Posted on 06/08/2002 6:34:19 PM PDT by TLBSHOW
This spring, Princeton University Press unveiled an unusual electronic book program, designed to free books not only from the space restrictions of print but from time restrictions as well.
Called Princeton Digital Books Plus, the program goes beyond the simple production of electronic copies of static hardcover books. Instead, each book is designed to evolve after its publication date, shaped by online discussions among readers and authors.
The first book to be vaulted into the public arena of feedback and revision is "Republic.com," by Cass Sunstein, a law professor at the University of Chicago. "Republic.com," which considers the effect of customized news and information via the Internet, arrived in March in two forms — as both a 224-page hardcover book and as an electronic book that could be downloaded to any device that uses Microsoft Reader.
Until the end of April, Mr. Sunstein participated in discussions about his book on the press's Web site and Salon.com, while also reading and indirectly responding to criticisms of the book that appeared on several other sites.
Next week, the revision phase of the program will be on display, as Mr. Sunstein releases a more formal reply to the online discussions. The 6,000-word reply will be available first on Amazon's Web site for free downloading on May 14 and later as part of a revised paperback edition.
"It's a living book whose content isn't frozen at the hardcover," Mr. Sunstein said.
The approach has piqued the interest of some members of the publishing community at a time when companies and nonprofit presses are scrambling to figure out whether there is an audience for e-books.
Jim Lichtenberg, president of LightSpeed, a consulting company that focuses on electronic publishing issues, said he could see the program succeeding in an academic market, where peer review was already part of the culture. But, he added, the program raises the issue of how much is too much.
"At a certain point," he said, "there is some real advantage to having closure."
Princeton plans to limit its write- and-revise project to one round per book. Its next release, on June 15, will be "Breaking the Deadlock: The Supreme Court and Election 2000," by Richard Posner, a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago.
Lively debates are an integral part of the program and "Republic.com" provoked plenty.
In the book, Mr. Sunstein expounds on what he sees as the dark side of the Internet. He argues that because people are able to customize what they want to see online, they run the risk of what he calls self-insulation, reading only what they want to read and talking only with those who agree with them. He proposes several ways to counter that fragmentation — including the idea that Web sites carry links to sites with opposing viewpoints. That proposal seemed to strike a nerve among some readers.
Mr. Sunstein said the outpouring of criticism had surprised him. Of his proposal for opposing links, Mr. Sunstein said in an interview, "I say it should be considered; I don't favor it."
Still, Mr. Sunstein said he was grateful for the online debates and for the chance to clarify some of his points in next week's essay. If anything, he said, the experience has strengthened his beliefs.
"I've been exposed to a lot of arguments I didn't choose," he said. "I didn't choose to hear that my argument was fundamentally wrong. But he continued, "It fits nicely with the theme of my book." Many of his critics, he said, "had a lot of good ideas."
An 80 post thread is impressive to this woman? A cheese or moose thread can quadruple that number of replies in a couple of hours.
Thinly Veiled Liberal Book Called Republic.com About the Hazards of Being a FReeper?
dirtboy and jonatron, heads up--you're famous! ;)
What a joke. There is far more diversity of opinion here than anywhere else. It just isn't politically-correct, coralled opinion - and that scares the crap out of professors and gatekeepers. Heck, one day their students might question their Marxist ways, and what's a Marxist to do with dissent when there are no gulags anymore? Downright frightening.
8 Posted on 03/19/2001 15:32:21 PST by dirtboy
and
Anybody who plays by the FR rules can post their information and discuss it. The elite-controlled television, radio, press and Ivy League are the ones promoting cascades of like-minded opinions.
57 Posted on 03/19/2001 19:28:00 PST by jonatron
http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3b18dbfa6a24.htm
if anyone knows how to access the really really old threads
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