Subj : Real Books and Solid e-Copies
To   : All
From : k9zw
Date : Tue Aug 03 2021 20:05:35

Since our administration change I am finding a number of books basically
withdrawn from the print market.  (They do this by running up the last
remaining copies they allow to be available for 50 times the usual price, so
if you want to pay $550 for an $11 paperback, go ahead... basically cuts the
flow of new copies to zero.  Can find any "remainders" in that market which
usually are where the final copies of a unpopular book end up.)

Then a number of eBooks (I use a Kindle because the paperwhite is readable in
no-light remote locations) have been edited.  Mostly I am told that they are
being edited whether I wanted the original or note.  Have had two books
deleted, and what paid for them refunded, with a claim of copyright issues as
the cover.

So you need to assemble a hard copy library for yourself, perhaps with a few
loaner-copies of important books, and make sure you have a reasonable secure
eBook copy for the books you want available that way.

If your eBooks are stored in the "Cloud" your access is predicated on things
both technical and political.  

On eReaders, many report to their mothership retailer what you bought, if you
read it, and even at what speed you read.  Much of this is automatic AI bot
sort of stuff, so you can manipulate the algo's result to an extent.  Be
careful wi eReaders.  But of the flip side you usually can get lots of free
classics, which means you can carry the equal of a small school library in
your pocket or purse.  

In summary hard-copy is the gold standard, eCopies you control and have
locally stored a close behind and general eBooks the least secure with poor
OPSEC.  

--- Steve K9ZW via SPOT BBS 

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A46 2020/08/26 (Linux/64)
 * Origin: SPOT BBS / k9zw (700:100/69)

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