E-Readers: Getting there?

While I’ve never owned (a dedicated) one, I sure am interested in the progress of “e-book” and “e-reader” technology. Sony’s latest is out, and it seems to be getting closer to decent. In considering the content availability (or lack thereof), I’ve realized that I really *would* find value in an e-reader. I read a lot of fiction that’s good, but not great. And far too much political and policy non-fiction. While I’m always glad I’ve read them, nothing in either class really deserves the increasingly rare space on my bookshelves at home. And I could never toss a book.* Being able to buy them in e-reader format would be well worth the price of the reader, I think. These are books where, as soon as the immediate value of the content has been consumed, I’ve not so much use for them. Let’s hope that buying them as e-books is an option, soon.

*Like many, I grew up with very specific ideas about how books should be treated. In my family, every book was something just short of a Torah. It should be respected, valued, and protected from harm at all costs. This is why my mother’s childhood books (Little Pokey Puppy, Doctor Dan) and my childhood books (The Fire Cat, Green Eggs & Ham) will soon be enjoyed by the next generation (don’t look at me). But I do have to say that my personal book rules have evolved. I never wrote in a book in college, but law school forced me into some pretty ugly desecration (which, frankly, is nothing compared to what I’d do to those case books now). Now, I’ll willingly dogear a page or lightly tick (pencil only) a particularly relevant or superbly written passage. But I’ll still look at you as if you were a serial killer if you lazily drop a book, break its spine, or tear a page. So my ideas with regard to books are malleable, but deeply rooted.