The EBook, Future Of Reading

The eBook, a shortened version of the term electronic book is a digital representation of a printed piece of literature. Typically the eBook can be viewed using a laptop or desktop computer although in recent years portable eBook readers have become increasingly popular. But where did the idea for an electronic book come from?

Michael Hart is widely attributed to be the person with the original idea of converting texts into eBooks. It was Hart's recognition of the fact that the value of a computer was not necessarily in its computing power but instead in its ability to store and retrieve knowledge in the form of literature.

The first eBook was the Declaration of Independence, created in digital form for future reference. This initial project was the genesis of a wider ideal, Project Gutenberg. This project's ultimate objective was to convert all pieces of literature into digital form.

Currently it is estimated that there are in excess of twenty thousand free texts available as eBooks. More than a hundred thousand books are available to purchase and more than three thousand eBooks are downloaded every month. While these figures give a general indication of eBook popularity, they are growing all the time as more people choose to join the digital literature revolution.

At the outset the first eBooks were used by professionals to relay information between different groups. This was particularly prevalent in scientific and academic circles where the sharing of knowledge is especially important in the evolution of ideas. From technical manuals and theories came commercial eBook producers, choosing to distribute works of literature amongst the general public.

Originally many eBook producers utilise encryption software and special file formats that have been created to protect the copyrights of authors. This was a problem as it divided the market amongst a handful of hardware devices and file formats. It was not until recently with the release of devices such as the Sony Reader that text in a variety of formats has been available to read on one piece of hardware.

With a cross platform enabling readers to view a variety of different file formats commercial producers and major presses have started to market their catalogues in digital form. Publishers of romance novels saw the benefit of the digital format and as a result increasing numbers of casual literature were produced in eBook form.

In turn this had led to publishers dedicated almost solely to the production of eBooks. These forward thinking companies have taken a big step in understanding that this market is likely to grow in the near future and hence have put in place strategies to capture this burgeoning market. With a further growth in the number of eBook reading devices available it is wholly understandable that the reading public are becoming more swayed by digital works of fiction and fact.

It is easy to notice that people are now using eBook readers, laptops and palm devices; they are becoming more prevalent on public transport and in coffee shops. The benefits of having a device that can hold a portable library are clearly there. In fact the latest generation of eBook readers are able to hold over one hundred and sixty novels, even for the most avid reader this could last a year or more.

The ultimate convenience and portability is the most important selling point for eBook readers and eBooks more generally. As digitalisation of practically every media grows it was only a matter of time before digital text became an important element in the modern economy.

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