e-book or paper book?

[Emil Miller]

Strange, but I'm not the least bit attached to books on my Kindle and my hard drive(10g worth there).

A few years ago I lost a bookcase in a bad hurricane as my first floor was flooded during the tidal surge. I managed to dry out the others(fairly successful). The whole thing was a trauma drama.

I think this is one of the things that highlights the desensitising aspects of the new technology. With a Kindle there isn't the tactile response that we get from reading hard copy books. When we pick up a book we are handling the same material that the writer used in his manuscript and that gives us an unarticulated but basic connection to the author.

[Paulclem]

I think this is one of the things that highlights the desensitising aspects of the new technology. With a Kindle there isn't the tactile response that we get from reading hard copy books. When we pick up a book we are handling the same material that the writer used in his manuscript and that gives us an unarticulated but basic connection to the author.

This might just be down to habit though. Young people will - are - more used to handling their phones, and so their tactile enjoyment will come from their electronic equipment of choice.

[Scheherazade]

When we pick up a book we are handling the same material that the writer used in his manuscript and that gives us an unarticulated but basic connection to the author.

I doubt that is the case anymore. It is quite likely that the authors type their works on computers and send them off to their editors without even printing them out (email, memory sticks and so on).

[Emil Miller]

I doubt that is the case anymore. It is quite likely that the authors type their works on computers and send them off to their editors without even printing them out (email, memory sticks and so on).

I know from my own experience that most agents, at least in the UK, will not accept anything other than the first two typewritten chapters on A4 paper in order not be overwhelmed with thousands of Emails, although, as with everything, there may be exceptions that underline the rule.

[mal4mac]

Woo hoo, I've just this minute placed an order for it!

Edit: oh my god, I'm having a strange feeling about it. Seriously I feel very strange about it. What have I done?

I just ordered a Logitech Squeezebox Touch, so I know exactly how you are feeling!

Don't panic! You can get your money back. You have seven days cooling off, according to internet law, and about a month to return it... I keep telling myself.

I just looked at the latest Kindle in Comet - the screen looked better than I remembered... I'm now tempted again...

Please give us your first experiences Neely, before the seven days is up, and you reach the "I just paid £89 for it, I better like it" moment...

Being able to read all of Chekhov's short stories without paying for all the v. expensive paperbacks is tempting... but more than one gadget a month is excessive (isn't it?)...

[B. Laumness]

Those who have bought a Kindle and have downloaded tons of classics, have you really read them?

[LitNetIsGreat]

I just ordered a Logitech Squeezebox Touch, so I know exactly how you are feeling!

Don't panic! You can get your money back. You have seven days cooling off, according to internet law, and about a month to return it... I keep telling myself.

I just looked at the latest Kindle in Comet - the screen looked better than I remembered... I'm now tempted again...

Please give us your first experiences Neely, before the seven days is up, and you reach the "I just paid £89 for it, I better like it" moment...

Being able to read all of Chekhov's short stories without paying for all the v. expensive paperbacks is tempting... but more than one gadget a month is excessive (isn't it?)...

Yes I know it warms on you. The way I see it is that it would pay for itself within about 6 months easily too, I bet you are tempted by the Complete Works of Dickens for 71p as well? Crazy really. I think there are about a million free classic texts available.

I'm loving returning to Chekhov short stories and plays. I own one short collection, as well as the plays, and I've recently borrowed another shorter collection from the library but I'm fast running out, so it's going to be the first thing I download I expect.

I also like the idea of the built in dictionary facility so that you can look up words as necessarily by simply hovering over it. That and the fact that it is so easy to adjust the font size. Whether it is a sign of age or not but I seem to prefer a slightly larger font than you get in some books.

I'm also interested in the highlight facility. I'm not exactly sure how it works but I think you can highlight passages of text and it stores it somewhere. Useful for tracking interesting passages of text/ideas etc.

I will certainly let you know how I get on with it. I don't know when it is due to arrive though. I suspect that I'll get on fine with it, I've had a quick look at the 'older' version with the keyboard and it seemed fine. Even if I hated it six months down the line it would still go for about £60 second-hand via Amazon sales/ebay, so there's no panic. My main concern still lies with dropping it in the bath, I might have to stick to paper books for my nightly bath reads, see how it goes.

[Paulclem]

Couldn't you get out one of those plastic across the bath soap holder things they used to have in the 70s? Do you remember them? They were like a bridge over the water to keep your soap/ beer/ cloths/ shaving stuff on. I haven't seen one for years, but perhaps they'll make a comeback as Kindle savers.

[TurquoiseSunset]

I never understood why people would prefer e-readers to books either. I love everything about books. I just couldn’t see myself with one. But then a colleague and I were at the airport one day and he took out a Kindle. He demonstrated how it worked, etc. After that I went to do a little research of my own and I was converted.

Why do I like it?

• The display is really eye-friendly.
• It’s light and compact and I can carry it in my already overstuffed handbag.
• Buying e-books is so much cheaper and has allowed me to read a larger variety of books. Before I mostly bought fiction books. My budget only allowed for so much so I bought only the books I was almost guaranteed to like. My local public library isn’t very good either, the non-fiction sections are particularly appalling, genre fiction taking most of the very little funding they get. But with my Kindle I can read samples of books before I buy them and when I do, it is so much cheaper that I can afford a few risks.
• I can have a whole truck load of books with me at all times. I read according to my mood, so sometimes I’m reading five books at a time. Also, going away for weekends and holidays in past meant a whole extra bag just for my books.
• I love the dictionary function.

...and so on.

I still love books, but I read for the stories not the actual pages. I have to be practical; I only have so much space for books, even after giving away about ten to twenty a year. It just made sense to buy a Kindle even though it was expensive (mine was $189 for the keyboard with 3G one, plus $59 for the cover with built-in light, still excluding the shipping and tax. The total was $324). It will pay for itself. I have not regretted buying it once.

I still buy books though. I buy books by my favourite authors, books in a series, and Afrikaans books aren’t always available as e-books either. I really don’t think books will die out soon.

I'm also interested in the highlight facility. I'm not exactly sure how it works but I think you can highlight passages of text and it stores it somewhere. Useful for tracking interesting passages of text/ideas etc.

The highlight function works as follows: You move the cursor to the first word, click and move the cursor to the last word and click again. It then saves it in your My Clippings file that can be accessed from the Home screen. It shows the highlight, from which book and on which page or location, and the time and date on which it was added.

[LitNetIsGreat]

Couldn't you get out one of those plastic across the bath soap holder things they used to have in the 70s? Do you remember them? They were like a bridge over the water to keep your soap/ beer/ cloths/ shaving stuff on. I haven't seen one for years, but perhaps they'll make a comeback as Kindle savers.

Brilliant idea, Dragon's Den material. Yes I remember those vaguely, my dad used to have one. I think it was pink.

Just got a dispatch confirmation email which is sooner than I thought and also a Kindle support email, look at this:

Dear Mr Neely,

Congratulations on your purchase and welcome to Amazon Kindle.

We built Kindle with the goal of creating an exceptional and hassle-free reading experience. As such, we wanted to point out a few details before you get started.

Your Kindle is automatically registered to the same Amazon.co.uk account you used to make your purchase. This enables you to shop, purchase, and download books, newspapers and magazines wirelessly from your Kindle straight out of the box.

If you purchased Kindle as a gift for someone else, you should de-register this Kindle from your Amazon.co.uk account. You can de-register Kindle from the Settings page on the device or at Manage Your Kindle on Amazon.co.uk. The gift recipient can then re-register the device to their Amazon.co.uk account from the Settings page on the Kindle.

Visit the Kindle Accessories Store at Amazon.co.uk to shop for great Kindle covers and accessories.

You can start building your library before your Kindle even arrives by shopping for books and periodicals in the Kindle Store at Amazon.co.uk. Amazon's unique wireless delivery system, Amazon Whispernet, will auto-deliver your purchases directly to your Kindle. Once you receive your Kindle, you can also shop the same great selection directly from your device.

Your Kindle content purchases are made using your existing default 1-Click payment method at Amazon.co.uk. To view or change the current payment method associated with your Kindle, please visit Manage Your Kindle at Amazon.co.uk. For general information on 1-Click, please visit the 1-Click section at Amazon.co.uk.

That sounds pretty unbelievable to me. Does this mean that I can just select my books now and they will already be on the device when it arrives? It certainly sounds like that, pretty good indeed.

*Please note I am not on commission for Amazon marketplace or the new Kindle product.*

Edit: oh, I've just seen the above post, thanks for that TS sounds fantastic.

[TurquoiseSunset]

That sounds pretty unbelievable to me. Does this mean that I can just select my books now and they will already be on the device when it arrives?

Yup

[LitNetIsGreat]

Yup

That's right good.

[Drkshadow03]

You see this is the thing. I've got two bookcases of books, in a small two bedroom house, with piles building up around me, everywhere, and I can't really go on this way. On top of this, when you can have the likes of The Complete Works of Thomas Hardy for 71p, The Works of Maupassant Vol 1 for £0.00 and hundreds of other such things at ridiculous prices/free, instantly there, it doesn't really become an feasible option to keep resisting. It's not like I'm not going to stop reading paper books - it just seems like the obvious move.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Classic-Brit...f=pd_cp_kinc_4

While I am not against digital books, I do think a smart shopper can still find paper books of classics at crazy cheap prices by shopping only at Used bookstores and library sales.

I once went to a good library sale and walked away with something like 25 books for $15.

[LitNetIsGreat]

While I am not against digital books, I do think a smart shopper can still find paper books of classics at crazy cheap prices by shopping only at Used bookstores and library sales.

I once went to a good library sale and walked away with something like 25 books for $15.

That's probably true to some extent. I enjoy hunting around second hand bookshops looking for unexpected goodies, as I suspect many of us do, but also there are times when I want a particular book there and then. Also you can't really beat free for price. It's not just that though it's the space issue for me as well.

As mentioned I'm also interested in using the dictionary and highlight features. Good practice when reading is underlining unfamilar words or phrases and look them up and so on, but to be honest I can't recall doing that for months and months. The dictionary feature will make it easier to do that.

[Mutatis-Mutandis]

The dictionary feature will make it easier to do that.

It does.

I have a Kindle Touch on pre-order. The 99$ price is insanely cheap.