Most bookworms know the feeling of curling up with a good book. We can imagine peaceful surroundings as we crack open the cover—a cup of tea steaming on a nearby side table, string music playing in the background, a fireplace casting a flickering glow across the room. We close our eyes, pull an imaginary blanket to our chin, and inhale the smell of ink on paper, anticipating the thrill of turning pages on our way to a new adventure.
And then our cozy world collides with the high-tech realm of digital publishing. Just as Gutenberg’s printing press revolutionized the production of books in 15th-century Europe, the digital age is changing the way people read today. In the 1450s, the Gutenberg Bible became the first mass-produced printed book, and now virtually every version of the Bible is available in digital format.
Whether they are distributed on Kindle, NOOK, iPad, Kobo, or one of the dozen or so other digital options, e-books have impacted the lives of book lovers everywhere. And I have to admit, I was skeptical at first. But it took just one weekend flight with a new Kindle to convince me—I will never travel with a heavy book bag again. Blisters, be gone!
My Kindle has the Bible, several commentaries, my favorite devotionals, and tons of just-for-fun reading options. The digital books I purchase for Kindle are also accessible on my iPad. The fact that I could carry a lightweight library of hundreds of books on one little device won me over initially, but a myriad of other benefits has me hooked for the long run.
Even local travelers have discovered the advantages of digital books. For people who spend more than their fair share of time on subways, buses, and other forms of mass transit, e-reading devices and smartphones allow them to tuck away another chapter or two of a great book during commutes to and from the office.
Most digital books are cheaper than the print versions, the shopping is convenient, downloads are almost immediate, and multiple books are instantly available on your device. You can customize your books and change the font size, type, and even the color, which helps readers who struggle with vision problems. Some tablets come with lighted backgrounds and audio options, allowing you to listen to your books while you’re doing other things. You get the point—most of the top digital readers are high quality and worth the switch to the non-traditional side of the cozy bookworm corner.
With more and more information being tossed into the world at rapid speeds, the Institute for Creation Research has launched into the realm of digital publishing. You’ll notice from the back cover of this issue that Dr. Henry Morris III’s latest book The Book of Beginnings, Volume Two is now available in digital formats. His previous book in the series, The Book of Beginnings, Volume One, is also available digitally. Watch for other trusted ICR resources to become available for the Kindle and NOOK and in the iBookstore.
Of course, we’ll continue to print “real” paper books. The digital books are simply an additional avenue for getting our message out to as many people as possible. Dr. Morris’ article in this issue (pages 5-7) reminds us that the Adams and Eves of today are hungry for the truth. We now offer them one more way to read those words of truth.
* Jayme Durant is Executive Editor at the Institute for Creation Research.
Cite this article: Durant, J. 2013. Digital Books: Another Way to Share Truth. Acts & Facts. 42 (4): 4.
