For the past few years, the growing trend in books has shown that the future of reading lies with e-books. However, there are a few classics that have yet to make it into their electronic form, and until that transition happens, we can be sure that their availability only in print form will prevent the complete takeover of e-books. Here are 8 of those books that are still only found in paper format:
1. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
This wildly popular coming-of-age story about the boy wizard who lived has sold 450 million copies worldwide. The e-book format is actually in the works, it’s just that converting the books and making sure that they are compatible with a variety of formats takes a lot of time.
2. Slouching Toward Bethlehem by Joan Didion
This collection of journalistic pieces details life in California, providing glimpses into “upper-class America, societal change, the American woman, illness, aging and death.” This book along with many of Didion’s other works are still stuck in paper format due to all sorts of intellectual property issues since many of the pieces were previously released in other publications.
3. To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee
While the central themes of racial injustice and the destruction of innocence have generated enough controversy over this modern American classic, what’s also keeping it from going to an electronic format is Lee’s reluctance to discuss the book and consequently its potential release as an e-book.
4. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
This tale of angst-ridden teen Holden Caulfield is one that most of us can relate to. Unlike Harper Lee’s somewhat ambiguous stance toward releasing her book as an e-book, J.D. Salinger made it very clear before his death that he wanted his books to be adapted or transformed in no way whatsoever—keepin’ it real, you know; can’t let the phonies get to you.
5. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Following the lives of seven generations of a family in a tumultuous Columbia, this book is best read in its original Spanish form. Good translation will come a cost, a consideration that has put a hopefully temporary hold on the e-book form of this book.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
A wonderful relic from the Space Age and the Cold War, this book’s potential e-book also faces opposition from Penguin Group, the group who holds 2001’s U.S. publishing rights, who refuse to release the book in electronic form.
7. All Quiet On the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
This brutal account of life on the German side of the lines during World War I, faces the same translation issues as Marquez’s One Hundred Years of Solitude. Originally written in German, the German format can be found online, but whether an English version will be released anytime soon is unclear.
8. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
This book, about two Jewish cousins before, during, and after World War II, has attempted to a foray into the realm of stage theater, an HBO television series, and alas, even e-books. The transition has been rough, but Random House will be releasing it soon.
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