MUMBAI: With soundtracks adding a new dimension to e-reading,  Booktrack has launched the first of many electronic books (ebooks) with an orchestral score and sound effects to engage the interest of youth in literature.

The concept is already in use in the US, where the classics of Charlotte Bronte, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and William Shakesphere come with added sound effects.

The concept developed by Booktrack synchronises music to each novel. The ebook firm  is funded by Peter Thiel, co-founder of online payment company PayPal.

"It's always exciting to witness the creation of a new form of media. The technology promises to captivate readers in a way that will seem intuitive in hindsight,... the Daily Mail quoted Thiel as saying.

The Booktrack releases are available to iPad users, with other tablet computer versions to follow. It works by timing the speed of each reader and the software measures the turning of a page and moves the music or sounds along accordingly.

A story by Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie will be released later in the year with a specially crafted orchestral score.