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By Michael Leaverton
(2/9/01)
The traditional paper-and-ink book is finally under siege. After centuries of innovation, from the Gutenberg press to bound pages to easy-to-read serif typefaces, the publishing industry is ready to veer away from the messy pulp and dried liquid of printed books and embrace the ephemeral ones and zeros of e-books. But are readers ready to trade the satisfaction of flipping pages for the glare of an LCD screen?
Big names, big publishers--e-books are coming to a digital
bookshelf near you
With big-name writers filling e-book lists, major publishers are throwing their weight behind e-books.
| Publisher and e-book branch | E-book launch | Select authors | |||||||||
| Random House; AtRandom.com | Winter 2001 | Elizabeth Wurtzel, Henry Alford, Donald Katz, Lewis Lapham, Gary Rivlin, Robert J. Samuelson, Robin Shamburg, Cameron Dougan, Gersh Kuntzman | |||||||||
| Time Warner; AtRandom.com | Fall 2000 | David Foster Wallace, Richard Lederer, Sandra Brown, Jane Goodall, David Baldacci, Breena Clark, Larry Colton, Walter Mosley | |||||||||
| AtRandom.com; No separate Web branch | Spring 2000 | V.C. Andrews, Jimmy Carter, Hunter S. Thompson, Bob Woodward, Stephen King, Ann Beattie, Robert Jordan | |||||||||
| Barnes & Noble.com, AtRandom.com | Spring 2001 | Dean Koontz | |||||||||
Michael Leaverton is the assistant editor for CNET Tech Trends. His bookshelf remains decidedly analog. Questions? Comments? Send us feedback.

