Read an E-Book Week is right around the corner (March 6-12, 2011), and Rita Toews is, as usual, providing great tidbits about ebooks and giving people encouragement to check ebooks out. For instance, did you know the ebook is 40 years old this year?
Yes, I had to be reminded of this one, myself… but it was in 1971 that Michael S. Hart created the first ebook, a copy of the Declaration of Independence, on a Xerox Sigma V mainframe computer. And Rita has other great material on the site, such as:
- An article by the selfsame Michael S. Hart;
- Comments by Warren Adler and Nicholas Hirst;
- Promotional ideas for enthusiasts, libraries, webmasters and newspapers;
- Info on the advantages of ebooks, by Sara Rosso, ready for you to memorize and recite back to your friends;
- Specials by authors and booksellers;
- And a list of supporters and promoters that grows longer every year. (In fact, I wish I could name-drop a few of this year’s big players, but I’d probably get someone in trouble.)
As e-books become more popular Rita anticipates a time when everyone is reading electronically and Read an E-Book Week is no longer needed to promote e-books. “On a recent vacation I saw as many e-book readers around the pool as paper books,” Rita says. “What struck me, is that these were not just young people reading with the devices. A book, no matter what form it is delivered, is enjoyable to young and old alike.
If you are an author, publisher or reader, I encourage you to find someone to steer towards Rita’s site and spread the good word of ebooks!
