“20 or 30 years from now, there’s going to be some gizmo that kids carry around in their back pockets that has everything in it-including our books, if they want.” — Michael Hart, 1998
Michael Stern Hart was the legendary founder of Project Gutenberg, the oldest and largest digital library, and creator of the first ever eBook. He published eBooks years before the Internet existed, through early packet switching networks he learned of while in university. Today would have been Hart’s 69th birthday.
Hart was studying at the University of Illinois in 1971 when he was given time in a computer research lab. He found his inspiration for the eBook when he was handed a copy of the Declaration of Independence at a local grocery store.
Hart is credited with the invention of the eBook, upon his digitizing of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1971. From there, he slowly began typing and loading more and more texts such as the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and the Bible. Hart figured that anything that can be typed into a computer can be reproduced endlessly. He wanted books to be free and out in the public domain for all to enjoy.
Throughout this process of uploading more and more documents, he created Project Gutenberg. Today, Project Gutenberg has more than 30,000 books in 60 different languages, with approximately 50 new books added each week. Project Gutenberg started as a volunteer effort to make famous out-of-copyright books available to all online, and has now grown into one of the largest digital libraries in the world.1
Hart had confidence in his big change to the literary world, and figured that over time readers would appreciate the ease and advantages of the digitized book. Hart was right, people certainly did adapt and learn to love the eBook, so much so that some editors, authors, and publishers say that printed text is in danger and that the “death of the paperback”2 might one day be a reality.
There are still many pros of paper and multiple reasons why I hope that the eBook does not take over once and for all. Printed books strain the eyes less, and often times you can’t read your eBooks out in the sun. Your paperbacks won’t run out of battery in the middle of an action-packed chapter, and of course, they are much cheaper.
The invention of the eBook also brought along other forms of literature in an online format. Literary magazines and newspapers have huge online presences, as this is now where a large number of their audience read their material. Especially with younger generations, it is rare to sit down and read the paper copy of a newspaper when you can click a few buttons and have it on the screen of your laptop or smartphone.
The eBook trend is everywhere. Throughout recent years, more and more readers have moved away from printed books and opt to read an eBook instead. The printed book has not yet died, however it is often becoming a second choice to the modern eBook and tablet readers. At the end of the day, it simply comes down to preference. Whether you’re slowly turning the pages of your paperback or downloading the newest releases to your Kindle or iPad, the reader’s preference is the deciding factor.
End Notes:
- Hart, Michael. “The History and Philosophy of Project Gutenberg”. Project Gutenberg. August 1992. Web.
- Grimes, William. “Michael Hart, a Pioneer of eBooks, Dies at 64”. The New York Times. 8, 2011. Web.
Laura Ruttan is a Canadian pursuing an English degree at the University of Connecticut. She is the translations editor for the Long River Review.