Entries Tagged as ''

THE ELEMENTS OF TYPOGRAPHIC STYLE

Rating: 5
Review of: The elements of typographic style by Bringhurst, Robert

excellent -- the best book on typography I've ever read. I particulary enjoyed his bracing attitude about the hyphen.

Will Google Knol and Google Books play nicely together?

A Few Thoughts On Google Knol

Anyone writing for Knol is likely to at least peruse Wikipedia content before publishing. And if they see anything good, they are at liberty to simply lift and copy it over to Knol, and get a adsense check for their time.

So, in a way, Google has found a way to monetize Wikipedia content after all.

The name of Google Knol is a tip off that there is something basically broken in the concept — there is a damned good reason why there are no “knols” in the real world. Knowledge doesn’t come in units.

As a publisher, I wonder if there has been any thought given to how Google Knol and Google Book Search should play together. It doesn’t look like it at first glance. The sample author Knol page for Rachel Manber doesn’t even have a link to Rachel Manber on Google Book Search orGoogle Scholar. Why the heck not?

Hey Google, instead of having your engineers duplicate Wikipedia with daffy “knols”, why not involve some publishers? We know a little bit about promoting authors too… and we have this great way of binding “knols” together in paper and charging twenty or thirty bucks a package. It’s called a “book.”

About OUR SPLENDID SUN

Dear readers,

this book contains some incredibly beautiful images of the sun.  I am not sure I chose the best image for the cover -- there is a bright green view of the sun that is absolutely incredible, and some mindboggling closeups of solar prominences.  check them out by using "Search Inside The Book"!

If you like this sort of thing, you may also want to keep an eye on science news. For example, see this recent announcement from NASA is amazing:  The Sun is Bristling With X-Ray Jets, taken using the Hinode X-Ray telescope.

For more Hinode images, check out OUR SPLENDID SUN.

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

About COOL MAPS OF AFGHANISTAN

Dear reader,

 

Welcome to the COOL MAPS series! this has been a strong-selling title and I am proud of it.   this beautifully printed volume contains 24 high-resolution color maps and images of Afghanistan, ranging from historical maps to satellite photos and covering every dimension of the land and its people.  If you or your kids enjoy flipping through beautiful picture books, as I do, and you believe that a map can be worth ten thousand words, this is the book for you.

 

In the interest of setting expectations accurately, here is a list of the maps included here:

  • Afghanistan and Persia in 1856.
  • Afghanistan during the Second Anglo-Afghan War, 1878
  • The Durand Line.
  • An Ethnolinguistic Map of Afghanistan.
  • Land Use and Economic Activity.
  • Greenness.
  • Topography.
  • Color Topography.
  • Afghanistan from Space.
  • Afghanistan provinces.
  • Kabul
  • Kabul and Environs.
  • Herat Area, 1942.
  • Soviet Invasion 1979.
  • Clinton Strikes at Al Qaeda in 1998
  • Operation Enduring Freedom
  • Provincial Reconstruction Teams.
  • Opium Production
  • Oil and Gas Wells in Afghanistan.
  • Dust Storm over Afghanistan.
  • Dust Storm over Afghanistan (Surface Temperature)
  • The Flag of Afghanistan
  • Afghan Currency
  • Afghanistan at night

 

Gee, I have say that's a pretty interesting list.  You do have to bear in mind that this  book is printed in a 8.5 x 8.5 inch paperback format,  so the images are reduced in size  from their original  form.  These images are  meant to provide interesting  synoptic views of the whole country of Afghanistan, and I have to say that I am satisfied that they do just that.   By all means, take a look at Search Inside the Book and judge for yourself.


This series was originally titled COOL MAPS FOR CURIOUS KIDS, but as I moved along with publication of new volumes I found that the extra words were getting in the way.  Suffice it to say that this book is aimed at curious minds, aged 7 to 77!

 

Cordially,

 

Fred Zimmerman

Publisher, Nimble Books LLC


P.S. If you like this idea, take a look at some of the other books in the COOL MAPS series:
 

 .

Amazon to J.K. Rowling: “thank you”

Amazon.com–News Release

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Dec. 13, 2007–Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced it has purchased J.K. Rowling’s “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” at an auction held by Sotheby’s in London. The book of five wizarding fairy tales, referenced in the last book of the Harry Potter series, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,” is one of only seven handmade copies in existence. The book was purchased for GBP 1,950,000, and Ms. Rowling is donating the proceeds to The Children’s Voice campaign, a charity she co-founded to help improve the lives of institutionalized children across Europe.

“Even before establishing her charity, J.K. Rowling had done the world Amazon.com a rare and immeasurably valuable service–enlarging forever our concept of the way books can touch people–and in particular children–in modern times,–making us boatloads of money” said Jeff Bezos, Amazon.com Founder and CEO. “When we deliver Harry Potter, kids are camped out at the post box, and the drivers get hugs.”

J. K. Rowling is a great writer, but we already knew that books can touch people.

About BORODINO: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY

Dear readers,

I have been reading about military history and Napoleon for almost forty years, and I can tell you that I've never encountered a book quite like the one I've just written about Borodino.  To be perfectly candid, that's something of a mixed blessing.  It's got some unique strengths, and it's got some weaknesses.   To dispense with the weaknesses first, it is a short book (36 pp) and I am not a scholar of the battle -- so this is not an authoritative narrative of what happened.  What you do get in this book that is pretty cool is the following:

*  Beautifully printed full-color pages with many full-page images of the battle and the battlefield.  If you take pleasure in flipping through stylish color picture books--as I do!--you should enjoy browsing through this visual treatment of the battle.

*  Interesting encounters with carefully selected primary sources that describe some of the battle's key moments.  Frankly, I found as I read for this project that the personal memoirs written by participants in the years immediately after the fall of Napoleon were often a lot more interesting than the modern "who marched where" military histories. I like the emotional side of military history, trying to imagine what it felt like to be there.

*  A thought-provoking argument about why Borodino matters in the shadow of today's conflicts--particularly Iraq.  I don't expect everyone to agree with everything I write, but I'm putting the arguments out there to provide a fresh perspective.

The elements of this book, considered together, are an experiment, a new format for writing about military history.  I don't expect everyone to love everything about it, but I am confident that many people who are interested in military history and the Napoleonic era will find this an interesting addition to their bookshelf. 

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

Books Related to BORODINO: WHY IT MATTERS TODAY

Dear readers,

Here are a few books about Borodino you might enjoy:

 BORODINO: THE MOSCOVA: The Battle for the Redoubts  (Alex Mikaberidze, 2007)

BATTLE OF BORODINO, THE: Napoleon Against Kutuzov (Campaign Chonicles) (Hourtoulle)

 With Napoleon in Russia (Dover Books on History, Political and Social Science)  Caulaincourt was Napoleon's ADC and former ambassador to Russia.

There are many more of course!

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

Welcome to CVN-77 George H.W. Bush

Dear readers,

I hope you will enjoy this book with its 32 pages of beautifully printed images of the latest U.S. Navy aircraft carrier, CVN-77 George H.W. Bush.  I've read a lot of books about ships over the years, and one thing that I like about this one is that the cover picture shows an unfinished ship under construction.   Even though the ship is unfinished, I hope y0u'll agree it looks pretty damned cool. 

In this book you'll get a lot of "candids" of CVN-77 as she moves towards completion.  If you are a member of CVN-77's PCU, I hope you'll send me some more hi-res photos!  This book is printed on demand so it's very easy to revise and update with new information.

I am proud to bring forth this book, which I think is a fitting tribute to a great American.  And if you're thinking about buying anything else -- think again!  It wouldn't be prudent to miss out on this book!

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

Related Books to CVN-77 George H.W. Bush

Dear readers,

If you are interested in CVN-77 George H.W. Bush, you should also take a look at a couple of other titles from Nimble Books:

 X-47 Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle (UCAV)  -- the future of naval aviation, this jet fighter drone has been flying off carriers for five years!


 













CVN-78 GERALD R. FORD, U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier - the next-generation carrier design.


 










And you might like

 All The Best, George Bush: My Life and Other Writings  by none other than "41"!

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

In Memoriam Marc Orchant

Marc Orchant Updates and Information | StarrTrek

It is with great sadness that I report that Marc Orchant, Husband to Sue, Father to Rebecca and Jason, and friend to so many, passed away just a short time ago.

marc helped me with my OneNote book. he was a friendly and approachable on-line personality. What a shame ! my condolences to his family.

Technorati Tags:

Related Books to THE NINE CURRENT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Hi,

Here are  a few books and links that may be of interest to those who enjoy THE NINE CURRENT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES.

I was inspired by Jeffrey Toobin's   The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court which is a worthy modern version of Bob Woodward's   The Brethren: Inside the Supreme Court.  Teens may well be able to enjoy either of these books.

I provide the original teft ;-) of Article II of the U.S. Constitution in my book, but every U.S. citizen should have a copy of the whole thing.   The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution looks like a pretty good buy.

Best regards,

Fred Zimmerman, J.D.
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC

About THE NINE CURRENT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Dear reader,

I'm glad to welcome you to the detail page for THE NINE CURRENT SUPREME COURT JUSTICES.  This is a beautifully printed color book that is intended to be a helpful resource for home schoolers, or a keepsake for people who've visited the Supreme Court building.  There are three major components to the book:

1) I provide the full text of Article II of the U.S. Constitution (the part dealing with the judicial branch) along with a simplified explanation of appellate jurisdiction.  I think it's really important that kids be exposed to the actual words of the Constitution.

2) I print beautifully printed color photos of the exterior and interior of the Court building.  There is no substitute for being there, but this is a pretty good approximation!

3) I provide color photos and capsule biographies of the nine current supreme court justices.  If your kids know the names of the nine justices, they're well ahead of most adults!  Also, I'm not kidding about "capsule" biographies... how much do you really need to know about Justice Scalia after you know his nickname is Nino and he's a conservative auto-vote? ;-)

I hope you enjoy this book and find it useful and entertaining. 

Cordially,

Fred Zimmerman, J.D.
Publisher, Nimble Books LLC