In the ongoing debate about books vs. e-books, a little rationality:

“According to McKeown, the data, from Verso’s third annual survey, suggest that print and digital books will coexist for a long time. McKeown based that prediction on several trends: the number of readers who do not intend to buy a reading device seems to be solidifying at around half of all readers, and even among digital device owners the preference seems to be to buy both print and digital books. According to the survey, conducted November 30–December 4, 51.8% of book buyers said they are unlikely to buy a reading device, up from 49.0% in the 2010 survey and 40.2% in the 2009 survey. (In the most recent survey, 15.8% of book buyers already owned a reading device, up from 2.9% in 2009.)”

I consider myself in this group. I have an e-reader that I really enjoy for its convenience. I can pack it easily in most purses and enjoy several books if I’m traveling over a long period of time (ie, more than few days). But physically, I prefer the feel of a traditional book. I like being able to flip back easily or immediately see how much I have left to read. Both varieties of text offer me better ways to read. It’s not like the introduction of the CD or MP3, where I was getting a much better experience without any drawback. Even if e-readers take over eventually, I think it’s going to be a much longer haul.

Books and e-books unite!