Culturebox: iPad, Meet Your Nemesis

Now playing: Slate V, a video-only site from the world's leading online magazine. Visit Slate V at www.slatev.com.
culturebox iPad, Meet Your Nemesis Why art books won't become e-books any time soon. By Jim Lewis Posted Thursday, Oct. 7, 2010, at 11:51 AM ET As little as a year or two ago, it was possible to be skeptical about the future of electronic publishing, but it's becoming increasingly clear that Kindles, iPads, and the like will soon be the dominant medium--if, indeed, they aren't already. As a novelist this bothers me not at all; though I prefer paper, I don't care how other people read, so long as they do. But novels and nonfiction aren't the only things that come in book form. Unless you're very dedicated, and very well-traveled, most of the art and photography you've seen has been on the printed page as well. Will these, too, gradually be replaced with e-books? I suspect not, and I certainly hope not, but to understand why, we need to indulge in a little metaphysics. A book--or, for clarity's sake, let's say a work of literature--is impervious to the constraints of its physical medium. From a literary standpoint at least, every instance of "The Lake Isle of Innisfree" is identical. Whether you read it in a cheap paperback or a first edition, on a computer monitor, an e-reader, or in Yeats' own handwriting, it's the same poem. To continue reading, click here. Jim Lewis is the author of three novels, most recently, The King Is Dead. Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate How Much Has Citizens United Changed Campaign Finance in 2010? The Strangers on the Internet Who Have Solutions to Your Medical Problems If the State Department Issues a Travel Alert, Do Airfares Go Down?	Advertisement
Manage your newsletters on Slate Unsubscribe | Newsletter Center | Advertising Information Please do not reply to this message since this is an unmonitored e-mail address. If you have questions about newsletters, please go here.
Ideas on how to make something better? Send an e-mail to newsletters@slate.com. Copyright 2010 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive Co. LLC | Privacy Policy Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive | c/o E-mail Customer Care | 1150 15th Street NW | Washington, D.C. 20071