be present now and in the future and other forms of electronic reading will just be another option that people will have. There will always be a person who would want to read a physical, page-turning book.

-Vogue Pugh

I find the topic of books/ e-readers very interesting. Last year my brother surprised me with a Kindle.  I purchased my first book and and found myself to be quiet disappointed. I felt the pages were very generic that you see for the most part the same text and page layout. It gave the book 0 characteristic and felt boring in my had. On the other hand I can see why people favor a Kindle because of its capacity of books it holds and the size of it.

Authors and designer spend countless hours of figuring out what the cover will look like, what kind of font are we using, how big/small the font is, what size we should make the actual book, how many pages should their be etc… Holding a book gives you the characteristic feel for the book. A book and how it is produced sets the tone of the book for me. To me books will be around forever.

The documentary focus on the technological advancement of printing books and how the way we view and read books has change through out the years. I find it interesting the way people have come enjoy e-books and read things aon a kindle instead of real books.In my opinion i rather read a real book instead of an eletronic copy because for me its hard to focus on reading material that is on a screen rathr than paper. Im sure that there are alot of people like me that will always prefer the feeling of real book instead of electronic one, so im sure the need for actual printed copies of books will never sease to exist.

This documentary documented how books and bookstores are slowly being replaced by digital readers like Kindle, Ipad etc. and eventually disappear altogether. I disagree with what is being documented because there are still people that prefers reading a physical book rather than a digital reader. Therefore making an assumption that books and bookstores will eventually disappear seems too extreme to me. Its just a matter of preference. There are people that prefer E-readers and people that prefer holding a physical book. I, myself prefer reading a physical book rather than an E-reader. It is true that an E-reader is more convenient however nothing beats holding a book and the satisfaction when you finish the book or excitement when your about to reach the end of the book. E-reader can’t give that satisfaction or excitement because you can’t really tell whether or not your nearing the end of the book or not.

The documentary “The Printed Word” was fascinating. I actually visited the bookstore that was featured in the film first, then ended up going to Barnes and Nobles afterwards, even though i preferred the selection of books available at St Marks Books. I think that the idea that ebooks will eventually kill books is a little far fetched. Ebooks along with solid books are more preference as to how media is delivered as opposed to a format change as history has seen with the vinyl record to cassette tape into the mp3. Ebooks allow authors to release there work at a lower cost to a worldwide market almost immediately, while print books allow for memorable items and gifts and books that can’t really be take for granted or replaced. It’s fairly difficult to emulate paper texture differences, popouts and 3d books along with the smell feel and authenticity of a book, nor is it possible to completely disregard the ease of use and connivance of having an entire library of books available in less then a pound of material. Print will never die, as the things that ebooks emulate will always be what ebooks aim to emulate. Further still, independent book stores and book stores themselves likely won’t be entirely phased out forever because as the documentary mentions, bookstores are more about the culture and book selection then selling the books for huge profits.

This documentary is a portrayal of the way books are being transformed by the digital world.  There are devices out there like the iPad, kindle, nook, etc. that make reading easier and more accessible.  With the click of a button you can have a book or document onto your tablet.  While I admit, I do own one myself that doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy a good book in my hands either.  I don’t believe that this means the end for books.  I believe that books are necessary because you can’t compare it to a tablet or any technological device.  The idea of convenience and being able to carry several books at once in the palm of your hand is a break through, yes, but there are certain aspects about books that you just can’t get with technology.  Like the creators showed, you can’t get the smell of the book or the physicality of flipping the corners of a page or writing in it to make your own notes.  I can understand the creators worry for books and bookstores but I think there as just as many people out there who prefer e-readers over books as there are people who enjoy books over e-readers.  Perhaps, it may just be my hopefulness that books won’t go away anytime soon but only time will tell.

Even though I love physical books I didn’t really like this documentary too much. I think its silly to think that books, bookstores or typewriters etc. will ever disappear. People who have an interest in these things will keep them alive forever. Even though my music collection is completely digital I still buy vinyl records at music stores because its a hobby and I’m a huge music lover. Its the same for books because I’m a book lover I’ll always go out to the store to pick up the latest series of a collection or a graphic novel I’m into so I can support the art I love. While I feel for the small book store owner its not like this is a new concept time changes everything before Kindles there was Barnes and Noble etc. But I do think its great that now I can buy electronic versions of textbooks at the half price of a printed book. So to each there own but I think these girls were more culture shocked than anything else in any huge city especially NYC people are going to be running around/on the subway with the latest trending device head to a more rural area in America, Europe or anywhere else and I’m pretty sure your average book lover is still buying books at there local book store.

Book reading is culture. E-book reading is culture. Either one will not fully surpass the other anytime soon. There will always be people who prefer the actual book-in-hand experience. Nevertheless, more and more individuals are already gradually shifting towards the world of electronic texts. With regards to convenience, E-books and E-book readers such as Kindles and Nooks definitely have the upper hand. However, in terms of the general reading experience, there is nothing like flipping through real pages, and inhaling the aroma of new and vintage books. There can only be certain feelings and advantages gained from either one type of reading source, not both. Although the number of book businesses are diminishing due to the advent of such digital devices and formats, the support for physical books will not be neglected, nor forgotten.