Sam Harris Releases Lying, His Latest Book September 19, 2011

Sam Harris Releases Lying, His Latest Book

By Hemant Mehta
September 19, 2011

Almost ten years after he began writing his bestseller The End of Faith, Sam Harris‘ new book Lying is now available as a $1.99 Kindle Single:

This is his 4th book and his first e-only book. (It’s not available in hardcover/paperback.)

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  • Sally K.

    E-Book Only? Booooo…..I’m starting to want to get a Kindle.

  • Anonymous

    I prefer paper.

  • $3.41 to me here in the UK. What a rip.

  • Anonymous

    I’m not sure what the reading experience is like, but I think there’s Kindle for computer. 
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=kcp_pc_mkt_lnd?docId=1000426311

  • Benjamin

    €2.99 = 4.07$  in Germany. Why is that? 

  • I absolutely love my kindle.  But yes there is a kindle version for pc (not sure about mac but probably), android, and iphones.  They all have built in highlighting, bookmarking, and definitions.

  • Looks like his wife is listed as the editor on this one too.  cool

  • Anonymous

    E-book only is fine with me, but not everyone has a kindle, and Amazon doesn’t allow converting to a format usable elsewhere.  I guess this will be the 1st Sam Harris book I don’t buy.

  • Gus Snarp

    So this is Kindle only? I’ll be damned if I’m going to be locked in to a single device by an E-Book format. 

  • bigjohn756

    It’s not a book. It’s a 26 page essay.

  • But you can get Kindle apps for iPhone, Android, HP Touchpad, even PC.

  • The big question is, how do you have a signing with an e-book?

  • Revwubby

    Sure, everything except an actual e-book reader.

  • Steve Pinkham

    There’s also the “cloud reader” if you use Google Chrome or Safari:
    https://read.amazon.com/about

  • Kelley Freeman

    Boo, I have a nook. Why discriminate among e-book readers?! D:

  • Love my Kindle! And if you have a smart phone or tablet, then you already have a Kindle. Also, and Amazon doesn’t want to admit this I’m sure, but there’s always somewhere on the Internet to get ebooks converted to different formats.

  • Rich Wilson

    It would be nice to see someone who writes about ethics and morality publish an essay as donationware.  If Radiohead can do it, surely Sam Harris can.

  • So buy it as a Kindle single, convert it using Calibre and then print the darned thing 🙂

  • Bob Becker

    Well, this is one I guess I won’t get to read.  No Kindle.  No tablet.  No smartphone.  Which means I either get it via PC and read the book on my monitor [no, thank you.  Not enjoyable way to read a book.] or I don’t get it at all.    Looks like the latter.

  • Daniel Clements

    Why Kindle only? Why not an *open* ebook format that all the other eReaders can use?

  • Brad Blackmere

    need audio book!

  • You know, some people, like my wife, have difficulty reading for long on a computer screen or e-reader screen thanks to things like astigmatism and migraines. I’m rather disappointed this is e-book only.

  • Kevin Bates

    If your e-book reader is based on android, then you can root it, and install android apps on it.  I have a nook color with the kindle app.

  • Gaga

    I’m sure someone will release this as a pdf soon.  

  • I love my Kindle.  If your wife has tried a Kindle, of course, then ignore the following.  But eInk is not like a computer screen.  You can enlarge the font massively (something my middle-aged eyes find very useful), and it doesn’t typically cause eyestrain as reading on a tablet or computer does.  I’ve read a whole lot more since I bought my Kindle, simply because the font and the eInk make books more readable for me.

    Since this is a “Kindle single,” it’s probably too short to issue as a print book, anyway.  Those are typically 5-10,000 words, I think.  Not worth printing!

  • Because Amazon is the publisher.  “Kindle singles” aren’t self-pubbed, or through a general publisher– they’re released by Amazon.  Given the (presumed) short length, it would probably be difficult for Harris to find a more general publisher for it.  I don’t know of anyone besides Amazon (or self-publishers) producing works this short.

  • Rich Wilson

    The Kindle could also be more accessible http://www.disabled-world.com/assistivedevices/computer/kindle.php

    ALL of Cory Doctorow’s works are accessible to EVERYone.

    Just sayin’

  • Goheelsfan

    buy it as a kindle d/l it to your computer, convert to script using ‘calibre’ ( a free d/load ) and read on your computer Calibre is here:  http://calibre-ebook.com/download

  • Goheelsfan

    convert it using http://calibre-ebook.com/download it’s free and oh do useful.

  • Anonymous

    i’m one of those old fashioned types like his wife. reading for too long on a computer hurts my back, eyes, and gives me headaches. i also can’t take an e-device into the bathtub or toilet, where i do a lot of my reading. i like books. please, if you’re a writer, make sure that i can read your stuff on paper. i promise, i’ll recycle it if it’s a one-off sort of narrative. but there really are times some of us want to cuddle up with a book, glass of wine and bowl of chocolates. computers and e-readers just don’t work for that, for us. 

  • jwthomas

    Yes, I have the one for Mac and recently downloaded “Lying” to it.  I also recommend calibre for changing Kindle’s Mobi to epub or any other ebook system if you have a different reader.

  • jwthomas

    Amazon won’t publish anything new unless they get money for it.  $1.99 is as close to donationware as you can get with them.

  • Rich Wilson

    So leave Amazon out of it.  (And they do give away Android apps, although in that case the person who writes the app gets screwed since they now have to support and provide upgrades for something they didn’t get any money for).

  • Rich Wilson

    So leave Amazon out of it.  (And they do give away Android apps, although in that case the person who writes the app gets screwed since they now have to support and provide upgrades for something they didn’t get any money for).

  • Annie

    I love to read as I pace in the pool.  I just use a gallon-sized zip-loc to protect my kindle.  It’s cheap, and it works (fold it in the back and tape it down).  I have no trouble seeing through the plastic (even without readers, which I normally need for print books).  I was hesitant to get a Kindle, but now that I have one I enjoy the convenience it offers.  Great for travel.

  • She did look at an eInk screen in the store once, and decided it wouldn’t be a problem. However, to get one would cost over a hundred dollars, which is completely not worth it. The price of ebooks is not sufficiently discounted to pay back on the price of a Kindle in any reasonable time (based on paperback costs, which is what we generally buy). I also have no intention of buying a Kindle since I cannot then lend out the books, or for that matter, give them away when I decide I no longer need/want them (almost never happens, but it has in the past).

    Perhaps if I traveled a lot, I’d consider it, but I highly doubt it. I think I would rather just stuff 4 -5 books in a carry-on and have the pleasure of an actual, in my hands book. And since the last time I was on a plane was 2 years ago for my honeymoon, I don’t think it’s likely to come up.

    This leaves us with the option, with this book, of using the pc reader, and finding out how many pages it takes before she’s in pain, or of her not reading it at all, and just have me read it. I’m not sure that’s worth the money.

  • Rob Grikmeer

    British importing always does this. When I bought The Absolute Sandman (Which would be £99) from Amazon US I got it for less than £50 INCLUDING P&P

  • Darkknight56

    I think it is interesting that most of the posts here comment on Sam’s book being digital or on Amazon/Kindle and not on the book itself.

    I thought it was a very good book on lying and the problems that lying creates.  Among other things it robs  family members the opportunity of being closer and truly knowing each other.  If friends can’t be honest with each other then perhaps the friendship isn’t as solid as they believe.

    The book is only about 26 pages and can be read in its entirety in about 30 minutes.  Most of the chapters are only 2 – 3 pages in length so those who have problems reading ebooks can read a  chapter or two at a time.

  • Anonymous

    Why can’t you take a Kindle to the bathroom? People do it all the time. And like Marguerite points out. The Kindle doesn’t have a traditional computer screen. It is really a lot like paper.

  • Ruth Walker

    Sam Harris’ Website offers it in pdf for $2.99.  http://tinyurl.com/7ads68s

  • Ruth Walker

    Perhaps this will work directly:  http://tinyurl.com/7884ob6