Ebooks, Ereading and eReader
In January of 2000, I bought my first ebook, the February edition of Analog Science Fiction and Fact ($3.50). That was from a site called Peanut Press. It’s changed hands — and names — a few times over the years. The current name is eReader.com, and it’s still an awesome place to buy books. Whether you want the latest bestseller, a classic backlist title, or something from an electronic-only publisher, eReader.com has a wide selection to choose from. They claim to be the world’s largest eBook store, and I believe it.
That first book, and many others since, were loaded onto whatever PDA I was carrying at the time (back in 2000, it was a Palm IIIe Special Edition, with 2 mb of RAM and an awesome clear case). Currently, eReader offers free reader software for every major computer, PDA and smartphone platform. Apparently, some folks don’t care for reading on a small screen, but it’s my preferred method. Especially nice in bed, with no need for a lamp or book light.
Some of the books are admittedly expensive. For example, if a dead-tree version of a book is available only in hardback, you’ll likely pay the hardback price for the ebook as well. But there are plenty of less expensive titles to choose from.
By the way, I can still download and re-read that first book I bought over seven years ago, and all the others I’ve purchased since.
