Machines to think with? E-books, kindles and english teachers, the much prophesied death of the book revisited

English teachers have a particular professional interest in developing their students as readers and this includes a very strong emphasis on literature. They are personal and professional enthusiasts for books and in the past have shown anxieties about threats to the book from computers and portable devices. The advent of e-readers, like the Kindle, brings a new dynamic to the field of reading with many teachers becoming enthusiastic users of such devices. This article reports on a research project examining the personal and professional attitudesof English teachers towards e-readers and seeking their views on their pedagogical implications. The project used an online survey and follow-up telephone interviews; this article focuses on the latter. Findings suggest some reservations but overall a strong enthusiasm for e-readers both personally and professionally and a definite conviction that such readers will be important in schools in the future.