As you’ll recall, the Open Library is no different than a regular library. That's not quite true. They do try to mimic the effect of a library, but the fact th

As you’ll recall, the Open Library is no different than a regular library. That's not quite true. They do try to mimic the effect of a library, but the fact that a book can be lent anywhere, at any hour, is different from the hassle of a dead-tree edition. You're not restricted to the single copy that your local library bought. If anyone, anywhere has it, then you can get it. I don't know how much that cuts into potential sales. Probably not much. But I get wary that "no different than a regular library" is disingenuous.