German book fair head defends choice of China, says country’s selection should help freedom

FRANKFURT — The director of the world’s largest book fair said Wednesday that the selection of China as the event’s special guest should help the country move closer to the West and away from censorship and restrictions on dissent.

Dan Brown’s ‘The Lost Symbol’ sells more than 1 million first day of sale

NEW YORK — Dan Brown does it again, on paper and on the screen.

U.K. e-reader company to offer free public-domain books online through Google partnership

SAN FRANCISCO — Interead, a British company that sells the COOL-ER e-book reader, is adding more than 1 million free public-domain books to its online bookstore. The texts are available from Google Inc. through its book-scanning project.

Sony announces $399 e-book reader with wireless connection, taking on Amazon’s $299 Kindle

NEW YORK — Sony Corp. plans to offer an e-book reader with the ability to wirelessly download books, injecting more competition in a small but fast-growing market by adopting a key feature of the rival Kindle from Amazon.com.

Upcoming IREX e-book reader to include wireless access to Barnes & Noble e-bookstore

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — IREX Technologies Inc. said Monday that its upcoming electronic reader will include an application for accessing Barnes & Noble Inc.’s e-bookstore.

Phones and PCs put e-book reading within easy reach, no Kindle needed

NEW YORK — A few weeks ago, Pasquale Castaldo was waiting at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport for a delayed flight, when a man sitting across from him pulled out an Amazon Kindle book-reading device.

Stockin’ up: Free e-books offerings are the latest craze

NEW YORK — James Patterson’s latest best seller, “The Angel Experiment,” is a little different from his usual hits. The novel isn’t new; it came out four years ago. Readers aren’t picking it up at bookstores, but mostly on the Kindle site at Amazon.com.

In latest bid for e-book customers, Sony will release $199 Reader, a third off Kindle price

SAN FRANCISCO — Electronic books are often mentioned in the same breath as Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle digital reader. Now e-book rival Sony Corp. is determined to recapture consumers’ attention with a smaller reader that’s also $100 cheaper.

More books in more places: New e-book reader to use AT&T network, imitating Amazon’s Kindle

NEW YORK — Following in the footsteps of Amazon.com Inc.’s Kindle, another e-book reader is set to get a wireless connection from a cellular carrier, letting it access books anywhere there’s a signal.

Barnes & Noble goes after Amazon with new e-bookstore that offers titles in multiple formats

PORTLAND, Ore. — Barnes & Noble Inc. on Monday stepped up its fight in the small but highly competitive market for electronic books with the launch of a new e-bookstore offering titles to be read on a variety of devices.

Kindle minus the reading: Pirated copies of Orwell’s “1984″ pulled from Amazon.com’s e-reader

NEW YORK — A pirated e-book of “1984″ led to an Orwellian moment for Kindle customers.

Amazon lowers price of Kindle electronic reader to $299 from $359

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc. cut the price of its Kindle electronic reading device to $299 on Wednesday in an effort to attract more bookworms and make the gadget a mainstream hit.

Prime View of Taiwan to buy E Ink, maker of Kindle display, for $215M

NEW YORK — E Ink Corp., the maker of the innovative display for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader, said Monday it has agreed to be acquired by a Taiwanese company for $215 million.

Prime View of Taiwan to buy E Ink, maker of Kindle display, for $215M

NEW YORK — E Ink Corp., the maker of the innovative display for the Amazon Kindle e-book reader and other devices, has agreed to be acquired by a Taiwanese company for $215 million.

Amazon unveils $489 Kindle with large screen, considered better for textbooks, newspapers

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc. hopes a bigger version of its Kindle electronic reading device can be a hit, even if it’s more expensive, and the company is aiming it in part at college students who are eager to save money on their textbooks.

A larger Kindle book reader could alter the economics of textbooks and periodicals

NEW YORK — Amazon.com Inc. is widely expected to unveil a new Kindle electronic book device with a larger screen Wednesday, which would be geared for textbooks, magazines and newspapers and possibly shake up the economics of multiple industries at once.