The internet--a technological and cultural revolution of endless free flowing knowledge--has completely changed the way I research and learn about new topics: instead of going to a book store to buy books, I order them off the internet and have them delivered.

Most brick and cement based book stores can only stock the most recent releases and a few of the classics. Special orders can take weeks or even months; books are supplied to stores from numerous warehouses, and even if a book is in stock within the country the store may have to wait weeks for enough orders to accumulate before they have satisfied the minimum order requirements and have a reasonable volume for shipping from a particular wholesaler.

You can get around these problems by buying from the largest technical book stores, ordering from the extensive stocks of internet sites, or by becoming a community member of one of the cavernous university libraries. Read More