Should books just purely be used for knowledge, or are there many different aspects that a book can bring to ones self? There are so many different types of books. There are novels, textbooks, math books, science books, historical books, books on how to run a business, books on traveling, picture books, poetry books, art books, architecture books, and so many more. According to Joseph Addison, “reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” What are these different kinds of exercises that one can receive from reading? Is it simply knowledge that the brain is learning, or can it also learn human interactions, behaviors, and insights? Is it insensible to read novels with no basis other than enjoyment, or is it wrong to read a book that completely bores you? The answer is neither: there are certain times when different kinds of books come into play for different aspects of life. With so many different variations of books, it seems almost impossible to categorize one simple meaning as to what books are for. Because of this, I believe that there are certain boundaries that one must look at when considering this topic.

Probably the most important boundary of what books are for is using books to gain knowledge. This is usually in the educational setting. These books are written in a way that states facts and data in a way that is easy to comprehend. The point is that the reader will easily be able to understand the topic of the book. For example, a math book has lots of different sections, and each section teaches a specific lesson. Within each of these sections, there is little text and a lot more example of how the problems are solved. This differs greatly from a science book, which is almost all text. It is still broken up into sections, but it highlights certain definitions and is filled with more graphs and pictures and tables, along with a lot of writing. All these different books have found different ways to make learning as simple as possible, while still getting all the information.

I believe that books used for knowledge should strictly stay in the paper form. According to an article in The Boston Globe, people generally read 25 percent more slowly on the screen, and that usually people read more quickly on the screen and will edit out about 40 percent of what is actually there. When you are reading text for the sake of gaining knowledge, it is very important that your brain grasps and remembers every detail of the text; not just simply 60 percent of it. With a hardcover copy of this type of text, it is very easy to highlight, mark, and write notes in the margins. Such things are much harder to do on a screen setting. Reading from a screen is just a totally different experience in general, and cannot compare to having hard text in front of you.

There is another boundary that fits within knowledge besides for strictly educational reasons. There is also reading in a work-based environment that is also very important. One gains knowledge through different reference materials, how-to guides, and any material that one may have to read on the job. It is almost the next step after being educated on the topic. It is how to apply all that information to the job itself. For example, accountants have books upon books as references as to how to properly use certain soft wares, about certain laws on how to prepare a tax return, or laws on auditing. My mother has at least 20 sitting in her office alone.

Laws should be kept in hardcover text, not on e-books or on Internet databases. That is why I believe that these types of books should be kept as hard copies. It is easier to access them this way rather than having to find the information online.  Some say that these types of books take up too much room in the office, but I believe that if you are careful and only have the texts you need in an ordered manner, it is a much more sufficient way to access information.

Another boundary for what books are for is that books are for is that books are for leisure. When I am not in the school setting, I would never pick up a math book or accounting book for enjoyment. I might pick up a book up about dancing, or perhaps a good novel such as The Great Gatsby. This boundary is purely on the basis of enjoyment. It is what allows you to escape from everyday life, and to be fully engulfed inside the text. Whether you find Aristotle’s philosophies and works to be entertaining, or a novel like Twilight helps you cope with every day life; it is what you want to spend time reading about. There is a lot of good that can come out of this type of reading. One can learn a lot about one’s self while reading about others, or they might even learn about different human emotions and how to deal with certain situations. Others use this type of reading as a type of meditation, as a way to escape while they are upset to calm down and to relax.

With this type of reading, I believe it is completely up to the reader as to what they enjoy when it comes to how they read. Some prefer to use devices such as Nooks or Sony Readers for leisure reading. I personally prefer the feeling of cracking open a new fresh book with its crisp pages, and feeling accomplished when I finish that last page right before the backing of the book. My roommate, however, loves her Nook and says that it is much more cost efficient and “eco-friendly” to our environment. She believes that books seem like tedious work, while reading from her Nook feels more like a leisure activity. 

As anyone can see, it is obvious that this question of what books are for is a very complex idea indeed. With so many different types of boundaries that there are, it is not possible to give one direct answer. Books have so many different uses in so many different areas of life. I think it is highly important to break up these subjects in order to get a clear vision of what books are for.

Work Cited

"Paper vs. computer screen - The Boston Globe." Boston.com. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.boston.com/ae/media/articles/2009/06/19/paper_vs_computer_screen/>.