But how will this change things...?

Amazon Kindle - starting at $175

Apple iPad - Starting at $499

$44 - $325

$375 - $575

The Kindle has been around for a while, skeptics still eye it when spotted on public transit. The iPad has also raised a lot of eye brows. I, personally, think they very well may be great new inventions that will radically change how people read and learn. However - what will this do for book lovers?

I have no doubt that books will continue to be written, and published in physical form, but I fear prices will just escalate to make them on the level of other "collectible" items. One tell-tale sign is that even I, a HUGE lover of both hard-cover over-sized and paper-back, have considered the space I might save in my small apartment if I were to swap out my books for a kindle instead, and how much more I might actually read them if they all fit inside my purse or tote.

Food for thought, ya'll...food. for. thought.

*Ford and Seba's books are already out of my price range to begin with, and neither would fit into my bag. (perhaps an unfair comparison because they are oversized books and not the kind you would want to simply download...)