wfzimmerman’s review: “Pass.”
Tor Books (2008), Mass Market Paperback, 320 pages
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Augmented Reality A Practical Guide This new book from Pragmatic Bookshelf (distributed by O’Reilly) made me feel 1) scared ! what a subject for a book — is this real? and
Finally, some real news about THE SOLOMON KEY. According to the publisher, quoted in today’s Wall Street Journal, the release date has been set — but it is a secret. Which is progress! There was no release date at all before. There’s no new news about the content of the book (or any confirmation of the title), but the thrust still seems to be that the book will be set in Washington, D.C. and focus on those wacky Freemason Founding Fathers. I brought out my SOLOMON KEY pre-book/meta-book in 2005 (!) 
“The Solomon Key” and Beyond: DIGITAL FORTESS, ANGELS & DEMONS, DECEPTION POINT, THE DA VINCI CODE, and more …
Price: USD 9.99 33 used & new available from USD 5.69 and I have to say it has stood the test of time quite well. It has already made a pretty healthy profit, and among my forty titles in print ranks sixth in lifetime revenue per month. The content is still sound because book is far less speculative than most efforts in the pre-book genre. I cover Brown’s entire oeuvre, and I include a detailed analysis of Dan Brown’s work habits and narrative strategies, but I didn’t think it wise to go on speculative excursions into the occult and Freemasonry before seeing the published books. I stick closely to what Brown and his publishers have actually said about the book. Judge for yourself if you like my approach: take a look at the Table of Contents in Search Inside the Book mode. I’ve gotten better at covers since I published this book, but I’m reasonably satisfied with the dominant cover image: Kryptos in the CIA courtyard is still a pretty darned cool piece of Washington architecture, and it’s neat to look at and learn about. I would probably use a different font for the title type. Although the cover colors look clunky, they are keyed off the colors used in THE DA VINCI CODE, so I don’t think there was a principled basis for a better choice. I will update this book when THE SOLOMON KEY finally comes out, but I am not sure exactly what mechanism I will use — I may update this edition, or I may issue a separate thinner paperback. Either way, I will provide a PDF softcopy to previous purchasers, as stated in the book. (Simply send me proof of purchase using the email address in the book). I will update this post as publication nears. Until then, enjoy the anticipation! Cordially, Fred Zimmerman
Dear readers, This book
has a special place in my heart because it was the first one I published. It’s held up pretty well over time. The cover, of course, is awfully clunky, and I’ve learned that white is not usually a good color for the cover background. If I were doing it today, I’d probably find a U.S. government public domain image of Guantanamo or Abu Ghraib to serve as the dominant image and put it over a dark grey background. I would probably choose a different font than the Copperplate Gothic I used here, too–but I have to say that the Copperplate Gothic does have a certain appeal! The content is still solid. The Taguba report is essential reading for an understanding of Abu Ghraib, and the Supreme Court cases are still controlling law. I would probably add more about the Guantanamo interrogation protocols and include some of the more egregrious Justice Department memoranda. The interior design is fine. I have no heartburn with anything I did. About two-thirds of the book simply incorporates Supreme Court PDFs of their case reports, which look a bit old-fashioned but are the real deal. That fits with my idea for the book, which is to encourage (force?) people to look at the raw documents whenever possible. The message of the book is still right on target and I am still proud I published it. The rule of law is the winning strategy in the Global War on Terror, and it was, and is, both foolish and wrong for the Bush administration to pursue a strategy of "taking the gloves off" in the treatment of prisoners. Financially speaking, the book has been profitable, and sales have been pretty steady. There are more copies of this book in the WorldCat library catalog than any other book I’ve published. Net lifetime revenue ranks 7th out of all my titles. I expect the book will continue to sell well for many more years. I hope you will add my book to your collection, and even better, buy a copy for your local library. I would hazard that for at least the next hundred years, it will be important that every generation to relearn the lessons of Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib. There’s no better way to do that than to look directly at the original primary documents. Cordially, Fred Zimmerman P.S. I strongly recommend that people interested in this topic also buy
The bottom line is that regardless of whether torture is wrong (of course it is), it does not work.
Why I detest Burt Reynolds and Nicolas Cage by Kathleen Turner | the Daily Mail Kathleen Turner made her name as a screen femme fatale in the classic thriller Body Heat. Her new autobiography reveals with unflinching honesty how crippling illness and the pressures of fame tipped her into alcoholism and despair. Here, in the last of three extracts, she recalls some of the more outrageous moments from her movie career… The extract reads pretty well. I like the way she talks.
1) no one really liked the book very much, and some people really hated it; Fair enough! Onward… Cordially, Fred Zimmerman” |
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wfzimmerman’s review: “I’ve slogged about half-way through this book and I still can’t figure out why it is on the American Library Association list of Top 100 Banned Books.”
wfzimmerman’s review: “A thick paperback edition of a promising new series.”
wfzimmerman’s review: “I’m proud of this book, and it’s a strong seller — in the top few results when you search in Amazon Books for "battleship."”
wfzimmerman’s review: “By Nimble Books author Dillon Burroughs. Quite a good exercise, and a handsomely produced book. Wish I followed LOST …”
wfzimmerman’s review: “What I have learned from the LibraryThing reviews:
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