A History of EBooks

The book traces the development of digital books from their origins in the early 1970s through the 2000s, charting technological, commercial, and cultural shifts. It recounts early volunteer-driven digitization, the rise of the web and online catalogs, publishers' and bookstores' moves to sell digital editions, evolving library roles and digitization efforts, shifts in copyright and licensing, the emergence of e-reader devices and major vendors, multilingual and global accessibility, and initiatives toward shared digital collections. Based on interviews and research, it organizes progress year-by-year and highlights changing reading practices, publishing models, and the interplay among authors, libraries, technology companies, and legal frameworks.