R. N. Morris has such a cool anecdote related to the Kindle that had to write about it -
Most people are talking about e-book readers such as kindle as if they are recent developments, but actually the idea has been around since the early nineteenth century. An early (magical) prototype features in Hoffmann’s story The Choosing of The Bride (from Tales of Hoffmann).
In the story the disappointed suitors for Albertine were compensated with a series of magical consolations. One of the consolations was a blank book -
Chancellery Private Secretary Tusmann receives “a little book bound in parchment which when he opened it proved to contain nothing but blank pages’. The secretary despairs, thinking he has drawn a worthless bundle of paper.
Except it isn’t worthless. Read R. N. Morris’ blog post to find out the rest of the story.
Do we sometimes forget that eReaders are magical?
Amongst the cries of Why doesn’t it have color? and Why doesn’t it do anything other than reading? from people who don’t read books we’ve forgotten that eReaders are pretty much what the mysterious goldsmith in Tales of Hoffman conjured up -
- A set of blank pages that become whatever book you want it to become.
That’s pretty magical.
The jump in abilities from the book to the eReader is huge – Once the contrast and quality of the screen is perfected there is going to be nothing to stop eReaders except people’s attachment to physical books.
There’s always someone who’ll look at the downsides
The bigger the jump in technology or way of thinking the more the resistance.
How could it be that something that was literally considered magic is now being considered not advanced enough. We haven’t had any jumps in book technology for centuries – How can any jump be considered not enough of a jump?
eReaders are up against the perfect storm -
- Publishers and entrenched authors view them as a threat to their power and earnings.
- People who don’t read view them as something to be scared of and attack.
- People who are attached to the physical shell of paper books forget that ebooks are books too.
- Rival Device makers view them as an easy way to sell a product that isn’t really meant for reading.
It’s exactly the sort of response you’d imagine if something really was magical and revolutionary.
The takeaway is -
If eReaders weren’t magical and a threat no one would care.
The best sign of a product being meaningless is NOT criticism – It’s indifference.
Filed under: eBook Reader Devices Tagged: | magical ereaders
