Here is some more fodder for you ebook fanatics at which to shoot and continue to miss.
Truth be told, for me the ideal would be to have every book in both formats. [:)]
I have always liked physical books... the one thing i did not see in the article although i only skimmed it was a real book you can actually loan easily sell or give away. My reference books I have no qualms with having in Logos but I must admit I have mixed feelings about books I will want to read and would like to pass on. But over all I still prefer my ebooks.... easier on my eyes and lighter to read for the most part, since I read on an iPad not always lighter but over all lighter for sure. Ebooks can actually be made more beautiful too... they were talking about the traditional e-ink readers with their monochrome look and feel but sometimes an eBook with beautiful colour photos can actually look better than the print equivalent. I remember seeing years ago a copy of the "Archaeological Study Bible" and while nice the photos in it pale in comparison to it's digital counterpart. I do not think printed books are going away anytime soon. But I feel safe in saying the same about ebooks. Having been purchasing them for over 20 years I for one will not be stoping because more beautiful books are being printed.
-dan
Dan,
Speaking of study Bibles, that's my biggest dissatisfaction with ebooks. Kindle versions of Bibles and study Bibles are unusable (cannot see Bible text and comments together, have to jump around).
Even study Bibles in apps like Tetarca, OliveTree, Logos only link Bible text and commentary together; all other nice layout features (special short articles, mini-maps pertaining to that passage, comparison charts, word studies, etc) are still indexed separately. If you're reading John 1:1, you wouldn't visually know that there are other such special features linked to that verse. You'd have to go to a separate table of content and hunt for such features.
Whenever they release new study Bibles (e.g. Zondervan), they often offer a sample section of Genesis or Matthew in PDF format. The beautiful visual layout and features of the print study Bible are completely preserved. But then when you purchase the ebook version, especially Kindle edition, all those nice visual features are completely unlinked from the relevant Bible text. I have been hoping and waiting for improvements in this aspect of ebook study Bibles for many years and there doesn't seem to be any progress from the publishers.
When you said you had a nice digital version of "Archaeological Study Bible" years ago, may I ask where you got that digital version, was it in PDF format, does it use a specific app to display, etc? Can you share a sample?
Thanks,
Peter
Sample from the start of Genesis 4
Chapter 4
ANCIENT PEOPLES, LANDS AND RULERS
Sumer
Genesis 4 To the Israelites of Biblical times Sumer was an ancient, classical civilization, similar to what ancient Rome is to us. Sumer (Biblical Shinar) refers to that region of Mesopotamia (“Map 14” in the back of this Bible), south of modern Baghdad that enormously influenced the Biblical world.The term Sumerian applies to people who lived there from the mid-fourth millennium B.C. (and possibly much earlier). Their principal cities were Uruk (Biblical Erech), Agade (Biblical Accad), Ur, Nippur, Kish, Lagash, Isin and Larsa. Sumerian civilization and culture came to an end around 1750 B.C. The Sumerians’ racial identity and origin are unknown, but they were not Semites (they did not belong to the racial group that included Israelites, Canaanites, Assyrians, Arameans and Arabs).
The Sumerians created the world’s earliest writing system, cuneiform, a method also used with another ancient language, Akkadian. Sumerian cuneiform was in fact the basis for the creation of Akkadian cuneiform.1 Cuneiform appears on about 250,000 known tablets dating from approximately 3200 B.C. to the first century A.D.2
Deciphering Sumerian has proven difficult because this language was linguistically isolated. Whereas English and German are related (an English speaker might guess that the German apfel means “apple”), there is no language related to Sumerian that helps to elucidate the meanings of its words. However, bilingual tablets containing both Akkadian and Sumerian have enabled scholars to gain a working knowledge of Sumerian.
Sumerians contributed in numerous other significant ways to other ancient Near Eastern cultures. They invented the wheel, the potter’s wheel and the sexagesimal numbering system (based on the number 60) and compiled collections of laws. In architecture they developed the arch, dome and vault. Incredibly, 100–foot–tall (30.5 m) Sumerian ziggurats—pyramidal, multistoried temple towers—still survive. Their form seems similar to the structure described in the Tower of Babel narrative of Genesis 11, but a direct connection has not been established.
Sumerian mythology also strongly influenced ancient Near Eastern religion, including worship of the sun, moon, stars and several “dying gods,” like Dumuzi (also called Tammuz).3 Sumerian literature includes hymns,4 proverbs, love poems, laments and epic myths,5 and there are interesting Biblical parallels in these Sumerian texts.
1 See “Languages of the Old Testament World” on page 672.
2 See “Cuneiform and Clay Tablets in the Ancient Near East” on page 1108.
3 See “Mourning for Tammuz” on page 1320.
4 See “Sexuality and Religion in the Sumerian Hymns to Ishtar” on page 1340.
5 See “The Sumerian Eridu Genesis” on page 576, “The Creation of Humans in the Sumerian Myth of Enki” on page 800 and “The Exaltation of a Holy City in the Psalms and in the Myths” on page 917.
Board game played at Ur, c. 2600 B.C.
Preserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin; permission of The British Museum
He-goat caught in thicket from Sumerian Ur
John H. Walton, eds. Archaeological Study Bible. Accordance electronic ed. (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2005), paragraph 650.
accord://read/Archaeological_SB#650
You might want to check your Olivetree settings because it follows along fine for me on my iPad although Accordance does it better and Logos is a bit jerky but works ok too...
-Dan
EDIT: should be noted that both photos are resized done from original to fit Logos forum maximin width size.
Thanks Dan!
The issue of which is better isn't one I want to delve into deeply. I just purchased my first print book in over a year last night (a collection of Far Side cartoons). There are many great things about print books that I love, but the benefits (and cost) of ebooks far outweighs the others.
I believe that one of the major reasons for this trend is the "impulse buy" nature of consumers. People have to go looking for eBooks, but best seller books are available everywhere from grocery stores to gas stations. When people first bought a device to read with (I.e. Kindle), they were more inclined to purchase some books while it was fresh and novel (pun not intended, but appreciated).
... There are many great things about print books that I love, but the benefits (and cost) of ebooks far outweighs the others.
[Y]
The Guardian article focuses on 'beautiful' books, not books in general. It is nice to see beautifully designed books finding a healthy market. They are not, however, just about the words in the book, but how they are presented. The feel of the page, the illustrations, the typography and layout, use of color, size of the page, the binding... these are things that e-books either cannot reproduce or can reproduce only in a limited way. So the Guardian is focusing on a small segment of all books.
Perhaps one benefit of what is happening with print books is that e-books will begin to imitate, if they can, some if the features 'beautiful' books include, at least on the visual side. To do this e-book readers will have to evolve.
I do buy print books, esp. when illustrations/photos are a significant part of the content, but most of my book needs are focused on verbal content, so, for the most part, e-books as they are now are sufficient for me.
I sometimes buy "beautiful books" especially of exotic faraway places--to give away to friends. Most of my time is in travel or away from "home," (which is Heaven). and I appreciate having my library with me. One tiny laptop and I have the whole thing!
I sometimes buy "beautiful books"
Does my afore mentioned "Far Side" collection count? [:)]
I sometimes buy "beautiful books" Does my afore mentioned "Far Side" collection count?
Does my afore mentioned "Far Side" collection count?
If Logos decided to carry "Far Side" books with high-quality graphics, I would buy.
Far Side --> yes. But don't forget Pickles, either.
good one. [:D]
I just purchased my first print book in over a year last night (a collection of Far Side cartoons).
That's really more of an investment than a purchase... Nothing compare.
IT CAME TORN!!! I'm going back to all digital books. lol
Real Books I love.. I cant walk through my house any longer.. [:^)]
I think my sole print bound weakness has to be Bibles. Good ones are very nicely bound, printed well and use quality paper. I love to use them.
One name leads the charge here: J. Mark Bertrand.
I LOVE real books. Love the look. Love the feel. Love the smell. And, would absolutely LOVE my house ... if I could afford one big enough to have the storage space needed to house all my digital books in real book format. Truth be told, for me the ideal would be to have every book in both formats.
I LOVE real books. Love the look. Love the feel. Love the smell. And, would absolutely LOVE my house ... if I could afford one big enough to have the storage space needed to house all my digital books in real book format.
Truth be told, for me the ideal would be to have every book in both formats.
So true. Books I really cherish I want in both real book form and ebook form. Hey, there are books I purchased in seminary by selling blood plasma to raise the money. I will never part with those books, but I don't use that Moulton and Geden Greek Concordance any more. Logos meets that need much better. Still, I am sentimental about that book. Hey, I paid for that with blood 40 years ago!
I collect the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs. I have copies of his books in print that are over 75 years old. (No, I am not.) I also have copies of his works in beautiful leather bound editions by Easton Press. But I read his books on my Surface Pro or iPhone in ebook format. Truth be told, I too enjoy having both formats.
Yeah, I do blame him for partly stoking the fire of this passion but I was doing it before he blogged on it. [8-|]
