E-books: Histories, trajectories, futures | Widdersheim |
E-books: Histories, trajectories, futuresThis essay traces the historical trajectory of e-books in the U.S. and imagines their possible futures. Legal, economic, and technical developments that led to contemporary e-books reveal a tension between commercial and non-commercial programming. Commercial e-book designs control end uses, reduce production and distribution costs, stimulate consumption,…