The Case for Books

Print is very much alive. It’s our responsibility to ensure that continues to be true.

Nearly 600 years ago, printed books revolutionized the world. Ever since then, they have cultivated our cultures, discoveries, imaginations, and intellectual progress with their power to share and shape ideas.

Now, we are at a crossroads. Rapidly advancing, brilliantly designed technology promises to fundamentally change the way we access and read the written word. Thanks in large part to the sheer amount of choice consumers have, more people are reading books now than in any other time in history. We have become a well-read society.

The print book vs. ebook question

The debate is evolving each day, but we (as most industry experts) believe that print will still play an important role in the way people experience books. From this point forward, there will be choices. Some may be complicated: do we publish and read this book in print, digitally, or both? 

When we choose print – especially print hardcover books – we are choosing longevity and tangibility. We choose the ability to forever be able to pluck a title from our bookshelves and lose ourselves in it the way that we did the first time we experienced it. We elect to experience the entire book – the just-perfect cover, the heftiness of the volume, the methodically chosen typeface, and the rich texture and deckle edges of the paper.

Yet what many people don’t realize is that the very thing they think they’re guaranteed when they make the choice for print – permanence – is no longer certain. Most print hardcover books are now being printed on groundwood paper, the same kind of paper used for newspapers and mass-market paperbacks, instead of high-quality permanent paper.

Books: Not disposable

The founders and supporters of the Permanence Matters campaign believe that:

• The quality of early-edition print hardcover books is essential.
• We should extend great regard to the decision to publish and experience a book in print, and not treat these books as throwaway objects.
• As we continue the discussion about print’s ongoing role, we should respect print books for their longevity and the cherished experience that they provide to readers.
• We should insist upon superior quality in our early-edition print hardcover books, and look for ways to implement and enforce standards for permanent paper in book manufacturing.

Find out how you can support the cause!