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Many years ago, I saw a friend using an emulator with his Gameboy PC (the type that flipped up like a laptop) to read "The Castle of Oltranto" and other gothic books he'd downloaded from Gutenberg. I thought it was great. A few years later, I heard about Sony ereaders and wanted one. I think seeing the Gameboy "reader" had introduced me to the notion.
At the time, I thought it would be nothing more than an expensive gimmick, after all, I had books which I bought from jumble shops and car boot sales for nothing. But the longer I had my Sony 505, the more useful it became: all my beloved classics FOR FREE! And the Sony free book offers. Then I began to realise the convenience of just reaching out a hand and having lots of books to choose. No more clutter, no more bags of books littering the floor and creaking my bookshelves!
And the fonts! I could alter the size depending on how my eyes were focussing that day, or my mood. I soon came to realise I preferred reading a novel on my ebook to reading a paperback (all that tiny, often badly-printed font).
Far from being an expensive gimmick, ereaders have become a necessity, especially as I've become older and my near vision has deteriorated somewhat.
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