Fahrenheit 451 released as an ebook for the first time

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 was published as an ebook for the first time yesterday, after years of delay caused by the author himself. The classic anti-censorship novel which has book burning as part of its central actions hit virtual shelves, published by Simon & Schuster for $9.99.

Bradbury has been a particularly poignant example of an ever-narrowing group of holdouts to the digital age, even telling The New York Times back in 2009 that the internet was a “big distraction.” Bradbury, who is 91 years old, agreed to digital publishing of his works while renegotiating his contract with Simon & Schuster for the rights to all of his works. Farenheit 451 has sold more than 10 million physical copies since it was published in 1953.