Yes, Kris, that would be 100% ideal.
In connection with the
numeric overall-progress percentage indicator rotating with the
author name and
book title in the header every 3 pages, that thin, Stanza-like progress strip at the bottom of the screen gives readers a very good idea, at any time, of where approximately they are inside a book. This would fully compensate for the inability, in iOS (except, unfairly, in iBooks), to display the exact number of "pages left in book" in the footer.
In fact, I find the
combination of exact, numeric "pages left in chapter"
and the thin overall-progress strip the best of both worlds. It certainly beats the experience of reading a book printed on paper, where "count down to chapter end" is never possible!
The thin overall-progress strip at screen bottom might perhaps be made optional in Marvin's settings, although it's not optional in Stanza and I can't really imagine how it might disturb any reader -- especially because it takes up zero screen real-estate, even on the iPhone!
Plus, of course, readers can also tap the header to see the numeric overall-progress percentage at any time.