A while ago I watched a great sci-fi comedy called Robot and Frank. I didn’t know what to expect, but found it to be surprisingly funny, spunky, thoughtful, and tender all at once.

However, one part of the story in particular gave me the chills. In this not-so-distant future, Frank’s local library is shutting down and being turned into a community center by the new obnoxious, hipster-esque director who believes print is no longer relevant. In one scene they show an antique copy of Don Quixote under a glass display, a relic of the bygone era of print.

I struggle with my reaction to this possible future, which is mostly horrified. Mediums of storytelling are always evolving and will continue to evolve. What I feel now has been felt before whenever there was change – from the Luddites during the Industrial Revolution to the people who hated pencils because they displaced the art of writing with quill and ink. 

Despite knowing this, I still felt a surge of vindication when a friend recently mentioned they heard some buzz about local bookstores making a comeback, and e-book sales beginning to drop. I dug into it a little and found some interesting articles that seem to confirm these trends, although the New York Times points out it’s really too soon to tell what the long-term impact of e-readers will be. 

Despite my loyalties to print, I still have a Kindle that I bought when I was teaching overseas and wasn’t able to bring much with me, and I do prefer it whenever convenience is a priority. Real books cannot compare to how light and portable it is, or how I can quickly download another book if I happen to blaze through the one I brought with me on vacation (which is often). I also enjoy being able to tap an unfamiliar word to see its definition.

However, for me, that’s where the pros end.

A print book is more than the book itself, it is an experience. You turn the pages, smell the soft, inky scent of the paper, your fingers trace the embossed letters on the cover which you admire each time you close the book . . . 

I stumbled on an article that proposes this physical experience is what will keep print books around a lot longer than we anticipated. For now, at least, we tend to put more value on things we can tangibly hold – digital items don’t give us that same sense of ownership. In another article I found an interesting study that suggests reading a book in print supports a better learning experience as it seems to help us focus and retain information more easily.

For me, it’s the difference between talking to a loved one on Skype or Facetime, and spending time with them in person. If you’ve ever been in a long-distance relationship, you can probably relate. A screen can feel distant and impersonal, and I find I can’t sink into it in the same way I can get lost in a book.

Even more than that, I like the idea that books retain an imprint of the times they were read before. Their pages absorb the excitement, fear, surprise, and wonder and become richer and richer, like a cast iron pan soaking up the seasonings from previous meals. 

But the number one reason I will never stop buying print books is because once upon a time, I was enraptured with this scene from Disney’s Beauty and the Beast. I like to think Belle gasped, not just at the opulence of the space, and the quantity of books, but because she felt the same reverence one would feel walking into any holy space. I just don’t think it would be the same walking into that room and seeing a Kindle, even if it was a golden Kindle resting on a mahogany pedestal, even if it held all the books that ever were and will be written.

Like I said before, everything changes, and even though I am a book Luddite and want to throw my clog in the wheel of change, I’m sure there will come a day when print books are for the nostalgic, the collectors, the eccentric.

Perhaps there will even be a time when stories are digitally downloaded into our brains, like Neo’s martial arts lessons in The Matrix, and even the written word itself will be as uncommon as oral storytelling traditions are to many of us now.

Parents will tuck their kids into bed, kiss them on the forehead, and upload “Bedtime Stories for Ages 4-6” before tenderly slipping a pair of VR goggles over their head so they can watch the pages flip as a soothing voice lulls them to sleep . . . Forever and ever, my baby you’ll be.

Just kidding! I really, really, really hope . . . 

In all seriousness, I hope we’ll land in a place where multiple mediums are enjoyed. A print book for a slower, richer experience. An e-book for when you’re commuting to work, or on vacation. And someday, a VR experience – probably some advanced form or combination of role-playing, adventure, and simulation type video games – for when you want to experience the story. I know this sound disturbingly like Aldo Huxley’s “feelies”, but I don’t think it will all be bad – humans are capable of some terrible things, but we’re also equally incapable of not creating something beautiful.

So, I doubt I will ever see print books completely disappear in my lifetime, but if it ever comes to that I’ll see you around at the used book stores and antique shops! Or maybe I’ll finally open up my own print shop that specializes in customizable books. I’ll commission freelance graphic designers to create multiple designs so you can pick your own cover art. Then, you can see a digital preview of your favorite typeface (and even choose the size and color!) Finally, you’d come into the store to do a feel-test of the different types of paper – matte finish, deckle edge, crisp white or vanilla cream?

I’m drooling just thinking about it.

On a related-ish note, since many folks are celebrating holidays this December, consider giving a book along with (or instead of) plastic junk that will be tossed in the trash as soon as something newer and shinier comes out. Or, consider giving to a charity that supports reading and literacy, like one of these 12 Amazing Book and Literacy Charities That Are Changing the World.

Thanks for stopping by and pondering the future of books with me, feel free to leave your own predictions below. See you next week! 

*Also, I realize it’s a little ironic I’m writing about the importance of reading things in print while I write in an online blog. My grandpa always liked to say, “everything in moderation,” so I think I’ll just leave it at that.