NEXT E-book - Enhanced Edition

On July 26, 2011, HarperCollins released a new digital edition of Michael Crichton’s novel Next. The Enhanced Edition, which is available through Barnes & Noble and iTunes, contains six videos, along with an interactive map of the human body with gene patent information. It also contains an audio interview with Michael Crichton, along with the transcript. This interview has appeared on the audio edition of Next, and the transcript was included in the previous ebook edition released on October 13, 2009.

I have not gotten the Enhanced Edition of Next yet, as it can only be viewed on NookColor, iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad (with either the NookColor or iBooks applications). Sadly I don’t have any of those devices at the present time, so I am currently determining the appropriate bribe for one of my more fortunate friends. If anyone has the Enhanced Edition, I would love to hear your review.

The Crichton website page contains a screenshot from iPad of the table of contents of the extra features.

Featured Enhancements

• Video: Michael Crichton’s Conclusions

• Video: Stop Patenting Genes—Lori Andrews

• Video: Clear Guidelines—Kathy Giusti

• Video: Ensure Data is Made Public—Harry Ostrer, MD 4

• Video: The Bayh-Dole Act—Stuart Neuman, MD 5

• Video: Michael Crichton’s Legacy

• Who Owns Your Body


Two of these names were mentioned in Crichton’s introduction to his bibliography of Next:

“I relied particularly on the work of law professor Lori Andrews, authors Matt Ridley and Ronald Bailey, and scientists John Avise, Stuart Newman, and Louis-Marie Houdebine.”

“Who Owns Your Body” is most likely the interactive map of the human body with gene patent information. But “Who Owns Your Body?” is also the title of a conference held May 21, 2007 in Chicago.

Who Owns Your Body?
Legal and Social Issues in Michael Crichton's NEXT
Chicago-Kent College of Law

Lori Andrews, who convened the conference, presented some of the highlights on her website. There is also a short video featuring her introduction of Michael Crichton, and some of his remarks.

Crichton also gave the speech What I Have Learned From Reactions to My Books.

More information about the conference is available from the Chicago-Kent Law Review, and a blog post by Hunter Hogan.