Once upon a time there were books skillfully handwritten with beautiful calligraphy and accompanied by magnificent illustrations placed between the leather bindings. Being very expensive, these works of art were very valuable and appreciated. Naturally, when the invention of printing revolutionized writing, some feared that the tradition of reading books aloud would become unpopular and that an exquisite art form would be lost forever. The first book ever printed was The Bible (Kreis), which led religious leaders to fear that people would actually think they could read and interpret the Bible for themselves. And of course, what would all the scribes do for work? While an art form has disappeared, easy access to books has lit the fire of a new era, that of education, science and the arts. After all, printing is considered the greatest invention of all time. We now find ourselves at the dawn of a new revolution and a new era. The development of electronic books, or eBooks, has changed the way people around the world read, whether for study or entertainment. It is now possible to carry an entire library of 3,500 books (Carnoy) or more in the palm of your hand. Although e-books have countless benefits, many prefer the comfort of tradition. The day at the office was long and tedious. Your eyes are bloodshot from staring at your computer screen all day and your fingers are cramped from typing on your keyboard. On the way home, your mind wanders to the tattered but beloved copy of Wuthering Heights sitting on your bedside table. Its pages are filled with your own thoughts and annotations, and the cover is stained mocha brown in the middle of the paper......a, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. September 19, 2011. Web. September 19, 2011Carnoy, David. "Amazon Kindle Review - Watch CNET's video review." Product Reviews - Electronics Reviews, Computer Reviews and More - Reviews on CNET. CBS Interactive, August 27, 2010. Web. September 22, 2011. Guernsey, Lisa. “Are eBooks any good? (Cover story).” School Library Journal 57.6 (2011): 28. MasterFILE Premier. EBSCO. Internet. September 19, 2011aKlienman, Sam. “Print vs. Digital Books.” Palm power. ZATZ Editions. Internet. September 19, 2011. Kreis, Steven. “The printing press”. The History Guide - Main. May 13, 2004. the web. 26Memmott, Carol. "The popularity of e-books is rewriting sales history - USATODAY.com." The United States Today. Gannett Co Inc., September 6, 2011. Web. September 19, 2011. Raitt, Dr. David. Thematic issue: Electronic books. 1st ed. Flight. 23. Bradford: Emerald Group, 2005. Print.