Every time I move, I rethink my position on electronic books and readers. I have a lot of books and my obsession with them demands that I buy more. The weight, however, is tough to deal with. But as I look upon them and remember the joy and satisfaction that I feel, I do not know that I can switch to something so modern. Nothing can replace the appearance, heft, and texture of a good tome.

Also, my paranoia usually kicks in as well. Electronic information can be edited while a book published usually stays the same forever. This will always be the case, barring the growth of some villainous institution such as the “Ministry of Truth.” Knowing that such a thing is never outside the realm of possibility, I plan to keep my books close and my guns perhaps even closer.

Why this slavish devotion to paper and print, you ask? To me, books represent the continuing record of the human experiment. Before recorded history, man pasted his experience from one to another through the spoken word. Tales were told and memorized. Unfortunately, they were often changed or embellished. When I pick up a book, I can access the ideas and concepts of a writer 2,000 years ago or last week. It is the growth of knowledge and thought that I love, not only the physical form itself.

Still, the light weight of a Kindle or some other reader appeals.