Home News Forum Articles
  Welcome back Join CF
You are here You are here: Home | Forum | Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most of the discussions, articles and other free features. By joining our Virgin Media community you will have full access to all discussions, be able to view and post threads, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload your own images/photos, and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please join our community today.


Welcome to Cable Forum
Go Back   Cable Forum > Computers & IT > General IT Discussion

Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions
Reply
 
Thread Tools
Old 02-12-2018, 14:57   #1
Anonymouse
RIP Tigger - 11 years?!
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bolton
Age: 58
Services: EE Superfast Broadband
Posts: 1,424
Anonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appeal
Anonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appeal
Angry Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

- not to put too fine a point on it, I'd like to know why there are any discrepancies!

To explain:

Richard Morgan's Altered Carbon is very firmly in my top ten of favourite novels, and as I now have an Amazon Fire (which didn't exist when the novel was first released, of course) I decided to get the e-book version.

(As well as the entire Honor Harrington series, plus Harry Potter, plus a number of others...)

An accepted literary practice is to denote a character's inner thoughts by using italics in order to distinguish said thoughts from the narrative, and Altered Carbon is no exception to this - I for one prefer this literary device. The central character, Takeshi Kovacs, frequently quotes from the writings of Quellcrist Falconer, who might best be described as a political activist poet/revolutionary, and the quotes are, quite properly, in italics - at least they are in the printed version.

So why the hell are there several sections of text in the e-book version which should be in italics, but are not?!

Call me a purist - meh, I've been called worse. Call me a nitpicker - okay, I'll answer to that too; long ago I wanted to be a scientist and I'd like to think I've retained most of the mindset necessary for that...such as a keen eye for detail. But in this digital day and age, I don't believe exactitude and perfect fidelity are too much to ask.

The original manuscript for Altered Carbon is, surely, in a digital format - so why is it so difficult, apparently, to deliver an exact reproduction thereof via the e-book? To see plain text where there should be italics may be a trivial niggle to most, but to me it's highly annoying - especially as I have effectively bought two copies of this and several other books (I don't begrudge the extra cost per se because the convenience of holding an entire library in your hand is worth it). I want to know why this happens at all.

Sidenote: this also happens in Woken Furies - but not, bizarrely, in Broken Angels, even though I bought all three as part of a collection.
__________________
"People tend to confuse the words 'new' and 'improved'."
- Agent Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.

Last edited by Anonymouse; 02-12-2018 at 15:02.
Anonymouse is offline   Reply With Quote
Advertisement
Old 02-12-2018, 19:22   #2
Ramrod
[NTHW] pc clan
 
Ramrod's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Tonbridge
Age: 56
Services: Amazon Prime Video & Netflix. Deregistered from my TV licence.
Posts: 21,946
Ramrod has a golden aura
Ramrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden auraRamrod has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Agreed. We can put a man on the moon but then can't do something as simple as this
__________________
Step by step, walk the thousand mile road...
-----------------------------------------------------
Ramrod is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-12-2018, 19:57   #3
Hugh
laeva recumbens anguis
Cable Forum Team
 
Hugh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 67
Services: Premiere Collection
Posts: 42,039
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramrod View Post
Agreed. We can put a man on the moon but then can't do something as simple as this
Unfortunately, we can’t put a man in the moon, anymore - the technology we had to do so (Saturn V) isn’t made any more, and we don’t have any current heavy lifting bodies capable of getting a manned mission to our satellite, land, and get back.

Anyhow, completely different tech - that’s like saying we have nuclear power, why don’t we have fibre broadband in remote villages; it’s comparing apples and turnips.

The typesetting for a printed book is completely different to that for epub/mobi formats - it’s like the manufacture of bikes and cars - wheels, steering and gears are involved, but different types.

Also, Altered Carbon was first printed in 2002 - ebooks weren’t (mostly) available then, so it probably had to be scanned and reformatted for ebooks; newer books it tends to be done all at once.

I found this informative.

https://www.millcitypress.net/author...books-vs-books
__________________
There is always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it
.
If my post is in bold and this colour, it's a Moderator Request.
Hugh is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2018, 18:58   #4
Hom3r
Mum 15/08/46 - 30/09/20
 
Hom3r's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, www.daves-world.co.uk. A secret Moonbase (shh don't tell anybody)
Age: 55
Services: 1 V6, 2x1TB TiVo, SH3. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, Ton's of Smart Home stuff, & Cuddy Toy
Posts: 16,864
Hom3r has a pair of shiny starsHom3r has a pair of shiny starsHom3r has a pair of shiny starsHom3r has a pair of shiny stars
Hom3r has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh View Post
Unfortunately, we can’t put a man in the moon, anymore - the technology we had to do so (Saturn V) isn’t made any more, and we don’t have any current heavy lifting bodies capable of getting a manned mission to our satellite, land, and get back.

Anyhow, completely different tech - that’s like saying we have nuclear power, why don’t we have fibre broadband in remote villages; it’s comparing apples and turnips.

The typesetting for a printed book is completely different to that for epub/mobi formats - it’s like the manufacture of bikes and cars - wheels, steering and gears are involved, but different types.

Also, Altered Carbon was first printed in 2002 - ebooks weren’t (mostly) available then, so it probably had to be scanned and reformatted for ebooks; newer books it tends to be done all at once.

I found this informative.

https://www.millcitypress.net/author...books-vs-books

Tell that to Elon Musk
__________________
STAY AT HOME: I found out that mum will never walk again as the coronavirus attacked her nervous system. She died on September 30th, wearing a mask and she still might be alive today.
Hom3r is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2018, 20:51   #5
TheDaddy
cf.mega pornstar
 
TheDaddy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 18,782
TheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden aura
TheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden auraTheDaddy has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ramrod View Post
Agreed. We can put a man on the moon but then can't do something as simple as this
Or did we
__________________
Sports Babble
TheDaddy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-12-2018, 20:57   #6
Hugh
laeva recumbens anguis
Cable Forum Team
 
Hugh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 67
Services: Premiere Collection
Posts: 42,039
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hom3r View Post
Tell that to Elon Musk
He’s going round the moon, not on it. The heavy lifter to do that won’t be available for about five years.

https://www.wired.com/story/spacex-w...s-to-the-moon/
Quote:
Maezawa, who is 42, will the first paying customer to hitch a ride to space on the Big Falcon Rocket, SpaceX’s next-generation rocket. While the rocket and spaceship are still years away from flight, Musk estimated that the circuit around the moon could happen as soon as 2023. He stressed that the vehicle would only carry passengers after several uncrewed test flights were completed.

“We have to set some kind of date [to work to],” Musk said to the assembled crowd. “If everything goes 100 percent right, then this is the date. But there are many uncertainties.”
FYI, the Falcon Heavy Lifter was five years behind schedule.

I hope we get people back on the moon in my lifetime - I remember the first moon landing (I was 12 years old), and I’d like to see more of them.
__________________
There is always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it
.
If my post is in bold and this colour, it's a Moderator Request.
Hugh is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2018, 11:51   #7
Anonymouse
RIP Tigger - 11 years?!
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Bolton
Age: 58
Services: EE Superfast Broadband
Posts: 1,424
Anonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appeal
Anonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appealAnonymouse has a bronzed appeal
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

I was three and a half when Eagle landed, and I remember it!

Thanks for the link, Hugh; that does explain it. But a better method is needed, really.
__________________
"People tend to confuse the words 'new' and 'improved'."
- Agent Phil Coulson, S.H.I.E.L.D.
Anonymouse is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 04-12-2018, 11:59   #8
ThunderPants73
cf.mega poster
 
ThunderPants73's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Notts
Services: BB & PHONE
Posts: 1,141
ThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond reputeThunderPants73 has a reputation beyond repute
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

I'm currently reading all of Spike Milligan's war memoirs on my ereader, they have NOT translated to this electronic version at all well, many of the words are wrong, never mind the itallics, but they're great, so I 'soldier' on....
ThunderPants73 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2018, 20:22   #9
techguyone
Deus Vult
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: W Mids
Services: VM M350 with Superhub4 (modem mode) > Anytime Chatter > No TV
Posts: 2,081
techguyone has reached the bronze age
techguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze age
Send a message via Yahoo to techguyone
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

I just wish the costs were more aligned, it doesn't cost any more to produce duplicates of an e-book once the master has been finalised, unlike regular books where there are printing costs, paper, binding etc.
techguyone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2018, 20:41   #10
Angua
10 yrs same company 😁
 
Angua's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Expanding Town with crap roads
Age: 64
Services: ? BB, basic phone. Share of Disney+
Posts: 7,665
Angua has a pair of shiny starsAngua has a pair of shiny starsAngua has a pair of shiny starsAngua has a pair of shiny stars
Angua has a pair of shiny starsAngua has a pair of shiny starsAngua has a pair of shiny stars
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by techguyone View Post
I just wish the costs were more aligned, it doesn't cost any more to produce duplicates of an e-book once the master has been finalised, unlike regular books where there are printing costs, paper, binding etc.
It does seem odd that books have remained fairly stable in price, whilst the cost of e-books has crept up over the same period.
Angua is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2018, 20:53   #11
denphone
Still alive and fighting
 
denphone's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: In the land of beyond and beyond.
Services: XL BB, 3 360 boxes , XL TV.
Posts: 56,296
denphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden aura
denphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden auradenphone has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by techguyone View Post
I just wish the costs were more aligned, it doesn't cost any more to produce duplicates of an e-book once the master has been finalised, unlike regular books where there are printing costs, paper, binding etc.
Its the same with buying movies as its cheaper to buy a movie on DVD or Blu-Ray then it is to buy the digital download and yet there are far more costs involved in producing a disc and packaging it then the cost of a digital download.
__________________
“The only lesson you can learn from history is that it repeats itself”
denphone is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 06-12-2018, 21:38   #12
Hugh
laeva recumbens anguis
Cable Forum Team
 
Hugh's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Age: 67
Services: Premiere Collection
Posts: 42,039
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Hugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden auraHugh has a golden aura
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

It's also that ebooks have 20% VAT on them, while printed books don't.
__________________
There is always light.
If only we’re brave enough to see it.
If only we’re brave enough to be it
.
If my post is in bold and this colour, it's a Moderator Request.
Hugh is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2018, 14:16   #13
Stuart
-
 
Stuart's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Somewhere
Services: Virgin for TV and Internet, BT for phone
Posts: 26,536
Stuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver bling
Stuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver blingStuart has a lot of silver bling
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anonymouse View Post
I was three and a half when Eagle landed, and I remember it!

Thanks for the link, Hugh; that does explain it. But a better method is needed, really.
The actual differences in ebooks don't bother me too much, but I've also noticed that some ebooks use different phrases or terminology from time to time. I think this is likely because books available in different parts of the world sometimes have different phrases for different objects, and the ebook was converted from a version of the book originally published in a different country.

The annoying thing is when I first thought about posting this, I thought of a few examples. Can I remember ANY of them? Nope.
Stuart is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-12-2018, 14:41   #14
techguyone
Deus Vult
 
Join Date: May 2010
Location: W Mids
Services: VM M350 with Superhub4 (modem mode) > Anytime Chatter > No TV
Posts: 2,081
techguyone has reached the bronze age
techguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze agetechguyone has reached the bronze age
Send a message via Yahoo to techguyone
Re: Discrepancies between e-books and printed versions

Quote:
Originally Posted by Hugh View Post
It's also that ebooks have 20% VAT on them, while printed books don't.
This is a good example of the law not keeping up with technology, an e-book is just as much a book as a printed one.
techguyone is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 10:31.


Server: osmium.zmnt.uk
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.