FREE/BARGAIN — Non-Fiction

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Maybe it's a compilation of public domain biographies plus the public domain appendix?

by L. Carroll Judson (Author), John (Lawyer) Jay (Author), Helen M. Campbell (Author), Emory Speer (Author)

If I was duped, apparently several others were too, what with the ebook having the #1 seller rating in two categories at the Kindle store. But I admit that sometimes I am too gullible.

Prior to posting an item, I try to glance, at least, at the publisher's name to see if it is familiar. I did that with this book. "Madison & Adams" was certainly not a name that I was familiar with, but, from a Google search, it looked like it had done some publishing. I thought it odd, however, that it had the same name as two of the people covered in the book.

If it is a cut-and-paste job, please accept my apology. Even if it is an amalgamation of public domain stuff, however, I hope that it might have some (minor) value.

[sufue]

Christopher Columbus by Ernle Bradford has dropped to $1.99 at Kindle and Kobo US (coupon/VIPable). I've not read this title, but have read The Great Siege: Malta 1565, Thermopylae: The Battle for the West, and Gibraltar: The History of a Fortress, all by this author, and have enjoyed them all. Note that Columbus was free back in the Open Road freebie-thon last December, so check carefully before you buy!

Kindle US: https://www.amazon.com/Christopher-C...dp/B00J48FJI2/
Kobo US: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/chr...er-columbus-18

Spoiler:

Long before he made his fateful crossing of the Atlantic, Christopher Columbus learned his seamanship as a young man in the Mediterranean and then in the service of the King of Portugal. But soon his eyes turned to the ocean and what lay beyond. Opposition to his idea of finding the East by sailing west was based on differing ideas of the size and shape of the world. To the end of his days, Columbus insisted that where his ship came aground was in the Indies, even when it became clear to his contemporaries that they were in fact in an area of the world previously unknown to Europeans. Bradford portrays Columbus’s genius, stubbornness, greed, and stupidity, mixed with bravery and masterly navigation skills. A great book gives us a true and balanced portrait of a great explorer who forever changed the world.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Little.Egret

Maybe it's a compilation of public domain biographies plus the public domain appendix?

by L. Carroll Judson (Author), John (Lawyer) Jay (Author), Helen M. Campbell (Author), Emory Speer (Author)

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

If I was duped, apparently several others were too, what with the ebook having the #1 seller rating in two categories at the Kindle store. But I admit that sometimes I am too gullible.

Prior to posting an item, I try to glance, at least, at the publisher's name to see if it is familiar. I did that with this book. "Madison & Adams" was certainly not a name that I was familiar with, but, from a Google search, it looked like it had done some publishing. I thought it odd, however, that it had the same name as two of the people covered in the book.

If it is a cut-and-paste job, please accept my apology. Even if it is an amalgamation of public domain stuff, however, I hope that it might have some (minor) value.

I did a little more research on this. I hate being wrong. ha

If the following publisher is the same as the Madison & Adams of said ebook, then the publisher of the ebook looks legitimate. But, it sure is a really, really strange publisher, if it is.

First of all, the website for Madison & Adams is totally, except for the titles on the thumbnails of the ebooks, which are in English, in what I what I think is the Turkish language. You (well, I anyway) have to translate the webpages into English in order to understand the text surrounding the thumbnails of the ebooks. So, because of this, and the website address, the publisher appears to be Turkish.

None of the books, however, appear to be in any language other than English! Furthermore, probably about half of the ebooks deal in some way with the United States, and especially with the years just prior to the American Revolution, and the years just after it. This book in question is, of course, about the Founding Fathers of the United States, all of which probably were heavily involved in the Revolution in some way. However, I could not find this particular ebook, Founding Fathers - The Men Behind the Revolution, etc. among the catalogue of books that they publish. Keep in mind, however, that this ebook in question was published just over a month ago, and the publisher may not have gotten around to updating their website.

Seemingly oddly, most of the rest of the catalogue of Madison & Adams seems to be oriented toward helping terrorists. However, after you think about it, that subject is not completely unrelated to the founding of the United States. It's not politically correct to say this, but if some of the guys associated with the American revolution were alive today, they would be considered terrorists by much of the rest of the world, because of some of the actions that they carried out.

[GtrsRGr8]

Read this book and you'll be skeptical, from then on, that the "extra virgin" olive oil that you buy is really "extra virgin," or that it is even olive oil completely--or at all.

I didn't read the book, but I listened to the audio all the way through. It was an eye-opener.

Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, by Tom Mueller.

Rated 4.5 stars at Amazon; 3.91 at GoodReads (a little low there, even for GoodReads--you might want to read the reviews).

Now only $1.99--only 12% of the digital list price!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LW5IZ4/.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

If I was duped, apparently several others were too, what with the ebook having the #1 seller rating in two categories at the Kindle store. But I admit that sometimes I am too gullible.

Prior to posting an item, I try to glance, at least, at the publisher's name to see if it is familiar. I did that with this book. "Madison & Adams" was certainly not a name that I was familiar with, but, from a Google search, it looked like it had done some publishing. I thought it odd, however, that it had the same name as two of the people covered in the book.

If it is a cut-and-paste job, please accept my apology. Even if it is an amalgamation of public domain stuff, however, I hope that it might have some (minor) value.

I am assuming you mean #1 in a sub-category. Let me look at that book.
It is no longer rated #1. Being free has a totally different set of ratings.
I have long since forgotten the book and the author, but he was bragging about being a best seller because he was number one in a sub-category. I looked. There were 5 books in that category for free.
He promptly dropped back to the millions when the promotion was over.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I know that I'm prone to hyperbole (it comes from my marketing background, I think), but this looks like it might be a truly fantastic deal.

First, it's free.

Second, it's huge, at 720 pages.

Unfortunately, I couldn't find any ratings for it. Could it be because it was published just a little over a month ago? Could be. However, it has already attained a #1 seller rating in 2 Kindle store categories.

The ebook is Founding Fathers – The Men Behind the Revolution: Complete Biographies, Articles, Historical & Political Documents: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Alexander ... James Madison and George Washington. Authors: L. Carroll Judson; John (Lawyer) Jay; 2 more.

The link is here.

If you're "into" this kind of subject, get it now. There's no telling how much the book will be after this free promotion!

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I am assuming you mean #1 in a sub-category. Let me look at that book.
It is no longer rated #1. Being free has a totally different set of ratings.
I have long since forgotten the book and the author, but he was bragging about being a best seller because he was number one in a sub-category. I looked. There were 5 books in that category for free.
He promptly dropped back to the millions when the promotion was over.

I'm shooting from the hip here (a metaphor that West Texans can understand) . . . .

Yeah, I guess that "sub-category" would be correct, or more correct than "category." But, question, how would someone know if it was #1 in a category or not. Wouldn't he or she have to check every single sub-category to find the one that was #1? Of course, with Amazon's supercomputer, it wouldn't be a problem to do it (the IRS' is getting very good, too. But, it was an honest mistake; I'm working to correct it. Really.)--it would make the ones at the NSA and Defense Department look like personal, home desktop computers, I'm sure.

Anyway, in the hits from a search for a book, Amazon will put a small banner alongside it saying "bestseller" ("or best seller"--I don't remember) for an item that is the #1 seller in a sub-category.

I'll consider what you said in your last paragraphs--well, you don't actually use paragraphs--but what you said at the end. I may make some changes. But if you can't use the Amazon sub-category ratings, what are they good for? I suppose that they could be just one more factor, along with ratings, to give you some idea of how good the book is.

Don't be a stranger. To the thread.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I'm shooting from the hip here (a metaphor that West Texans can understand) . . . .

Yeah, I guess that "sub-category" would be correct, or more correct than "category." But, question, how would someone know if it was #1 in a category or not. Wouldn't he or she have to check every single sub-category to find the one that was #1? Of course, with Amazon's supercomputer, it wouldn't be a problem to do it (the IRS' is getting very good, too. But, it was an honest mistake; I'm working to correct it. Really.)--it would make the ones at the NSA and Defense Department look like personal, home desktop computers, I'm sure.

Anyway, in the hits from a search for a book, Amazon will put a small banner alongside it saying "bestseller" ("or best seller"--I don't remember) for an item that is the #1 seller in a sub-category.

I'll consider what you said in your last paragraphs--well, you don't actually use paragraphs--but what you said at the end. I may make some changes. But if you can't use the Amazon sub-category ratings, what are they good for? I suppose that they could be just one more factor, along with ratings, to give you some idea of how good the book is.

Scroll down to close to the bottom of the page.
It will show something like this
Kindle books> history> American history> revolution> founding fathers
If the book is in the top 20 you will see #5 in Kindle books> history> American history> revolution> founding fathers
There can be up to 4 listings with numbers.
The less categories the higher up the book actually is.
Here is an actual listing
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #914 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#8 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
#11 in Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Hard Science Fiction
#14 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Post-Apocalyptic
Here Is a free book
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,274 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
#7 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Science Fiction > Anthologies & Short Stories
#16 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Science Fiction & Fantasy
#39 in Kindle Store > Kindle Short Reads > 90 minutes (44-64 pages) > Literature & Fiction

The paid book I picked was published January 25, 2012.
The freebie was published July 30, 2011.
I didn't realize it had been out that long.
The book is Wool (the omnibus) and Wool (part one).
Both by Hugh Howey.
So as you can see he has been in the top 10 in various categories for years. That is impressive.

The book that started this conversation doesn't have any numbers.

[Cinisajoy]

The ratings in the paid best seller list are a fairly accurate gauge of how good a book might be.

The ratings in the free list don't mean a dang thing. Hold on. I am off to the cookbook thread for a second.
This is the number 2 free cookbook special appliances.
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,109 Free in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Free in Kindle Store)
#3 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Appliances
#6 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Quick & Easy
#162 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Nonfiction

I thought about it since it is a 5 star rated book. I changed my mind when I read the reviews.
It screams fake.
Now this is the number 2 on the paid list
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,924 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Special Appliances
#2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Quick & Easy
#3 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Cooking Methods > Slow Cooking
It is a decent book from a legitimate publisher.

[Section8]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

Read this book and you'll be skeptical, from then on, that the "extra virgin" olive oil that you buy is really "extra virgin," or that it is even olive oil completely--or at all.

I didn't read the book, but I listened to the audio all the way through. It was an eye-opener.

Extra Virginity: The Sublime and Scandalous World of Olive Oil, by Tom Mueller.

Rated 4.5 stars at Amazon; 3.91 at GoodReads (a little low there, even for GoodReads--you might want to read the reviews).

Now only $1.99--only 12% of the digital list price!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005LW5IZ4/.

I haven't read this - but maybe a year ago there was a segment on 60 Minutes about fraudulent olive oil from Italy. The mafia has infiltrated the Italian olive oil industry. Chances are, anything you buy claiming to be "extra virgin olive oil" from Italy isn't what it claims to be. It is either a lower grade of olive oil, or some other type of oil (safflower oil maybe) with green food color added to look like olive oil.

We started buying olive oil from California after watching that.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Section8

I haven't read this - but maybe a year ago there was a segment on 60 Minutes about fraudulent olive oil from Italy. The mafia has infiltrated the Italian olive oil industry. Chances are, anything you buy claiming to be "extra virgin olive oil" from Italy isn't what it claims to be. It is either a lower grade of olive oil, or some other type of oil (safflower oil maybe) with green food color added to look like olive oil.

We started buying olive oil from California after watching that.

I didn't get to watch the 60 minutes segment. I'll check CBS' website or YouTube and see if it's available.

I don't remember this guy saying much, if anything, about the mafia (I'm sure that it doesn't exist in Italy. ). Seriously, maybe he was afraid to. The idea of sleeping wid the fishes probably didn't appeal to him. He seemed to aim his guns far more against corporations, if I remember correctly, It is the corporations who get the real thing from the co-ops of farmers or whatever, and then they (the corporations) mess around with it by adding cheaper oils. I remember him mentioning at least once that even animal fat has been used to substitute for some of the olive oil. He seemed to have better things to say about Colavita, than the other companies, and so that's what I've been buying since.

California olive oils are probably safe, too. American standards and inspections are far greater than most every area, I think.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I didn't get to watch the 60 minutes segment. I'll check CBS' website or YouTube and see if it's available.

I don't remember this guy saying much, if anything, about the mafia (I'm sure that it doesn't exist in Italy. ). Seriously, maybe he was afraid to. The idea of sleeping wid the fishes probably didn't appeal to him. He seemed to aim his guns far more against corporations, if I remember correctly, It is the corporations who get the real thing from the co-ops of farmers or whatever, and then they (the corporations) mess around with it by adding cheaper oils. I remember him mentioning at least once that even animal fat has been used to substitute for some of the olive oil. He seemed to have better things to say about Colavita, than the other companies, and so that's what I've been buying since.

California olive oils are probably safe, too. American standards and inspections are far greater than most every area, I think.

I read today that Whole Foods was doing a recall of some of their chicken salad. The supplier had sent them tuna salad labeled as chicken salad.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

I didn't get to watch the 60 minutes segment. I'll check CBS' website or YouTube and see if it's available.

60 minutes Agro Mafia segment...
https://vimeo.com/168258014

[Gudy]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

American standards and inspections are far greater than most every area, I think.

*snort*
While the EU is a stickler especially when it comes to claiming an area of origin or using a food name which implies such a thing, like, e.g. Champagne, or Italian Olive Oil, the US generally doesn't care about such things. Which is why in the US, "Italian extra virgin olive oil" can be basically any vaguely fatty substance from anywhere in the world as long as it doesn't immediately kill you, while in the EU chances are much better that most of the stuff in the container is actually olive oil, and that at least some of it might actually be from Italy. (I have no illusions about how tightly those regulations are followed or enforced, but they do tend to have some effect.)

I personally think that Italian Olive Oil is a great exercise in marketing and a much lesser effort in actual food quality. I prefer Spanish olive oil anyway, since it tastes better in my experience.

[ReadingManiac]

Originally Posted by GtrsRGr8

If you're like me, the more times that you read it or listen to something like that, the more you get out of it.

Yes, I think that applies to everyone. We take in information in layers. I'm thinking of re-reading Gleick with less fear of the Physics.

[GtrsRGr8]

Originally Posted by Cinisajoy

I read today that Whole Foods was doing a recall of some of their chicken salad. The supplier had sent them tuna salad labeled as chicken salad.

Whole Foods is great about getting the word out about stuff like that and food with potential dangers, even minor, that they sell. I don't remember where I see those announcements, but I see them quite often. I doubt that the problems are worse than the other companies, I just think that they are more consumer-conscious and more transparent.

I think of them as a very high quality company, and their high prices reflect that. Alas, Walmart has purchased them, though. It remains to be seen how much damage that they will do to Whole Foods.