Books have been a staple in households throughout time.  Even those who could not afford many books usually prided themselves on owning a few small books.  From the time of the Revolutionary War books could be found in almost every house, even if it was only a Bible.  Why shouldn't they be a staple in our culture? 

Through books we have found some of the most beloved and despised characters. Ranging from the heroic robber Robin Hood, and the castaway every boy wishes he could be in Robinson Crusoe, to the notorious villians despised by everyone such as the crafty Long John Silver and the diabolical Uriah Heep.  Through these pages of musty smelling books, we have had adventures that we can always come back to, bringing back memories of long summer evenings and rainy days spent inside by the fire.  We inscribe our name on the inside of the cover and never wish to relinquish the memories, until the time has come to pass our treasure down to our own children.  When we do this we are passing along more than a manuscript, hard laboured over by the passionate author, but memories, and inspiration, passed on from generation to generation.

Are these memories worth abandoning for the new fashion, for so called progress, which is really just a money making scheme?  With the new EBooks surpassing printed book sales on Amazon, who is already the second biggest marketer in printed books, are we seeing the coming of a new age in reading?  These EBooks are not boding well with bookstores either, whose sales are dropping by the day, including Borders who recently went out of buisness.  In a roundabout way this will affect authors and printers alike, who lose money with loss of sale.  Not only are the books less money online, but the lack of printing may well put printers out of business, and this is not good for authors trying to make a living off of their work.  The only one the loss in books doesn't affect in a negative way is Amazon, who is making money off both EBooks and printed alike. 

With all of the new technology taking away a staple of our culture and history, we must not put up with it.  Support your local bookstores, buy yourself a musty old classic, like Dickens' David Copperfield. Don't let society buy you out.