Will E-books replace traditional Books?

It is known to all that ours is an age of information characterized by innumerable inventions beyond our wildest imagination even decades ago. Electronic dictionaries have found their way into numerous students’ backpacks; digital cameras have gained increasing popularity among common households. Now surprisingly, some even claim that e-books will take the place of traditional ones.

Admittedly, this new invention has benefited us in many ways. The major merit, as is held by most of its supporters, is the convenience we can derive from it. Armed with high-tech gadget, one doesn’t have to drag himself along with huge piles of books with him in case he needs consulting a book for reference; neither does he need to search from cover to cover for a single quotation. What is required is a laptop plugged in and a mere click of the mouse.

For all the advantages, I still often dwell and linger in traditional books mainly for their irresistible charm. Nothing can be compared, at least to me, with the delight of sitting at the desk with the lamp on, sipping coffee or tea, seeing the vapor rising into the air, enveloped and immerged in the faint fragrance of printing ink. After all, practicality, if important, should not be the only determinant for our approach towards such cultural heritages as traditional books.