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The Times and its opinion of books

JennyJenny
edited January 2009 in - Reading
This is an extract from an article entitled "Greenie Points" in the Times Body and Soul Supplement:

"Feeling guilty about a heavy paper footprint because of groaning bookshelves? Save some pennies and cut back on buying books. Instead, join your nearest library. Once bastions of the local community, libraries have been overshadowed by cheap online book sales, but they encourage the ultimate form of green reading: recycling books so that we can all enjoy them while keeping our homes clutter-free."

Someone should tell the idiot journalist that books AREN'T clutter.

Adding injury to insult, the Saturday Times Books supplement is being discontinued. The paper will have a new look from next Saturday. I wonder what that means.

Comments

  • StirlingStirling
    I agree with the journalist. I find it hard to reconcile my passion for words knowing that printing a manuscript/creating a book is contributing to deforestation.

    Books ARE clutter. They are a cheap and disposable commodity; pay £2.99 in Tesco, read it once, give it to a charity shop. In Oxfam we must recycle over a thousand books a week (52,000 a year?). Then there are books that have been on the shelves for months that just aren't going to sell - the only place they are going is the recycling bin.

    As for the discontinuation af the supplement; that is probably a victim of the credit crunch. A few of the top papers have culled literary staff already. At least it is one less newspaper to buy and recycle.

    I've walked passed Waterstones' with signs saying they've sold out of Readers. So it looks like all change. After all it's the words I cherish not vehicle in which they are printed.
  • CarolCarol
    Books are an essential.
    Good grief if that attitude had been taken in past centuries we would have lost vast reams of world information which we never could have recovered. Works of art in books even.
    And for us hard working writers, less sales means less money, and the publishers saying you aren't making enough sales so we can't publish your next book.
    E-books are okay if you can be certain you will get a reasonable return, and you have written a book that people will want to purchase for their readers- that is not going to apply to every single book published...
  • dorothyddorothyd
    books are essential to life. That's why they sell them in supermarkets alongside the food. I cannot live without books. The TV is going, the books are not.
  • PiperPiper
    Good books Stirling can be read again and again and get past on to friends, family even the next generation. Book are not clutter and please don't go on about deforestaion. I have a feeling that my next topic in geography is the environment. I hate stuff on Global Warming and stuff, it does my head in.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article5489134.ece

    If Googling isn't as green as we thought, anyone know if e-books pose a threat to the environment?
  • PiperPiper
    I have had enough now, it's getting stupid. Global warming has been happening for years. If they really want to do something about it the tell places like China and America to stop chucking out emmisons from coal power stations and 4X4 hummers. Lee Evans was right. I'll see if I can find the link, funny but he's right.
  • Jay MandalJay Mandal
    Seems to be getting a lot faster, though. And there weren't nearly as many cars around even twenty years ago in Britain. And it'd be hotter if there wasn't global dimming, too.
  • PiperPiper
    I've found it

    http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=n8jCLJnOTws&feature=related

    Watch between 3:45 to 4:42. It is so true. Warning though, it contains bad language but its true.
  • JediyaJediya
    *is just cracking up because she was at the O2 watching Lee Evans at that tour*
    God I couldn't breathe at the 'stand by button' bit...I almost died at that show.
    And I'm now distracted by this and forgotten what this thread it about...
  • PiperPiper
    Sorry about that but we was talking about how google is as green as it should be and E-Books. But I'm not big on this Global Warming therefore posted this because I agree with him.
  • LizLiz
    edited January 2009
    Books can never be replaced by e-readers... what if you drop your reader? Where are your books then? Can be downloaded, but would you have the money to do so? They are useful if you go away on holiday, or need to take reference materials on journeys that sort of thing. I've tested 3 e-readers and even thought they were quite easy to use and weren't that tiring to look at, they weren't half as nice or easy to use as a book. Certainly in a reference situation a book is far superior.

    The point about books and paper is, they are recyclable. Trees will always be growing and can be grown, in fact young growing trees are best for the planet's oxygen recycling than adult mature trees.

    The Times is offering vouchers at the moment in each paper over the next while to exchange for books -it's a school scheme, we've been asked to collect them, so the opinion is likely to be that of that journalist, not that of the paper as a whole...

    As for joining the library -well, there's no problem with people doing that, libraries are also vital, but the Gvts cut backs are being used as a reason for councils to shut both public and school libraries... The Wirral has just voted to shut loads, despite a campaign and petition with 20,000 signatures, and one of the councillors who has been receiving protest mails said he was fed up with all the 'childish' opposition... now there's an opinion to quarrel with!

    http://img.skitch.com/20090118-e6ws1abunfdub2yebwmn6wka66.jpg
  • PiperPiper
    Liz how old are you?
  • LizLiz
    Why?
  • PiperPiper
    Because I want to know if I'm still the youngest at 14
  • LizLiz
    No fear Probie, I'm 50.
  • CarolCarol
    Yes, you are. Liz is older than you are.
  • PiperPiper
    Phew! My mum's 50, I don't know if thats a good thing or a bad thing, but I love her all the same.
  • LizLiz
    edited January 2009
    No need to rub it in Carol.

    I'm very pleased to hear that one's age is no barrier to love!
  • CarolCarol
    Sorry, our posts crossed. :)
  • PiperPiper
    It doesn't matter as long as you enjoy life and live it to the full it doesn't matter if your 14, 50 or even older.
  • CarolCarol
    Very wise.
  • NutmegNutmeg
    edited January 2009
    i find the people at our library are very, very unfriendly... i still owe them money, just a tiny little bit because no one could be bothered to come to me when i was handing my books back... the worst offender of all was packing books onto a trolley a few metres away!

    my sister's high school in the North West Province ( we were only there for 2 1/2 years) but they didn't have a library because it meant that they would have to have let in the children from disadvantaged schools (ie the african schools)... and they didn't want that... so much for the new SA!

    wow 8 posts while i wrote that!
  • LizLiz
    edited January 2009
    I still feel 14, only with more confidence. If only I knew what I know now then!

    i have a 21 year old daughter and a 16 year old son Probie.

    that's awful Jemma. And they would really benefit from a library.
  • PiperPiper
    edited January 2009
    Oh I only asked because you said school which made me panic that my reign could be over, but knowing what you've just told my I assume you were talking about your son's school?
  • LizLiz
    Yep!
  • PiperPiper
    edited January 2009
    I knew that! ;)

    That's why I'm a Probie
  • Stan2Stan2
    ^
  • JennyJenny
    Liz - When was the last time you were mistaken for 14?!!! :D
  • PiperPiper
    A couple of hours ago! ;)
  • LizLiz
    edited January 2009
    And before that.. well until I was about 18, I looked young for my age even then, but it wasn't so welcome...!

    Now on the internet, I don't know... you never do know there do you. But last time I went to my Consultant she thought I was young enough to offer a talk on suitable contraception...
  • carocaro
    I second what Dorthyd and Carol said. I LOVE having lots of books around me. When I borrow a book from the library I'm always sad to have to take it back!
  • JennyJenny
    I think unwanted books find their way into our house for sanctuary. The other day on one of the bookcases I found a paperback crime novel that had been signed by the author a few years ago - and no one recognises the name or knows where it came from!
  • CarolCarol
    :D
    Is the writer still producing books, or is it unique?
  • JennyJenny
    edited January 2009
    He's had several books published over quite a number of years, although I don't think he's a famous writer. The book looks new - no creases in the spine - and it couldn't have come from a charity shop because there's no price inside.

    The price on the back has been inked out so maybe it was a present from somebody!
  • CarolCarol
    Have you looked on Amazon to see what it is going for, if anything?
  • Stan2Stan2
    ^
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