Coexistence?

I have never quite understood the expressed addiction to the aroma of paper and ink as a justification for the fear that the digital reading device revolution will mean the end of the printed book and the physical structures that house them. In order to thrive I don’t believe digital reading devices need to replace the physical book. Cant their heft and durability, the tactical pleasure of what we still call ‘real books’ coexist with the superior annotation tools, interactive content and shared reading experiences provided by digital reading devices? This coexistence of the old and new worlds of paper and screen is supported by Umberto Eco, Italian semiotician, essayist, philosopher, literary critic, and novelist, who declares that "the book is like the spoon, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. The internet has returned us to the alphabet. The computer returns us to Gutenberg's galaxy; from now on everyone has to read. In order to read, you need a medium." Bloomsbury’s Library Online project runner Stephanie Duncan also agrees that “E-books are only a format, just as paperbacks were a new format in the 30s. The value and joy of the reading lies within the book itself, not the wrapper it comes in.”