Will Sony's new device spell the end of the traditional book?

IT IS small enough to fit in a handbag or a large pocket – but contains the contents of around 160 books.

The race to convert book-lovers to electronic novels will intensify on Thursday with the launch of the £199 Sony Reader.

But writers are split on whether the gadget will ever challenge the traditional paperback as the favoured way to read a novel.

Roughly the size of an average paperback, it has 200 megabytes, enough to store 160 books of average length, and more capacity can be added in the form of memory cards. The device can also store and play back pictures and music files.

By connecting it to a home computer, owners will be able to download "ebooks" from the website of the bookshop chain Waterstone's, which will be selling the device.

The Reader uses display technology called electronic ink or "e-ink", meaning it uses power only when pages are turned. A single battery life should be enough for 1,680 page turns.

Each Reader will be sold with a CD containing 100 free books, including Dracula, Great Expectations, Pride And Prejudice and Romeo And Juliet.

Waterstone's has managed to beat Amazon – which has been selling its Kindle device in the United States for several months – to the British market.

Toby Bourne, category manager at Waterstone's, said: "We are very impressed with the Reader and think our customers will be too.

"We're working with publishers to develop the best range of ebooks – classics and new bestsellers."

However, writers were divided over the invention.

Toby Young, author of How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, said: "In the long run, electronic books will benefit writers, creating an easier way to enable first-time authors to get their work in front of the public. That will be a revolutionary change."

But Nick Hornby, whose books include Fever Pitch and About A Boy, was less convinced.

He wrote recently: "There is currently much consternation in the industry about the future of the conventional book, but my suspicion is that it will prove to be more tenacious than the CD.

"Readers of books like books, whereas music fans never had much affection for CDs."

Waterstone's said it had pre-orders for thousands of Readers, but admitted it was struggling to finalise pricing of ebooks.

A spokesman said: "We aim to make them cheaper than their physical counterparts, although people will have to pay VAT.

"We plan to have every new title available the day it launches, so you should be able to download everything you see in store."

Earlier this month, the CitiGroup financial services company predicted Amazon would sell 380,000 electronic books during 2008.

However, Amazon is notoriously reticent about publishing figures and some experts believe there could be as few as 50,000 electronic books in circulation.

Marc Lambert, chief executive officer of the Scottish Book Trust, said: "It's definitely a future; I don't know if it's the future.

"I think it's a good thing. It is still reading, it is just another platform, like the iPod, which has come into rapid use. It does take the tactile pleasure away of turning a book's pages, but at the same time it's making the book accessible on a different kind of platform.

"It can never replace the book as it was invented, because people will always enjoy the physical experience of reading a book, which you are going to miss on this."