"Paper has many qualities that make it inherently superior to bits." Damn. I meant to say, superior *in some ways* to bits, just as bits are superior in some ways to paper.

It's not an all or nothing thing. I expect Books will continue to be printed on paper for as long as there are books. Instead of durable/expensive/beautiful hardcover and cheap/disposable/plain paperback, we will have durable/expensive/beautiful paper and cheap/disposable/plain digital. Paper has many qualities that make it inherently superior to bits. In addition to those already mentioned by commenters (permanency, not ruined by water, not dependent on electricity), I can think of some more points in favour of continuing to print paper books: 1. You can give a gift of a paper book. Good luck wrapping an ebook file to put under the tree. Paper books can be collected and displayed on shelves. Ebooks, not really. 2. Paper books are nontoxic if eaten and don't make sharp shards of glass if jumped on. Which makes them kid and toddler friendly, unlike e-readers. 3. Paper books can be made in any size. If the information or art you're reproducing works best on a 11x17 or larger page, you can make the book that big, no problem. An 11x17 e-reader, not so much.