Your e-book reader may be an access point for cybercriminals, hackers who want to enter your electronic devices to either steal valuable personal information or plant malicious software such as adware or sending spam mail on their behalf. You are probably aware of this for your personal computer, smart phone, or tablet, but why would anyone want to access your e-book reader? Who cares what books you have, and if they want to steal an e-book, there are better sources where millions of them are stored. It seems hardly worth the effort.
According to NordVPN, a supplier of VPNs (virtual private networks), you need to think again. No, they probably don't care about your book collection. What they are looking for is other data that also may be stored on your e-reader. Marijus Briedis, Chief Technology Officer of NordVPN, explains, “An e-book reader is more like a computer than a traditional paper book, and like any other electronic device connected to the IoT [internet of things] network, they are also vulnerable to cyberattacks. Criminals are least interested in the e-book collection because readers, like Kindle, Nook, or Kobo, actually store much more valuable data.” What sort of data? Say, you are buying your books from Amazon. Your e-book reader may have details of your account stored on it, such as account credentials and billing information. This is the type of data, NordVPN says, that cyber thieves can sell on the Dark Web. You can be sure that Dark Web customers are up to no good.
They also warn that if your e-reader is connected to a home or local network, they could use it as an entry point to access your other electronic devices too.
How do they hack your e-reader? According to NordVPN, the most common way is to send you infected books. This happens when you download a book containing a virus. They recommend sticking to sites you know are legitimate, and most likely charge for their books. Free books, and any sort of free software, are the ones most likely to contain viruses. Legitimate sites aren't going to knowingly send you a virus, but there is always a risk someone hacked their software. Pirate sites are particularly dangerous. Someone has to pay for your “free” software. Self-published books can also carry risk. The self-published book you order might not be a book at all.
Other precautions they recommend are being sure your e-book reader's software is up to date and use a service that monitors the Dark Web for you. NordVPN offers such a service and would undoubtedly prefer you use theirs. Fair enough. But, I have an even easier solution and it's guaranteed to be hack-proof. It doesn't use the latest technology of 2024. It uses the latest technology of 1455. They're called “books,” just “books,” no”e-” in front of “books,” just old-fashion printed, paper books. They can't be hacked because they are not connected to the internet. You don't download software onto them. Like the Amish don't worry whether the power goes out or cars get recalled because they are death-traps, print book readers read them in complete confidence of their safety. Why can't Silicon Valley come up with something this good?
Heritage, Dec. 15: Jerry Thomas. How to Mix Drinks, or the Bon-Vivant's Companion, Containing Clear and Reliable Directions for Mixing All the Beverages Used in the United States…
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Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("Martinus Luther") to His Friend the Theologian Gerhard Wiskamp ("Gerardo Xantho Lampadario"). $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: An Exceptionally Fine Copy of Austenís Emma: A Novel in Three Volumes. $40,000 - $60,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Presentation Copy of Ernest Hemmingwayís A Farewell to Arms for Edward Titus of the Black Mankin Press. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript Signed Integrally for "The Songs of Pooh," by Alan Alexander. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Manuscript of "Three Fragments from Gˆtterd‰mmerung" by Richard Wagner. $30,000 - $50,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Preliminary Artwork, for the First Edition of Snow Crash. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("T.R. Malthus") to Economist Nassau Senior on Wealth, Labor and Adam Smith. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: History of the Peloponnesian War by Thucydides Finely Bound by Michael Wilcox. $20,000 - $30,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: First Edition of Lewis and Clark: Travels to the Source of the Missouri River and Across the American Continent to the Pacific Ocean. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Original Artwork for the First Edition of Neal Stephenson's Groundbreaking Novel Snow Crash. $100,000 - $150,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: A Complete Set Signed Deluxe Editions of King's The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King. $8,000 - $12,000.
Bonhams, Dec. 8-18: Autograph Letter Signed ("John Adams") to James Le Ray de Chaumont During the Crucial Years of the Revolutionary War. $8,000 - $12,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Francesco Colonna. Hypnerotomachie, Paris, 1546, Parisian calf by Wotton Binder C for Marcus Fugger. €200,000 to €300,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Nausea. De principiis dialectices Gorgias, and other works, Venice, 1523, morocco gilt for Cardinal Campeggio. €3,000 to €4,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 17: Billon. Le fort inexpugnable de l'honneur, Paris, 1555, Parisian calf gilt for Peter Ernst, Graf von Mansfeld. €120,000 to €180,000.
Sotheby’s Book Week December 9-17, 2025
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Salinger, J.D. The Graham Family archive, including autographed letters, an inscribed Catcher, a rare studio photograph of the author, and more. $120,000 to $180,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of Sense and Sensibility, the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 16: Massachusetts General Court. A powerful precursor to the Declaration of Independence: "every Act of Government … without the Consent of the People, is … Tyranny." $40,000 to $60,000.
![<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/8caddaea-4c1f-47a7-9455-62f53af36e3f.jpg "<b>Heritage, Dec. 15:</b> John Donne. <i>Poems, By J. D. With Elegies on the Author's Death.</i> London: M[iles]. F[lesher]. for John Marriot, 1633.")
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/9a74d9ff-42dd-46a1-8bb2-b636c4cec796.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 16:</b> [Austen, Jane]. A handsome first edition of <i>Sense and Sensibility,</i> the author's first novel. $60,000 to $80,000.")
