# eBooks; when progress is regression?



## NaphtaliPress (Nov 28, 2012)

I found the article below this morning; it confirms what I've been thinking; as far as the profession of publishing, eBooks has taken text presentation more than a step backwards. Give me the printed page; at least until electronic paper and it are indistinguishable. Not sure though what to do about the dumbing down technological advances are causing.
The State of E-book Typography | CreativePro.com
"The problem today is that after 500 years of evolution, the "printed" word has taken a step backward in quality. According to "The New York Times," electronic publishers are commissioning shorter books because their readers find it too tiring to take on longer works. Ever since I started writing for online magazines I’ve been obliged to write shorter pieces than in the past because editors tell me that online readers simply won’t finish longer articles. With today’s technologies, reading is simply more of a chore than it’s been in the past. Access to reading material is amazingly easy — a revolution, in fact — but reading is more than just taking in information, and the aesthetics of text presentation involves more than just making type pretty. It means making type functional as well."


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## Southern Presbyterian (Nov 28, 2012)

Sorry, Chris. Your post was just too long for me to finish. 

Seriously though, this is an interesting point. Though I wonder if it doesn't have more to do with today's short attention spans than it does with technology. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## Jack K (Nov 28, 2012)

Yes, yes! Chris, you hit on exactly what I too have been thinking over the past few years.


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## Zach (Nov 28, 2012)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Sorry, Chris. Your post was just too long for me to finish.
> 
> Seriously though, this is an interesting point. Though I wonder if it doesn't have more to do with today's short attention spans than it does with technology.
> 
> ...



I think it has to do with short attention spans. I'll catch myself with three windows open sometimes "reading" articles, blogs, or posts on three different pages rather than really reading one article and processing it.


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## arapahoepark (Nov 28, 2012)

Zach said:


> Southern Presbyterian said:
> 
> 
> > Sorry, Chris. Your post was just too long for me to finish.
> ...



I do the same thing when on the computer, but if I am way from it reading something, it is much easier to go through longer books.


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## irresistible_grace (Nov 28, 2012)

This makes me think about when we received our Puritan Hard Drive last week. I love it but, when my husband made the comment we may never have to buy another book, I almost cried. There is something about having the "real thing" in my hand. I totally agree that when it comes to publishing eBooks there is a regression... Money is the goal and if it is too long it won't sale. Electronics/technology is wonderful but sometimes it just doesn't cut it.


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## J. Dean (Nov 28, 2012)

Agreed. Give me a paper book over an ebook any day. While I don't mind publishing ebooks, I'd rather put out real paperbacks.


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## jwithnell (Nov 28, 2012)

While working on the church website, I was surprised to see how little professional consensus exists for displaying type on screen. That resulted in me leaning on my print background to make my choices within the bounds of commonly available web typefaces. I wish I had held on to the article, but I did find some specific recommendations regarding the relationship between font and leading and between body type and display type. I also found this comparative website helpful.


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## KMK (Nov 28, 2012)

I feel the same way about digital music. Alas, at some point you have to join them because you simply can't beat them.

However, I would object that not all ebooks are created equal. I think the reason many ebook readers have short attention spans is because they are trying to read on backlit screens. It is a simple fact that backlit screens cause your eyes to tire faster. Go Kindle.


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## JohnGill (Nov 28, 2012)

Southern Presbyterian said:


> Sorry, Chris. Your post was just too long for me to finish.
> 
> Seriously though, this is an interesting point. Though I wonder if it doesn't have more to do with today's short attention spans than it does with technology.
> 
> ...



Agreed. I think the article would've been better without the last paragraph. To attribute calls for shorter e-books solely to today's technologies ignores the fact of shorter attention spans in the general public at large. There's a logical disconnect there. The article, though it mentioned the issue in passing, ignores the historical problem of typesetting in books. I have a printed copy of John Gill's Body of Divinity that I don't read because of the typesetting. The typesetting was copied from an early 19th century edition. I read the book on my Nook now. Overall the article was informative, but the last paragraph and the lack of ways to mitigate the issues raised on e-Book readers made it unhelpful.


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## jwithnell (Nov 28, 2012)

I agree, facsimile from earlier editions can be the worst -- I have to be really motivated to keep going.


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## VictorBravo (Nov 28, 2012)

A moderate dissent:

I've read four 800 plus page books on my Kindle DX in the past 6 weeks. That doesn't include an additional (estimated) 40 or 50 articles, plus numerous times of referencing.

I've read 4 volumes of Gouge on Hebrews in pdf on the Kindle over the past year, but, again, it's because I use a DX. Plus, I've been reading numerous obscure works not ever to be found in print, including some French works from the 16th and 17th centuries.

So, at least for some of us, this e-book thing is pretty neat. I can't speak for the pressure on publishers because my own massive publishing company (with 5 books so far) refuses to cater to those whims.... Of course, my books sold numbers are only in the double digits, total, so I doubt there is much of a whim to cater to in my little world.


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## Miss Marple (Nov 28, 2012)

In a similar vein, I think texting and email messaging is dumbing down our language.

While there are some new vocabulary words, it seems many words are being crushed together to make acronyms. While this is somewhat creative, it is also destructive of the language overall, in my opinion. And of course longer (and more precise) words are eschewed, whether they be nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs - since they take up too much space.

Thus our conversations get more and more minimized. But not with precision - succinctness and brevity are positive. It is rather being, overall, dumbed down.

It is a great loss I think.


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## jandrusk (Nov 28, 2012)

VictorBravo said:


> A moderate dissent:
> 
> I've read four 800 plus page books on my Kindle DX in the past 6 weeks. That doesn't include an additional (estimated) 40 or 50 articles, plus numerous times of referencing.
> 
> ...



Forgot to mention that you probably read them in a 40 point font.


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## jandrusk (Nov 28, 2012)

I have been making the argument for a number of years that I think technology is making people "stupid" rather than adding to intelligence. Of course I realize that technology cannot really make people stupid, but our culture has allowed technology to largly take away the pains of thinking when you don't have too. I usually make Google Search my case study, but I think it started way before that. I would make the argument that it probably really gained steam with the radio and then T.V. and then really nose dived with the great Internet explosion that occured in 1993-1994.


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## JohnGill (Nov 28, 2012)

Miss Marple said:


> In a similar vein, I think texting and email messaging is dumbing down our language.
> 
> While there are some new vocabulary words, it seems many words are being crushed together to make acronyms. While this is somewhat creative, it is also destructive of the language overall, in my opinion. And of course longer (and more precise) words are eschewed, whether they be nouns, adjectives, verbs, or adverbs - since they take up too much space.
> 
> ...



I hear Zondervan is coming out with the TXT MSG version of the Bible to make it more readable to our current generation.

Hly BBL

TXT MSG Ed.


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## arapahoepark (Nov 28, 2012)

johngill said:


> miss marple said:
> 
> 
> > in a similar vein, i think texting and email messaging is dumbing down our language.
> ...



eww!


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## Edward (Nov 28, 2012)

While the body of the discussion makes some good points about layout and type choices, I came away with the impression that the conclusion was reached before the analysis was made, rather than the other way around.


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## JohnGill (Nov 28, 2012)

arap said:


> johngill said:
> 
> 
> > miss marple said:
> ...



Not to be outdone, the Reformed community is hard at work on the text message versions of the WCF, WLC, & the WSC.

Q1. CHEM?

A1. GG, FEHF

I hear scripture proofs will all be from ENG HLY BBL.


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## Moireach (Nov 29, 2012)

I think there may be truth in it but I'm not sure it's totally valid.

Paper books are getting shorter and shorter the same as digital versions. I think that's just a general trend in reading caused by various unrelated factors.

Also I would make a distinction between online articles/magazines and bought books. 

The former is something you read in your day in between things and I personally don't find much time for them so they do need to be short. Bought books though are something you have specifically invested in and I don't think an ebook would necessarily have to be shorter than a paper book.


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