FREE/BARGAIN - Non-Fiction - 2016

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by LJJohnson

Repeat spotting is hard due, eg, to Charles River Editors pattern of TITLE A, TITLE B then TITLE A+B

Yes. but if you sort by publication date (may have to "narrow" by clicking on Kindle books on left side), you get about a 85% probability of selecting only new ones the first time. I generally pick the first one I think I have also, just to be sure...

Being non-computer savvy, it seems to me that it would be easy for Amazon to let you know, on the search hits returns webpage, if you've bought a particular title or not. But it might not be. Of course, we know that it does let you know that on the book's dedicated webpage.

I'm thankful for that much, however. I frequently go to Christianbook.com's website. Even if I go to a book's dedicated webpage, I don't get the information about whether or not I've purchased the title. I've found it easiest to find out by clicking on "Buy Now" and see what message that I get. If I'm logged out, I have to log in. If I've already bought it, it will give me a message in red letters--impossible to miss--something to the effect, "you've already bought this, are you sure you wanna do it again?" So, that's an additional step (or two) to Amazon's. But, of course, I doubt (ha) that Christianbook.com has Amazon's IT budget to set things up better, either.

Also, if you're too slow about checking different titles, or otherwise are doing things on the site that require you to be logged in, Christianbook logs you out and forces you to log in again, even after no more than, it seems, about 5 minutes of being logged in. Annoying. Amazon, on the other hand, gives you a lot of time, before logging you out. That doesn't seem like it would be related to the respective stoutness of the IT budgets, however. I don't know why they give you such a short log in (without activity) window. There may be some third-party software, that I haven't run across yet, that I could use that would keep me logged in.

[LJJohnson]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Being non-computer savvy, it seems to me that it would be easy for Amazon to let you know, on the search hits returns webpage, if you've bought a particular title or not. But it might not be. Of course, we know that it does let you know that on the book's dedicated webpage.

On certain types of searches, Amazon *does* let you know on the search page. For example, if I do a search for a series, it will be happy to let me know that I have volumes 1 & 3, but not 2 & 4. Not sure why it will not on the other search pages.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by LJJohnson

On certain types of searches, Amazon *does* let you know on the search page. For example, if I do a search for a series, it will be happy to let me know that I have volumes 1 & 3, but not 2 & 4. Not sure why it will not on the other search pages.

I suppose that I've never looked for a series before! But, I am a non-fictionista and I feel certain that by far the great majority of the books in a series are works of fiction. That's probably why I was not aware . . . .

Thanks for your good contributions to the forum.

[Little.Egret]

Originally Posted by LJJohnson

On certain types of searches, Amazon *does* let you know on the search page. For example, if I do a search for a series, it will be happy to let me know that I have volumes 1 & 3, but not 2 & 4. Not sure why it will not on the other search pages.

The series page is quite new I think.

If people like it doing the same for the author pages might be next.

Doing it for a general search which could have a thousand books would be a lots of resources.

[LJJohnson]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

The series page is quite new I think.

If people like it doing the same for the author pages might be next.

Doing it for a general search which could have a thousand books would be a lots of resources.

Not necessarily, depends upon how the data is structured and indexed. But one on the author's page would be really useful. Save a lot of back and forth to see if I have a particular book.

[LJJohnson]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I suppose that I've never looked for a series before! But, I am a non-fictionista and I feel certain that by far the great majority of the books in a series are works of fiction. That's probably why I was not aware . . . .

Thanks for your good contributions to the forum.

you are welcome. I'm finally at an RV park that actually has good WIFI. But soon to be leaving for one that the WIFI is terrible, but it's only about 20 miles from our grandson. Hopefully I can get back to this one soon, since it's quiet, great wifi, very helpful owners (beyond common courtesy). And it's in the hill country, only about 45 minutes from my daughter's house in Austin.

[gunbad]

Guadalcanal Diary by Richard Tregaskis is on sale for $2.99 at amazon us. Kindle edition released just last month along with his book Invasion Diary. Published by Open Road Media.

https://www.amazon.com/Guadalcanal-D...0964798&sr=1-1

[rchiang]

Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder (Incerto)
by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
$1.99 was $12.99

[tubemonkey]

nevermind - self-pub

[GtrsRGr8]

De Gruyter is a German publisher. Most of their work (they do more than publishing) appears to be in academic publishing. They have a very high reputation for publishing quality academic books.

I don't know how many of you out there in MobileReader Land are interested in academic books--I know that at least a few of you are--but I thought that I would post the following information for those who are unaware of it.

Actually, I think that I may have posted something about this before, but I think that people would appreciate being reminded. In addition to that, some facts have changed since that time.

De Gruyter publishes a very large number of their books as open access, which in this case, at least, means that they are free to anyone. They state, in fact:
There are more than 450 open access journals and several hundreds of open access books from De Gruyter, De Gruyter Open and De Gruyter's publisher partners available on De Gruyter Online.

One thing that I didn't mention about De Gruyter in the opening paragraph is not only do they have a high reputation for quality, they also have a reputation for their books being expensive, some of them very expensive. In fact, what led me to De Gruyter today is an interest that I have (well, I did have--what I'm about to say explains the reason for the change) in a particular academic book that they publish. The hardcover price at Amazon for the most recent edition of this book is $545.00! Being naive (some would call it "stupid" ha), I thought that I would check De Gruyter's website to see if it might happen to be available free as open access (it isn't, in case anyone is wondering).

To find out what's available from them in open access, I recommend that you start here, on this webpage. There are two prominent links on that webpage. One says "All open access publications." I didn't spend much time there but, frankly, I didn't see any open access publications there (if you are interested in open access books, I can recommend some websites where you can do truly fruitful searches for them. Just let me know if you would like for me to do that). However, if you follow the second link, "De Gruyter Open publications," you will find a veritable storehouse of free academic books published by De Gruyter.

Why not give De Gruyter's open access freebies a looking-over, if you have interest in academic/scholarly publications?

I've always heard that the best things in life are free . . . .

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

<snip>
There are two prominent links on that webpage. One says "All open access publications." I didn't spend much time there but, frankly, I didn't see any open access publications there
<snip>

My apologies. I did some more researching . . . . there are, in fact, open access publications on the webpage that that link leads you to. But, I was only off by 1,484, which is the number of open access titles that the webpage says that you can access from there. ha

From the sound of it, there are De Gruyter and non-De Gruyter open access publications on that webpage, whereas on the webpage that the other link is to (I didn't quote the relevant text for that), there are only De Gruyter open access publications.

[GtrsRGr8]

If you are interested in the Vietnam War, you may interested in knowing about a free book (it has so few pages, 39, that I'm more comfortable calling it a booklet) about it, Vietnam War: A History From Beginning to End.

The booklet is one of the periodic (every Friday at least) freebies that a publisher called Hourly History offers.

Here's the description of the booklet:
Read On Your Computer, MAC, Smartphone, Kindle Reader, iPad, or Tablet.

The Vietnam War remains one of the most iconic events of the twentieth century. In the United States, it polarized public opinion and changed foreign policy. It destroyed the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and was the catalyst for a massively impactful protest movement. More importantly, in Vietnam, as well as surrounding areas, it caused untold destruction, death, and suffering.

Inside you will read about...

✓ Vietnam’s Past
✓ Exit the French
✓ The United States and Ngo Dinh Diem
✓ The Resistance War Against America Begins
✓ “Americanization”
✓ The American Home Front
✓ Vietnamization and President Nixon
✓ The End of the Vietnam War and Its Aftermath

Millions of Vietnamese and Cambodian people were killed, and many—including Americans—remain missing. Its origins lie in Europe’s colonial conquests, and its legacies endure to this day. Read this comprehensive, concise history of the Vietnam War.

It's an Amazon Kindle, and the webpage where you can get the free booklet is here.

[GtrsRGr8]

In a way, I hate to mention this sale, because of displeasure that I've experienced in the past with this company's business operations.

Southern Illinois University (SIU) Press is celebrating its 60th year anniversary. In honor of the occasion, they are offering 60% off of a select group of their books, including ebooks.

Not surprisingly, SIU Press has many titles about Illinois, especially southern Illinois. However, they also specialize in titles about Abraham Lincoln and the American Civil War. Again, not surprisingly.

An example of what I consider their ineptitude in conducting business: I saw more than one of their announcements about this current sale, and each say that the offer is valid through November 30. Yet I just received notice in my email about the sale, and there is a dedicated webpage online at the present moment, for the sale, which gives that same information. I have to assume that the sale is still ongoing, but when does it end? I dunno. Furthermore, the promo code that you are supposed to use to is "November" (without the quotation marks)!

Despite the problems in their business operations, the books themselves seem to be solid works, books which would be worthwhile to read, and to do so with enjoyment.

The question arose in my mind, and perhaps does yours, too, about whether or not SIU Press' sale ebook prices are cheaper than Amazon's everyday Kindle prices (sorry, but I didn't see any information about what format(s) their ebooks come in). The answer is: sometimes they are and sometimes they aren't. And when SIU Press will be less expensive, it may be only by a few dollars. To many of us, that might make buying from the sale worthwhile, however. And, it might the little nudge that we need to get us to go ahead and buy an ebook that we would really appreciate, but would not have gone ahead and bought otherwise.

Again, this is a webpage that gives information about the sale.

[GtrsRGr8]

The current Kindle price represents a very nice 80% reduction from the digital list price.

House of Rain: Tracking a Vanished Civilization Across the American Southwest. By Craig Childs. Rated 4.6 stars, from 157 reviews at Amazaon. Print list price $16.99; digital list price $9.99; Kindle price now $1.99. Little, Brown and Company, publisher. 482 pages. https://www.amazon.com/House-Rain-Tr.../dp/B000OT7U78.

Book Description
The greatest "unsolved mystery" of the American Southwest is the fate of the Anasazi, the native peoples who in the eleventh century converged on Chaco Canyon (in today's southwestern New Mexico) and built what has been called the Las Vegas of its day, a flourishing cultural center that attracted pilgrims from far and wide, a vital crossroads of the prehistoric world. The Anasazis' accomplishments - in agriculture, in art, in commerce, in architecture, and in engineering - were astounding, rivaling those of the Mayans in distant Central America. By the thirteenth century, however, the Anasazi were gone from Chaco. Vanished. What was it that brought about the rapid collapse of their civilization? Was it drought? pestilence? war? forced migration? mass murder or suicide? For many years conflicting theories have abounded. Craig Childs draws on the latest scholarly research, as well as on a lifetime of adventure and exploration in the most forbidding landscapes of the American Southwest, to shed new light on this compelling mystery.

[Little.Egret]

Charles River Editors, free

Byblos: The History and Legacy of the Oldest Ancient Phoenician City

Halicarnassus: The History and Legacy of the Ancient Greek City and Home to One of the Seven Wonders of the World

The Three Wise Men: The History and Legacy of the Biblical Magi

Patrick Henry: The Life and Legacy of the Founding Father and Virginia's First Governor

Hollywood's Most Influential Directors: The Lives and Legacies of Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and Stanley Kubrick

Billie Holiday and Etta James: The Lives and Legacies of the Famous Jazz Singers

And in Spanish

La historia de la división suní y chií: entendiendo las divisiones dentro del Islam (Spanish Edition)

NOT FREE in English The History of the Sunni and Shia Split: Understanding the Divisions within Islam

See all

https://www.amazon.com/s/?url=search...ld-title=-kids

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/?url=sear...ld-title=-kids
https://www.amazon.ca/s/?url=search-...ld-title=-kids