Apple’s iPhone is now an iBook-reader, as HarperCollins Publishers announced that it will make digital book content available for the iPhone platform. There will be an initial 14 new titles, which will debut throughout August and September, and will be made available online in an iPhone-compatible format.

“Reaching consumers on mobile devices and the Internet is increasingly important for publishers,” said Brian Murray, president of HarperCollins Publishers Worldwide. “Our digital warehouse gives us the unique opportunity to quickly offer access to our titles on the newest technology, and we encourage people to provide feedback about their experiences.”

There is catch; there is always a catch. This “Browse Inside” application allows consumers to sample pages of the HarperCollins titles online. iPhone users can view the first 10 pages of chapters one and two of the 14 books, and users can buy or pre-order the book from a list of retailers. So far no go on the whole book option.

It seems to us at MobileCrunch that offering a sample doesn’t really do the reader, or would be reader enough of a service. While it might help spark interest, this is only a step towards truly making the iPhone an iReader.

Titles to be made available include:
The Art of Power by Thich Nhat Hanh (HarperOne)
Beyond the Body Farm by Bill Bass (William Morrow)
The Burnt House by Faye Kellerman (William Morrow)
The Case for the Real Jesus by Lee Strobel (Zondervan)
Ike, An American Hero by Michael Korda (HarperCollins)
A Killers Kiss by William Lashner (William Morrow)
Life on the Refrigerator Door by Alice Kuipers (HarperCollins)
Love is a Many Trousered Thing by Louise Rennison (HarperTeen)
Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury (William Morrow)
Obama by David Mendell (Amistad)
Soul Catcher by Michael C. White (William Morrow)
Sweet Revenge by Diane Mott Davidson (William Morrow)
When the Game is Over It All Goes Back in the Box by John Ortberg (Zondervan)
Winning by Jack Welch & Suzy Welch (Collins)

HarperCollines Mobile