Tolkien on the Kindle

[Mister Underhill]

Ah, Ibrin, now we're getting somewhere! How about the actual quality of the e-editions? I've seen some pretty sloppy conversions of just regular books, like someone ran it through an automated program and human eyes never bothered to take a look at what was spat out.

My concern is that Tolkien, with all the diacriticals, maps, runes, drawings, and unusual formatting for poetry, tales of years, genealogies, and so forth could be a big fat mess unless HarperCollins put some effort into the conversion.

Inzila, I don't consider myself a Luddite, though I'm definitely a technological late-adopter and even then I will only get a gadget if I think I really need it. I can't justify a smart-phone, for instance, even though I want one. I probably wouldn't have even splurged on a Kindle myself, but I'll take one as a gift.

TGEW, I'm like you -- I seem to always pack a small library for trips. This will be a very cool alternative to that. Plus I'm the type who can find a few minutes to spend reading just about anywhere -- reception areas, check-out lines, whatever.

I agree about physical books. A Kindle can't really furnish a room, and it will be a sad day if, as some predict, brick-and-mortar bookstores go the way of, well, music stores.