Mistakes in The Hobbit

AlexBell · 04-21-2009, 08:08 AM

In an earlier post I wrote that HarperCollins had done an excellent job of turning the Hobbit into an ebook.

Now that I am about 2/3 of the way through the book I have changed my mind; it's just a very good job. I have found three occasions in which a sentence has been broken and restarted - for example, early in chapter 11 the text 'where the Front Gate stood...' appears as
'where the Front
Gate stood...'

This may seem a minor quibble, but HarperCollins is a big publisher with high standards. They certainly would not have permitted that to occur in a print book; why should we accept it in an ebook?

When I have finished the book I am going to send them an email complimenting them on their general standards, but pointing out the mistakes and asking them to correct them in future versions and to have the same quality standards in ebooks as they do in print books.

I encourage everyone who finds similar mistakes to email them in a similar way.

Regards, Alex

lilac_jive · 04-21-2009, 08:13 AM

Actually, I remember seeing several mistakes in a few of the print versions I have.

AnemicOak · 04-21-2009, 12:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBell

Now that I am about 2/3 of the way through the book I have changed my mind; it's just a very good job. I have found three occasions in which a sentence has been broken and restarted - for example, early in chapter 11 the text 'where the Front Gate stood...' appears as
'where the Front
Gate stood...'

This may seem a minor quibble, but HarperCollins is a big publisher with high standards. They certainly would not have permitted that to occur in a print book; why should we accept it in an ebook?

I wonder if this is a device specific problem or if it has a problem no matter what device is displaying it. Is it screwed up in the Mobi desktop software or just on the Cybook?

HarryT · 04-21-2009, 12:23 PM

In the "Workshop" forum there's a person who's bought it in six different formats. They'll be able to tell you.

pdurrant · 04-21-2009, 12:43 PM

Looking at the HTML from the Mobipocket version, it actually starts a new paragraph at "Gate". Checking my paper copy, there should not be a new paragraph there.

This is a definite mistake in the ebook code, and should have been caught in proof reading. I suspect the same fault in also in the other ebook formats.

I have already sent them a note about the missing illustrations and the uneven indents.

It is disappointing that a major release should have such errors.

Quote:

Originally Posted by AlexBell

In an earlier post I wrote that HarperCollins had done an excellent job of turning the Hobbit into an ebook.

Now that I am about 2/3 of the way through the book I have changed my mind; it's just a very good job. I have found three occasions in which a sentence has been broken and restarted - for example, early in chapter 11 the text 'where the Front Gate stood...' appears as
'where the Front
Gate stood...'

This may seem a minor quibble, but HarperCollins is a big publisher with high standards. They certainly would not have permitted that to occur in a print book; why should we accept it in an ebook?

When I have finished the book I am going to send them an email complimenting them on their general standards, but pointing out the mistakes and asking them to correct them in future versions and to have the same quality standards in ebooks as they do in print books.

I encourage everyone who finds similar mistakes to email them in a similar way.

Regards, Alex

vsalvaggio · 04-21-2009, 01:37 PM

Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games" was even worse. Every instance of the word "corner" was spelled "comer" among other mistakes, line breaks etc.

Over · 04-21-2009, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vsalvaggio

Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games" was even worse. Every instance of the word "corner" was spelled "comer" among other mistakes, line breaks etc.

I guess those are OCR errors.

AnemicOak · 04-21-2009, 03:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pdurrant

This is a definite mistake in the ebook code, and should have been caught in proof reading. I suspect the same fault in also in the other ebook formats.

I just bought the LIT version from FW and it's got the same problem for sure. The "Gate stood." part shows up as the start of a new, indented, paragraph.

Nate0072 · 04-21-2009, 04:33 PM

That annoys me so much when you pay good money for a poor product. The thing is, that after a while you get used to the errors and rarely spoils the enjoyment of the book.

All4Fun · 04-21-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nate0072

That annoys me so much when you pay good money for a poor product. The thing is, that after a while you get used to the errors and rarely spoils the enjoyment of the book.

With the digital nature of ebooks, it would be good if the publishers/stores release revised or updated versions of the ebooks when errors get fixed, etc. Sort of like when software is updated because of bug fixes, etc.

If this exists (and perhaps it already does when you re-download an ebook), I don't have a real problem with that. Of course, errors shouldn't occur in the first place if proper proof-reading and editing is in place as part of their workflow.

JSWolf · 04-21-2009, 05:57 PM

What I do when I find errors is bookmark the page and then I can go back later and fix the errors. The easiest to fix is ePub unless I have the source in Book Designer.

starrigger · 04-21-2009, 06:16 PM

Years ago I bought a really nice leatherbound omnibus of The Lord of the Rings from Houghton Mifflin. You'd think that would be carefully proofread. Not so. The thing is riddled with punctuation errors and broken type. So it's not just ebooks. Every time I reread it (which I do from time to time), I get annoyed all over again. And then I get into the story and stop paying attention to the mistakes.

pilotbob · 04-21-2009, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Over

I guess those are OCR errors.

It could be a ligature issue in that case.

BOb

fugazied · 04-21-2009, 10:05 PM

They really should address submitted errors immediately and release 'revisions' which update the ebook on your device, like companies release software revisions. There is no reason these mistakes should stand other than laziness by the publisher.

DaleDe · 04-22-2009, 12:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pilotbob

It could be a ligature issue in that case.

BOb

corner becoming comer is a typical OCR error. There are lots of these kinds of combinations that give OCR fits where two characters get run together and result in a new character.

Dale

04-21-2009, 08:08 AM	#1
AlexBell Wizard Posts: 3,413 Karma: 13369310 Join Date: May 2008 Location: Launceston, Tasmania Device: Sony PRS T3, Kobo Glo, Kindle Touch, iPad, Samsung SB 2 tablet	Mistakes in The Hobbit In an earlier post I wrote that HarperCollins had done an excellent job of turning the Hobbit into an ebook. Now that I am about 2/3 of the way through the book I have changed my mind; it's just a very good job. I have found three occasions in which a sentence has been broken and restarted - for example, early in chapter 11 the text 'where the Front Gate stood...' appears as 'where the Front Gate stood...' This may seem a minor quibble, but HarperCollins is a big publisher with high standards. They certainly would not have permitted that to occur in a print book; why should we accept it in an ebook? When I have finished the book I am going to send them an email complimenting them on their general standards, but pointing out the mistakes and asking them to correct them in future versions and to have the same quality standards in ebooks as they do in print books. I encourage everyone who finds similar mistakes to email them in a similar way. Regards, Alex

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04-21-2009, 08:13 AM	#2
lilac_jive Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,870 Karma: 27376 Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Pennsylvania Device: PRS-505	Actually, I remember seeing several mistakes in a few of the print versions I have.

04-21-2009, 12:23 PM	#4
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383043 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	In the "Workshop" forum there's a person who's bought it in six different formats. They'll be able to tell you.

04-21-2009, 01:37 PM	#6
vsalvaggio Zealot Posts: 104 Karma: 3187996 Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Texas Device: iPhone, Kindle	Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games" was even worse. Every instance of the word "corner" was spelled "comer" among other mistakes, line breaks etc.

04-21-2009, 04:33 PM	#9
Nate0072 Enthusiast Posts: 36 Karma: 282 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Brussels, Belgium Device: Sony Reader 505 (Silver)	That annoys me so much when you pay good money for a poor product. The thing is, that after a while you get used to the errors and rarely spoils the enjoyment of the book.

04-21-2009, 05:57 PM	#11
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,897 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	What I do when I find errors is bookmark the page and then I can go back later and fix the errors. The easiest to fix is ePub unless I have the source in Book Designer.

04-21-2009, 06:16 PM	#12
starrigger Jeffrey A. Carver Posts: 1,355 Karma: 1107383 Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Massachusetts, USA Device: Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus, Droid phone, Nook HD+	Years ago I bought a really nice leatherbound omnibus of The Lord of the Rings from Houghton Mifflin. You'd think that would be carefully proofread. Not so. The thing is riddled with punctuation errors and broken type. So it's not just ebooks. Every time I reread it (which I do from time to time), I get annoyed all over again. And then I get into the story and stop paying attention to the mistakes.

04-21-2009, 10:05 PM	#14
fugazied Wizard Posts: 1,305 Karma: 1958 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: iPod Touch	They really should address submitted errors immediately and release 'revisions' which update the ebook on your device, like companies release software revisions. There is no reason these mistakes should stand other than laziness by the publisher.