3 ms·

Not having read the book, may I ask why is the formatting (not the illustrations, that's kind of obvious) so important?

TylerE 15y ago
Well, for one there are a fair number of equations, which ebook readers are going to struggle with. Plus there are "structural puns" which depend on lines aligning and breaking in a certain fashion. Here's an example page from Amazon's preview: http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8082/screenshot20120118at147.png http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8082/screenshot20120118at14... Note the musical extract, the heavy use of blockquotes, etc. It's pretty much a worse case for an ereader. PS: I'll admit I'm a bit late to this party, as I just bought my copy for the Reddit readthrough, and it's the first actual dead-tree book I've bought since my Kindle. I too was annoyed at first by the lack of a ereader version, but after reading the first few pages of the intro I couldn't imagine reading it any other way. This is a VERY dense book where I often find myself flipping back a page or two to reference earlier material.
- JonnieCache 15y ago
  Here's another good example of the funky typesetting: (the pencil marks obviously arent in the original) http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksx9yp5KRO1qznraho1_500.png http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksx9yp5KRO1qznraho1_500.pn... It's also a great example of the mindbending trick-prose hosftadter gleefully employs through the book. EDIT: Here's another: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksjw79NLay1qznraho1_500.png http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksjw79NLay1qznraho1_500.pn...
- theon144 15y ago
  Oh, thanks. One more question: Why didn't you get the pdf version? I also want to participate in the reddit collective reading, but since you've chosen a paper book over a pdf, it makes me think that I shouldn't use the pdf version. (I'd buy the physical book, but there isn't even a Czech translation that I'm aware of, so no publishers here have it in their catalogue.)
philh 15y ago
So, none of the examples given so far convince me. I remember a couple of bits where you get multiple levels of nested indentation, to the point where the text started half-way across the page, and those would be difficult on most e-reader screens. You would lose something when converting to ebook, no doubt. But the convenience might also make it worthwhile. (Stretched analogy: I have heard that Pink Floyd's vinyl album Atom Heart Mother was cut so that at the end, it just kept playing the inner ring in a loop instead of finishing, so you got the repeating sound of a dripping tap. That would be lost as an mp3, but I'd still rather have the digital version.)

Well, for one there are a fair number of equations, which ebook readers are going to struggle with. Plus there are "structural puns" which depend on lines aligning and breaking in a certain fashion. Here's an example page from Amazon's preview: http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8082/screenshot20120118at147.png http://img26.imageshack.us/img26/8082/screenshot20120118at14... Note the musical extract, the heavy use of blockquotes, etc. It's pretty much a worse case for an ereader. PS: I'll admit I'm a bit late to this party, as I just bought my copy for the Reddit readthrough, and it's the first actual dead-tree book I've bought since my Kindle. I too was annoyed at first by the lack of a ereader version, but after reading the first few pages of the intro I couldn't imagine reading it any other way. This is a VERY dense book where I often find myself flipping back a page or two to reference earlier material.

JonnieCache 15y ago
Here's another good example of the funky typesetting: (the pencil marks obviously arent in the original) http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksx9yp5KRO1qznraho1_500.png http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksx9yp5KRO1qznraho1_500.pn... It's also a great example of the mindbending trick-prose hosftadter gleefully employs through the book. EDIT: Here's another: http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksjw79NLay1qznraho1_500.png http://26.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ksjw79NLay1qznraho1_500.pn...
theon144 15y ago
Oh, thanks. One more question: Why didn't you get the pdf version? I also want to participate in the reddit collective reading, but since you've chosen a paper book over a pdf, it makes me think that I shouldn't use the pdf version. (I'd buy the physical book, but there isn't even a Czech translation that I'm aware of, so no publishers here have it in their catalogue.)

philh 15y ago

So, none of the examples given so far convince me. I remember a couple of bits where you get multiple levels of nested indentation, to the point where the text started half-way across the page, and those would be difficult on most e-reader screens. You would lose something when converting to ebook, no doubt. But the convenience might also make it worthwhile. (Stretched analogy: I have heard that Pink Floyd's vinyl album Atom Heart Mother was cut so that at the end, it just kept playing the inner ring in a loop instead of finishing, so you got the repeating sound of a dripping tap. That would be lost as an mp3, but I'd still rather have the digital version.)