ABSTRACT
Books are a load of crap. Philip Larkin, Study o f Reading Habits (1964)
In simple terms, there exist two schools of thought on the subject of electronic texts. The first holds that paper is far superior and will never be replaced by screens. The argument is frequently supported by reference either to the type of reading scenarios that would currently prove difficult if not impossible to support acceptably with electronic text - reading a newspaper on the beach or browsing a magazine in bed - or the unique tactile qualities of paper. The latter aspect is summed up neatly in Garland’s (1982) comment that electronic text may have potential uses: ‘but a book is a book is a book. A reassuring, feel-the-weight, take-your-own-time kind of thing. . . ’ (cited in Whaller, 1987, p.261).
