This morning I was reading a book on the Kindle and I started thinking about what would happen to this Lee Child novel after I had finished it? In the old world I would have given the finished book to a charity shop for them to sell on.

Can e-books be transferred from person to person? Or will this simply kill the market for secondhand books?

There is a secondhand exchange for eBooks, can't remember where I've seen it but its floating around the internet somewhere, might be an Amazon site, I think its a free exchange.

As for killing the market on second hand books, I doubt it, I also seriously doubt that a person who owns an eReader would give up buying printed books too, you may not buy as many but the love for a printed book doesn't go away just because you're using an eReader now - I haunt the Oxfam bookshop in Headingley - best bookshop in the world in my humble opinion.

Of course ereaders will kill the physical book. It might not for the oldies, but 'da kids' coming through will all adopt e-readers without a thought.

I've looked into an ebook exchange before and not really found anything worthwhile.

I doubt if I'll buy a physical book again. Got my first Kindle last Xmas and I've not looked back. I read mostly when travelling for business, on holiday, in the bath, before bed and on the loo (don't we all??). The Kindle is priceless (lighter, smaller) when travelling and easier to handle in general. I can buy a new book anywhere and be reading it within a minute or two. Of course if I drop it in the bath I'm fooked.

In fact the only downfall with the Kindle is that you get told to switch it off at take-off and landing. It also jammed twice during a flight but was ok after a few minutes (there are theories about airport scanners).

Now, what to do with the couple of hundred books I've got knocking around...

There are lots of "physical" books that the eReader format is totally unsuitable for.

Anyway, to answer the original question, Amazon USA do a loan service for "secondhand" eBooks as do [urlhttp://www.lendink.com/[/url assuming that there are no other licensing issues on the file, and as I mention every time this question comes up, public libraries are getting on board slowly, Leeds City Library has a huge eBook stock now and has had for two years and I noticed the other day that Derbyshire libraries are doing the same, these rely on the ePub license format though where they can time limit your loan and for that reason have excluded Kindle to date.

Having read books for 50 years I was amazed how easily I took to a Kindle, I would like to be able to pass on my finished books to a charity to sell on

Nah. Anyone who loves books and reading them will always prefer books, which is of course not at all the same thing as saying they won't use e-readers in some settings.

I think a million percent (to borrow from Simon Cowell) bigger problem for da kids is that increasingly none of them would be seen dead reading a book, in any format.

But I might be wrong. We hav sumov da kids on vis forum, how many of you read books by personal choice?

While I welcome (and use) technology, I don't think there will ever be a substitute for the feel, smell etc of a real book. I have just dug out an old Cruel Sea by Monsarrat that my grandad gave me many moons ago. I love old books.

Absolutely wonderful book that is - I failed most of my O levels in 1973 because I was busy reading that book during my revision period



Apart from the actual "feel" of the book I can also remember where I was when I was reading it, books can do that to people, I was curled up in my dads armchair each evening while he was out, all the lights out in the room except for a lamp next to the chair, headphones on and listening to The Nice.

A bloody Kindle wouldn't mark those moments in your head

Keith Emerson, prog rock master.

I doubt I could concentrate on reading with music going on at the same time, but good choice.

Don't watch any films with subtitles then!



Most of the time I'm reading stuff on the interwebby while at home, I've got me itunes blaring away.

Maybe come to think of it this is the reason I write so much crap?

I need silence when working at home, unfortunately the wife comes home for dinner

I need music when I'm writing (other than the stuff I'm writing about, oddly!) but find it a distraction when I'm reading.

I've a mental division when it comes to books, there are some writers and types - Pratchett, Rankin, reference works for example - that I'll never replace with books on the Kobo but on the other hand, when it comes to casual, light reading, the ebook is a winner.

IIRC with e-books you don't actually 'own' the book.

Similar to MP3's that you have purchased - who was the "celeb" who was trying to make a court case of that in order to allow himself to legally pass his extensive MP3 collection on to his children at his demise ?

Unless you mean just the ink, and the physical paper it's printed on, you don't with a paper book either. An e-book is just a different type of display hardware to a paper book.

I've broken 5 Kindles in 2 years. Had a case with every single one. I love them as gadgets, but they don't pass the durability test like a normal book would, if you move around from place to place a lot.

I'm moving on to the Nexus 7 tablet this weekend - see how that fares, at least it has scratch resistant glass.

Got quite a large normal book collection at home though and I don't personally see the ereader as a replacement yet.

I think it was DRM'd files that the mp3 case was about wasn't it? Same issue with Kindle books, and the reason I own a Kobo. I learnt about the cons from owning an ipod.

This is pretty much my thoughts - before I was given a Kindle earlier this year I didn't see the point - I have plenty of books and always liked the feel of them whilst reading that I wouldn't get from an e-reader.

However since getting the Kindle I doubt I'll buy another book - and I'm currently thinking of ditching all my old book, bar a few collectables as they just take up so much space!

The only annoying thing is the draconian attitude applied on planes.

Not really a kid, but I'm 22 and most of my friends find the thought of reading a book for fun as almost disturbing surprises me. Not that I read all too regularly, but if I do get into a decent book its hard to put it down.

Never used an e-reader but I'd always feel as though I'd prefer a proper book.

Another eBook lending scheme is [urlhttp://booklending.com/[/url I haven't used it and its American so not sure if it works outside of the USA (licences and all that), and it seems to be an Amazon business and heavily promotes Kindle ownership so not sure if it allows other formats - seems to work on the principle that when you buy a book for kindle from Amazon they allow one free loan of 14 days to another kindle device.

I was going to join but having read the terms & stuff its just easier for me to use Leeds City Libraries.

When you own a paper book though its harder for it to be 'stolen' by the publisher. Amazon can delete books from your kindle. It happened a few years ago, ironically to 1984 by George Orwell. There was some copyright dispute with the publisher and Amazon deleted paid for material from peoples kindles.

As I do most of my reading in the bath I much prefer good old fashioned books. I dont think you could dry out a kindle on the radiator very well after you have dropped it in the water. If push does come to shove it only costs a few quid to replace a book compared to £70 for a Kindle and you only lose the one book at a time, not half your library.

I like my washing machine, but you just can't beat the feel and smell of taking your dirty clothes down to the stream and rubbing them on a rock.

Do you then strategically place your underpants on said [irock[/i to dry using natural solar rays or do you bang them all in your tumble-dryer?