Photo via Amazon.com

Amazon.com encountered a big public backlash when it remotely deleted copies of classic George Orwell novels "1984" and "Animal Farm" from people's Kindles as part of a dustup with a publisher. The incident prompted an apology from CEO Jeff Bezos. Now the online retailer is offering to restore copies of those novels to affected Kindles -- or give customers a $30 check or gift certificate.

Here's the Amazon email that went out regarding "1984":

Hello,

On July 23, 2009, Jeff Bezos, our Founder and CEO, made the following apology to our customers:

“This is an apology for the way we previously handled illegally sold copies of 1984 and other novels on Kindle. Our “solution” to the problem was stupid, thoughtless, and painfully out of line with our principles. It is wholly self-inflicted, and we deserve the criticism we’ve received.

We will use the scar tissue from this painful mistake to help make better decisions going forward, ones that match our mission.

With deep apology to our customers,
Jeff Bezos
Founder & CEO
Amazon.com”

As you were one of the customers impacted by the removal of 1984 from your Kindle device in July of this year, we would like to offer you the option to have us re-deliver this book to your Kindle along with any annotations you made. You will not be charged for the book. If you do not wish to have us re-deliver the book to your Kindle, you can instead choose to receive an Amazon.com electronic gift certificate or check for $30.

Please email Kindle customer support at kindle-response@amazon.com to indicate your preference. If you prefer to receive a check, please also provide your mailing address.
We look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,
The Kindle Team

Amazon spokesman Drew Herdener confirmed that the same offer went out to Kindle users who lost "Animal Farm." Herdener said the company's offer is not related to a lawsuit filed by a Michigan high school student against Amazon. The student, Justin Gawronski, said the deletion of "1984" from his Kindle rendered his electronic notes "useless."

The deletion of the Orwell novels raised questions about control and ownership of digital books as the Kindle and a new class of electronic reading devices catches on with consumers. It seems Amazon is working hard at damage control to make such discussions go away.

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