Question about Penguin Classics e-book editions

FlorenceArt · 10-11-2010, 01:54 PM

Hi All,

Has anybody here bought or seen an example of an e-book version of a Penguin Classic edition? Specifically, I am thinking of buying their version of Ulysses.

I have a treebook Penguin version of Tristram Shandy, and I liked it, it had a lot of footnotes that helped me put the book in context and increased my enjoyment of it. And I have confirmed, through a discussion on another forum, that their paper "Modern classic" edition of Ulysses does have good additional material (footnotes and other stuff) that I would love to read.

What I'd like to know is, can anybody confirm that e-book versions of the Penguin classics or Penguin modern classics have the same content as the p-book version? I'd like to know before I pay £9 for a book that is available for free, here on MR among other sources.

FlorenceArt · 10-11-2010, 04:48 PM

Well, I was too impatient to wait for answers, so I bought it. No footnotes

but the formatting seems very nice, and there is an introduction that should be an interesting read. For the moment I'll just enjoy the book. And if anyone has seen the paper edition, I'd still like to know if it has footnotes or not...

Salgueiros · 10-11-2010, 04:51 PM

Is it possible to buy penguin classic books directly from Penguin website? Are there any geographical restrictions?

FlorenceArt · 10-11-2010, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salgueiros

Is it possible to buy penguin classic books directly from Penguin website? Are there any geographical restrictions?

I don't know, I bought the book from Waterstones. Come to think of it, I should have tried Penguin's web site at least to get more information about the book.

I think that they do sell books from the UK web site penguin.co.uk but haven't visited it. I don't know about geographic restrictions either, there are probably some but I was able to buy the book from France with no trouble at all.

Salgueiros · 10-11-2010, 08:22 PM

Thanks for the info.

I wonder why is that the ebook version is not similar to the paper book version? I am trying to find a reason for this but i honestly can't. Do they assume the public that buys paper books and ebooks is different?

taming · 10-11-2010, 11:19 PM

I've got ADE ePUB books on my Kobo that have the footnote numbers, but alas, no actual footnotes. I've been told that footnotes are not part of the standard. On the ADE desktop software, the footnotes numbers were working hyperlinks on the one book I checked, so they were readable.

colinsky · 10-11-2010, 11:50 PM

Every Penguin Classics ebook (epub format) that I've purchased or seen matches the content of the paper book in footnotes/introduction/etc. Often, I'll download a sample of the book (through Barnes and Noble or Amazon -- you should be able to check out either with their PC software without making a purchase) -- in order to preview the specific formatting and content.

Interestingly, the Penguin edition of Ulysses is currently at Amazon for less than a dollar...
http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-Pengui...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Text is also at Gutenberg/Feedbooks though of course without the introduction and possibly a slightly different edition.

Checking out at "look inside the book" to see the paper editions, this version doesn't seem to have footnotes even in paper form. There's a separate "Annotated Edition" that does yet not appear to be available in ebook form.

Sweetpea · 10-12-2010, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Salgueiros

Is it possible to buy penguin classic books directly from Penguin website? Are there any geographical restrictions?

I get the message that books can only be sold to the UK... It's not in the FAQ but in the popup window you get after you place an order.

FlorenceArt · 10-12-2010, 02:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taming

I've got ADE ePUB books on my Kobo that have the footnote numbers, but alas, no actual footnotes. I've been told that footnotes are not part of the standard. On the ADE desktop software, the footnotes numbers were working hyperlinks on the one book I checked, so they were readable.

This must be a problem with the Kobo not reading the links. There may not be a specific format for footnotes in ePub, but it's not needed. As you noticed, they work perfectly as links.

Quote:

Originally Posted by colinsky

Every Penguin Classics ebook (epub format) that I've purchased or seen matches the content of the paper book in footnotes/introduction/etc. Often, I'll download a sample of the book (through Barnes and Noble or Amazon -- you should be able to check out either with their PC software without making a purchase) -- in order to preview the specific formatting and content.

Interestingly, the Penguin edition of Ulysses is currently at Amazon for less than a dollar...
http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-Pengui...=AG56TWVU5XWC2

Text is also at Gutenberg/Feedbooks though of course without the introduction and possibly a slightly different edition.

Checking out at "look inside the book" to see the paper editions, this version doesn't seem to have footnotes even in paper form. There's a separate "Annotated Edition" that does yet not appear to be available in ebook form.

Thank you for this info. I guess there was a misunderstanding when I asked on Librarything whether the book had footnotes. Somebody said yes, but they must have been thinking about the Oxford annotated edition, which they recommended. This one is not available as an e-book, but I have ordered it from Amazon. I hope it will get here soon despite the strike.

I don't regret buying the Penguin edition, from what I have seen it has beautiful formatting, much better than the free version I have (not sure if that's the MR version or another). And with all the made-up or rare words Joyce uses in that book, it's reassuring to have an edition that I can trust to be relatively free of OCR errors or typos. The formatting also helps with the various quotes included in the text.

HarryT · 10-12-2010, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

This must be a problem with the Kobo not reading the links. There may not be a specific format for footnotes in ePub, but it's not needed. As you noticed, they work perfectly as links.

The Kobo has no support for hyperlinks within a text. This is a major shortcoming for reading this type of book.

FlorenceArt · 10-12-2010, 04:34 PM

Though it's a shame about the lack of footnotes, I have to repeat that the formatting is very nice. This is the first time I have noticed the formatting of an e-book in a good way. Usually I don't much notice, unless it's really bad, and that has happened several times with commercial ePubs. But having started this book in a free edition (which wasn't bad at all really), this one is a real pleasure. I wonder if all of Penguin classic e-books are as good. I wish all publishers were as professional.

raymiles · 12-03-2010, 10:47 AM

I recently purchased two Penguin Classics in the Kindle format to read using Kindle for Mac and Kindle for iPhone. One of them, Selected Poems by William Wordsworth, does not display the hyperlinks to the notes (the other does). The lines also display irregularly. Neither has a hyperlink for the titles of the individual works, each of which has a short introduction in the notes section. This makes moving backwards and forwards quite difficult.
I do not yet own a Kindle, but am intending to get one next time I am in the US or UK (I live in Mexico). It will be interesting to see if the formatting of the Wordsworth is better on that.

poohbear_nc · 12-03-2010, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymiles

I recently purchased two Penguin Classics in the Kindle format to read using Kindle for Mac and Kindle for iPhone. One of them, Selected Poems by William Wordsworth, does not display the hyperlinks to the notes (the other does). The lines also display irregularly. Neither has a hyperlink for the titles of the individual works, each of which has a short introduction in the notes section. This makes moving backwards and forwards quite difficult.
I do not yet own a Kindle, but am intending to get one next time I am in the US or UK (I live in Mexico). It will be interesting to see if the formatting of the Wordsworth is better on that.

Formatting can vary quite dramatically between the Kindle edition and the K4PC/Mac edition of an ebook.

elemenoP · 12-03-2010, 11:20 AM

B&N Classics have copious, well-formatted footnotes with the proper back-and-forth links, FYI. And sometimes (like NOW!) they have a promotion with a free classic every week.

eP

FlorenceArt · 12-03-2010, 11:23 AM

Since this thread has been revived, I thought it might be worthwhile mentioning that I ended up abandoning the Penguin version. I am now reading Ulysses in the free version available right here on MR. Although the formatting of the Penguin edition is better, it has too many OCR errors.

I would think that when purchasing a book, it would be natural to expect good formatting AND proofreading, but if I have to choose between the two, I'd rather have a book that doesn't look perfect but does NOT have more typos than a reasonably good paper edition.

10-11-2010, 01:54 PM	#1
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Question about Penguin Classics e-book editions Hi All, Has anybody here bought or seen an example of an e-book version of a Penguin Classic edition? Specifically, I am thinking of buying their version of Ulysses. I have a treebook Penguin version of Tristram Shandy, and I liked it, it had a lot of footnotes that helped me put the book in context and increased my enjoyment of it. And I have confirmed, through a discussion on another forum, that their paper "Modern classic" edition of Ulysses does have good additional material (footnotes and other stuff) that I would love to read. What I'd like to know is, can anybody confirm that e-book versions of the Penguin classics or Penguin modern classics have the same content as the p-book version? I'd like to know before I pay £9 for a book that is available for free, here on MR among other sources.

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10-11-2010, 04:48 PM	#2
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Well, I was too impatient to wait for answers, so I bought it. No footnotes but the formatting seems very nice, and there is an introduction that should be an interesting read. For the moment I'll just enjoy the book. And if anyone has seen the paper edition, I'd still like to know if it has footnotes or not...

10-11-2010, 04:51 PM	#3
Salgueiros Eudaimonia Posts: 898 Karma: 9164418 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Sony PRS T2, Sony PRS T3, Sony DPT-RP1	Is it possible to buy penguin classic books directly from Penguin website? Are there any geographical restrictions?

10-11-2010, 08:22 PM	#5
Salgueiros Eudaimonia Posts: 898 Karma: 9164418 Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Vancouver, Canada Device: Sony PRS T2, Sony PRS T3, Sony DPT-RP1	Thanks for the info. I wonder why is that the ebook version is not similar to the paper book version? I am trying to find a reason for this but i honestly can't. Do they assume the public that buys paper books and ebooks is different?

10-11-2010, 11:19 PM	#6
taming Trying for calm & polite Posts: 4,012 Karma: 9455193 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Mostly in Canada Device: kobo original, WiFI, Touch, Glo, and Aura	I've got ADE ePUB books on my Kobo that have the footnote numbers, but alas, no actual footnotes. I've been told that footnotes are not part of the standard. On the ADE desktop software, the footnotes numbers were working hyperlinks on the one book I checked, so they were readable.

10-11-2010, 11:50 PM	#7
colinsky Addict Posts: 233 Karma: 3232318 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: Sony PRS-300, PRS-T1, PRS-T3	Every Penguin Classics ebook (epub format) that I've purchased or seen matches the content of the paper book in footnotes/introduction/etc. Often, I'll download a sample of the book (through Barnes and Noble or Amazon -- you should be able to check out either with their PC software without making a purchase) -- in order to preview the specific formatting and content. Interestingly, the Penguin edition of Ulysses is currently at Amazon for less than a dollar... http://www.amazon.com/Ulysses-Pengui...=AG56TWVU5XWC2 Text is also at Gutenberg/Feedbooks though of course without the introduction and possibly a slightly different edition. Checking out at "look inside the book" to see the paper editions, this version doesn't seem to have footnotes even in paper form. There's a separate "Annotated Edition" that does yet not appear to be available in ebook form.

10-12-2010, 04:34 PM	#11
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Though it's a shame about the lack of footnotes, I have to repeat that the formatting is very nice. This is the first time I have noticed the formatting of an e-book in a good way. Usually I don't much notice, unless it's really bad, and that has happened several times with commercial ePubs. But having started this book in a free edition (which wasn't bad at all really), this one is a real pleasure. I wonder if all of Penguin classic e-books are as good. I wish all publishers were as professional.

12-03-2010, 10:47 AM	#12
raymiles Junior Member Posts: 7 Karma: 10 Join Date: Dec 2010 Device: iPod Touch, MacBook	I recently purchased two Penguin Classics in the Kindle format to read using Kindle for Mac and Kindle for iPhone. One of them, Selected Poems by William Wordsworth, does not display the hyperlinks to the notes (the other does). The lines also display irregularly. Neither has a hyperlink for the titles of the individual works, each of which has a short introduction in the notes section. This makes moving backwards and forwards quite difficult. I do not yet own a Kindle, but am intending to get one next time I am in the US or UK (I live in Mexico). It will be interesting to see if the formatting of the Wordsworth is better on that.

12-03-2010, 11:20 AM	#14
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	B&N Classics have copious, well-formatted footnotes with the proper back-and-forth links, FYI. And sometimes (like NOW!) they have a promotion with a free classic every week. eP

12-03-2010, 11:23 AM	#15
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	Since this thread has been revived, I thought it might be worthwhile mentioning that I ended up abandoning the Penguin version. I am now reading Ulysses in the free version available right here on MR. Although the formatting of the Penguin edition is better, it has too many OCR errors. I would think that when purchasing a book, it would be natural to expect good formatting AND proofreading, but if I have to choose between the two, I'd rather have a book that doesn't look perfect but does NOT have more typos than a reasonably good paper edition.

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