Users of the New York Public Library’s Science, Industry and Business Library now have their very own Expresso Book Machine, for use through August. Free titles available for printing include works in the public domain as well as the ubiquitous The Long Tail and Jason Epstein’s own Book Business. Epstein, the publishing legend whose first idea that evolved into a book business sea change was the trade paperback, is the head of Expresso Book Machine distributing company On Demand Books.
The degree of release from emotional trauma suffered by disorganised library patrons who no longer have to sneak a long-overdue copy of Moby Dick back under the nose of their disapproving librarian is not yet known, but predicted to be significant.
