eBook News

Ok, schools out and perhaps you were planning on spending some time relaxing with a best seller.   Perhaps you were thinking on catching up with those from last year, or the ones just coming out for that great beach read. In 2014 that would include: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney  Divergent by Veronica Roth  Insurgent by Veronica Roth  Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard  Allegiant by Veronica Roth  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn  Frozen by Victoria Saxon But instead of just catching up with last year's reading, you might go back even further and read the best sellers from 100 years ago, those from 1915, with the added bonus that you can read them for free online or on your device. The Best Sellers of 1915 The Turmoil by Booth Tarkington - https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1098 "The Turmoil", the first volume of Pulitzer Prize-winner Booth Tarkington's...

Today I was doing a presentation on Mapping Shakespeare for the Florida Virtual School. The whole design of their virtual conference for students was very interesting, but it got me to thinking about the books that the students were reading. On my own campus I have seen students walking around with books such as the collected works of Shakespeare. When I have been able to talk to them, I ask if they were using extra material in the text, like summaries or expert commentaries. So far every time the answer has been "no". In investigating the cost of such a book, I have often found it approaching the $100 mark. While I understand many students who have to get that book, looking for a version they can sell back, unless they plan to be Shakespeare scholars, but I don't understand why they ever buy it. I know that instructors are often unaware of digital options for text, and that students are usually more aware. But with the current cost of books in college averaging ab...