An electronic book (also e-book, ebook, digital book) is a text and image-based

publication in digital form produced on, published by, and readable on computers or
other digital devices." [1] Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-
books can also be born digital. The Oxford Dictionary of English defines the e-book as "an
electronic version of a printed book," [2] but e-books can and do exist without any printed
equivalent. E-books are usually read on dedicated hardware devices known as e-Readers
or e-book devices. Personal computers and some cell phones can also be used to read e-
books.

History

Among the earliest general e-books were those in the Gutenberg Project, started by
Michael S. Hart in 1971. An early e-book implementation were the desktop prototypes
for a proposed notebook computer, the Dynabook, in the 1970s at PARC, which would
be a general-purpose portable personal computer, including reading books. [3] Similar
ideas were expressed at the same time by Paul Drucker.[citation needed]

Early e-books were generally written for specialty areas and a limited audience, meant
to be read only by small and devoted interest groups. The scope of the subject matter of
these e-books included technical manuals for hardware, manufacturing techniques and
other subjects. [citation needed] In the 1990s, the general availability of the Internet made
transferring electronic files much easier, including e-books.

Numerous e-book formats emerged and proliferated, some supported by major

software companies such as Adobe with its PDF format, and others supported by
independent and open-source programmers. Multiple readers followed multiple
formats, most of them specializing in only one format, and thereby fragmenting the e-
book market even more. Due to exclusiveness and limited readerships of e-books, the
fractured market of independents and specialty authors lacked consensus regarding a
standard for packaging and selling e-books. E-books continued to gain in their own
underground markets. Many e-book publishers began distributing books that were in
the public domain. At the same time, authors with books that were not accepted by
publishers offered their works online so they could be seen by others. Unofficial (and
occasionally unauthorized) catalogs of books became available over the web, and sites
devoted to e-books began disseminating information about e-books to the public. [citation
needed]
U.S. Libraries began providing free e-books to the public in 1998 through their web sites
and associated services[4], although the e-books were primarily scholarly, technical or
professional in nature, and could not be downloaded. In 2003, libraries began offering
free downloadable popular fiction and non-fiction e-books to the public, launching an e-
book lending model that worked much more successfully for public libraries. [5] The
number of library e-book distributors and lending models continued to increase over
the next few years. In 2010, a Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study
found that 66% of public libraries in the U.S. were offering e-books[6], and a large
movement in the library industry began seriously examining the issues related to
lending e-books, acknowledging a tipping point of broad e-book usage[7].

As of 2009, new marketing models for e-books were being developed and dedicated
reading hardware was produced. E-books (as opposed to ebook readers) have yet to
achieve global distribution. In the United States, as of September 2009, the Amazon
Kindle model and Sony's PRS-500 were the dominant ereading devices [8]. By March
2010, some reported that the Barnes & Noble Nook may be selling more units than the
Kindle [9]. On January 27, 2010 Apple, Inc. launched a multi-function device called the
iPad[10] and announced agreements with five of the six largest publishers that would
allow Apple to distribute e-books.[11] However, many publishers and authors have not
endorsed the concept of electronic publishing, citing issues with demand, piracy and
proprietary devices.[12]

In July 2010, online bookseller Amazon.com reported sales of ebooks for its proprietary
Kindle outnumbered sales of hardcover books for the first time ever during the second
quarter of 2010, saying it sold 140 e-books for every 100 hardcover books, including
hardcovers for which there was no digital edition. [13] In July this number had increased
to 180 Kindle ebooks per 100 hardcovers [14]. Paperback book sales are still much larger
than either hardcover or e-book; the American Publishing Association estimated e-
books represented 8.5% of sales as of mid-2010.[15]

Timeline

 1971: Michael S. Hart launches the Gutenberg Project.

 1985-1992 Robert Stein starts Voyager Company Expanded Books and books on
CD-ROMs.
 1992: Charles Stack's Book Stacks Unlimited begins selling new physical books
online.
 1993: Zahur Klemath Zapata develops the first [1] software to read digital books.
Digital book version 1 and the first digital book is published On Murder
Considered as one of the Fine Arts (Thomas de Quincey).
 1993: Digital Book, Inc. offers the first 50 digital books in Floppy disk with
Digital Book Format (DBF).
 1993: Hugo Award for Best Novel nominee texts published on CD-ROM by Brad
Templeton.
 1993: Bibliobytes, a project of free digital books online in Internet.
 1995: Amazon starts to sell physical books in Internet.
 1995: Online poet Alexis Kirke discusses the need for wireless internet electronic
paper readers in his article "The Emuse".
 1996: Project Gutenberg reaches 1,000 titles. The target is 1,000,000
 1998 Kim Blagg obtained the first ISBN issued to an ebook and began marketing
multimedia-enhanced ebooks on CDs through retailers including amazon.com,
bn.com and borders.com. Shortly thereafter through her company "Books
OnScreen" she introduced the ebooks at the Book Expo America in Chicago, IL to
an impressed, but unconvinced bookseller audience.
 1998: Launched the first ebook Readers: Rocket ebook and SoftBook.
 1998: Cybook / Cybook Gen1 Sold and manufactured at first by Cytale (1998–
2003) then by Bookeen
 1998-1999: Websites selling ebooks in English, like eReader.com and eReads.com.
 1999: Baen Books opens up the Baen Free Library.
 1999: Webscriptions starts selling unencrypted eBooks.
 2000: Microsoft launches Microsoft Reader with ClearType technology.
 2000: Stephen King offers his book "Riding the Bullet" in digital file; it can only
be read on a computer.
 2001: Todoebook.com, the first website selling ebooks in Spanish.
 2002: Random House and HarperCollins start to sell digital versions of their titles
in English.
 2005: Amazon buys Mobipocket.
 2005: Bookboon.com is launched, allowing people to download free textbooks
and travel guide eBooks
 2006: Sony presents the Sony Reader with e-ink.
 2006: LibreDigital launched BookBrowse as an online reader for publisher
content.
 2006: BooksOnBoard, the largest independent ebookstore, opens and sells ebooks
and audiobooks in six different formats.
 2007: Zahurk Technologies, Corp,launched the first [citation needed] digital book library
on Internet BibliotecaKlemath.com [2]', loslibrosditales.com [3]' and 『
digitalbook.us'
 2007: Amazon launches Kindle in US.
 2007: Bookeen launched Cybook Gen3 in Europe.
 2008: Adobe and Sony agreed to share their technologies (Reader and DRM).
  2008: Sony sells the Sony Reader PRS-505 in UK and France
 2008: BooksOnBoard is first to sell ebooks for iPhones.
 2009: Bookeen releases the Cybook Opus in the US and in Europe.
 2009: Sony releases the Reader Pocket Edition and Reader Touch Edition
 2009: Amazon releases the Kindle 2.

Advantages

 Availability- There are over 2 million free books available for download as of
August 2009.[18] Mobile availability of e-books may be provided for users with a
mobile data connection, so that these e-books need not be stored on the device.
An e-book can be offered indefinitely, without ever going "out of print".
 Portability and Storage- In the space that a comparably sized print book takes up,
an e-reader can potentially contain thousands of e-books, limited only by its
memory capacity. If space is at a premium, such as in a backpack or at home, it
can be an advantage that an e-book collection takes up little room or weight.
 Language Accessibility- E-book websites can include the ability to translate
books into many different languages, making the works available to speakers of
languages not covered by printed translations.
 E-Reader Attributes- Depending on the device, an e-book may be readable in low
light or even total darkness. Many newer readers have the ability to display
motion, enlarge or change fonts[19], use Text-to-speech software to read the text
aloud, search for key terms, find definitions, or allow highlighting bookmarking
and annotation. Devices that utilize E Ink can imitate the look and ease of
readability of a printed work while consuming very little power, allowing
continuous reading for weeks at time.
 Costs- While an e-book reader costs much more than one book, the electronic
texts are generally cheaper. Moreover, a great share of books are available free of
charge. For example, all fiction from before the year 1900 is in the public domain.
Also, libraries lend more current e-book titles for limited times, free samples are
available of many publications, and there are other lending models being piloted
as well. E-books can be printed for less than the price of traditional new books
using new on-demand book printers.
 Security- Depending on possible digital rights management, e-books can be
backed up to recover them in the case of loss or damage and it may be possible to
recover a new copy without cost from the distributor.
 Distribution- Compared to printed publishing, it is cheaper and easier for
authors to self-publish e-books. Also, the dispersal of a free e-book copy can
stimulate the sales of the printed version.[20]
  Availability- An e-book can be purchased/borrowed, downloaded, and used
immediately, whereas when one buys or borrows a book, one has to go to a
bookshop or library during limited hours, or wait for a delivery.
 Environmental Concerns- The production of e-books does not consume paper,
ink, etc. Printed books use 3 times more raw materials and 78 times more water
to produce albeit they do not require a machine for use [21]

[edit] Drawbacks

 Changing Technologies- Ebook formats and file types continue to develop and
change through time through advances and developments in technology or the
introduction of new proprietary formats. While printed books remain readable
for many years, e-books may need to be copied or converted to a new carrier or
file type over time. PDF and epub are growing standards, but are not universal.
The lack of a single universal standard could significantly affect the longevity of
some works and their availability or readability in the future as a result of the
format(s) used at the time of production. [22]
 Availability of Works- Not all books are available as e-books.
 Aesthetic Appeal- Paper books can be bought and wrapped for a present and a
library of books can provide visual appeal, while the digital nature of e-books
makes them non-visible or tangible. E-books cannot provide the physical feel of
the cover, paper, and binding of the original printed work.
 Power and Shelf Life- A book will never turn off and would be unusable only if
damaged or after many decades. The shelf life of a printed book exceeds that of
an e-book reader, as over time the reader's battery will drain and require
recharging. Additionally, "As in the case of microfilm, there is no guarantee that
[electronic] copies will last. Bits become degraded over time. Documents may get
lost in cyberspace...Hardware and software become extinct at a distressing rate."
[23]

 Durability- E-book readers are more susceptible to damage from being dropped
or hit than a print book. Due to faults in hardware or software, e-book readers
may malfunction and data loss can occur. As with any piece of technology, the
reader must be protected from the elements (such as extreme cold, heat, water,
etc.), while print books are not susceptible to damage from electromagnetic
pulses, surges, impacts, or extreme temperatures.
 Artistry and Author's Vision- An author who publishes a book often puts more
into the work than simply the words on the pages. E-books may cause people "to
do the grazing and quick reading that screens enable, rather than be by
themselves with the author's ideas." [24]. They may use the e-books simply for
reference purposes rather than reading for pleasure and leisure. [25]
 Costs- The cost of an e-book reader far exceeds that of a single book, and e-books
often cost the same as their print versions. Due to the high cost of the initial
investment in some form of e-reader, e-books are cost prohibitive to much of the
world's population. Furthermore, there is no used e-book market, so consumers
will neither be able to recoup some of their costs by selling an unwanted title
they have finished, nor will they be able to buy used copies at significant
discounts, as they can now easily do with printed books.
 Security- Because of the high-tech appeal of the e-reader, they are a greater target
for theft than an individual print book. Along with the theft of the physical
device, any e-books it contains also become stolen. E-books purchased from
vendors like Amazon or Barnes & Noble.com are stored "in the cloud" on servers
and "digital lockers" and have the benefit of being easily retrieved if an e-reading
device is lost. Not all e-booksellers are cloud based; if an e-book is stolen,
accidentally lost, or deleted, in the absence of a backup it may have to be
repurchased.
 Limitations of Readers- The screen resolutions of reading devices are currently
lower than actual printed materials.[26] Because of proprietary formats or lack of
file support, formatted e-books may be unusable on certain readers.
Additionally, the reader's interaction with the reader may cause discomfort, for
example glare on the screen or difficulty holding the device.
 Digital Rights Management and Piracy- Due to digital rights management,
customers typically cannot resell or loan their e-books to other readers. [27]
However, some Barnes & Noble e-books are lendable for two weeks via their
'LendMe' technology.[28] Additionally, the potential for piracy of e-books may
make publishers and authors reluctant to distribute digitally. [29]
 Environmental Concerns- E-book readers require various toxic substances to
produce, are non-biodegradable, and the disposal of their batteries in particular
raises environmental concerns. As technologies rapidly change and old devices
become obsolete, there will be larger amounts of toxic wastes that are not easily
biodegradable like paper.
 Privacy Concerns - E books and software can easily track data, times, usage,
pages, and details about what one is reading and how often. Similar to this is the
growing amount of data available through Google search engines, Facebook, and
through data mining. For the first time in history