Ebook readers.

davey_wavey · 26/12/10 - 17:00

I got an Amazon kindle e-book reader for Christmas yesterday and whilst I can see the advantages of reading an actual book, I must say I'm hooked on my e-book reader! You can buy all of Jane Austen's novels for 79p and Thomas Hardy's collection of 20 books for only 69p! I can't believe what a bargain it is!

Who else has an e-book reader? And what books have you read off them? Do you prefer it to reading an actual book? I am currently halfway through reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I love the fact that you can add notes and highlight certain parts of the text!

ironjade · 26/12/10 - 17:59

Kindle is way out in front: free internet connection, no computer needed, front-lit screen and much cheaper than almost all the others.
Mine is currently stocked with H. G. Wells, Conan Doyle, Edgar Wallace, Lord Dunsany, Arthur Machen, H. P. Lovecraft, Murray Leinster, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Olaf Stapledon and Walter M. Miller, (all for free, legally I might add).
I think I've only bought about 5 books from Amazon and one of those was a £1 special offer.

[Deleted User] · 26/12/10 - 18:12

Jane Austin and Thomas Hardy's books are public domain. They are no longer copyrighted because they are so old, which means you can get them free from websites like Project Gutenberg. Most classics are like that, everything from Dickens and Shakespeare, to Twain and Doyle.

breppo · 26/12/10 - 21:50

I have a Bebook One 2010 since August and I love it.
For me there's no way back to a paper book.

At the moment I'm reading Book 13 of the Wheel of Time cycle by Robert Jordan. The first E-book I bought, but I also bought the hardcover edition, looks pretty on the shelf.
The hardcover is as thick as a foot-kneeded rye bread and this is where the E-reader comes in handy. No more lumbering around with heavy books.

I've read the complete Robot, Empire and Foundation series by Isaac Asimov, including the co-operations with other writers. Most of them I also have in print, but some of those books and short stories are long out of print and not even availlable second hand. Some enthousiasts are preserving them for posterity and converting them to E-books.

Another plus, if not entirely legal, for the E-reader.

I only wish 10-inch E-readers with full colour E-ink screens where availlable and affordable. I guess we'll have to wait a couple of years for that to happen.

trinity2002 · 27/12/10 - 02:28

ironjade wrote: »

Kindle is way out in front: free internet connection, no computer needed, front-lit screen and much cheaper than almost all the others.
Mine is currently stocked with H. G. Wells, Conan Doyle, Edgar Wallace, Lord Dunsany, Arthur Machen, H. P. Lovecraft, Murray Leinster, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Olaf Stapledon and Walter M. Miller, (all for free, legally I might add).
I think I've only bought about 5 books from Amazon and one of those was a £1 special offer.

Are you sure? :eek::D

Out of the authors you've listed above Wells, Lord Dunsany, Machen, Leinster, Stapledon, and Miller all died less than 70 years ago which in general makes their works still copyrighted in the UK. There are some exceptions though.

javjamoll84 · 27/12/10 - 02:36

davey_wavey wrote: »

I got an Amazon kindle e-book reader for Christmas yesterday and whilst I can see the advantages of reading an actual book, I must say I'm hooked on my e-book reader! You can buy all of Jane Austen's novels for 79p and Thomas Hardy's collection of 20 books for only 69p! I can't believe what a bargain it is!

Who else has an e-book reader? And what books have you read off them? Do you prefer it to reading an actual book? I am currently halfway through reading Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson

I love the fact that you can add notes and highlight certain parts of the text!

Have you checked out the 12 days of Kindle?

Sames, got one and obsessed atm.

ironjade · 27/12/10 - 10:00

trinity2002 wrote: »

Are you sure? :eek::D

Out of the authors you've listed above Wells, Lord Dunsany, Machen, Leinster, Stapledon, and Miller all died less than 70 years ago which in general makes their works still copyrighted in the UK. There are some exceptions though.

As Project Gutenberg is based in the US it may be that the idea of public domain only applies there (typical US thinking) but these authors are all there and downloadable. Fill yer boots as the saying goes.
My mistake, the more recent authors, Leinster and co., were free downloads from Feedbooks.com which has a huge public domain section. Sorry for the misinfo.:o

[Deleted User] · 27/12/10 - 14:15

ironjade wrote: »

As Project Gutenberg is based in the US it may be that the idea of public domain only applies there (typical US thinking) but these authors are all there and downloadable. Fill yer boots as the saying goes.
My mistake, the more recent authors, Leinster and co., were free downloads from Feedbooks.com which has a huge public domain section. Sorry for the misinfo.:o

Public domain exists everywhere, it just depends how repressive the copyright laws are in each country. It's a bit silly that someone can die and still be protected for decades, but that's how the laws have evolved. There's going to be a big rethink of copyright law in the UK soon.

ironjade · 27/12/10 - 16:07

MalUK wrote: »

Public domain exists everywhere, it just depends how repressive the copyright laws are in each country. It's a bit silly that someone can die and still be protected for decades, but that's how the laws have evolved. There's going to be a big rethink of copyright law in the UK soon.

It will involve Paul McCartney being granted the perpetual, exclusive rights to all intellectual property throughout the known universe. Then we'll all know where we stand.:D

Vennegoor · 27/12/10 - 16:11

MalUK wrote: »

Public domain exists everywhere, it just depends how repressive the copyright laws are in each country. It's a bit silly that someone can die and still be protected for decades, but that's how the laws have evolved. There's going to be a big rethink of copyright law in the UK soon.

Why is that silly? I agree 70 years is excessive, but if I recall that was a result of EU intervention, as we used to have 50 years.

davey_wavey · 27/12/10 - 18:00

javjamoll84 wrote: »

Have you checked out the 12 days of Kindle?

Sames, got one and obsessed atm.

Yep, I've been looking at some of the books that are a part of the 12 days of Kindle...I'm going to buy a couple of the books later. The Diviner's Tale and The Kindest Thing looks good! I'm going to browse through a few more books and see what else takes my fancy before purchasing

Have you bought anything from the 12 days of Kindle?

MrQuike · 27/12/10 - 19:42

My wife bought me one for christmas. I am very impressed with what I've tried so far. The screen/display is unbelievable. Anyone else remove the transparent protection film then try and remove the "wallpaper".:o
I already use Calibre on my laptop but this Kindle has a mass of potential. I'm looking forward to getting some decent books on it.

KJ44 · 27/12/10 - 20:18

trinity2002 wrote: »

Are you sure? :eek::D

Out of the authors you've listed above Wells, Lord Dunsany, Machen, Leinster, Stapledon, and Miller all died less than 70 years ago which in general makes their works still copyrighted in the UK. There are some exceptions though.

That annoyed me while rummaging around various sites' public domain sections.

UK is Life+70, but when books over a 100 years old are covered, it just seems excessive. HG Wells and Olaf Stapledon still under copyright ! (I have the books I wanted to download as paper anyway.)

Life+25. Long enough to put your unborn child through university should you die.

Anika Hanson · 27/12/10 - 21:01

I've got 2 ebook readers the Kindle 3 and the Sony PRS-300, but I i've only been using the kindle since I got it. I've got all kinds of books on my kindle, lots of star Trek, Mark Billingham, Karin Slaughter, Jo Nesbo, The Millenium trilogy, Stephen King, James Herbert, The Lord of the rings and the Hobbit. Some biographies. I also have some of the free stuff like Dickens, Shakespeare and some myths and legends.

I've bought 4 of the books from the 12 days of kindle promotion.:)

javjamoll84 · 27/12/10 - 22:21

davey_wavey wrote: »

Yep, I've been looking at some of the books that are a part of the 12 days of Kindle...I'm going to buy a couple of the books later. The Diviner's Tale and The Kindest Thing looks good! I'm going to browse through a few more books and see what else takes my fancy before purchasing

Have you bought anything from the 12 days of Kindle?

Oooh, will check some of them out later.

Nah, started reading a book recommended to me by someone on twitter, its alright

Got the free SuDoKu 'book' haven't used it yet. Also got a few other bits from the free section and had some pre-Kindle and that.

[Deleted User] · 30/12/10 - 08:17

The thing I love about Kindle the most is that I can be reading a book I choose in 60 seconds! And they're cheaper which is better for readers, but as they are cheaper to publish too it will mean the stranglehold of the mainstream publishers (and their narrow view of what we want to read) will diminish. So my best book of the year is With Cold Hearts by David Hurst. It's a novel about novels and a lonely writer writing about other writers (one for all of us who have a book inside us…), modern and written at breakneck speed – so perfect to read as an e-book. It's only £1.71/$2.69 too on Amazon! Thriller writer Stephen Leather is high up the Kindle charts as well with a few of his books. He's actually missing out the publisher and doing it himself, and for 72p a book too. I'm excited by this modern publishing!

Hey there!

Quick Links

Ebook readers.

Comments