In order to have access to a copy of The Cambridge Companion to Kant, a book I’ve been reading along with the works of the philosopher this summer, I had to buy the paper edition ($29.50 retail), the Kindle edition ($28.42) and the “Amazon Upgrade” PDF version ($7.39) in order to access the book physically, through the eBook reader I own and the PC I use, respectively.
Netted out, I spent $65.31, or 2.21 times the price of the paper book—and the copies are completely separate, isolated from one another. Notes made on the Kindle don’t appear in the PDF version, and neither of the electronic versions is linked to the paper book efficiently. The Kindle version reflows the book without maintaining any page location, so I can’t make a note in the Kindle version and, when reviewing those notes, refer to a page in the paper book.
Download ebooks on http://www.frenchtheory.com/ - See that post with different algorithms in metabole - See the journal French Metablog with today different posts - PHONEREADER Library - - Jean-Philippe Pastor
1 comment:
Interesting post! I have no idea how Kant would have felt about it.
I have Adobe Digital Editions and use Project Gutenberg to get free EPUB books. I was annoyed to find out that with Adobe Digital editions the books can only be read on my computer after downloading even though they are free editions of books from a website designed to promote the free distribution of literature.
I think the usability issue you raise (transferring notes) is a separate point from the main point you raise. Namely that of having to dish out a lot more money i order to read a book you have already bought/own. I am planning on buying a Kindle in the next week or so to read articles and books I got online but I often like making physical notes on paper. In order to do that i will have to print the articles off. I will therefore be faced with the same problem as you.
I am sending to your Twitter account the list of free books and writing by Kant available online.
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