Have you read an e-book?

[BurtWorm]

If so: Are you comfortable reading books in that format? Do you prefer it? Do you think books in print are doomed?

If not: is it for lack of means to read an e-book (i.e., no Kindle, iPad, etc.?) Do you object to the idea of e-books in principle? Are you interested in trying to read a book in that format?

Me: I have books downloaded and ready to read on Stanza on my iPhone. I've started reading some of them, but I've never actually read a whole book. The closest I've come so far is three chapters of Crime and Punishment. I may read more.

Is it comfortable? In some ways, yes, it is more comfortable. The book fits right in my hand. There's a lot more turning of pages on a iPhone, and it's not quite as easy on the eyes as print is. There's also no book smell, which is a major negative. But it's not as awful as I was imagining it to be. It actually feels nice to slide the finger on the glass to turn the page. It's annoying when the page turns the wrong way or the controls for the software pop up. It's not the same as reading a book. But I think the rise of e-books to challenge print is inevitable. The price is right. Why spend $30 on a hardcover you'll read only once most likely and which will take up room on your shelf until you give the book away for less than you paid for it when you could download an e-book of the same text for $10?

I think print publishing will continue for select kinds of books--especially ones with large illustrations or in which the publisher invests a great deal in the making of the book, creating objects people want to collect and that will appreciate in value. But the kinds of books that people read on trains or on the beach, that tend to make it to the top of the best seller lists, that people talk about at parties and forget in about a year... those books are bound to head straight to e-book. And I don't think we'll miss them.

[Iggo]

1. No. Primarily due to lack of interest. (n/t)

[LibertyLover]

2. I have a Sony e-reader

and in February during the Snowpocalypse here in Maryland, I bought Dan Brown's latest novel for it. I had a no problem downloading it to the computer and then from the computer to the reader. I also didn't mind using the reader but I did have a bit of a problem in terms of lighting. Finding the right lighting angle so that I was comfortable reading was a bit difficult. I have also downloaded e-books from the county library and enjoyed them. I haven't had the courage to bring it to work on the Metro yet because I don't have a lot of books on it to read, but one of these days I will.

[BurtWorm]

4. There are tons of books available from the Gutenberg project

at least for the iPhone. They're full of typos, unfortunately. But a gigantic free library is available. Just about any classic novel or other work in the public domain you can think of is.

[Skittles]

3. no

I spend 52 hours a week monitoring multiple consoles; I want to curl up with a paper book, thank you. And I have NEVER noticed "book smell". And, why spend ten bucks when I can get a book for three bucks at Half-Priced Books?

[BurtWorm]

6. You've never noticed book smell?

You've never put your nose in the middle of a book and inhaled? You should do it right now! The older the book, the better the smell (except for ones that have been in a chain-smoker's library).

[Skittles]

7. sorry, I've never felt the need to sniff books

no INDEED :D

[BurtWorm]

8. But, Skittles, books have a kick-ass smell!

You don't know what you're missing!

;-)

[Brickbat]

5. No, lack of interest. I also buy books for many reasons other than reading them.

[blueamy66]

9. me too

I love books. I love to look at all of my books and try to remember when I first read them.

I love the smell of books and the feel of books.

They can have their e-books. Yuck.

[Brickbat]

10. Agreed.

The smell, the feel, the cover art, the notes I sometimes jot in the margins, the funny things that fall out as bookmarks...I love to buy used books that have things written in them by other people.

[BurtWorm]

11. What about books by right wingers?

Personally, those books turn my stomach.

[Brickbat]

12. What about them?

I do have some anti-communist books from the '30s and some government pamphlets on how to recognize communists.

[BurtWorm]

14. Do you think Treason or Slander will be valuable some day?

Personally, if wingers moved all their text to e-books, I don't think it would be a great loss to the world. I think hardcover editions of big bestselling novels would also be more valuable if they disappear as an expected commodity. Think of how much paper would be saved if they all moved to digital. Could be a good thing.

[Brickbat]

16. No, but they might be interesting the way my anti-communist stuff is interesting.

[lazarus]

13. all the time

I love my Kindle. I still buy books, from specific authors, but most of my reading is now from the Kindle.

It's very comfortable. The lighting is no more an issue for me than with a real book. It's lighter than many hard covers I've read.

My primary reason is price. Many of the books I'm reading I simply wouldn't read if I had to shell out 30 bucks for them. But it's convenient, too. I have magazine and blog subscriptions on there, so I always have a choice as to what I'm going to read at any given moment without having to get out the laptop.

[BurtWorm]

15. It's price that's going to make e-books the format of choice I think.

I think books in print on paper will be with us as long as there are humans. But it will actually be better for the earth if certain books never get printed.

[lazarus]

17. the iPad is kinda pissing me off

Amazon had set a firm line on e-book pricing. There was grumbling from publishers, but they went along with it. Apple comes along and says, "Charge whatever you like, the iPad user will pay it." Now e-book prices on all platforms will go up.

[BurtWorm]

18. What was Kindle charging?

I heard most e-books are going for $9.99, even on iPad (which is getting bad press today, did you notice? Wifi issues especially a problem).

[lazarus]

19. prices haven't changed yet

but the 9.99 is likely to change to 14.99, from what I've read.

I did notice the bad press. It's just the standard for early adopters, IMO. The bugs'll get worked out soon.

That said, I have no interest in an iPad. It's not as good an e-reader as the Kindle, it's not as convenient for music as the iPod, and my laptop can do stuff that the iPad can't do. So I see no reason to add a new toy to my collection.

[blueamy66]

22. I usually only buy at used book stores.

love books!

[alarimer]

20. I don't think books are doomed

if only because no one wants to take one of these expensive devices to the beach or the pool. I read at the gym, while on the elliptical. I doubt I would take a e-reader there.

Which brings up another problem. Say you are reading a book on an e-reader but there are places you don't want to take it. Do you buy/check out another copy of the book for those occasions or do you read something else, which means you have two books going at the same time?

[BurtWorm]

21. I would reserve the e-reader for crappy books I don't care if I own.

Or just books I'm trying out to see if I want to own them. I probably would take it to the beach with me, the way I might take a camera or video camera. Or cell phone.

[nickinSTL]

23. yes, I have

on my cheap, non-web accessing Palm Z22. Small screen, but works very well for me.

I've read several books. Only problem is that the application I use keeps crashing my system and I have to restart...losing any books saved until I delete the program and re-upload everything.