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This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American


I was charged with moving my library over the weekend, and while I typically enjoy spending time with my books—in particular, feeling their heft in my hands—it was backbreaking labor to lug all of them up the stairs through the house to their new, sunnier home.

It dawned on me—having professed to being a reluctant e-Reader adopter—that easily four times as many of these (apologies in advance for the blurry pictures):

would fit ever so easily into this:


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The moment was fleeting, but it did give me pause. I haven't yet finished the reorganization—I'll need to get two more shelves in this coming weekend to wrap it up, but I can't imagine not having a space where words surround me. I might actually hold off on buying anything new for a bit though.

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