My answer is that it depends on the book.

The first question we must ask is "what kind of book"? Most readers answering this question assume that the type of book one would read is a "traditional novel". There are other types of books which could be read on an iPhone.

The second question is what is meant by "read". One form of reading is linear reading, as in a novel, where one begins at the start, and reads to the end. Other types of reading would be non-linear, where one needs to look up a reference in a book, and perhaps read one or more sections for instructional purposes, etc.

The form factor of the iPhone does not make it well suited to reading traditional novels, due to its size, issues of eye-strain, and etc. However this does not mean that I wouldn't read any book on an iPhone. Here let me offer two examples of books that I would read on an iPhone.

The book "Letters from a Nut" by Jerry Seinfeld. This book contains numerous humorous letters which were sent from a fictional character to large corporations, and contains their often humorous responses. This book is quite entertaining to read when you have a few spare minutes and want a good laugh.

Another example of a book I would read on an iPhone is "Home Improvement 1-2-3", which I purchased from Home Depot. This book is a reference book for home improvement projects, and having such a book on my iPhone would certainly be handy when I'm running around the house fixing things up. Carrying around the large hardbound home improvement book is impractical, and often I want to simply search the reference to determine whether there it contains the advice. Searching on the iPhone would be much more convenient than thumbing through the pages searching in the contents.

The book "Truman", by David McCullough which contains well over one thousand pages, would be the counter example, and I would certainly not consider reading this novel on my iPhone.

Best, Rowan

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