I've have downloaded a few books to read online, but they've been in PDF format. This includes Adam Smith's "Wealth of Nations", the U.S. Constitution, and the Declaration of Independence. I can annotate PDF versions, but the pages do not fit or correspond to the screen.
As I was wandering through Facebook and the multitude of Coffee Party items, I came across mention of David Frum's "Why Romney Lost". I think the article was written by disaffected Republican Michael Charney. As I read through the article, I felt I should read "Why Romney Lost". It was published only as an eBook, and so I downloaded it from iTunes.
It was a quick read, only 146 pages on an iPad including an extensive bibliography. I annotated several sentences or paragraphs with an eye to writing some blog entries.
The experience sold me on eBooks because I can store so many in a small space and carry them around with me. The only problem would be having sufficient battery power. How often will I reread or check the annotations; probably no more than I review my hundreds of computer and scratch paper notes.
A class that I will be taking in winter quarter has Jacob Needleman's "America's Soul: Rediscovering the Wisdom of the Founders" as its text. I waffled on getting the eBook or supporting a local bookstore with a paper copy. For the time being, I'll support the locally-owned bookstore.
