Heavy tomes now make lighter reading---E读书，易读书

Books are rubbish! Not my view but that ofthe multi-millionaire Austrian-born entrepreneur and scientist Hermann Hauser,a pioneer of the e-reader, who actually used a more vulgar description ofGerman origin.

When he made the remark in an interview Idid with him in Cambridge in England more than a decade ago I didn’t know quitewhat he meant.

I actually thought the physical book wasquite an efficient tool you could take just about everywhere.

I have been reminded of our discussionafter I picked up a copy of English playwright and screenwriter Alan Bennett’slatest diaries, Keeping On Keeping On, at London Heathrow a few weeksago.

It was one of those airport exclusivesoftback editions and I have struggled to read it ever since.

Not because of the content. Bennett, whowrote The History Boys which was a Broadway hit and made into asuccessful film, is as erudite as ever about the events and routine of his lifebut of the difficulties involved in reading an actual book.

Reading over a sandwich lunch, the only wayI could keep the book open was to weigh one side down with my iPad and theother with my Kindle – perhaps as absurd as it gets.

Most of my reading is now done on a Kindle,which I actually turned to reluctantly some five years after the Hauserencounter.

Its only drawbacks as far as I haveexperienced is when you forget to charge it or are not allowed to use it bysome airlines until the seat belt signs are switched off.

You also take something of a risk if youtry and read it in the bath.

I estimate that I read up to 30 percentquicker on an e-reader than with a physical book – mainly because the backlitscreen is kinder on slower ageing eyes.

You also can read in the dark – on planeswithout having to switch on your overhead light and in taxis late at night.

Throughout all this I have remained an avidbibliophile and book collector and very often buy the physical as well ase-version for no real purpose at all (I don’t know why booksellers still can’twork on the buy one, get the other free principle).

It is not just the clumsiness of theBennett diaries that brings reading and books to mind but the recent SpringFestival Holiday.

While it is a family occasion for mostChinese people, I instead always head off for a beach somewhere and spend thewhole week reading. This year I was sunning myself in Cambodia.

I took the Bennett with me (despite therisk of being charged excess baggage) but all my other reading was on mye-reader.

As for Hauser, he is still trying to takethis technology further so what you will end up reading is just a flexibleplastic sheet.

If he does bring it to market, will I moveon yet again or remain wedded to my ancient Kindle? We shall see.