LOTR ebook erratum and ebook quality

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The only remaining error I know about is the erroneous hyphen in Dunadan.

But there are undoubtedly more errors, most likely in the Appendices which are very complex.

One problem with the current ebook version is the use of small graphics for the in-line runes. There are small bitmaps, so they don't resize with the text.

I hope that these will eventually be replaced with resizing SVG graphics, or perhaps with a custom font, in a new ebook edition. The Appendices could really benefit from this too. I might be persuaded to spend on a new edition if it was done really well.

http://www.thehutt.de/tolkien/fonts.html

Try there. You might be able to make a better version using these fonts instead of the bitmap images.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

http://www.thehutt.de/tolkien/fonts.html

Try there. You might be able to make a better version using these fonts instead of the bitmap images.

Thanks for the links. When I have a spare week or two I might have a play.

[JSWolf]

I may play as well if I get the urge.

[AprilHare]

Thanks for looking again at my humble thread.
I couldn't download my copy of The Lord of the Rings again: it was purchased from Books on Board if memory serves and once they introduced geographical restrictions I couldn't download it again even to backup my purchase!
One can only hope these publishers up their game and fix their products.
I don't know exactly what is going into producing ebooks however it is clear more attention is needed on the topic.

[Valentino]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

Thanks for looking again at my humble thread.
I couldn't download my copy of The Lord of the Rings again: it was purchased from Books on Board if memory serves and once they introduced geographical restrictions I couldn't download it again even to backup my purchase!
One can only hope these publishers up their game and fix their products.
I don't know exactly what is going into producing ebooks however it is clear more attention is needed on the topic.

Thanks for finding so many of the errors, I think all books with a high re-read value should have a similar thread somewhere. I don't want to read all the same ocr errors the next time I read them.

I'm book 8 The Wheel of Time right now and sadly all of them have had tons of errors as well. I've been highlighting them, so maybe I'll compile a massive list somewhere when I'm done and correct the ebooks before my next re-read.

I wish the publishers would do their job though, this is ridiculous.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by AprilHare

Thanks for looking again at my humble thread.
I couldn't download my copy of The Lord of the Rings again: it was purchased from Books on Board if memory serves and once they introduced geographical restrictions I couldn't download it again even to backup my purchase!
One can only hope these publishers up their game and fix their products.
I don't know exactly what is going into producing ebooks however it is clear more attention is needed on the topic.

What is needed is to take the maybe finished eBook and actually proof it. A/B it with a known good copy. I know that can take a while, but when done, it should be quite error free.

Anyway, welcome back. What have you been up to these days?

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

What is needed is to take the maybe finished eBook and actually proof it. A/B it with a known good copy. I know that can take a while, but when done, it should be quite error free.

There are no known good copies of any books, ebooks or print books. All editions of all books have errors in them.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

There are no known good copies of any books, ebooks or print books. All editions of all books have errors in them.

But OCR errors are pretty annoying. I think that books that just have been OCR:ed and spell checked should have a label on it so you know that when you buy it. I bought recently the early Sara Paretsky books as ebooks and they hade some typical OCR errors.

[pdurrant]

Originally Posted by tompe

But OCR errors are pretty annoying. I think that books that just have been OCR:ed and spell checked should have a label on it so you know that when you buy it. I bought recently the early Sara Paretsky books as ebooks and they hade some typical OCR errors.

Yes, those sort of errors should be fixed in commercial ebooks.

But actually getting a 'correct' text for a book is very difficult.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

Yes, those sort of errors should be fixed in commercial ebooks.

But actually getting a 'correct' text for a book is very difficult.

I might say that I only noticed a handful of them and that is around the number of errors you get in an ordinary book. One I remember was "running" whan it should have been "ruining" and that I think is an OCR error.

[JSWolf]

Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion had a number of OCR related errors. The one's I've noticed I have fixed since. But they never should have been there in the first place.

[snarkophilus]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

Hyperion and The Fall of Hyperion had a number of OCR related errors. The one's I've noticed I have fixed since. But they never should have been there in the first place.

Dang, that's not encouraging. They've almost reached the top of my TBR list.

Where they the Amazon editions (not that I'm aware of any other editions)?

Cheers,
Simon.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by snarkophilus

Dang, that's not encouraging. They've almost reached the top of my TBR list.

Where they the Amazon editions (not that I'm aware of any other editions)?

Given that it's Jon you're talking to, I very much doubt they were bought from Amazon. Jon doesn't like Amazon.

However, publishers generally create Mobi and ePub versions of books from the same source; errors in one will normally also be in the other.

[JSWolf]

Originally Posted by snarkophilus

Dang, that's not encouraging. They've almost reached the top of my TBR list.

Where they the Amazon editions (not that I'm aware of any other editions)?

Cheers,
Simon.

ePub. But given that HarryT is correct, chances are the same errors are in the version sold by Amazon as well.

I think I have a partial solution...

create a thread to list errors in eBooks as we find them so others can fix them before reading.

[snarkophilus]

Originally Posted by JSWolf

ePub. But given that HarryT is correct, chances are the same errors are in the version sold by Amazon as well.

If you have the info handy, can you point out the first (or any) error and I'll check my Amazon edition?

I think I have a partial solution...

create a thread to list errors in eBooks as we find them so others can fix them before reading.

Interesting idea ... I'm relatively OCD enough with many of the books that I read that I'd contribute to such a scheme.

Cheers,
Simon.