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Does anyone know if there's a decent source for e-book versions of casebooks? I'm cool with paying, but I'm also okay with less-than-legal sources. I just hate carrying books with me.

crEEp wrote:Does anyone know if there's a decent source for e-book versions of casebooks? I'm cool with paying, but I'm also okay with less-than-legal sources. I just hate carrying books with me.

I rented my con law book and it came with a code for an e-version, which I downloaded.

You could also build a book scanner & run the images through OCR to make Kindle readable PDFs.
http://www.diybookscanner.org/

(I also don't know if using bookscanners is legal)

This is a perfect project for the semester, thank you for the link!

Or, if you'd like to avoid doing all that, you can get a tablet PC, get Kinkos to cut the binding on your books, then use the auto document feeder on an industrial copier/scanner/fax machine to scan the pages to pdf. The pages are a correspond 1:1 with the physical book, you can easily search, and you can highlight and annotate directly on the pages with no problems.

Also, I think the people who continue to ask for Kindle edition case books have never actually used a Kindle extensively. If you have, you'd know that the "location" system that replaces pages makes it very difficult to flip to a specific spot in a book. For large books that you need to be able to quickly flip through and recall (i.e. casebooks), that just isn't a very good system.

I love my Kindle but would absolutely hate trying to read casebooks on it. Imagine being in class and trying to find a case or page really quick.. it'd be impossible. Plus the pages wouldn't correspond to your prof's syllabus. Some things are better to just do the old fashion way.

But if you really want to read cases on your Kindle, you can have them sent to it wirelessly using WestlawNext. This is also a nice feature for law review articles. I think I've only read one case this way so far, but it worked very nicely.

Unless you have experience using the Kindle and at least 1 semester of experience in law school, I would highly advise you against using a digital case book. I read novels/etc almost exclusively using e-readers; however, I would never use an e-reader for a casebook...at least not until a lot more functionality is added to the e-readers.

Aqualibrium wrote:Or, if you'd like to avoid doing all that, do what I do.

By a tablet, get Kinkos to cut the binding on your books, then use the auto document feeder on an industrial copier/scanner/fax machine to scan the pages to pdf. Takes about 20 mins excluding travel time.

I hate destroying books. I'd love to be able to borrow a book from the library, scan it, and then return it the next day without damage. Moreover, the goal is to drastically cut my expenses and eventually perform detailed analyses on the text within the book (long story, I'll post something about this later).

Aqualibrium wrote:Also, I think the people who continue to ask for Kindle edition case books have never actually used a Kindle extensively. If you have, you'd know that the "location" system that replaces pages makes it very difficult to flip to a specific spot in a book. For large books that you need to be able to quickly flip through and recall (i.e. casebooks), that just isn't a very good system.

I swear by my Kindle. However, I read *every* book cover-to-cover. I then take notes on the areas that I find important. I never really consult with a textbook before a final exam; everything that's relevant is already in my notes.

crEEp wrote:

Aqualibrium wrote:Or, if you'd like to avoid doing all that, do what I do.

By a tablet, get Kinkos to cut the binding on your books, then use the auto document feeder on an industrial copier/scanner/fax machine to scan the pages to pdf. Takes about 20 mins excluding travel time.

I hate destroying books. I'd love to be able to borrow a book from the library, scan it, and then return it the next day without damage. Moreover, the goal is to drastically cut my expenses and eventually perform detailed analyses on the text within the book (long story, I'll post something about this later).

Aqualibrium wrote:Also, I think the people who continue to ask for Kindle edition case books have never actually used a Kindle extensively. If you have, you'd know that the "location" system that replaces pages makes it very difficult to flip to a specific spot in a book. For large books that you need to be able to quickly flip through and recall (i.e. casebooks), that just isn't a very good system.

I swear by my Kindle. However, I read *every* book cover-to-cover. I then take notes on the areas that I find important. I never really consult with a textbook before a final exam; everything that's relevant is already in my notes.

As to the first part, I guess I get that. No one likes to destroy a book. However, you'll have a HELL OF A TIME trying to scan a book page by page, and the book scanners that even allow you to do that are awfully expensive. Additionally, borrowing a book then copying it and returning it is copyright infringement.

As to the second part, you will never read a case book cover to cover. I'm not sure if you're a 1L or a 0L, but I'd think if you were a 1L you'd know that. You'll flip back and forth during reading, during studying, during outlining, and during class. The kindle just makes that a very very inconvenient thing to do. I love my Kindle, but I make no illusions about the impracticality of using it for large books that need to be searched or quickly accessed regularly.

Aqualibrium wrote:As to the second part, you will never read a case book cover to cover. I'm not sure if you're a 1L or a 0L, but I'd think if you were a 1L you'd know that. You'll flip back and forth during reading, during studying, during outlining, and during class. The kindle just makes that a very very inconvenient thing to do. I love my Kindle, but I make no illusions about the impracticality of using it for large books that need to be searched or quickly accessed regularly.

I'm a 2L, and study methods vary. I read my course material at the gym for an hour while I run, and then I come back and take notes on what I read. For me, working in a linear fashion works; I don't need to flip more than 1 or 2 pages.

crEEp wrote:

Aqualibrium wrote:As to the second part, you will never read a case book cover to cover. I'm not sure if you're a 1L or a 0L, but I'd think if you were a 1L you'd know that. You'll flip back and forth during reading, during studying, during outlining, and during class. The kindle just makes that a very very inconvenient thing to do. I love my Kindle, but I make no illusions about the impracticality of using it for large books that need to be searched or quickly accessed regularly.

I'm a 2L, and study methods vary. I read my course material at the gym for an hour while I run, and then I come back and take notes on what I read. For me, working in a linear fashion works; I don't need to flip more than 1 or 2 pages.

Hmmm, whatever works then I suppose.