ArcaMax Book Club Keeps Readers "Well-Connected"

Book lovers on the Internet now have a one-stop resource with the ArcaMax Book Club — a free service that features classic books by e-mail and daily book reviews from the Washington Post.

The ArcaMax Book Club makes available more than 600 classic books — the largest collection of free texts on the Internet by e-mail. CBS affiliate KYW NewsRadio Philadelphia commented on the service, saying "You'll find plenty of good reading here — from Aesop's Fables to Jane Austen and Edgar Allan Poe — that will keep you well-read, as well as well-connected."

Visitors to the ArcaMax Book Club ( http://www.arcamax.com/books ) can browse titles in genres such as Fiction, Religion, and Poetry, and select one or more to receive a chapter a day by e-mail. Each Book Club subscription is handled through technology — for which a patent has been applied — that allows books to be read at their own pace. If a subscriber chooses to read ahead on the site or falls behind on their reading, it is easy to reset the subscription to any chapter — an "online bookmark."

To supplement the classic books feature, ArcaMax added a daily book reviews newsletter (
http://www.arcamax.com/cgi-bin/reg?trackid=100&npg=119&source=1957 ). Writers from the Washington Post offer analysis, praise and criticism of the newest releases to hit the shelves. "Readers can not only read a classic book, they can make sure they pick out a good one the next time they go to the bookstore," said Scott Wolf, ArcaMax Publishing CEO.

A special Sunday newsletter of new books available is also an option. The New Books newsletter also includes free literary trivia quizzes, a featured author and quotes from famous literary figures.

ABC affiliate WCVB-TV Boston said the Book Club is perfect "if you love to read but don't want to keep making the trip to your local library." And the Knight-Ridder Tribune campus wire said, "With Arcamax, subscribers have a choice. They can read the entire book online or have a chapter e-mailed to them every day, both free of charge."

Other media that have commented on the feature include the Rocky Mountain News of Denver, Co., eWeek.com, ContentBiz.com, the Daily Press of Hampton Roads, Va. and several other trade publications.

Book Club readers have also provided feedback.

"We live at least 85 miles from the nearest library or bookstore, and deeply appreciate being able to read so many wonderful works," said subscriber Ardath Arnold. Arnold had just finished reading "The Best American Humorous Short Stories."

The ArcaMax Book Club was launched in December 2005. ArcaMax Publishing also distributes more than 45 family-friendly ezines that include games and puzzles, comics such as "Garfield" and "Family Circus," parenting advice, recipes, and more. To find out more, visit http://www.arcamax.com .