Just as the introduction of the automobile heralded the end of the buggy whip industry, the advent of electronic books could eventually make a big dent in the bookshelf business.
Electronic books are stored on 3- to 5-inch discs. Some of these discs are capable of storing up to 100,000 pages of text and illustrations. One disc now being sold contains all the Sherlock Holmes stories, the complete works of Shakespeare and the novel "War and Peace!" With this kind of capacity, it is easy to envision whole libraries being stored on one shelf no more than a few feet wide.But the bookshelf makers shouldn't put away their hammers and nails just yet, according to Video Magazine. In the beginning, automobiles were manufactured in a confusing array of types and varieties, and it took awhile for the 400 or so car manufacturers existing at the turn of the century to be whittled down to those manufacturing the four-wheeled, gas-powered buggies we know today.
The same thing is happening with electronic books. These tomes of the future are now being published in more than 20 incompatible formats, which are "read" by equally incompatible electronic book players.
Rather than making a concerted effort to come up with an industry format, manufacturers are waiting for consumers to sort out the winning standard in the marketplace. But until an electronic book standard is chosen, electronic book publishing won't present a real threat to those companies publishing the paper variety.
Electronic publishing isn't standing still, however. By the end of this year, at least 100 electronic books will be available, most priced from $29 to $39.
And electronic book players are getting better and better. The Sony Data Discman, for instance, is available in three models ranging from $199 to $549. Easy to use and weighing about a pound, the Discman allows the user to read text and view graphics from its 4.5-inch screen, and will even read the book aloud should the user choose that option. The electronic books are contained on 3.15-inch discs similar to the floppy discs used in computers.