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| Kindle, 3rd Generation |
An "Ebook" is a book length publication in digital form. No one really knows when the first ebook came along, but it's been several decades in the making. "The Index Thomistiticus" was a heavily annotated electronic index to the works of Thomas Aquinas in the 1940s put together by Roberto Busa.
However the idea of the ebook reader came to Bob Brown in the 1930's, inspired by the "talkie" movies. In an article Jennifer Schuessler writes, "The machine, Brown argued, would allow readers to adjust the type size, avoid paper cuts and save trees, all while hastening the day when words could be 'recorded directly on the palpitating ether.'"
In 1949 a teacher from Spain, Angelia Ruiz, patents the 1st ebook. She wanted to decrease the number of books her kids brought to school.
In Star Trek, The Original Series and even The Next Generation, Capt Kirk and Capt Picard each use "ebook" readers - though Kirk's was a bit bulker than Picard's.
In 1992, Sony launched the Data Discman, an electronic book reader that could read e-books that were stored on CDs.
The establishment of the E Ink Corp. in 1997 led to the development of electronic paper a technology which allows a display screen to reflect light like ordinary paper without the need for a backlight. The Rocket Ebook is introduced but doesn't gain any popularity.
In the mid 2000's, Amazon released the "Kindle" a slim, convienent, ebook reader that is affordable to the every day public. Sony does the same.
"Read An Ebook Week" was first listed in 2004. The purpose was to educate and inform the public about the pleasures and advantages of reading electronically.
Popular formats include: PDF, EPUB, and HTML.
Some advantages of having an ebook:
--All fiction books published prior to 1900 are considered in the public domain and free.
--An ebook can be ordered and downloaded immediately.
--The cost is affordable.
--A single reader can have many books.
--There is a wide variety of ebook readers that are affordable.
--It saves on physical space.
--You can ajust the font and add notes if you want.
CONTEST!!
If you go to: http://www.ebookweek.com/index.html
There are two contests along with a great list of "deals and steals." It's a great place to hang out and enjoy an ebook this week.
Question for you: Do you have an ebook reader? If so, which one. Why do you recommend it? The price? The size? The features?
Do you have any "Deals and Steals" you'd like to share this week? Leave a comment!
Author Bio: Stephanie Burkhart is a 911 Dispatcher for LAPD. Her ebooks with Victory Tales Press include: A Polish Heart, Journey of the Heart, Feast of Candles, and Christmas in Bayeux.
References:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book
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