Opening a new front in the eReader wars, the Literati by The Sharper Image strikes a blow against the technology elite in favor of booklovers. The new color electronic reader bypasses high prices and feature bloat, offering instead an affordable, stylish and simple device for those who just want to read.

After an extensive two-year design and development process, the Literati (www.LiteratiReader.com) will ship nationwide in early October to more than …