Other quick links:
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A: A few of the
out-of-print FR books are offered through the official Wizards of the Coast website. To
the best of my knowledge, the FR books have not been e-published
elsewhere. If you find a website posting any of these books, you can
be fairly certain that the book was posted illegally. I urge
you not to frequent these sites. This is theft, pure and simple,
and anyone who posts or downloads copyrighted material is
stealing from the people who hold ownership.
I've heard all the arguments that
"information should be free," but a created work is not "information." It
is intellectual property. Yes, technology exists that makes it
possible to access copyrighted materials, but then, the same
technology allows talented hackers to commit identity theft,
helping themselves to other people's credit cards and bank accounts. I
believe there's little difference between these two types of
theft.
The publishing industry is adapting
to technological changes. I'm looking forward to the day when a book can
be downloaded in minutes, when e-books take the place of text books and a
70-pound sixth grader doesn't have to carry a 45-pound backpack to school.
The use of electronic readers in school can't be long in coming, not when
you consider the relative cost of textbooks and the rapidly dropping price
of the e-readers. Change is good, but change brings a certain amount of
chaos, which in turn provides opportunity for the folks
whose entire moral philosophy can be summed up as, "I want it,
therefore I'm entitled to have it."
If cost is an issue, there is a place
where books can be read without charge: the public library.
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