Amazon.com, Inc. said Thursday it agreed to to publish 20 classic books owned by Wylie Agency in digital format.
Amazon said it gets exclusive rights for two years to sell e-book versions of novels including, among others, Norman Mailer's "The Naked and the Dead," Philip Roth's "Portnoy's Complaint" and Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man."
Amazon, an online retailer, said it is the first time any of these books have been available for electronic readers.
The books are being published under a new imprint from Wylie called Odyssey Editions, Amazon said in a statement.
"Our goal with Kindle is to make every book, ever published, in print or out of print, available in less than 60 seconds," Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content, said.
"As the market for e-books grows, it will be important for readers to have access in e-book format to the best contemporary literature the world has to offer," said Andrew Wylie, President of Odyssey Editions.
Starting today, customers can download these books for $9.99 from the Kindle Store and read them on their Kindle, Kindle DX, iPhone, iPod touch, BlackBerry, PC, Mac, iPad and Android devices.
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Shares of Washington-based Amazon closed at $117.43 Wednesday on Nasdaq.
