The Future of Reading

Has anyone thought about using the Kindle to display bilingual editions of books with two columns? I like to read works written in French presented with the original text on the left and English on the right or vice versa. I can read most of the French and quickly find a translation for something if I don't understand the original.

Yes, the Kindle device is designed to approximate the size and weight of a book, as if that little detail is going to close the deal for all of us print-addicted Luddites. And yes, it's pretty nifty that they developed screen technology for the Kindle that comes closer to imitating the visual texture of the printed page than anything ever seen before. And sure, it's pretty mind-boggling to realize that this device, linked wirelessly to Amazon's entire database of Kindle-d editions of books, could someday put every book ever written at your fingertips in searchable electronic form, even allowing authors to amend and update their manuscripts, adding new facts to non-fiction books or changing the endings of novels.

The Kindle has one insurmountable flaw, though. It's not a book.

Books are physical objects. Each has a distinctive appearance, texture, smell and heft in your hand. Each is unique, and permanent, and if it's really good, maybe even a permanent part of your home and your life. Almost every day working in my study I look up at my bookshelf and let my eyes wander across the spines of books I've read. Would it be fun to be able to search instantly for every time Robert Crais references a specific real-life location in Los Angeles in his Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels? Sure. But I wouldn't give up my hardcover copy of The Watchman to be able to do it. And if he went back and changed the ending of the book, I would be outraged. I would feel cheated, and that the bond of trust between author and audience had been broken. Stories are stories, and their human imperfections are part of their essence.

For more about the Kindle, see my blog at http://theopenroad.blogspot.com

Yes, the Kindle device is designed to approximate the size and weight of a book, as if that little detail is going to close the deal for all of us print-addicted Luddites. And yes, it's pretty nifty that they developed screen technology for the Kindle that comes closer to imitating the visual texture of the printed page than anything ever seen before. And sure, it's pretty mind-boggling to realize that this device, linked wirelessly to Amazon's entire database of Kindle-d editions of books, could someday put every book ever written at your fingertips in searchable electronic form, even allowing authors to amend and update their manuscripts, adding new facts to non-fiction books or changing the endings of novels.

The Kindle has one insurmountable flaw, though. It's not a book.

Books are physical objects. Each has a distinctive appearance, texture, smell and heft in your hand. Each is unique, and permanent, and if it's really good, maybe even a permanent part of your home and your life. Almost every day working in my study I look up at my bookshelf and let my eyes wander across the spines of books I've read. Would it be fun to be able to search instantly for every time Robert Crais references a specific real-life location in Los Angeles in his Elvis Cole/Joe Pike novels? Sure. But I wouldn't give up my hardcover copy of The Watchman to be able to do it. And if he went back and changed the ending of the book, I would be outraged. I would feel cheated, and that the bond of trust between author and audience had been broken. Stories are stories, and their human imperfections are part of their essence.

For more about the Kindle, check my blog at http://theopenroad.blogspot.com

Posted By: literarygulag.com

Comment: The introduction of Kindle by Amazon.com is potentially a milestone. The publication of path-breaking fiction by the publishing conglomerates has all but died. What remains is genre drenched in love and family and politically correct multiculturalism that is sentimental or clever, though devoid of serious social and political engagement. By offering downloadable electronic books at $9.99 each, it is hoped that Amazon.com will publish fiction by new authors with distinctive voices who, once again, dare to write the Great American Novel and, in the process, reengage a nation of readers. If the Kindle is simply a dissemination of best sellers, nothing, not even Book 2.0, will rescue the novel. See my blog, http://www.literarygulag.com, about the causes responsible for the death of fiction, and what might be done to resuscitate it.

This is an exciting era for the presentation and examination of ideas. A major problem to be overcome is the proprietary nature of some of the "movers". Jeff Bezos wants to shape the technology to serve the interests of his company. The possibility of a Microsoft-type monopoly in book distribution and delivery is high.

Levy completely fails to mention organizations like Gutenburg and others who are scanning public domain books in text format and offering them for free. I have been downloading and reading them on my Palm Tungsten for years.
Bezos should offer access to Gutenburg.org and other sites and view this service as a 'loss-leader' (though no loss of revenue is actually involved) to promote the use of the Kindle and entice people to pay for best sellers.
If he decides to take a similar position to that of the music industry and funnel public domain literature through proprietary files that he charges for, then I think the Kindle will eventually fail.

Uh... marbe it's just me, but did any one else realize Sony came out with the same exact thing (minus the Wi-FI type feature) almost 3 years ago?!? Plus Sony's only cost $280 compared to Amazon's $400. Yet everyone is making a big deal out of the Kindle. Just found that rather interesting.

Ebooks will not sucessful until the average screen will hold as many words as the average paperback. Also, it is irritating to pay about the same amount for an Ebook as for a paperback and then not be able to pass the book on to someone else - yes I assume you could pass it on with your reader but that is not really practical. It would be great not to have all the paper bgut until the price of the books come way down I don't think its going to catch on in great numbers. What about the most of the world that does not have our wealth to buy another electronic gadget or even a way to charge it?

this sounds wonderful. will audio books also be available in this format? so much available to so many--we take so much of what we have for granted. this will make knowledge so much easier to share.

Dismayed. Confusion. Loss. Wonder. In that order. Can my bubble bath book that has yellowing and expanded pages over the years from water absorption be replaced? What about all my cherished books that I have saved up till now from 6th grade? That I sometimes pull out and relive and savor the artichoke hearts of wisdom over and over. What about all those books I have my shelf...will this device be aesthetically pleasing as the covers...I don't know. Have my thoughts and opinions become ancient and outdated. Can you pull this thing out anywhere -- I mean -- anywhere, from beach to van?

My mom's eyes are failing and she needs "large print" editions of every book, newspaper and magazine. The hard print options are limited and expensive. There might be a strong market for this device (or others like it) if the font sizes can be sufficiently enlarged. I checked out the Sony version and it didn't quite do the job. I'm hoping this device works better for the visually impaired.

How cool is this!?! The first thing I thought of when I read this was college. I would have loved to have one of these devices rather than carry around huge, expensive text books. Just think of it, you could pay a set price for the Kinder (provided by the university at a volume discount price), then $10 for the most up to date text book available for the courses you are taking (rather than used books), AND you can use the search capability faster than an index. Maybe there will be a way to take notes while reading on the Kinder, have those notes or questions put into an email and send them to the professor. My daughter will be starting college in about 3 years. Hopefully, this will not only be available, but the price more reasonable. Very exciting!

How cool is this!?! The first thing I thought of when I read this was college. I would have loved to have one of these devices rather than carry around huge, expensive text books. Just think of it, you could pay a set price for the Kinder (provided by the university at a volume discount price), then $10 for the most up to date text book available for the courses you are taking (rather than used books), AND you can use the search capability faster than an index. Maybe there will be a way to take notes while reading on the Kinder, have those notes or questions put into an email and send them to the professor. My daughter will be starting college in about 3 years. Hopefully, this will not only be available, but the price more reasonable. Very exciting!

On page 58 of the print version of Newsweek, Nov 26, 2007, it says the cost of converting a book to an ebook is about $200.00. There is a GIANT addition to that dollar figure ranging from $800.00 set up to $8.00 per page and a GIANT minus as well ranging from $68.00 to $128.00 from www.smartsite.com.

I like skimming a book really fast...I also like reading the back of the book... The pictures on the cover or of the author are the best

I dont understand...I like looking at the books cover and the feeling of the book, wheres the fun in a cyber book

I Dont understand... I like Looking at book covers where is the fun in a cyber book...

With the Kindle, you can???t print out a passage, e-mail it to a friend or copy it into a document, thus negating any advantages an e-book might have. You can???t lend a book to someone, or sell it after you???re finished. Your book is tied to your Kindle and its e-mail account. Good luck to you when Amazon or whatever data provider changes its business model or goes out of business. With DRM, the seller deliberately makes it difficult to read the with any other device. It is very unlikely that Amazon's DRM-laden Kindle books will still be readable in 10 years. And that goes for any DRM/specific technology-linked e-books.

The real story here isn't the Kindle as a specific device, especially given that the reviews have made it obvious that the current device will soon be replaced by a superior design. The bigger issue is what it means that publishers are now interested in providing electronic editions (beyond Star Trek and romance). The real opportunity to change the way we read has much more to do with business models than it does with a specific device or artifact. http://tome-reader.blogspot.com/2007/11/publishers-electronic-opportunities.html