A New Kind of Reading Experience

'Books Aren't Dead': Readers of our cover story on going digital had serious reservations about Amazon's new e-reader, the Kindle. Many were underwhelmed. One said, "A printed book is great. When I'm done, I can donate it, keep it or hand it off to a friend." Another added, "Re-reading and owning my favorite books gives me joy. I thought, of all people, Amazon's Jeff Bezos understood." Yet one had a heartening message. "Fear not, bookworms. Our books shall live forever. They're just going through a transition for the larger benefit of all book addicts."

On 'Princess Power': "I like that Disney is selling the princesses to women like me: empowerment and pretty dresses need not be mutually exclusive. Cooler still would be Disney 'Historical Heroines' with Mulan, Pocahontas and Susan B. Anthony."
Katharine Tapely
Worcester, Mass.

When Books Go Digital
As an avid reader, i applaud the idea of being able to package multiple books in Amazon's small, user-friendly e-reader, the Kindle, but I'm not entirely convinced that the Kindle could "take me down the rabbit hole" ("The Future of Reading," Nov. 26). However, as a high-school teacher, I think the Kindle could be the answer to a prayer for students, parents and staff. In the vast majority of schools there is a lack of money and storage space for adequate numbers of appropriate texts. Every day students struggle to carry upwards of 50 pounds of books from home and around campus; many texts are lost, damaged or out of date. Imagine if students had all textbooks at their fingertips, and instant Internet capability to look up references. If school texts could be downloaded onto a Kindle, it would revolutionize the lives of millions.
Diana Matter
Alamogordo, N.M.

I am 19 and a product of the digital age: I have gone through seven computers, four cell phones, two digital cameras, a Walkman, a Discman and an iPod. But I refuse to see a book digitized. Amazon's Jeff Bezos is wrong in assuming that we fanatical readers love only the words and ideas; reading a book is an entire process. Pointing and clicking will never hold the same satisfaction as browsing the shelves at a library or bookstore, nor will the Kindle be able to capture the feeling you get as the pages dwindle, and you don't know whether to hurry up to find out how it ends or slow down and savor every word. I plan on sticking with glue, ink and paper.
Beth Papworth
Westerville, Ohio

E-books would not be appropriate for one large category of books: publications where quality illustrations are important. How would a book about Frank Lloyd Wright or Michelangelo show up on the small-format handheld? To accommodate my field, the history of art, and many others where illustrations are essential, e-books would have to be too large to be practical.
James K. Kettlewell
Professor Emeritus, Skidmore College
Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

For this writer, the day i start composing with the "community" as my editors, "wiki style" or otherwise, is the day you can shoot me. Steven Levy's article on digital books is provocative, but surely he must realize just how tenacious writers are about using their own—and no one else's—material. It may be harder to publish serious literature these days, readership may be decreasing and the world may be going digital, but there's still that driving pride of sole authorship and, yes, seeing the original on honest-to-God paper pages.
Steven Schwartz
Ft. Collins, Colo.