tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post5769079384911785483..comments2024-03-28T07:00:06.844+00:00Comments on Now Appearing: Non-fiction detritusBrian Clegghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-61663707634564255972013-01-04T18:35:34.156+00:002013-01-04T18:35:34.156+00:00An interesting discussion from a reader's pers...An interesting discussion from a reader's perspective; I read a lot of history and expect to see notes, footnotes and references collected together either at the end of chapters or better at the end of the book where they can be left ignored until or unless required. To my mind they're equivalent to the underwater part of an iceberg which supports the author's ideas.<br /><br />Not so with e-books however where a note (or clickable internet link) can take you off into the ether on a voyage of discovery which the author may not have properly researched. In other words it's like diving underwater on your iceberg and resurfacing some distance away on another possibly more interesting one. Which can be exciting but more often frustrating because it's not always a simple matter to navigate back to where you started. laurasdadnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-16696430094487684492013-01-04T12:22:20.200+00:002013-01-04T12:22:20.200+00:00I like notes that add an extra bit of information,...I like notes that add an extra bit of information, but I hate page references. The worst case is when the two are mixed up at the end of the book.<br /><br />Interesting asides at the bottom of the page please, and dull references at the end where I can ignore them. That should be a rule for all non-fiction publishers.<br /><br />I agree with Frank too, that there should be a way to make it clear in ebooks where the book ends and the index starts...snoakesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-56855452218406055972013-01-04T11:13:16.350+00:002013-01-04T11:13:16.350+00:00Sigh. I ought to point out 'cromercrox' is...Sigh. I ought to point out 'cromercrox' is an editor, so has a strange disposition to notes.<br /><br />Also, as I mentioned with the book I'm currently writing, I'm not dead against notes if they are easy to get to and add interesting information. It's notes at the back of the book that are just page references to sources (which surely no one enjoys reading?!) I was moaning about.Brian Clegghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12723555872580740773noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-91091313940995782542013-01-04T11:10:22.689+00:002013-01-04T11:10:22.689+00:00I love notes too. Currently reading Bad Pharma, an...I love notes too. Currently reading Bad Pharma, and although I do not follow every reference (I want to finish the book before the end of the millenium) I do read pretty much all notes. Ditto when I read Bad Science.<br /><br />Further away from pop sci, when I read both The Gulag Archipelago and The Short Twentieth Century, I read all the notes in there as well. I can understand people who want to skip them, not everyone is a complete nerd, but I really love having them there.Nicohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05451083510383812797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-72001218730407548232013-01-04T11:07:34.073+00:002013-01-04T11:07:34.073+00:00Notes gathered together at the end of the book hav...Notes gathered together at the end of the book have another pernicious effect in these days of ebooks. The Kindle tells you that you still have 20% of the book left to read but then the main text surprisingly ends, with the last section being the notes. The ending creeps up on you unawares, leaving you feeling cheated.Frank Normanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08258191055666365250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4455700514377143758.post-60240767363290581162013-01-04T10:58:11.270+00:002013-01-04T10:58:11.270+00:00I beg to differ. I LOVE notes.I beg to differ. I LOVE notes.cromercroxhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09963551114404818534noreply@blogger.com