The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Reading Room:
Just spotted this on the Harper Collins website



Jazmine
Tol Eressea


Apr 21 2009, 6:03pm


Views: 735
Just spotted this on the Harper Collins website
http://www.harpercollins.co.uk/...for-JRR-Tolkien.aspx

I'm not a user of e-books myself, I don't have anything to read them from! Will any of you be interested in this?


N.E. Brigand
Half-elven


Apr 21 2009, 6:10pm


Views: 535
Tolkien electronically, legally! But how does it work?
I know nothing of e-books -- are they readable only on special players, like the Kindle device?
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Jazmine
Tol Eressea


Apr 21 2009, 6:14pm


Views: 532
I think so
There is Kindle, and the Sony Reader. It retails at about £200 in the UK, plus you then have to pay for the books, which is why I haven't bothered. Plus, I like reading books!

I know some people were concerned about reading from a screen, what with lighting/glare issues. I had a play with a Sony Reader instore, and the screen was quite impressive. Adjustable lighting, and no glare at all.

I do wonder, if someone had a Reader, and bought a bunch of ebooks on it, then replaced their reading device, are the ebooks transferrable between brands/devices? Or would you have to start over?


(This post was edited by Jazmine on Apr 21 2009, 6:15pm)


NottaSackville
Valinor

Apr 21 2009, 6:16pm


Views: 637
A little more info
  
From the article cited by Jazmine, at the bottom:

The books are in the epub format in the UK (most compatible with the Sony Reader) and in various other formats in the US, available through a range of retailers for reading on Kindle, Sony, iPhone, Blackberrry and other devices.

Not sure what "other devices" means, but I'm guessing my toaster isn't one of them. Wikipedia says "E-books are usually read on personal computers or smart phones, or on dedicated hardware devices known as e-book readers or e-book devices. Many mobile phones can also be used to read eBooks."

Notta


(This post was edited by NottaSackville on Apr 21 2009, 6:20pm)


FarFromHome
Valinor


Apr 21 2009, 7:03pm


Views: 710
I've just bought LotR and The Hobbit
for the eReader. I've been using my iPod Touch as a handheld reader for a number of months now, and I've discovered that it's actually a very comfortable and pleasant way to read. I've downloaded tons of free classics - since I got this system I've read (or re-read) dozens of books, from Sherlock Holmes to Middlemarch, Don Quixote, Ivanhoe, Treasure Island - you name it (providing it's out of copyright), you can get it. I mostly use another free software, called Stanza, for the free books - I prefer it to the eReader, although both are very easy to use and display clear, attractive print.

I haven't paid to purchase many books so far, but I did buy the one-volume LotR, and The Hobbit. The Hobbit has a few minor formatting errors (some spaces between words are missing). I emailed to report the error and received a reply to say they are contacting the publisher and will provide me with a corrected copy when it's available. The LotR is the 50th anniversary edition, with the foreword by Hammond and Scull. There are no maps, and the charts etc. in the appendices are in the form of a very poor scan. There's no index. But if you just want a portable, searchable text, it's good. The Hobbit's illustrations are there, although for some reason they are sideways!

When you purchase a book, you can also download a copy to your computer, to be read in the (free) software provided by the company. I don't normally do that (reading on a computer screen is much less pleasant than on my iPod), but if you want to, you can. And again, the text is searchable. Plus you can copy and paste quotes - very handy for posting!

If anybody decides to give this a try, I'll be happy to answer any questions about how things work. I've used the system enough to know that it's quite reliable and pretty simple once you see how it works.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship’s beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Bilbo's Last Song


visualweasel
Rohan


Apr 21 2009, 7:33pm


Views: 484
A "one-volume" electronic text ...?!
That's bound to become a kind of misnomer, isn't it? Sort of like referring to "b-sides" in music. I still do that, even though almost no one talks about vinyl records anymore. There are, of course, still audiophiles who swear by vinyl (I have a pretty good-sized record collection myself). I definitely see myself as one of those hold-outs from the digital frontier in books as well as music. I don't have an iPod, nor any sort of e-reader (well, other than a full-sized computer) — and I don't plan on getting one.
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish

The Lord of the Rings discussion 2007-2008 – The Two Towers – III.4 “Treebeard” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
“On Fairy-stories” discussion 2008 – “Origins” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


FarFromHome
Valinor


Apr 21 2009, 8:05pm


Views: 486
Well if you can have folders
and files, and web "pages", why not volumes? Wink It's all metaphorical at this point, I guess!

I believe it was when we moved from Canada to Ireland a few years ago that I really started to notice the sheer bulk of books - most of the boxes we brought seemed to be books, despite the fact that we weeded them out pretty severely before we left. And it started to seem odd that we have walls full of shelves, filled with sheets of paper pressed between covers, when it's really the content that matters! Not that I plan to get rid of the books I have - I'm too attached to them for that. But I love having my favourite books with me all the time, so I can read them wherever and whenever I want to.

I suppose I feel much the same about my record collection - every piece of music I own is right there any time I want to listen to it. With a good pair of headphones the quality is comparable to my CD player, so even at home I usually listen to the iPod. There are a few things - Beethoven symphonies for example - that need a little more heft than the iPod can provide, but otherwise the sound is surprisingly satisfying. But I'm no audiophile - I left all my vinyl back in Canada, and no longer have the hardware to play it anyway. I've always loved computer technology, though, so I suppose I was a bit of a pushover for the iPod - it's so elegantly designed, it's made me understand why people love Apple so much.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship’s beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Bilbo's Last Song


visualweasel
Rohan


Apr 21 2009, 8:13pm


Views: 475
Books are heavy!
You are certainly right about that. When we moved a year ago (just across town — I can't imagine moving from one country to another!), books were probably the single heaviest category of our belongings.

P.S. I agree, too, that the iPod user interface is simple and remarkably elegant.
Jason Fisher
Lingwë - Musings of a Fish

The Lord of the Rings discussion 2007-2008 – The Two Towers – III.4 “Treebeard” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
“On Fairy-stories” discussion 2008 – “Origins” – Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5


Jazmine
Tol Eressea


Apr 21 2009, 8:28pm


Views: 463
Argh! Don't make me think about moving books!
We are moving in a few weeks and I am dreading moving all the books. When we moved here to Dad's, we were stunned to discover how many we had. Every room we emptied, we kept filling box after box with books! And I've bought plenty more in that time! Crazy


priell3
Lorien

Apr 21 2009, 11:25pm


Views: 511
Try eReader.com
These e-books are available at www.ereader.com for several types of devices including the pc and mac. The
eReader software is a free download.

I've used the pc version with some of the free e-books they offer.


Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator


Apr 22 2009, 12:34am


Views: 473
*snert*
In Reply To

Not sure what "other devices" means, but I'm guessing my toaster isn't one of them.

Give it time, Notta. After all, one has to have something to read while waiting for the bread to burn in the morning...
Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."

"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded b*****d with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.

Ataahua's stories


Eowyn of Penns Woods
Valinor


Apr 22 2009, 3:56am


Views: 457
Well...
"New Volume" is what this computer calls the external harddrive. :)


Elven
Valinor


Apr 23 2009, 11:45am


Views: 430
Thankyou so much for this!
I have been wanting to get something - I was a little fearful I'd stuff up the downlaod and get it all wrong - but it was easy! and I got the Hobbit just now - but I have emailed them as there are many mistakes in the text (and thats something coming from me who often makes miztaykez Wink) - so i hope they get back to me about it - many words a re joined together in the text - but Im skimming over them presently.
Its great to read this way!
Just in time too - Im due to lead my first discussion in the reading room in a couple of weeks ... yikes LOL!!

Cheers
Elven x

Swishtail.

Tolkien was a Capricorn!!
Russell Crowe for Beorn!!
Avatar: Liberace - The other Lord of the Rings.

Quote of The Week: The thing is I always write in the morning, and I know that if I go to the Net I won’t write ... you can start in the most scholarly website and end up at Paris Hilton dot com .. GdT


bookgirl13
Lorien


Apr 23 2009, 8:32pm


Views: 472
Tolkien and the iPhone
So can the Tolkien ebooks be read on the iPhone/iPod Touch via Stanza? In the UK we are unable to buy Kindle from Amazon.co.uk or the Kindle App for the iPhone, which is a pity.

I too like the reading quality on the iPhone, it is much better than I had ever expected. There is one application in which the pages turn with a satisfying sound and graphic interface of the paper lifting makes it a pleasure to use.


FarFromHome
Valinor


Apr 23 2009, 9:15pm


Views: 452
You need to get...
the eReader app from the iTunes App Store (it's free). Then you can buy The Hobbit, LotR or The Children of Hurin from the eReader website.

Stanza uses a different format, I think, and it has links to a great selection of free, out-of-copyright books that you can download right from the iPod/iPhone. It also has links to online content for purchase, but I've never tried them. Or you can import your own text files (Word documents, PDFs etc.) into their software and transfer it wirelessly to your iPhone. Stanza software is also free - you can get the app from the App Store, and the software for the computer from their website.

In Reply To

There is one application in which the pages turn with a satisfying sound and graphic interface of the paper lifting makes it a pleasure to use.

I have that one too! It's a very nice interface. And the books are beautifully formatted. You can only get a small selection of books for that one, though. So I have all three apps, plus one that has all of Shakespeare, on the home screen on my iPod. That way I always have a nice choice of reading matter with me wherever I go.
Farewell, friends! I hear the call.
The ship’s beside the stony wall.
Foam is white and waves are grey;
beyond the sunset leads my way.
Bilbo's Last Song


bookgirl13
Lorien


Apr 23 2009, 9:36pm


Views: 556
I shall have to try the eReader app
I also have the Shakespeare app and, although limited, the Classics app is a nice one to use. I don't miss the physical printed page as much as I thought when I use that one.

I have not tried the Stanza for the Mac, having just downloaded content direct to the phone, but will have to look into it as my collection of ebooks grows.