"Converting to Ebooks, but..." Topic

I'm starting to convert my collection of historical books over to eBooks. The eBooks take up no storage space, and can be accessed anywhere (?) via the cloud.

The frustration is that some of the classics are still not available in eBook (in my case, Kindle) format.

For example, Brazen Chariots has to be one of the classics for WWII, but it's not available for Kindle.

I would think it would be inexpensive for the publisher to make it available as an eBook, and have a new revenue stream for the old classic.

Other eBooks seem highly overpriced. I was thinking that I would like to read Robert Bloch's Psycho, the book on which the classic movie was based. My local library system doesn't have a copy. The Kindle price is over $9 USD – that seems outrageous for a very old novel…

IF you can find a e-book version of almost anything, there are numerous applications that will convert it into most of the popular reader formats, including Kindle (which is actually a version of .mobi format). Some friends recommend 'Calibre', a free application.

Project Gutenburg has a lot of public domain stuff as ebooks for free. The Aussie version even has all the R.E Howard and H.P Lovecraft.

That being said, I'll never be able to give into the ebook invasion. It's just not the same.

Kind of expensive to squish bugs with your tablet.

And from now on you'll only have one hill on your table, a very low hill that sometimes glows.

I like e-books for most of the same reason Bill suggests, but run into similar problems to the ones he states. E-books are great for classic books (and they are cheap or free) but newer books or limited releases either aren't available or are nearly expensive as hard copies, a real problem for specialty hobbies like miniature wargaming.

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I tend to pick and choose. Some ebooks are indeed outrageously overpriced, other ones are reasonable. Don't think you are forced into buying only kindle formats if you own a kindle. It is easy to convert formats. I own a kobo and still buy from Amazon, and then convert .azw to .epub. Admittedly you'll need to remove the DRM, but I always do that anyway, no matter the format, so that I can load the book I bought on any device I own.

Kobo also regularly runs contests that give you discounts. I usually wait for those before buying.

The paranoid side of me doesn't like ebooks.

I keep having flashbacks to the original Rollerball where all knowledge/books have been converted to electronic form. When James Caan's character tries to find information on the "Corporate Wars" all those "books" no longer exist.

Tony, actually, I don't own a Kindle, I have an iPad4 as well as an original Kindle. The Kindle app for IOS is very good. Maps and illustrations turn out well. I've picked up a couple of Osprey e-books and have never regretted it. Why would I do such a thing? Easy response--the shelf I've set aside for Osprey books is full.

I only use Kindle for novels. I like real books for non-fiction.

"Accessed everywhere by the cloud" is the biggest lie of modern technology.

How you gonna read those books when cloud and or ebooks (or any other electronic format) is no longer supported and goes away? (which seems to be the case over the last 40 yrs with all types of electronic storage…tape, 5 1/4 floppies, zip file disks, dead web sites, servers, etc). Sorry, so far, electronic means of storage have not lasted, so I'll continue to stick with my bound paper books and continue to make/find storage space for them.
Besides, if the electric goes out,I can still light candles and read my books far longer than your tablet battery will last.

I buy ebooks when possible to save cost, except for those that I like to hold in my hands.

I still prefer paper to electronic.

I just started first with a Kindle now with a tablet reading books. I've read many WWII history and now a Master and Commander novel. But somehow don't want a reference book on it.
Also I loved the Kindle (dropped it destroying it) and was advised to upgrade to a Samsung Galexy with kindle app but the app is not as good as a kindle, especially if one would want to navigate to different sections of same book.

I have a kindle paperwhite and my wife has a colour kindle fire. I have a firephone.

Splitting books between us with a prime account they all seem to work very well together and sync so that I can leave reading on one and pick up in the same spot on another. The kindles are good for 'proper' reading and the phone is useful if I'm out waiting (classically in a doctor's waiting room) and need something to read other than the magazines on offer.

But I've also got a shed load of books and still buy them if I want a reference book (or a set of gaming rules).

The Kindle (and accompanying phone) are for novels IMHO

John T

I have a Kindle and read e-books, but only free ones. I would much rather own a real book.

On Kindle Unlimited the Charles Rivers Editors have quite the series of military history. I've read at least a dozen, very good to brush up on areas I've not visited in a while. And they are fairly short. Well recommend by me.
As I wrote would never want one of my Osprey or hard backs on it.

Buckeye Bob is correct.

By placing your books on the most fragile, delicate, perishable, and unrecoverable media of all time you are begging for inevitable ignorance.

I'll take a real book any time. Kindle and e-readers are video games not books. A bunch of old guys finding a new way to fiddle with their knobs.

I agree with BeB and Oah. It's only available until it isn't and then it's lost for ever.

Since I was actually born AFTER Lincoln was elected, unlike a lot of the esteemed guests here, I will say I buy piles of both ebooks and paper books.

Some things I want to own in dead tree form, some things electronic is fine.

Just back them up to one (or more) storage options. I back everything I own up to dropbox three times a week, and once a month to google drive as well.
You can even run your own cloud storage using owncloud, bittorrentsync or other services.

And then you can always download another copy. If your friend misplaces your physical copy or the dog chews it up, it's off to amazon to find another 70 dollar replacement if its rare and OOP.

Two questions:
1--how much space does the Ballantine edition of "Brazen Chariots" take up?

2--I have a copy of "The House of Seleucus" once owned by M.A.R.Barker. What's the Ebook equivalent of that?