For books you cannot find
Marginalized and diminished shelf areas for technical (non-computer, non-IT, non-management) books in popular bookstores, particularly in India, is a common sight—and it annoys me. In eight out of ten instances, I have found it difficult to find a good technical book to buy right off the shelf. Take for instance the books I use everyday in my work:
- Dynamics of Fixed Marine Structures by NDP Barltrop and AJ Adams.
- Steel Designer’s Manual by The Steel Construction Institute.
- Design of Steel Structures by Gaylord and Gaylord.
- Roarke’s Formulas for Stress and Strains by Raymond J Roark.
- Structural Engineering Handbook by WF Chen.
- Fatigue Handbook by Almar Naess.
As a Structural Engineer, these are priceless to me—in terms of knowledge they hold. It is sad to note that four out of six of these books were ordered, waited-upon and eventually got hold of. There are also two books in that list that are not available at all. So, to one of the authors, I wrote:
The major problem has always been trying to find this book. Out-of-print, publisher problem has dogged my search. Needless to say, I am guilty of having an illegal personal scanned copy myself. I’d like to change that.
I ended my note with this:
If you still hold all rights to the book, please consider offering it via some of the book publishers, like Amazon (out of print), Google Books, for example.
I realize that most technical authors are busy academicians, and a method of offering like that of 37signals is beyond their capacity—in time and management. Whereas, a service like Google Books’ Partner program for example, could take sales and marketing management pain away, and paving a way for students, professionals and enthusiasts find books they love and retain as references. Everybody wins.
This is why I love the internet. It allows me to quickly find contact details of authors1, send them a personal note of appreciation and tell how beneficial it would be to have their hard work back in the hands of those who love it. This was impossible just fifteen years ago.
- This was not possible earlier—you had to go through the publisher, and if their shop had closed, then you’ve reached a dead end. [←]
Hello Chetan,
Next time you need a book, do contact us. We, at Dogears Etc. have serviced countless requests like yours…painlessly, may I add. We source from all over the globe so getting the book you want is never an issue.
Take care,
Jun 8, 07 at 18:05Leonard
http://www.dogearsetc.com