Two months ago I
wrote about Apple's iPad. It hadn't actually been released yet, and now it has. It's done very well, with analysts suggesting over a million have already been sold. In that article, I also focused on aspects of the iPad other than its ability to serve as an eBook reader.
I decided this month to compare eBook readers with the iPad. The ones I tested out are: the Sony Reader Touch Edition, the Sony Reader Pocket Edition, and the Barnes & Noble Nook. All three use digital "e-inks" that emulate actual printing, and like real books, require a separate source of light because they are not backlit like the computer screen of the iPad is. The upside to this is that it's easier on your eyes, and they're better for reading in direct sunlight. I downloaded the same book on all four devices, and read for two hours on each, nearly finishing my purchase by the end! It isn't the longest time spent reading, but it's what I could spare.
We already know a bit about the iPad, at least you do if you read my other article! But I never mentioned eBooks. Apple calls them iBooks, and they've setup an online store connected to the iTunes store (also the App store). If there's one thing Apple has mastery over, it's interface. I've talked about the inherent simplicity and ease of use of the iPad, and the bookstore is no different. I'd never visited their bookstore, yet I could buy books immediately because I already have an Apple account from my years on iTunes. These accounts are free to create. Getting to the bookstore on the iPad was the simplest of the four devices I looked at. All I had to do was check which page on the home screen iBooks was located. I'll admit right here, though, that the iPad is familiar to me based on my owning iPhones alone.
The Sony Pocket Edition is a smaller reader that has a readable screen size about that of a common paperback. It has a lot of buttons! Nineteen to be precise. That's compared to the iPad's two (power & home). All those buttons are necessary because it's the only piece of hardware I looked at which lacked a touchscreen. I was actually a little confused on how to get to the bookstore when I first picked it up, but figured my way out. There's a slight learning curve. The positive of having the buttons off the screen is that your fingers are not touching the screen constantly, potentially leaving fingerprints. I found this came up later with other readers. Even so, unless ultra-portability is the number one priority, I'd recommend a reader with a touchscreen based on practicality.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society, Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: J.K. Rowling. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, 1997, first edition, hardback issue, inscribed by the author pre-publication. £100,000 to £150,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 11: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Autograph sketchleaf including a probable draft for the E flat Piano Quartet, K.493, 1786. £150,000 to £200,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Hooke, Robert. Micrographia: or some Physiological Descriptions of Minute Bodies made by Magnifying Glasses. London: James Allestry for the Royal Society, 1667. $12,000 to $15,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Chappuzeau, Samuel. The history of jewels, first edition in English. London: T.N. for Hobart Kemp, 1671. $12,000 to $18,000.
Sotheby’s, Dec. 12: Sowerby, James. Exotic Mineralogy, containing his most realistic mineral depictions, London: Benjamin Meredith, 1811, Arding and Merrett, 1817. $5,000 to $7,000.
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Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 156: Cornelis de Jode, Americae pars Borealis, double-page engraved map of North America, Antwerp, 1593.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 206: John and Alexander Walker, Map of the United States, London and Liverpool, 1827.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 223: Abraham Ortelius, Typus Orbis Terrarum, hand-colored double-page engraved world map, Antwerp, 1575.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 233: Aaron Arrowsmith, Chart of the World, oversize engraved map on 8 sheets, London, 1790 (circa 1800).
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 239: Fielding Lucas, A General Atlas, 81 engraved maps and diagrams, Baltimore, 1823.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 240: Anthony Finley, A New American Atlas, 15 maps engraved by james hamilton young on 14 double-page sheets, Philadelphia, 1826.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 263: John Bachmann, Panorama of the Seat of War, portfolio of 4 double-page chromolithographed panoramic maps, New York, 1861.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 265: Sebastian Münster, Cosmographei, Basel: Sebastian Henricpetri, 1558.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 271: Abraham Ortelius, Epitome Theatri Orteliani, Antwerp: Johann Baptist Vrients, 1601.
Swann Maps & Atlases, Natural History & Color Plate Books December 9, 2025
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 283: Joris van Spilbergen, Speculum Orientalis Occidentalisque Indiae, Leiden: Nicolaus van Geelkercken for Jodocus Hondius, 1619.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 285: Levinus Hulsius, Achtzehender Theil der Newen Welt, 14 engraved folding maps, Frankfurt: Johann Frederick Weiss, 1623.
Swann, Dec. 9: Lot 341: John James Audubon, Carolina Parrot, Plate 26, London, 1827.
![<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.](https://ae-files.s3.amazonaws.com/AdvertisementPhotos/00d5fd41-2542-4a80-b119-4886d4b9925f.png "<b>Sotheby’s, Dec. 11:</b> Darwin and Wallace. On the Tendency of Species to form Varieties..., [in:] <i>Journal of the Proceedings of the Linnean Society,</i> Vol. III, No. 9., 1858, Darwin announces the theory of natural selection. £100,000 to £150,000.")
