Today the postman brought two books that I had ordered from the Book-of-the-Month Club: David Weber’s newest Honor Carrington novel, "Mission of Honor," and Dominic Lieven’s acclaimed "Russia Against Napoleon." As you can correctly infer, I have an avid interest in anything and everything to do with the Napoleonic Era. Among our 5,000-plus library of physical books are at least 100 titles on Napoleon, Wellington, Alexander, Nelson, Kutuzov, Blucher and many other principals, plus histories on various battles and campaigns, such as the Peninsular Campaign, Austerlitz, Borodino, and Waterloo. Although Weber’s novel is, strictly speaking, a science fiction space opera, its characters and politics are loosely based upon the French Revolution and the First Empire that followed in its wake.

Mission of Honor cost me $9.95, while Lieven’s history was a more expensive $12.95. While shipping & handling are free, I happen to live in the state where BMOC’s main warehouse is located, so I had to ante up an extra 6% in sales tax.

I probably would have bought Mission of Honor for my Kindle, iPad or Sony Reader, were it available, but so far, none of the major distributors are offering an electronic version. Both Amazon and Apple’s iBook Store offer eBook versions of Russia Against Napoleon, only, each cost $19.99. Of course, delivery is free (though we would have to pay sales tax for the Apple-supplied edition, since there are several Apple stores within my state), but that’s still six-and-a-half bucks more than I paid for a paper-and-ink edition.

eBook publishers, distributors, and hardware providers all tout how buying your books electronically is faster, easier, more convenient, and usually cheaper. While they’re correct about the first three almost unassailable advantages, the jury is still out on price advantage. As long as book clubs continue to sell paper-and-ink editions at or below the cost of eBook editions, many of us are willing to wait a few days to get our hands on a real, physical books that we can read in the bathtub, lend out to friends without restriction, and even sell or give away once we’ve finished reading them. It will take significantly lower prices to change our buying habits, something that ePublishers and distributors like Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple’s iBook Store aren’t yet willing to do.

Then again, once market forces establish popular price points and eases restrictions against giving away or selling your eBook, look for book clubs to enter the fray with their own eBook editions that will be slightly cheaper, but with the same convenience and instant delivery as the other guys.