One of the best things about works of Victorian literature is that their copyright has expired in most countries, including South Africa (where the duration is 50 years). This means you can download the full text of
Jane Eyre,
The Picture of Dorian Gray,
Wuthering Heights and countless others for free from sites like
Project Gutenberg. You can download the electronic text, the audio-book version or even the e-book version for Kindle and similar devices. I've found that electronic copies of long texts are also extremely handy for essay writing, for example when you want to find a specific quote or scene in a novel, or all the references to, say, mirrors (or some other thematic element).
While I still believe there's nothing quite like holding a (new) book in your hands, the advantages of gadgets like Kindle are looking more and more appealing. Imagine walking around with
Jane Austen's collected works in your handbag! Read more about Kindle downloads from Project Gutenberg
here.
Do you have a Kindle or other e-reader? How are you finding it? Or are you still favouring hard copies?
Girl reading - George Cochran Lambdin (1830 – 1896) (image from
here)
I must admit, the actual act of holding the book, turning a page and the smell of the ink and paper makes it worth the effort (and price). I love my books. Simply put, my books are my treasures.
ReplyDeleteAgreed - I don't care how much space they take up!
ReplyDeleteNothing will ever replace my "real", paper books - I refuse to get a Kindle! ;)
ReplyDelete