Introduction

I love music. I listen to it as much as I can: in the office, in our home, in the car. (I’ve never quite understood why some people need to have music in their ears while they walk; that’s my time for solitude.) Those of us of a certain age remember the piano in the parlor and the live band in the gazebo. We went to concerts and heard great crooners and swing or jazz or blues or even rock ’n roll performers. But we also bought vinyl records and listened to the radio. It was all music, available in different media.

I also love great performances. I can go to the theater and see live actors. Or I can watch a movie on the big screen. And then there’s television, which isn’t a live performance nor a truly big screen, but nevertheless a window on the world. And that same television signal can also be displayed on a tiny smartphone or a slightly larger tablet or computer.

Which brings to mind two of the great minds of our youth: Groucho Marx and Jimmy Durante. Groucho was born in 1890, about the time my grandfather was growing up on a farm where the highest technology was the plow pulled by a horse. Both Marx and Durante lived to see human beings walk on the moon, a span of time that may have encompassed the broadest spectrum of technological changes ever seen. Said Groucho: “I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” And then there was Jimmy Durante, who was either a comedian who could sing, or a singer who told jokes. The year was 1947, and Durante had a hit with the novelty song, “The Day I Read a Book.” Here’s the refrain: “I’ll never forget the day I read a book. It was contagious. Seventy pages. There were pictures here and there, so it wasn’t hard to bear. The day I read a book.” Oh if Groucho and The Schnozzle could see us now! Still reading, but the books are different.

That was then and this is now.

Today, our children or grandchildren know nothing but the electronic age. Most of them carry smartphones, ready (and constantly willing and able) to send text messages and upload videos and play music anywhere they are. I expect that none of them have ever laid hands on a telephone with a rotary dial. And now all of us have very quickly become immersed in a new way to perform an old and comfortable form of mental exercise and relaxation: reading a book on an electronic device. It is a technology that is at the same time very new and very familiar.

About This Book

This book introduces you to the world of portable electronic reading devices (aka eReaders). A wireless connection to the Internet and other devices let you put (load) new reading material without a single visit to the bookstore or library.

Conventions Used in This Book

An eReader can come with a touchscreen, which lets you tap or touch an onscreen button or type on a virtual keyboard. If your eReader doesn’t have a touchscreen, you can enter text using actual, physical buttons or a multifunction directional pad (d-pad) that can select onscreen characters or commands. All current tablets offer a touchscreen. If you see touchscreen and it doesn’t apply to your eReader model, carry on as if you haven’t seen a thing.

A list about lists:

Numbered lists: Start at number 1 and proceed to the last one in the list, in order, to accomplish a particular task.

Bulleted lists: Bulleted lists (you’re in the middle of one right now) represent things you should know about or do, but that do not demand being performed in a particular order.

Web addresses: Some eReaders let you go online. If yours can, touching the links in this eBook take you directly to the website.

When I tell you to tap a menu item, what that means is this: find onscreen something you want to open and tap it with a finger. Don’t use a light touch; that won’t work.

Don’t pound or poke at the screen with a sharp object; that just might break the object of your affection. I go through a full list of the gestures you can use on the touchscreen in Chapter 2 of this book.

Foolish Assumptions

I assume that you have an eReader and perhaps are reading this text on its screen. I also assume that you have access to a personal computer, that it has access to the Internet, and that you have at least a basic understanding of how to get about on the Internet. You can make your connection to that computer using the USB cable that came with your eReader. Again, I assume you have a basic understanding of how a wireless communication link is established.

Icons Used in This Book

eReaders For Dummies uses a handful of special graphic elements called icons to get your attention. Here they are:

Watch out. Be careful. You could lose an eye or an eReader or a file.

Don’t forget this.

This is a tidbit that could save you time or effort.

If you’re very interested in technology or book publishing, you might find this interesting.

Please note that some special symbols used in this eBook may not display properly on all eReader devices. If you have trouble determining any symbol, please call Wiley Product Technical Support at 800-762-2974. Outside of the United States, please call 317-572-3993. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at www.wiley.com/techsupport.