While ebooks could very well be the future of books it goes without saying that there are still plenty of people left in the world who prefer reading and holding a physical book. The smell of a new book along with the fresh and crisp pages is an experience that an ebook reader will never be able to recreate. Perhaps in an attempt to merge the digital with the physical, publisher Melville House has launched a series of books called the HybridBooks.
What these HybridBooks are about are basically regular, physical books that come with additional digital content which are called “Illuminations”. The QR code found at the back of the book, when scanned, will lead you to the company’s Illuminations website for that particular book’s title.
The bonus content includes things like highly curated text, maps, photographs and illustrations, all of which are linked and are related to the original book. As it stands there are five HybridBooks which are part of “The Duel” series by the independent publisher. Given their indie status, don’t expect any Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings HybridBooks any time soon, although we’ll have to admit it’s a pretty good idea and one that will hopefully be adopted by major publishers in the future.