The transition towards the contemporary
way of life has taken place in phases. At the onset of civilization the concept
of education did not exist. Gradually, knowledge and education gained momentum
across the society and handwritten manuscripts and books evolved. However, at
this stage, which prevailed for several centuries, learning spread at snail’s
pace, as books were accessible only to a privileged community. In the next
phase, printing technology evolved in Europe during the Renaissance. With
advent of modern printers, prices of books came down and thus, masses could
easily afford to procure them. It was from this onwards that education spread
like wildfire.
However, in course of time newer
versions of printing technology came into existence which improved printing
quality along with improving texture of books. With coming of the digital
technology, which is a pretty recent occurrence, the printing world experienced
yet another phase change. As such, conventional format of books in hardcopy
printouts and paperbacks has undergone a severe paradigm shift in contemporary
times. Paperbacks have turned into digitized versions, which are nothing but
softcopy computer files. In this backdrop, the craze to buy eBooks online has attained
supreme prominence.
This latest electronic version of
conventional books is widely found on the internet. These can be accessed and
read across a wide range of digital gadgets including
·
Desktop
·
Laptop
·
Smartphone and
·
Tablet, etc.
Most of these softcopy files can be
converted into hardcopy paperbacks through a printer. As such, these digital
versions are available across a range of file formats. Some of the prominent
ones in this context include
·
PDF (Portable Document
Format)
·
LIT (MS Reader
software)
·
AZW (Amazon Kindle)
·
ODE (Open Document
Format) and
·
MOBI (Mobi Pocket
Reader), etc.
Undeniable convenience of electronic
shopping has further contributed to the popularity of purchasing digital books
across the internet. Compared to conventional bookstores, virtual bookstores
offer their products at more reasonable cost.
There are several
renowned publishers of eBooks across the United States that are doing brisk
business these days.