E-books

In an article recently published in the International Journal of the Book, John Warren of the RAND Corporation examines the pros and cons of e-books with three examples:

• I Want You! The Evolution of the All-Volunteer Force (RAND, 2006) a history e-text that includes 1,700 primary-source documents linked from footnotes


• Pinzas de Metal (Metal Tweezers), 2003, by Tina Escaja, a hypertext novel that "presents the reader with a menu of choices in character, place, and object—the reader uses a magnifying glass to select one choice of each set and a brief text ensues, overlaying a jigsaw puzzle....In Escaja’s work, the reader becomes an active participant in the story."


• Digital textbooks. The authors cites Yale Books Unbound and Rice University's Connexions as examples of innovative collaboration in scholarly works.

Innovation and the Future of e-Books (pdf, 15pp/556kB)