Recently, I went on a “Tour Of Homes” which featured many fancy restored houses. The thought that stuck with me, was that all these old homes had walls and walls of built-in bookcases. (Filled with old books, of course!) Some must have had five or six rooms with “book walls.”
Now, these were historic homes. I doubt that many of us have that many bookshelves.
However, most people have at least one area of their home that is taken up by books. I have a small alcove that has two bookshelves containing several hundred books that I have accumulated. But, I have not read any of them in years. In fact, I have picked up less than a dozen for reference in that time. Why? Perhaps, it’s because the Internet has replaced them as a source of information.
As I stood in the historic homes, among their myriad rows of books, I couldn’t help but wonder if my young son’s future house would have bookshelves in it. (When he grows up.) Maybe, it will take until his kids’ generation, but I don’t think homes of the future will be filled with books.
These days, I read almost all my books on my iPad or iPhone. (Kindle App and iBooks.) And while I am an early adopter, it is likely that our kids and their kids will not stack their homes with books, but rather get their knowledge from online and electronic sources.
Ironically, just yesterday Amazon reported that they are now selling more eBooks that physical hardcover books. (See article here.)
Will books be considered clutter in the future? Maybe. But, I think we can reclaim some of that space that we have traditionally allocated for physical books. On my home improvement list is to clear out those old bookshelves and make better use of the space.
Do you have books that take up space in your home? Do you think physical books will be in our future homes?
Random Note: If you look closely at the pic above, you might see Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. Randy was one of my professors while I was as student at the University of Virginia years ago. His “User Interfaces” class was one of my favorites of all time and I still have his coursework materials on my bookshelf. (That’s not clutter!)
Photo credit jlz
Going strictly to the practial point of view (that is, leaving out the “nostalgic magic feeling” of paper books), the thing Im still not sure about is the highlighting/note-taking one… I don't own an iPad myself, but the reviews I've read about eBooks don't talk very well about this features…
What do you think?
Do you think physical books will be in our future homes?
I believe it depends mainly on the person who is willing to accept technologies. Who is not, than there will always be a physical books.
I can count myself between people opened to new stuff, technology. So I am gonna definitely count with e-books. Online reading etc. I do not own e-book reader, but it is just matter of time.
Thanks for the nice article, anyway. Interesting report about Amazon's sales.
I say it depends upon how one classifies books in the future. If they are seen as artifacts, collectibles or curiousities, then they will continue to have space in at least a few private homes.
The number of books available in digital format is far smaller than the total collection. Novels that I like are generally what I keep. I have plenty of tech manuals that have been superceded over the years, so having digital versions would be a great idea.
I also think it's misleading to think that all the information on the web is comprehensive. If anything, it falls completely short of having really useful research information or data.
I don't think physical books are on the decline yet, though I can see a few areas where the personal library will go down in physical size.
Also, without power, you can still read a good book. 🙂
sorry you wrote this article out of the limit imagine now you can remplace the theme by “women will be in our futur homes ?”
Part of me is adamant that there's something really nice about the experience of holding a physical book, turning pages, smelling the paper etc. (I know I'm not the only person who gets a kick out of that last one!)
Having said that, last month I got rid of about 80 books for the main reason that they were clutter, left over from an English degree and taking up valuable cupboard space. The only books I have left now are ones that I want for future reference and know I will pick up again in the future. It's a compromise 🙂
I have and LOVE my Kindle! I'm a huge reader and have a massive amount of book clutter that I am trying convert to ebooks. But I doubt books will totally be gone forever. Firstly, not every book is available in ebook format. Secondly, ereaders will need to get a lot better to encompass every possible book because not every book works on an ereader (ex. photo books, those with heavy graphics). There will also be the collector that will always demand a physical book!
Even with all this, I believe rooms full of books will no longer be necessary (other than for the serious collector) and electronic books will be more and more prevalent in the future.
I have Kindle and LOVE it! I love having so many forms of reading and reading material at my fingertips. However, I think it will be a while before books are entirely out of the picture. I know a ton of people who prefer books. They like the feel of a book in their hands and turning the pages…
And what about bookstores? Those are my favorite places. I love browsing the isles and picking up books and reading the backs.
I think ebooks are the future, but books still have their place too.
Heather – I used a Kindle for a while and loved it.
Currently, I am using an iPad as my eBook Reader. But, yes, I think books will be around for some time. 🙂
Agree with you that many books are still not readily available in eBook format yet. That can be frustrating.
However, I do think our homes will recover much of the space that was traditionally occupied by books.
Look at the specific genre of encyclopedias… once upon a time, all homes wanted to have a set. When I was young, we had two whole bookshelves full of them. Now, not many homes have them at all. 🙂
Like Hannah I love the touch, feel, smell of a real book. I love the experience of choosing one from the bookstore or the thrift store. I love the way holding an old worn paperback makes me think of lazy teenage summers and how the weight of a nice leather or leather-like book in my hands makes me feel smarter and older.
For me books are the physical and tangible part of the great intangible adventure that a good fiction book brings. Even reading a good biography or autobiography in a 'real' book seems to bring importance to the subject matter.
I remember watching my boys when they were younger going through the ritual of choosing the book from their book basket that we would read for bedtime. They liked bringing it to the bed or rocking chair, helping to turn the pages, pointing to the mouse in Goodnight Moon, and the responsibility of carefully replacing it when we were finished. Those experience just couldn't be the same on an electronic book reader!
Holding a book is the equivalent of (And I'm NOT equating religion with book reading) holding the Rosary beads while praying for me. It's the combination of hearing the words in your head while touching the book that gives it a deeper dimension. I can't imagine a home without books in it.