World's first digital librarian

Michael Hart wasn't a professional writer, yet no author ever left behind more deathless prose.

In 1971 Hart, who died last week at 64, stopped to pick up a snack on the way to the computer lab at the University of Illinois, where he was a student. The date was July 4, and stuffed in with his meal was a copy of the Declaration of Independence.

At the lab, Hart typed it into a computer -- and created what was probably the first e-book. He posted a notice on Arpanet -- an early version of the Internet -- and Project Gutenberg born.

Today the nonprofit Hart founded offers some 36,000 free e-books in more than 60 languages, including works by Shakespeare, Austen, Dickens and many others. By now, of course, the e-book revolution is in full swing. This year Amazon said sales of e-books had outstripped printed books, and recently the retailer reportedly was in talks with publishers about a possible e-book subscription library.

Hart's goal was to democratize access to knowledge, and he succeeded. But the e-book is proving itself a two-edged sword. For publishers, steady sales of older works helped pay for the development of newer writers. And downward pressure on e-book prices -- in part from such free sources of older works as Project Gutenberg -- threatens traditional publishing revenue.

Thanks partly to Hart, e-books are how most books someday will be read. The challenge will be making sure they generate enough money so they'll be written.