The Long Life of Paper Books

Ten years ago, many people confidently predicted that paper books would soon disappear. E-readers were lighter, cheaper, and could hold thousands of titles at once on a single device.

十年前，很多人预言纸质书很快就会消失。电子阅读器更轻、更便宜，还能一次装下几千本书。

The prediction turned out to be wrong in almost every market around the world. In most countries, printed books still outsell digital ones, and small independent bookshops are opening again.

结果这个预言在几乎每个市场都落空了。在大多数国家，纸质书销量仍高于电子书，小书店也一家家重新开起来。

One reason is practical: a paper book never runs out of battery or asks to be updated in the middle of a chapter. Another is physical: readers remember more when they can feel with their hands how far they have read.

一个原因是实用的：纸质书永远不会没电，也不会要求你更新。另一个原因是身体上的：当你能感觉到自己读到了哪里，记住的就更多。

Screens are excellent for searching and carrying, but poor at helping us stay. The book survived not because it was modern, but because it was good at one job.

屏幕很适合搜索和携带，却不擅长让人静下来待着。书能活下来，不是因为它新潮，而是因为它把一件事做得足够好。