INTRODUCTION

A book is a reading material that has a set of text-filled pages of written works. It comes
with two types: electronic book (e-book) and paperback book (printed book). An e-book is a
digital file for reading text which can be viewed on a device. The portable device used has the
capability to store a huge number of books that dramatically eliminates weight and volume
compared to an actual book. On the other hand, a paperback book has a set of pages that are
produced with the use of ink and paper. It carries the physical beauty of a work in many ways
especially in the form of literature. With print, you control the layout. The words appear on the
printed page exactly where you want them to appear. With e-books, there is no “page.” By
giving up the control of the printed page, you and your readers gain much more in return.

Paperback books never actually stopped leading the charge, considering that e-book sales
have never made up more than a third of all book sales. The underlying issue in all of this,
however, is the idea that e-books and printed books are in some sort of fierce battle to the death
with one another in which the only outcome is total dominance. Both as a medium, printed books
are still preferred and pleasing for many readers not only for the reason that its physical attributes
contributes to the wholeness of the book, but its “main concept” in despite of this technology-
driven time.This paper focuses primarily on the reasons why paperback books are still better than
electronic books.
 BODY

Researchers have been examining the differences between reading regular books and e-
books for years. Many of the studies have shown that reading old-fashioned books has plenty of
advantages over e-books, which can be gateways to other electronic distractions, all of which
screw with your sleep. The following are the reasons why reading paperback books is better
than reading electronic books:

 Reading in print helps with comprehension. 

A 2014 study found that readers of a short mystery story on a Kindle were significantly
worse at remembering the order of events than those who read the same story in paperback.
Lead researcher Anne Mangen of Norway's Stavanger University concluded that "the haptic
and tactile feedback of a Kindle does not provide the same support for mental reconstruction
of a story as a print pocket book does."

Our brains were not designed for reading, but have adapted and created new circuits to
understand letters and texts. The brain reads by constructing a mental representation of the
text based on the placement of the page in the book and the word on the page. 

The tactile experience of a book aids this process, from the thickness of the pages in your
hands as you progress through the story to the placement of a word on the page. Mangen
hypothesizes that the difference for Kindle readers "might have something to do with the
fact that the fixity of a text on paper, and this very gradual unfolding of paper as you
progress through a story is some kind of sensory offload, supporting the visual sense of
progress when you're reading."

While e-readers try to recreate the sensation of turning pages and pagination, the screen is
limited to one ephemeral virtual page. Surveys about the use of e-readers suggest that this
affects a reader's serendipity and sense of control. The inability to flip back to previous
pages or control the text physically, either through making written notes or bending
pages, limits one's sensory experience and thus reduces long-term memory of the text. 

 By using e-books, people remember less about a book’s timeline.

Another study of adults also found that e-books can be hard to absorb. The researchers
asked 25 people read a 28-page story on a Kindle and 25 to read the story in paperback, then
asked the readers to put 14 events from the story in chronological order. Those who read the
story on a Kindle performed worse on the chronology test than the book readers, though they
performed about the same as print readers in other tests. Earlier research by the same
scholars, from Stavanger University in Norway, found that Norwegian 10th graders also
remembered more about texts if they read them in print rather than on a computer screen.

 Print books are cheaper than e-books.

In 2009, the Kindle 2 electronic reader is shown at Amazon.com news conference in New
York. Despite eliminating many costs associated with regular books, e-books are often more
expensive than paperbacks.

To further elaborate, with print, Amazon and other booksellers are allowed to charge a
price they want. So when booksellers, for instance, discount the print books under the e-
book price, publishers will have little control over that. E-books, however, publishers set the
price and e-booksellers are not allowed to discount. With e-books, publishers retain the
rights to price the e-books. That is a difference from the first case. Hence, this resulted in an
inconsistency with pricing of books on two different mediums.
 Print books are fairer to writers.

The Author’s Guild has been beating the drum for years that publishers give writers a
lower percentage of the royalties for e-books. That makes it harder for authors to earn a
living – and to produce new books. If you want to support writers, who are struggling these
days, more than publishing giants – buy a print book.

 Print books do not get in the way of sleeping time.

A recent study out of Harvard University found that reading an e-book before bed
lessened the production of an important sleep hormone known as melatonin. As a result,
people took much longer to fall asleep, experienced less deep sleep, and were more fatigued
in the morning.

“The light emitted by most e-readers is shining directly into the eyes of the reader,
whereas from a printed book or the original Kindle, the reader is only exposed to reflected
light from the pages of the book,” Charles Czeisler, lead author of the study, told the BBC.
“Sleep deficiency has been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic
diseases like obesity and diabetes, and cancer. Thus, the melatonin suppression that we saw
in this study among participants when they were reading from the light-emitting e-reader
concerns us.”

In contrast, reading an old-fashioned book can actually help you sleep better. By taking
your mind off the things that you may normally stress about before falling asleep, a book can
clear your mind and also make you sleepy, easing you into a full night’s rest. In addition,
soft light being reflected off the pages of a book doesn’t signal to your brain that it’s time to
wake up like the glaring screen of an e-book or phone. Putting away your electronic devices
and focusing on a paper book creates singularity in focus.
 CONCLUSION

It is firmly agreed that using paperback books than electronic books are more preferable
and effective to most of the readers. Printed books revolutionized the world nearly 600 years ago
and since then, they have influenced every part of the world specifically in cultures, science,
inventions, imaginative thoughts and every person’s intellect through these materials’ power to
share ideas and information. As for this matter, we had mentioned the advantages of printed
books over electronic books:(1) Printed books help with comprehension because a study was
conducted proving that the brain reads by constructing a mental representation of the text based
on the placement of the page in the book and the word on the page. (2) It helps people remember
more about a book’s timeline after a research that most of the 10 th graders remember more about
texts if they read them in print rather than on a computer screen. (3) They are cheaper than
electronic books since physical booksellers can give you a discount under the e-book price. () It
is fairer to writers due to the fact that publishers give writers a lower percentage of the royalties
for electronic books. (5) And, they do not get in the way of sleeping time, thus, old-fashioned
books can actually help you sleep better and reduce some harmful effects to your health. It is
clear that reading an old-fashioned paper book might seem out of style, inefficient, or
impractical. But don’t underestimate the simplicity of holding a physical book in your hands,
flipping through the pages, and not having anything else to shift your focus to. Commit to the
classic paper book and you'll get the full, healthier experience. 
 REFERENCES

http://mashable.com/2013/01/16/e-books-vs-print/#nrFCTU2ZXPqu

http://www.medicaldaily.com/e-books-are-damaging-your-health-why-we-should-all-start-
reading-paper-books-again-317212

http://www.tested.com/tech/concepts/457411-paper-books-offer-better-reading-comprehension-
digital/

http://www.yalsa.ala.org/thehub/2015/08/21/a-teen-perspective-e-books-vs-print-books/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/27/print-ebooks-studies_n_6762674.html

http://www.bookmasters.com/blog/print-book-vs-ebook/
 “READING PAPERBACK BOOKS

ARE BETTER THAN READING ELECTRONIC BOOKS”

VILLANUEVA, MA. REJED V.

ENG 002 MWF 8:30-9:30