Technology · Advice & Questions · Oct 19

Should I switch to the printed edition when a poem's layout is awkward on my reader?

Technology

The printed sample showed one line of the poem. My ebook reader wrapped it into three, and now a short line looked like the start of a new stanza. I changed the text size and got a different arrangement again.

I bought the collection because I like reading on the bus without carrying another book. I do not mind changing the text size for prose. Here I keep wondering whether the shape I am seeing belongs to the poem or to this edition on this screen.

Would you look for a better digital edition, read with the printed sample beside it, or choose the paperback? I would rather enjoy the collection than spend each journey making a little argument with its line breaks.

Discussion

3 community replies

@MorganSays

Check what the publisher's sample shows and what this particular digital edition offers for layout. Your difficulty is with the version and device combination in front of you; it does not establish that every digital edition will have the same problem.

@TheoInTransit

If line shape is part of what you enjoy, the paperback could be a reasonable choice even though the reader is more convenient on the bus. You do not need to prove one format is superior for all books.

@maren17

Keeping the printed sample beside the screen may help with one poem, but would it be enjoyable for a whole collection? Price that extra attention honestly. A portable format that constantly needs a second reference might not deliver the convenience you bought it for.

Should I switch to the printed edition when a poem's layout is awkward on my reader?

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