Printed books, a thing of the past?

I don't think this will happen. Most people I know don't read ebooks, and a lot don't actually spend a lot of time on the internet. The difficulty is that the people who are spending a lot of time on the internet will of course encounter mainly people who spend time on the internet, and thus think that not as many people read regular books. But try walking into a bookstore or a library. They are full of people buying/reading books. The internet is just another way to gain information, and in some ways it's more efficient. But I don't think it will replace books, or even newspapers, for a while yet.

I am like the majority here who think that printed books will never disappear. In fact, the current state of eBooks makes me think that the quality of eBooks can never equal real published books. So many eBooks today are self-published books that haven't been edited properly. I've read a few eBooks, and just about every single one was far inferior to a real book that I would purchase at the store. Some folks are switching to Sony Reader (which is an electronic device that can store a great many books on a mini computer screen), but these are hard on the eyes. Also what about marking a page or writing in the margins? Printed books have so much personality, it would be a shame to lose that wonderful vehicle for reading. And, because a lot of people collect old books, I would say that there is a long history for printed books yet to come.

I really don't think that the printed page will disappear any time soon.The Ebooks and a paperless world for business maybe fine but there is nothing like holding a book and relaxiing to read it. I like to read in bed. can you imagime me taking the computer to the bed and trying to laydown and read a book from it. Or how about packing the computer up and taking it to the beach or the park. Yes I know about e-books but they just are not the same. I like the paper back book because their size is very easy for my arthritic hand to hold. No I really don;t think tha paper books will dsappear soon.

Books won't become obsolete. There are still many people that love reading books and not everyone has or will computers.

Hi eprado, I don't think we have to worry about printed books becoming a thing of the past. At least not for a long time. There are still many people like you who want to read actual books. Blessings.

I hope not. I can only concentrate on a computer screen so long. MY eyes start to water and it's just not good. That and bedtime reading would be difficult.

Despite I read a lot of articles and blogs everyday, I still prefer to read a printed book instead of an e-one. I generally read in my bed just before sleeping, and e-books are not really practical in such circumstances.

I do see alot of E-Books out there but I love printed books. I own hundreds and read most of them all the time. AT PEACE WITHIN

I really think that printed books will NEVER be obsolete, simply because they are impossible to be reproduced digitally. I mean, I know it's possible to have a digital version of a book, but the sensation of reading it is completely different. So, I don't think ebooks will ever take their place.

Hey buddy, The culture of printed books will never fall. I still read printed books. In schools and colleges, I dont think they will issue ebooks in near future. How long can one sit in front o a computer? All those will get a heart attack. I still respect printed books and have it in a place above the ebooks.

I certainly hope not! There will (hopefully) always be people who appreciate getting away from technology and getting out, sitting down with a printed book - an amazing piece of literature and just escaping. It would be a sad day when technology completely replaced the written word.

I enjoy reading various books so I hope they don't get replaced. Not only that, I really don't wanna sit and read my favorite books in PDF format. Sure I can print it, but I'm trying to save a tree and some ink whenever I can!

I don't think printed books will go away anytime soon, honestly. They have too much character about them and ebooks and the like aren't nearly as practical. You can still stick a printed book in your bag and go, but to get an ebook around you need a laptop and not everyone has one of those (or wants one)

I love the internet, but nothing will ever replace the printed paper book for me. You can take it anywhere with you i.e. on a plane or on the beach where you cannot take your laptop. You can get annoyed with it and throw it down and you can also re-sell in on the internet and make money from it. As for paperless offices I am very dubious whether this will ever happen due to the amount of computer breakdowns we have at work and we always have to resort to printed reports for the information we need to be able to carry on working. Yes the printed paper book for me anytime