What is an e-book?

What is an e-book?

A few years ago, I heard it said that the e-book was the 'thing' of the future, that paper books would disappear altogether.

Well, not quite! Like most people, I still love to snuggle under the covers at night with a good book...

But e-books are certainly growing in popularity. They're convenient to buy, you receive them instantly, and - because of lower production costs - they tend to be an awful lot cheaper than traditional print books. Another great bonus is that many e-book readers are capable of actually reading the book out loud - perfect for the visually impaired.

A good e-book publisher will publish books of exactly the same quality as a traditional publisher, and the subject matter will be just as broad. The main difference is that to buy an e-book, you use the internet to purchase, then download a file containing the book onto your computer, your palm pilot, your e-book reader etc. You don't need masses of bookshelves to store your e-books.

They're also extremely convenient. For example, you're waiting at the doctor's surgery and, as usual, they're running an hour late for appointments. If you've got an e-book on your palm pilot, you simply whip it out and - hey presto! - you've got a book available to fill in the time.

So, how do you start reading e-books?

That depends on how you're planning to read them. Most publishers and e-book shops offer a variety of formats - that is, you choose what program you're going to use to read the book. If you're planning on reading your e-books straight from your computer, then you can read them in:

HTML

(Your word processor will read this - you don't need any other programs.)

PDF

(This format uses Adobe Acrobat. The reader program is free, and most people already have this installed on their computer. If not, you can download it at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html ).

This format is also good in that, rather than struggling with the relatively small print of traditional paperbacks, you can easily increase the size of the print if you need to do so.

Microsoft Reader

(This format almost looks like a paperback on your computer screen - you even turn the pages like a regular book! It's a free program provided by Microsoft, and can be downloaded at http://www.microsoft.com/reader/downloads/pc.asp )

If you're planning on reading your e-books on Franklin E-bookman or Hieman, you'll probably want to purchase your books in HTML. However, check your reader's operating instructions first!

If you have a Palm Pilot, Pocket PC or other PDA, it probably already has Microsoft Reader, Adobe Reader PDF or Mobipocket installed. Once again, check your operating instructions.

Mobipocket can be downloaded (free) at http://www.mobipocket.com/en/DownloadSoft/default.asp

If you'd rather download the book, then print it onto paper to read, the best format to choose is Adobe Reader PDF.

Well, clear as mud??

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"Enough if something from our hands have power To live, and act, and serve the future hour." Wordsworth, The River Duddon, 1820