Yeoman's in the Fork Blog

With all of that being said, yes, this is another article about e-books. I know, I know... what else can possibly be said about these illustrious machines filled with tiny bits of information that spring from a very user friendly device into our imaginations, exciting a new generation of young people to love reading? I hope that the sarcasm was seen dripping all over the last sentence. No, e-books are not saviors of the written word. Nor will they likely be a reason a child wants to read. And they certainly cannot cure cancer. But, I do see signs that the e-book may indeed prove to be a very revolutionary way in which we receive and utilize information. 

Nature Education has released a $49 textbook called Principles of Biology. Students are not just buying a textbook, however. They are buying lifetime access. Instead of having multiple editions through the years, the material is simply updated. It is web based and thus does not require a special app or reading device. It is written in a series of modules that can be flexibly used as the instructor sees fit. It even can be modified for degree of difficulty of the material. The website uses HTML5 and can appear on any device with a web browser. 

I read about this nifty new creation in Technology Review in an article written by Erica Noane. In her article, Noane references how J.K. Rowling is also redefining the way we read books with her latest creation Pottermore. She also imagines an e-book being able to allow the reader to search for common ideas in text, or give special information and other sorts of material that will enhance the reading experience. One can certainly just imagine what this new format could become when it begins to be more utilized and the usual natural evolution in creativity is thrust upon the concept. 

Right now it is taking about a year for Nature Education to complete one textbook. I do realize that the many purists out there still hate the idea of our traditional paper books disappearing. But, I do feel that collecting will not suffer extinction as a result of the move toward the digital world. Books will likely never die out completely. Certainly first editions of new books may not exist in physical form at some point, but they were being printed at such a large rate, it hardly mattered in terms of collectability. The world of having a book signing in a book store or a new release party seem like dying rituals of a civilization that celebrated imagination and knowledge. However, with this new technology perhaps the heavily interactive e-books of the future will create a renewed excitement for events such as author tours. They could present their new work as they always did and discuss the added information and cool features of their web based novel. The problem is becoming, where will they meet?

http://www.nature.com/nature_education/biology.html