There is a debate raging among book lovers right now about which is better, E-books or physical books. I will make the case for both with 20 reasons why they are better. But let me start by stating my own position on this right away so we won’t linger on what I think. I will state my position very clearly:

I love real books more, I always have and I always will. My opinion on this is based on the fact that I have enjoyed and read dozens of real books in my lifetime and have finished thousands of pages. I have read and been touched by stories, poems, art, business ideas, photography, songs, graphic designs, and timeless literature of modern greats like Brian Tracy to classics like Edgar Allen Poe.

I also have purchased many E-books. I often read the E-books while traveling, hoping to not waste time while on the shitty small seats on Southwest. Since their service is pretty much terrible and their seats are even worse, those stories and the music on my iPod help me take me away to place where my back isn’t hurting from the seat and I love to pretend I am being useful and efficient with my time traveling thousands of feet in the air.

But nothing will ever replace real books and magazines. Yes I said it, even magazines are much better in printed form than their electronic counterpart. Many magazines and books now employ new and awesome paper like the “soft touch” variety that feels velvety smooth while holding it or running your fingers on the surface. Books or magazines on iPad can’t do that. The magazines also flip so quickly and easily, you can go back and forth, you can find things you never dreamed of, see great ads full of art and purchase new books you didn’t even know existed.

The same goes for real books. I love the touch and feel of the page. I love underlining, highlighting, and writing on almost every passage I read. By the time I am done with my books they can’t be donated to the public library because they’ve usually been annihilated by my fingers and my pens. This is my way of telling myself I have learned something, grabbed something from the book that will now live with me forever. A key verse or a great quotation that has added endless wisdom to my trove of knowledge and vocabulary. The markings and highlights make note of this fact so when I come back to it I can realize I’ve already been there.

Antique books are highly collectable. E-books will never be collectable. Comic books from the time Superman first came out can be sold today for thousands of dollars if you kept them in great condition. E-comics will be worth nothing. There is no romance to them, no story. You can’t give them to your son or best friend once you are done. You can’t frame it or keep it in a nice frame-able plastic or wooden frame. They are pretty much worthless and have no resell value.

E-books can’t be signed. Imagine going to a local book festival or a book signing and the author gives you an electronic signature on the E-book you purchased. I hope we never get to that. What would you do if your iPad or Kindle crashed? You would loose that electronic piece of information forever, and no one would care.

Speaking of holding on to things, books can be a great way to make your furniture stand out. Books make a library look fantastic.