All About eBooks

Books have always come in many forms -- or, in twenty-first-century terminology, formats. From the serialized novels of Charles Dickens (published one chapter at a time over the course of months) to "penny dreadfuls", hardcovers, paperbacks, trade paperbacks, audiobooks, and more, the true definition of a "book" is not the physical form it takes, but the content: ideas conveyed from a writer to a reader.

One more format to add to this list is the "electronic book" or "ebook." The ebook itself is the novel, poetry collection, or textbook you'd like to read; an "ebook reader" is the technology with which you read the ebook.

Below are a few links that describe some of the ins and outs of the "ebook revolution."

Places to Read About eBook
Hardware and Software

Adobe Acrobat

"Digital editions are electronic versions of books, magazines, newspapers, and other documents that can be viewed on a computer screen or PDA...." This site includes linkes to many sites that provide ebooks, for free or for purchase, in a variety of languages.

Franklin eBookman

"Books, music, and information in the palm of your hand." Read an ever-growing library of eBooks, and check out their specialty handheld devices (dictionaries, translators, and more).

Palm OS handheld device

These "pocket digital assistants" allow you to do e-mail, surf the Web, watch movies, play games, keep your calendar -- as well as read books! Perfect for multi-taskers!

Pocket PC

Windows Mobile-based PocketPC is Microsoft's handheld device, a competitor for Palm.