A tip of the hat to TBTP’s most loyal reader for the link to this infographic and article on the abiding appeal of the printed book. There is some comfort for an old bibliophile in learning that readers everywhere still prefer the physical book over the digital version. As I have mentioned before, I am no Luddite regarding e-books. I was an early adopter of E-readers and I have multiple reading apps on my iPad. Digital books and periodicals are handy away from home and for travel, but nothing compares to a tangible book.

The infographic above shows that:

• Survey data from 10 different countries shows that a majority of people still prefer print books over e-books.
• 42.5% of respondents purchased at least one print book in 2020—that’s significantly more than the 15.5% who’d bought at least one e-book.
• Out of the 10 countries surveyed, Germany has the most print book lovers. 58% of German respondents bought a print book in 2020.