What Is An Ebook?

Date First Published: 30th May 2022

Topic: Computer Networking

Subtopic: Network Services

Computer Terms & Definitions

Difficulty Level: 2/10

Learn more about what an ebook in this article.

Short for an electronic book, an ebook, sometimes spelt e-book or eBook, is an electronic version of a printed book that can be downloaded from the internet and instantly viewed on a device, such as an Amazon Kindle, tablet, smartphone, or computer with an ebook reader for offline reading. Note that not all ebooks require an ebook reader as most books can be read as PDF files. Ebooks may also contain additional features, such as annotations, highlighted text, drawings, comments and notes. Common ebook file extensions are .EPUB, .AZW, .LIT, and .IBOOKS.

Note:

Most ebooks cost money. However, some are free or may offer users an option to view the first few pages for free to get an idea of what the book is about before making a purchase.

Advantages and Disadvantages Of Ebooks

• They are better for the environment. Ebooks eliminate the need for authors to print out hundreds of pages and use up ink. They also save a lot of trees, since paper comes from trees.
• They are portable. Since ebooks are stored offline on one device or on the cloud, they can be read anywhere. They are convenient when travelling.
• They save space. One device is usually enough to store a large number of ebooks. Instead of carrying a bag full of books or taking up shelf space, all the books can be read electronically from one device.
• They can easily be updated by authors. Unlike printed books, which have to be reprinted by authors if they want to update them, ebooks are cloud-based and this allows authors to share the latest content.
• They are shareable. Unlike printed books, which can only be used by one person at a time, ebooks can be shared with multiple users, so that they can read them. In addition, a like can be left on them by clicking on a like button, which is not possible with printed books.
• There is more customisability. Most ebooks have options to modify the font and size of the text and increase the readability. Also, there are search options to search for words in the ebooks. Printed books never have this functionality and require people to manually look through.
• They can be sold in unlimited quantities and never go out of stock.

• They require a source of power, such as a battery or electricity. If the battery ran out or the electricity went down, the ebooks will be inaccessible.
• They are harder to read in sunlight. Especially on a sunny day or whilst on the beach, the reflection of the sun will make the text on the screen much harder to read.

Ebook Sites

Common free and paid ebook sites include:

• Project Gutenberg – A library of over 60,000 free ebooks.
• Open Library – A library of millions of free ebooks.
• Google Books – A service operated by Google providing free and paid ebooks and magazines.
• Wikibooks – An open-content textbook collection that any user can edit.
• Manybooks – A site providing over 50,000 free ebooks in a variety of genres.
• Amazon Kindlebooks – A popular paid ebook, newspaper, and magazine store operated by Amazon containing over 12 million ebooks. Available for Amazon Kindle, Fire tablet, and Kindle mobile app.
• Overdrive – A site with ebooks, audiobooks, online magazines, and streaming video titles. It allows users to borrow electronic content.
• Free Tech Books – A library of thousands of free computer science, engineering, and programming books.
• Online Programming Books – A site with free ebooks about programming languages, such as JavaScript, Java, PHP, Python, Ruby, C++, ASP.NET, and more.

History

The history of ebooks goes back to the 1930s when some trace the concept of an e-reader that would allow the user to view books on a screen to a 1930 declaration by an American writer, Bob Brown. It was written after watching his first ‘talkie’ (film with sound).

He titled it The Readies. This name came from the idea of the ‘talkie’. In his book, Bob Brown said that films have outsmarted the book by creating the ‘talkies’ and that reading should find a new medium. Bob Brown wrote:

“A simple reading machine which I can carry or move around, attach to any old electric light plug and read hundred-thousand-word novels in 10 minutes if I want to, and I want to.”

“Furthermore, this machine would allow readers to adjust the type size and avoid paper cuts.”

In 1971, Project Gutenberg was officially launched to create electronic copies of texts, such as books. The desktop prototype for a notebook computer, called the Dynabook in the 1970s at PARC, which was a portable computer that could display books electronically for reading was another early ebook implementation.

The Data Discman was launched in 1992 by Sony. It was an ebook reader that was capable of reading books stored on CDs. The Library of the Future was an example of an electronic publication that could be played on the Data Discman. In the 1990s, the availability of the internet led to easier transmission of electronic fails, including ebooks.

Paul Baim released a free HyperCard stack, called EBook in 1992. This enabled a text file to be easily imported to create a pageable version in a similar way to an electronic paperback book. Automatic tracking of the last page read in order for users to be taken back to exactly where they had previously left off reading was a notable feature.

In 1993, a company called Bibliobytes sold ebooks online. It was known as the first company to create an electronic financial exchange network on the internet.

In 1998, US libraries began to offer free ebooks to the public through their websites even though the ebooks were mostly scholarly, technical, or professional and were undownloadable. Libraries began offering free downloadable fiction and non-fiction ebooks to the public in 2003.