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Old 06-07-2010, 10:09 PM   #9
Worldwalker
Curmudgeon
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Join Date: Feb 2010
Device: PRS-505
If you're just looking for something to read for yourself, have you considered the classics at Project Gutenberg et. al.?

That's actually why I bought an ebook readers: so I could read Project Gutenberg in bed. Actually, what I was reading in bed last night (Ashton-Kirk, Secret Agent) was from right here on MobileRead; PG isn't the only source. True, I don't have the latest bestsellers, but the bestsellers of decades ago haven't gotten worse in the interim. Personally, I think that's one of the best uses for a dedicated ebook reader: making libraries full of free ebooks portable.

It's not economical when it comes to new books -- you pay a couple of hundred dollars for the device, and then the publishers try to charge you more for an ebook than for a physical paperback. For that you get a book you can't lend to your mother, can't donate to the church rummage sale, can't trade in at the used bookstore, and often can't use anymore if you decide to get a different reader. For the price of a Kindle, you can buy an awful lot of used books! If what you want is to be able to carry multiple books around with you in an object the size of a trade paperback, an ebook reader is great. But if you want new books, at least from the Agency 5, you'll end up paying more.

Of course, there are publishers like Baen that sell ebooks at sane prices, and indie authors (some of whom hang out right here) who sell books for quite reasonable prices through their own websites or BVC, etc. However, most of the people planning to buy ebooks for their devices are talking about buying them from the big-name ebookstores.

But if you're looking for something to read -- and to read some really great books, which are classics for a reason -- get an ebook reader and stuff it full of Project Gutenberg's finest.
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