4-2023 What is ISBN ? How does it work ?

Have you ever noticed on the back cover of every book is a barcoded pattern with some numbers ? Ever wondered what could that possibly mean ? According to wikipedia "The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) is a numeric commercial book identifier that is intended to be unique. Publishers purchase or receive ISBNs from an affiliate of the International ISBN Agency. " It helps librarians and bookstores keep track of books in their custody. The bar code replaces the ISBN for automated inventory control.

The ISBN is structured as in the digram given on the right:

Recently, my new book on Ramanujan got an ISBN: 978-1-5457-5712-3 (shown in the image below).

Also see:: How do barcodes work in the book publishing industry ?

11-2016 Enjoy this Major Technology Breakthrough !

Announcing the new Built-in Orderly Organized Knowledge-device (BOOK). The BOOK is a revolutionary breakthrough in technology: No wires, no electric circuits, no batteries, nothing to be connected or switched on. It's so easy to use even a child can operate it. Just lift its cover!

Compact and portable, it can be used anywhere -- even sitting in an armchair by the fire -- yet it is powerful enough to hold as much information as a CD-ROM disc. Here's how it works...

Each BOOK is constructed of sequentially numbered sheets of paper (recyclable), each capable of holding thousands of bits of information. These pages are locked together with a custom-fit device called a binder which keeps the sheets in their correct sequence. Opaque Paper Technology (OPT) allows manufacturers to use both sides of the sheet, doubling the information density and cutting costs in half. Experts are divided on the prospects for further increases in information density; for now BOOKs with more information simply use more pages. This makes them thicker and harder to carry, and has drawn some criticism from the mobile computing crowd.

Each sheet is scanned optically, registering information directly into your brain. A flick of the finger takes you to the next sheet. The BOOK may be taken up at any time and used by merely opening it. The BOOK never crashes and never needs rebooting, though like other display devices it can become unusable if dropped overboard. The "browse" feature allows you to move instantly to any sheet, and move forward or backward as you wish. Many come with an "index" feature, which pinpoints the exact location of any selected information for instant retrieval.

An optional "BOOKmark" accessory allows you to open the BOOK to the exact place you left it in a previous session -- even if the BOOK has been closed. BOOKmarks fit universal design standards; thus, a single BOOKmark can be used in BOOKs by various manufacturers. Conversely, numerous BOOKmarks can be used in a single BOOK if the user wants to store numerous views at once. The number is limited only by the number of pages in the BOOK.

You can also make personal notes next to BOOK text entries with an optional programming tool, the Portable Erasable Nib Cryptic Intercommunication Stylus (PENCILS).

Portable, durable, and affordable, the BOOK is being hailed as the entertainment wave of the future. The BOOK's appeal seems so certain that thousands of content creators have committed to the platform.

Look for a flood of new titles soon.

(by Alan S. Zaben?)

Found at : http://www.infiltec.com/j-book.htm

49/2012 Another amazing bookstore

My earlier post # 36/2012 spoke of an amazing bookstore in Oxford, UK. Here, in India, I found another bookstore, which is just as amazing :: The TATA bookhouse in Indian Instt. of Science, Bangalore (Bengaluru for some fanatics). A bookstore where books are piled up from the floor to the ceiling. The place is so small, you wont fall down if you trip over something. You can browse for hours together, until your legs start aching. The things you discover here will make you come for more.

Even the staircase is stacked with books. You wonder how they keep track of all those gems. The remarkable thing I noticed is that, unlike many other bookshops I know, they do not keep any of those dumb "coffee-table books" which you find everywhere. Never mind, they have a real superb coffee house next door where they serve excellent south-Indian coffee and snacks. A visit to Bangalore is not complete without a visit to Tata Book House, and the coffee shop next door.

TATA Book House has a twin sister in IIT Chennai. This one is much bigger, and is much better organised, but it does not impress a book lover, like its Bangalore sister. This bookshop is also located in close proximity to a coffee shop. It is just one floor above "Cafe coffee day". TBH seems to know the formula that book lovers are also great coffee lovers. Good for me !

Thanks to TBH, I am now richer by several great books. I am a happy man !

36/2012 An amazing bookshop

My last post 35/2012 spoke about how I found a book on the history of mathematics, at Oxford. I found the book I needed, and I also discovered the greatest bookshop of my life.

This incredible bookshop, with a very unimpressive frontage is a place to visit. The shop inside, is stuffed with books, and books and books. There is an endless maze of stairs and corrridors, leading you to stacks and stacks of books. This would be the ideal place to play hide-and-seek, if you are not desperately looking for books.

As usual I wanted to pick up many books. As usual, I was broke. I had to borrow money from my host, Prof. Bernard Carre. I will never forget this visit and the experience of visiting Blackwell's bookshop in Oxford.

Forget the chocolates, send me some books

One of the challenges I face, living and teaching in a "developing" country, is the difficulty in accessing good books. Either they are just not available, or they are astronomically priced. There are of course no good libraries where a freelancer like me can go and borrow books. So what do I do ? Simple -- I beg.

My first CDROM on Linux was obtained by begging on the internet. A kindly soul from the US of A donated a set of Slackware CDs and led me into the world of Linux. I will never forget that gentleman (Mr. Naidu). My first book on Linux was also a gift of someone (Mr. Thaths-Chandrasekhar) who responded to my appeal on the internet, several years ago.

I am sure some of my students and my friends who are abroad, are probably reading this blog. I am sure the world is also full of kind hearted people like Mr. Naidu and Mr. Chandrasekhar. I am sure some of you will be willing to donate a book or two, to a honest and sincere teacher in India. I can send you a list of books which I am dying for. Just email me.

Thanks a lot. GOD bless you.

partha