ArcaMax Publishing Offers Books by E-Mail

ArcaMax Publishing, a leading publisher of family-friendly news and entertainment, is now offering free classic books by e-mail.

The ArcaMax Book Club ( http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/news/channel/1049 ), which was recently launched, is the site's newest feature. Subscribers to this free service can choose from hundreds of books and receive the complete texts in easy-to-read segments delivered daily by e-mail.

The feature includes a function that allows a user to read ahead in a book on the Web site, and then reset their e-mail subscription to pick up where they left off the following day. ArcaMax Publishing has applied for a patent on this unique technology.

"We believe this ability to reset subscriptions is critical to the experience, which is why we created this technology," says ArcaMax CEO Scott Wolf. "In our first month of testing with our readers, we received over 8,000 subscriptions. Readers like getting a new book segment by e-mail per day and are resetting their subscriptions when they read ahead. They have complete control over the pace at which they read."

Readers have commented on the convenience and accessibility of the new feature. "I love to read and find I have little time unless it's for my job. This has enabled me to read a little each night or print and catch it when I can," said subscriber Doug Kuszmaul of Nevada, who has finished reading "Peter Pan" and Shakespeare's "Sonnets" by e-mail.

"We live at least 85 miles from the nearest library or bookstore, and deeply appreciate being able to read so many wonderful works," said reader Ardath Arnold.

ArcaMax makes available a variety of categories: Plays, Short Stories, Sci-Fi, Poetry, Fiction, Non-fiction, Religion, Philosophy, Biography. Each work is presented in its original unedited format and divided by chapters for easier reading. Available titles include classics like Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice" and Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," as well as more modern works such as "Ulysses" by James Joyce and the autobiography of Charles Darwin.

ArcaMax Publishing also distributes over 30 ezines (e-mail newsletters) on topics ranging from parenting advice to consumer news. The site also features jokes, trivia, and comics such as Garfield, Doonesbury and Baby Blues. The Garfield ezine is currently distributed to over half a million subscribers. For more information, visit www.arcamax.com .