The New York Times has a piece on Randall Munroe, who is releasing a collection of his XKCD webcomics in book form.

We're at an interesting point right now for digital reading. Ebook novels are starting to turn a corner in public acceptance via Amazon's Kindle reader (which is still laden with DRM, but that's a different issue). But what about reference sources, encyclopedias, and Essential Guides?

I got involved writing professionally in the sci-fi/comics field after releasing my own fan guide on the internet in the early '90s, so for 15 years I've basically been waiting for the hammer to drop. Who needs the New Essential Chronology when you have Wookieepedia?

The Times article has an insight that I think is spot-on:

In fact, the xkcd story previews the much more likely future of books in which they are prized as artifacts, not as mechanisms for delivering written material to readers. This is print book as vinyl record - admired for its look and feel, its cover art, and relative permanence - but not so much for convenience.

Paper isn't better than digital -- especially for search -- but it has at least three qualities that aren't easily replicated by any other medium:

1) Tangibility. Both the feel of the paper and the physical presence of the book on a table or shelf.

2) Browsing. Flipping pages, or simply opening to a random spot, is a different experience than link-clicking.

3) Layout. Books are increasingly art directed, with great care going into photo placements, typefaces, and overall flow.

It's this last point, #3, that's getting bigger & bigger. Reference works are becoming art pieces: compare A Guide to the Star Wars Universe with The Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia, or The Essential Guide to Planets and Moons with Star Wars: The Essential Atlas. The former is a data dump; the latter begs to be held. Props are commonly given to writers and artists, but the unsung heroes are the designers. In the above examples, it's Del Rey's Erich Schoeneweiss.

In the case of the XKCD book, I don't think they're aiming for luxury, so Reasons #1 and #2 probably apply more than #3. All of these help prove that print isn't extinct, but is instead evolving into an entirely new creature.

Dan
(writing projects and current releases)