Request to Test "Sun Tzu's The Art of War" eBook

[Jellby]

I use 9×12 cm as page size for PDFs.

[slayda]

Originally Posted by ahi

Try this one, slayda! 14pt font, and minimized margins.

Can I ask if your preference for a large font size is technological (small font sizes are generally difficult to read on your reader of choice) or personal (whether due to preference or less than 20/20 eyesight)?

Unfortunately the larger the font size the more difficult it is to keep the typesetting ideal--but even this 14pt version is pretty good.

Much better for old eyes. Thanks.

I coule "zoom" in on the smaller fonts but then it wouldn't reflow so I had to pan.

[ahi]

Here is the fixed (9cm by 12cm) 10pt font size PDF.

Can you try it, Vanquiz?

[Vanquiz]

Originally Posted by ahi

Here is the fixed (9cm by 12cm) 10pt font size PDF.

Can you try it, Vanquiz?

YES, it's a perfect size on 505.

Forgot to thank you for The Art of War, I wanted to read this book a long time ago, havent got chance yet till now

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Vanquiz

YES, it's a perfect size on 505.

Forgot to thank you for The Art of War, I wanted to read this book a long time ago, havent got chance yet till now

You are very welcome, Vanquiz!!

If you are not jumping into the book yet, check back later today as I will post the final version, with fixed-up metadata and the book cover too.

Enjoy!

It should perhaps be noted:

1. This is the Public Domain Lionel Giles translation. There are newer ones, some of which are considered more accurate. Personally I find most of the Giles translation more readable though (excepting a few instances where his word choice feels jarring).

2. The Giles translation was actually written with a wealth of annotations. This PDF does not have them--only the book itself (plus the introduction). Unfortunately most Giles reprints do not do the annotations justice even when they do include them. (The original annotations include Chinese characters, accented characters, and other typographic conventions lazily ignored by reprinters--unless it is a facsimile edition.)

I am actually planning on typesetting anew the full Giles translation, annotations and all. But that won't be done tomorrow. When it is, however, it too will be released as a free PDF, and I will be sure to post about it in the appropriate forum.

[Vanquiz]

Originally Posted by ahi

You are very welcome, Vanquiz!!

If you are not jumping into the book yet, check back later today as I will post the final version, with fixed-up metadata and the book cover too.

Enjoy!

Haha, a bit late for that, I already start reading it

But, I will definetely will download the final version, thanks a lot Ahi.

[ahi]

Here is the version with the cover.

Vanquiz, when you get a chance to look at it, could I ask you to do two things for me:

1. Let me know whether the metadata seems correct. Specifically, whether the author is correctly set to "Sun Tzu".

2. If you have the camera phone handy still, attach for me a picture of how the cover looks on your Sony Reader?

Thanks once more!

- Ahi

[Vanquiz]

Ahi,

The metadata seems correct, the author is set to Sun Tzu

Beautiful cover

Note : If only you can embed the cover into the metadata, that would be perfect, not just only displayed as first page on the PDF.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Vanquiz

Ahi,

The metadata seems correct, the author is set to Sun Tzu

Beautiful cover

Note : If only you can embed the cover into the metadata, that would be perfect, not just only displayed as first page on the PDF.

Thanks!

I don't suppose you can point me to some instructions as to how to do that... (the metadata cover) never heard of it with regards of PDF before. (Albeit I am totally new to the eBook scene.)

[ahi]

Is the trick to wrap the PDF in an .ePub file?

[Vanquiz]

Originally Posted by ahi

Thanks!

I don't suppose you can point me to some instructions as to how to do that... (the metadata cover) never heard of it with regards of PDF before. (Albeit I am totally new to the eBook scene.)

Hahaha, sorry, Im a noob myself on ebook scene, not sure how to do that, but Im pretty sure it's possible. Maybe other members can help you better with that.

Just when I add the book via Calibre, the cover is not showing up, but for my other ebooks, some of them have the cover shows up, I can add the cover manually though on Calibre.

[Ankh]

Lupus in fabula.

If you must go with PDF, then you really, really want to consider producing "tagged PDF"'s. And latex/pdfTeX can't do that yet, if I am not mistaken.

[ahi]

Originally Posted by Ankh

Lupus in fabula.

If you must go with PDF, then you really, really want to consider producing "tagged PDF"'s. And latex/pdfTeX can't do that yet, if I am not mistaken.

The listed "limitations" of print are limitations the same way that the directorial tyranny of where scene cuts should be are limitations of motion pictures. Poor quality PDFs are problems of insufficiently informed or incompetent eBook creators (i.e.: people/companies), not of the limitations of PDF as a format.

Since proper typography is (literally) *impossible* to fully automate, no format other than PDF can achieve the quality of printed publications. But, as noted earlier, multiple font sized PDFs will be offered--along with Mobipocket and ePub for those that prefer their scene cuts to be decided by their display device instead of the director.

As to "tagged PDFs", I do thank you for your suggestion; but I am not sure I see what the tagging is supposed to address in this instance. Help me out?

[Ankh]

Originally Posted by ahi

The listed "limitations" of print are limitations the same way that the directorial tyranny of where scene cuts should be are limitations of motion pictures. Poor quality PDFs are problems of insufficiently informed or incompetent eBook creators (i.e.: people/companies), not of the limitations of PDF as a format.

Originally Posted by ahi

As to "tagged PDFs", I do thank you for your suggestion; but I am not sure I see what the tagging is supposed to address in this instance. Help me out?

"Tagged PDF", if I am not mistaken, creates PDF documents where structure of the documents (chapters, headings, etc) is embedded into resulting PDF and preserved. It is a useful feature of the PDF format, you don't want to enforce a limitation by not using it, do you?

Why would it be useful? For starters, it allows reflow of the document on a device which does not match the target resolution. PDA, for example. They come in different sizes, one could hardly expect PDF's for each and every one of them.

Second, the conversion tools can better reconstruct the original document, if and when something like that is required.

[ahi]

Would people be converting from PDF files if ePub and Mobipocket files are also available?