According to Vatican lore, the smoke is black (due to the fact that the ballots were mixed with damp hay) when a decision is still to be reached and white when a new pope has been decided.

CNN: Pope's resignation a new angle to a tough news beat

In the home of the founding fathers of the phenomenon in the UK, Hay-on-Wye, there are clearly mixed feelings about e-readers.

BBC: How do book towns survive in the age of the e-reader?