generally higher and more durable quality, and partly as compensation for lending the content out over time. It's not a lot considering the number of times the media may be on loan -- perhaps 300-400% -- but it's more than the cost of a single retail copy. I am not sure how it works with donated media. I agree -- I also follow the try before I buy approach, but I call it a library (one of those old-fashioned places that still serves a useful purpose). Borrow the book (electronically if you want), then return it, and buy your own copy if you liked it. If this title is not available to borrow electronically at the library, that's because publishers don't trust library users to act honestly (and this is a good example showing why they don't). We are caught in a terrible bind because of this. I don't want to have to buy every electronic book I want to read, but I will buy the ones I have enjoyed reading. Use your local library. Illegal downloads are wrecking an excellent public library system which has been in place for more than 150 years. Speaking of rationalization, I don't believe you were ever truly on the side of "information wants to be free" or else you would have released your book as a free PDF download from the outset, as Dean Baker, a prominent economist who genuinely opposes current copyright law, has done with his last two books. You're a