Young book-lovers turn more to e-readers
About a fifth of primary school pupils read using electronic devices, a publisher's survey has shown.
City University interviewed 566 parents of primary school pupils in June. It found more than three in five of the young e-book readers started using the devices less than a year ago - an indication of the e-reader's rapid growth.
Terence Leung Wing-chung, general manager of Sun Ya Publications, said: 'A wider use of tablets and smartphones, a bigger supply of children's e-books, and the government's investment are the main factors that have contributed to the rapid increase in young e-book readers.'
'It's definitely a future trend,' he added.
Most respondents agreed that e-books would increase children's interest in reading through colourful layouts and multimedia designs. The only concerns were the potential effect on children's eyesight and whether the price of e-readers was too high. According to the survey, most parents felt HK$1,000 or less was a reasonable price. Most e-readers cost more than HK$3,000.
Meanwhile, several British writers invited by David Tang appeared at the Book Fair at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre yesterday.
Among the guests were food critic A.A. Gill, who was one of 4,000 possible victims of News of the World phone hackers.
'I write for a Murdoch paper. It's not a great week for us,' he said, referring to Rupert Murdoch, owner of the now-closed News of the World, who has been embroiled in the scandal.
Other guests at the book fair included food writer Tom Parker Bowles and historian David Starkey, who said of the News of the World: '[There is a] human appetite for filth.'
He went on to tell the audience of his experiences in a British reality TV show with chef Jamie Oliver.
