• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, June 30, 2011

Stepping up the pressure in the e-reader space, Barnes & Noble has rolled out a new offer starting July 1: bring in any e-reader to compare and upgrade to a Nook device and get $315 worth of e-books free. The deal extends to the purchase of any Nook model including the "All-New" Nook ($139) and the Nook Color Reader's Tablet ($249). However, you don't get to pick the 30 free books you get with a device purchase.

They include titles across across a variety of genres including The Good Housekeeping Cookbook, Cristina Ferrare's Big Bowl of Love, Creating Your Best Life, Glory in the Fall: The Greatest Moments in World Series History, 21st Century Crossword Puzzle Dictionary, Secret Garden and Robinson Crusoe.

How much appeal this literary fruit basket will have is unclear. But someone might be able to find at least few titles they like among the bunch. What's smart about this approach is that B&N is leveraging its advantage over Amazon and other competitors in having a dedicated brick-and-mortar presence. If consumers don't literally have to trade in their old e-readers to get the deal, the idea behind the offer is suited to a physical retail store rather than online. Now let's see if Amazon responds with its own e-book or other deal.