Reloading eBooks

[alxshml]

Just bought ABC's of Reloading, 9th ed.

Here's the kicker, I bought the Kindle version from Amazon. The download was only $15, where the physical book can retail anywhere from $25-$30. This is my first experience with the Kindle program. However, I have downloaded certain books from 'illegal' online sources to read and thought it was a compromise but worth it based on the cost.

Before you get excited about having to buy an expensive Kindle, you don't. Amazon has a ''reader'' program for pretty much any computer, or phone. I can read on my MacBook or Droid for no cost other than the actual book download.

I was looking but can't seem to find other reloading handbooks for Kindle or Nook.

I currently don't reload, just starting to investigate. However, I do think that an eBook of reloading manuals would be a valuable resource.

1. A search function
2. Can print just certain pages for quick reference
3. No book to get ripped, water logged, or something spilled on
4. Obviously the price

Hopefully in the near future, the reloading handbook publishers will create a eBook version.

 

[SpringfieldM1A]

Ya ebooks can be great and wonderful but there are some flaws. You can strain your eyes looking at a computer screen all day like i tend to, sometimes you dont realize your not blinking. If your hard drive dies you lose everything, thats why its nice to have a paper copy. its also nice to write down comments in the book you have on what load you used for what gun, cant do this with an ebook. so ebooks do have some advantages but most people still prefer to have a hard copy.

 

[capreppy]

I also bought my copy of ABC's of Reloading in e-book format for my B&N Nook. Read it on the plane and enjoyed it.

I ordered a copy of the latest Hornady Manual in paper though as it'll get a lot more use.

 

[alxshml]

If your hard drive dies you lose everything, thats why its nice to have a paper copy.

Not necessarily, with Amazon the purchases are linked to your account. You can download/re-download the book to any device you login into.

its also nice to write down comments in the book you have on what load you used for what gun, cant do this with an ebook.

The Kindle App for my MacBook allows me to type notes tied directly to a certain sentence/s that I select. It has a toolbar to keep track of every note in the text. Also can highlight with the same functionality.

I agree some people have trouble looking at computers for extended periods of time. My dad (50) seems to have a little trouble with screens after 3-4 hours of solid reading. I have yet to notice any problem in my 'young' eyes' though .

 

[Geckgo]

I don't recommend that much computer screen reading without a pair of lightly tinted glasses, they can tremendously reduce eyestrain. I think kindles and nooks have solved this problem but not sure. Either way, electronic copies are nice to have as libraries become "portable." I too hope to see electronic reloading manuals in the future, and maybe a sticky-note option for the kindles

 

[abq87120]

Cool. Can you print pages from these eBook applications. Or do you have to just live with screen prints? We're talking load data pages here.

Dan in ABQ

 

[cheygriz]

Go to a gunshow and get copies of the Lyman, Hodgdon, Speer, etc reloading manuals. Get used, older editions for 1/3 the price of new ones.

 

[dmazur]

I'm trying out eBooks and eReaders. I'm not a 100% supporter, yet.

The lack of standards is simply staggering. Each vendor has a proprietary format, and there are a few "standard" formats that are supported in addition to the proprietary format. Sometimes.

I'm using both Amazon Kindle for PC and Adobe Digital Editions (ADE). These are similar, but not identical.

Kindle has Whispersync, which lets you easily resume reading an eBook on a second device (possibly at a different physical location, like a vacation home) without having to carry the device with you. If you have an actual Kindle as well as Kindle for PC or Kindle for Android, this is kind of neat. If you only have one eBook reader, this is kind of useless.

Kindle doesn't support the Adobe DRM format supported by libraries, so you can't use Kindle to read library eBooks. Also, while Kindle supports bookmarks, highlighting and margin notes, it doesn't support printing. (Unless you use something like Snagit to print a screen.)

ADE also supports reading the same book on multiple devices, but you are responsible for copying the book yourself, as far as I can determine. How you do this doesn't matter. CD, USB drive, all work. The "license" is tracked by Adobe, and you can't open the book if you don't have permission to read it. The number of devices is limited (6, I think.) Library book permissions simply expire after the loan period, and, while the eBook is still on your hard drive, you can't read it after it expires. ADE also supports bookmarks, highlighting and margin notes, and also supports printing, if the document rights permit it. What this means is that some epublishers may permit ADE to print and others may not.

We have to remember that these folks are all trying to protect copyright, so that indiscriminate copying can't occur. I had to think twice when I found out that the library didn't have an eBook I wanted to borrow. Well, they had 5 copies, but they were all "checked out", just like physical copies. I had to wait until someone's license period expired, and then a copy became available.

ADE is working on two extensions. One is called "early return", and it basically allows you to be a considerate borrower and return the eBook early, rather than waiting for it to electronically return itself on expiration. The other is called "loaning", and it provides for a temporary transfer of license for a book you own. I believe your license is temporarily suspended during the period you loaned the book to a friend.

As far as eyestrain goes, I've found that most of the eReaders have a provision for setting brightness, background color, font, display width and other things that can make the screen much easier to look at. The choice of font is more important than is commonly understood, I believe. There are fonts that are "easy to read", and then there are those that just seem to be used for computer display. Not surprisingly, some of the older fonts are easier to read.

I'm definitely going to investigate getting a reloading manual in eBook format. I think the ability to easily "clip" sections that you are interested in, and save them for your own use, makes the electronic format valuable. (The fact that the eBooks don't take up bookshelf space is also nice. )

 

[Tim the student]

I certainly see some benefits, but not enough to make me rush out and buy one.

 

[SpringfieldM1A]

Not necessarily, with Amazon the purchases are linked to your account. You can download/re-download the book to any device you login into.



The Kindle App for my MacBook allows me to type notes tied directly to a certain sentence/s that I select. It has a toolbar to keep track of every note in the text. Also can highlight with the same functionality.

I agree some people have trouble looking at computers for extended periods of time. My dad (50) seems to have a little trouble with screens after 3-4 hours of solid reading. I have yet to notice any problem in my 'young' eyes' though .

well they have it pretty much figured out i thought it was just a one time download like most other files and the ability to type into the file also is a huge plus. in that case ebooks may be the way to go. i also have "young eyes", only 22, but my eyes seem to dry out after a few hours on the screen. This can be troublesome as i work on computers most of the day, troubleshooting upgrading etc.. They turn bloodshot and can be somewhat irritating. I should have done some research before knocking the idea ive just had my experience with data loss.

I completely agree with going paperless, saves on money, you dont have the mess, and with proper backups you may never lose your copy.

 

[BigJakeJ1s]

Most of the Mono-chrome e-readers use e-ink technology for the display, which is much easier on the eyes, and is easily readable in bright daylight. It is as close as you can get to reading printed words on paper.

Computers, laptops, and color e-readers are almost all backlit LCD displays, which is harder on the eyes.

But then again, I spend almost my entire working day in front of an LCD computer screen, so I'm used to it. The difference is, my monitor is further away than I would hold a book or e-book/tablet, etc. I have eyesight problems if I try to read a paper book for more than a couple of hours straight, and would have the same problems with a tablet or e-reader. Even my laptop screen on my lap is farther away than a book/e-book/tablet would be.

Andy

 

[kingmt]

I don't buy manuals anymore. I go to the sight that sales the powder ether download it or copy it to a ward document where I can just pull it up or print it out.