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Is the wireless e-reader about to change the way we read and relate to a book? The e-reader war has been intensifying in the United States with some 3 million units expected to be sold by the end of the year and the figure projected to double next year, according to a market research firm.

In addition to Amazon's Kindle and Sony Reader, Barnes & Noble, the world's largest English-language bookseller, launched its own e-reader called the 'nook' this month with even more impressive features such as access to a million books at one's fingertips and the ability to lend e-books to friends. This has led to debate and speculation in the US on what kind of impact the e-reader will have on not just the slowly declining print book industry but also on the level of knowledge and the act of reading itself. Already some public libraries in the US are offering e-books to be electronically borrowed, and writers as well as consumers are debating what might constitute a fair price for an e-book.

Some have gone as far as to laud it as the biggest thing since Gutenberg's invention of movable-type printing in 1440. It seems that through factors such as 3G wireless networks, concern for the environment due to paper consumption and the high price of printed books as well as the unavailability of some old out-of-print books, e-readers may finally be making real progress towards a daily reading experience. Already, one can see some people reading e-books from e-readers in New York's crowded subways and beyond.

While it may be premature to compare it to Gutenberg's invention, it potentially has the ability to leapfrog mankind's access to books and knowledge at warp |speed. As the technology is becoming more accessible - with the current |generation of e-readers priced at around US$260 (Bt8,600) and an e-book |costing around $10 as opposed to $20 to $35 for most physical books - it is a |matter of time before Asia, including Thailand, will be introduced to this novel |technology.

But instead of spending too much time speculating about what changes it will bring, Thais might want to remind themselves that reading is not such an established habit here and we need to put more emphasis on encouraging both children and adults alike to read more and read more deeply, critically and enjoyably.

Without a strong reading culture like among the Japanese or the Germans, a vast majority of Thais would have no real use by possessing an e-reader beyond just flaunting it emptily.

Now that television is giving way to the Internet, people are being redirected back to reading more texts, but this is still not the same as reading a book, which requires a longer attention span. Thais also need to learn to appreciate reading not just for its immediate utilitarian benefits, such as the numerous best-selling how-to-get-rich-quick books of the month, but more serious books - be they about history, philosophy, arts, political science or literature - for these are what make us more complete as human beings.

With a new tsunami of instant access to e-books on the horizon, both the government and the people should take this opportunity to try to raise the level of appreciation for books and foster deeper reading habits.