Re:Publishers Determined to Kill E-Books
by criddell on Sunday December 29, 2019 @11:44AM
(#21906823)
I can appreciate all those things about great books. However, all of that is secondary to actually being able to read it for me. If my eyesight gets bad enough, I'll probably switch to audio books.
Re:Publishers Determined to Kill E-Books
by EliRivers on Sunday December 29, 2019 @11:47AM
(#21906855)
That does sound rough. I suspect if I ever reach the point that I cannot read my own books, I'll not do well mentally...
There's always the physical assistance of a stupidly bright light and a well shaped magnifier :)
Re:Publishers Determined to Kill E-Books
by billpollock on Monday December 30, 2019 @12:25AM
(#21911014)
Thank you. We care a lot about the physical form of our books. I appreciate quality and I'm pleased to see that you do, too.
I'm thinking of ways to make our books even a bit nicer. Not sure yet what that will mean but I'm still thinking on it.
Re:Publishers Determined to Kill E-Books
by EliRivers on Monday December 30, 2019 @04:39AM
(#21912155)
Well, so far you've got the scent right, the feel of the paper is good, the colouring is good, the binding is good, and whoever is in charge of typography is doing well - the layout of code and the font changes and how specific lines are reference and so is all good. I've not yet been stung by counterfeit printings either.
Now that I think about it, is the distinctive scent actually coming from the binding? I've had a dig through my shelves and my copy of "Programming Linux Games" from 2001 does still carry that scent, even though it doesn't state "RepKover" on the back. I see that it does carry the Linux Journal Press tag on it as well as No-Starch. I'd forgotten about that, but now I look, those early titles certainly were Linux heavy.
Expensive binding that will last; covers that are a pleasure just to hold. Nobody like to read super small fonts on crappy quality paper, but there's a real pleasure in seeking out and buying a really good quality book.
I've even done this with books that I've read in cheap paperbook format and enjoyed so much that I want to own one (or in some cases, more than one; usually when my search reveals something unusual - for example, when I went looking for a copy of Marisha Pessl's "Special Topics in Calamity Physics" I found a hardback ARC print that came with some extra bit n' pieces - a little pack that must have been sent to a reviewer by the publisher). Sometimes the good printings sold out years before and I have to track down one second hand in perfect or near perfect condition.