Borders Bookstores are closing: Fini, c'est tout. It makes me so sad. Borders was one the few stores that I actually enjoyed visiting. My grown-up "candy store" of sorts, for I so love books. To browse through shelf after shelf of stories waiting to unfold was a favorite treat of mine, and Borders was one of the coolest places in which to do this browsing. Borders has such a warm and cozy, inviting atmosphere, and no matter where I happened to be in the country there was usually a Borders Bookstore somewhere nearby.
I will be so sad to see Borders close their doors for the final time here, one day soon .... Sigh. But you see, aside from my love for books ... real, feel the weight of a tangible object in your hand books ... I am sad to see what just might be the beginning of the end of books being readily accessible for anyone to have access to pick up and easily read. I have to wonder: Does the closing of one of the largest book retail chains in the United States also signal the beginning of the end of "the book" as a physical entity that can stand alone, be seen and be held? Will all books soon be relegated to the realm of digital ones and zeros like so much else in our modern technological society? Heck, I'm all for technology --being an electrical engineer myself -- But this trend towards digital everything does scare me just a bit.
If retailers such as Borders can no longer afford to stay in business, will publishers then begin to curtail their creation of physical books? Will digital books become the new norm, and perhaps eventually the only choice? And what about those who can't afford the fancy digital readers and other related technologies: Are they just out of luck? At such a point, does a large segment of the lower income population just become 'persona non grata'? The gap widens further? ... I don't know? I don't have all the answers; I'm just trying to look ahead ... Just consider my musings here some food for thought, maybe? Sometimes, I think our technology wows us and moves us ahead at such a rapid pace that we do not stop to spend enough time considering the long term impacts of where we are headed at the speed of light. Maybe, we're blinded by that light?
Anyhow, farewell Borders ... Know that you will be deeply missed!
[.. And yes, FYI ... I have some electronic books, "e-books", on my IPod Touch. I have recently read Voltaire's "Candide" and Bram Stoker's "Dracula" this way ... electronically. It was nice to have these books readily available wherever I happened to be, but I do have to admit that something was missing in reading these books the electronic way. For one thing, I love holding a book and watching my progression visibly as I read through the book. Knowing in a glance how near I am to the end ... savoring the pages that I have already read, or quickly flipping through the pages to revisit a favorite passage. I suppose, however, that the convenience of the electronic book outweighs the tradeoffs? ... Still, I think that I will remain partial to the "real" thing for the foreseeable future ... especially when it comes to curling up with a good book late at night by the fire on a cold winter night or in cool patch of grass on a hot summer's day. How about you? ]
