Booknology: The eBook (1971-2010)

"Booknology: The eBook (1971-2010)" by Marie Lebert is a historical account written in the early 21st century. The work details the evolution of electronic books over a span of four decades, charting significant developments and milestones that shaped the digital publishing landscape. It serves as a comprehensive exploration of how eBooks have integrated into our reading habits and technological advancements, especially with the rise of the internet. At the start of the book, readers are introduced to the genesis of ebooks, beginning with Project Gutenberg, founded in 1971 as a pioneering initiative to digitize literary works for free public access. The opening also touches on the early internet development, highlighting how innovations like TCP/IP and the World Wide Web facilitated the spread of electronic texts. The timeline spans numerous critical events that contributed to the digital transformation of literature, from the inception of the first electronic agendas and dictionaries to the emergence of major online bookstores and new reading devices such as ebook readers and PDAs, culminating in the vibrant ecosystem of digital reading as it stood in 2010.