Books are not sacred to those who crease the spine, scratch marginalia on pages or suds up a chapter or two as they read in the tub*. Owners of books consumed in this way lend their collection to friends with the same gusto. In contrast some owners will not lay their book face down while they run get a snack. Their books are tightly ordered on shelves shrine-like with nameplates on the inside. These folks give witness to the love of books, which they want to share too. Either type of reader might enjoy e-readers but their ability to share an e-book they love is restricted in ways that traditional books are not.

This image belongs to the Wall Street Journal, which Bookmans considers a fairly reputable source for news.

Once limited to lending among friends and family, e-books are now being shared among strangers across long distances -- probably the type of behavior feared by publishers when e-books first hit the market. Many major publishers don't allow their e-books to be lendable at all. Two common restrictions are the number of times a particular title can be loaned out and the time frame for the loan. The reason you can lend or even resell a traditional book and you can't an e-book is because in the case of the former you buy the book whereas in the latter case you license it -- copyright law in the case of books (First Sale) versus contract law in the case of e-books.

If you are a reader of the first sort who has a physical relationship with books and uses them up, maybe an e-reader isn't for you. No one in their right mind would risk taking their entire library in the tub! Additionally the second type of reader enshrines and shows off their books, which is something you can't do with an e-book. Most readers read in any format available. Bookmans people have e-readers and still consume all the paper books possible. Maybe the books themselves aren't sacred but the experience of reading and sharing great writing is.

* We're glad these readers love books, but we don't necessarily want broken, scrawled upon, moldy books coming across our deal counter.