A bookstore for people who like the books at the grocery store shelf

dunster · 11-29-2007, 09:44 PM

I am not one of the people who complains because the reader does not play dvds and retrieve my golf balls. But I would like to be able to get books that I want to read that I can get at the local library. The Sony ebookstore has a limited collection of "classics" and a large collection of popular trash, the latter for about the same price as the real books. It does not appear to have an English Dictionary of ANY kind on its site! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up a word while you were reading? It does, however, have "Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II". The perfect device and ebookstore for Americans today.

JSWolf · 11-29-2007, 10:24 PM

Most books at the checkout are romance trash. The best use for romance pbooks is to recycle it into toilet paper. I saw on TV the other day (in HD 1080i) how they make toilet paper from recycled paper.

Madam Broshkina · 11-29-2007, 11:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

I am not one of the people who complains because the reader does not play dvds and retrieve my golf balls. But I would like to be able to get books that I want to read that I can get at the local library. The Sony ebookstore has a limited collection of "classics" and a large collection of popular trash, the latter for about the same price as the real books. It does not appear to have an English Dictionary of ANY kind on its site! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up a word while you were reading? It does, however, have "Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II". The perfect device and ebookstore for Americans today.

A dictionary for the Sony Reader does not makes much sense to me. I can not imagine leaving a book that I am reading, just to open up an ebook dictionary and try and find the word I do not know. A built in dictionary like the Kindle would be nice though.

NatCh · 11-29-2007, 11:45 PM

I'd agree, if a dictionary is a big deal, look toward the Kindle or the Cybook Gen3. Possibly the iLiad if you want to invest that much money.

HarryT · 11-30-2007, 03:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

I am not one of the people who complains because the reader does not play dvds and retrieve my golf balls. But I would like to be able to get books that I want to read that I can get at the local library. The Sony ebookstore has a limited collection of "classics" and a large collection of popular trash, the latter for about the same price as the real books. It does not appear to have an English Dictionary of ANY kind on its site! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up a word while you were reading? It does, however, have "Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II". The perfect device and ebookstore for Americans today.

Lack of dictionary lookup is a major shortcoming of the Sony Reader. Perhaps you should have bought a CyBook Gen3 instead

. The MobiPocket store sells close to 200 different dictionaries, and they work GREAT on the Gen3.

yvanleterrible · 11-30-2007, 11:44 AM

We have romance fans around here, some of them have high standards and I respect that but I guess what they like would not be on grocery store check out shelves. That shelf is usually a preselected range of popular books and I don't understand what criteriae those books are chosen from and who does that selection. Some places have better judgement as to include HP or something as good but it usually stops there.

Does anyone know how it works in that industry?

Astropin · 11-30-2007, 11:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

I am not one of the people who complains because the reader does not play dvds and retrieve my golf balls. But I would like to be able to get books that I want to read that I can get at the local library. The Sony ebookstore has a limited collection of "classics" and a large collection of popular trash, the latter for about the same price as the real books. It does not appear to have an English Dictionary of ANY kind on its site! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up a word while you were reading? It does, however, have "Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II". The perfect device and ebookstore for Americans today.

I found over 1800 classics on Connect. That might be "limited" to some, but not to me.

NatCh · 11-30-2007, 12:41 PM

Any number of titles is limited if measured against the list you want to read and found lacking.

dunster · 11-30-2007, 01:31 PM

My main point about the dictionary was that any bookstore that does not have a single dictionary available for purchase is not much of a bookstore. As for the "classics", the collection is oddly limited. Many of the books are not necessarily classics, just what they appear to have obtained from some sort of collection. For example, they have every single thing George Bernard Shaw ever wrote, many of which were hardly classics, but nothing written by William Faulkner!

stustaff · 11-30-2007, 03:37 PM

I think your being a bit unfair dunster, a dictionary isnt something people read! and its a sony reader! it would be impossible to use a dictionary as a dictionary so why put one in their store.

If you really want one, buy one in html or LIT?

jasonkchapman · 11-30-2007, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

For example, they have every single thing George Bernard Shaw ever wrote, many of which were hardly classics, but nothing written by William Faulkner!

William Faulkner died in 1962. His first book was published in something like 1926. I seriously doubt any of his books are in the public domain. I don't know who actually holds the e-rights to his various books, but whoever it is obviously hasn't made them readily available. I found no Kindle editions of Faulkner's books either.

JSWolf · 11-30-2007, 05:32 PM

And they sell the Soap Opera magazines and trashy gossip rags at the checkouts too.

dunster · 11-30-2007, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jasonkchapman

William Faulkner died in 1962. His first book was published in something like 1926. I seriously doubt any of his books are in the public domain. I don't know who actually holds the e-rights to his various books, but whoever it is obviously hasn't made them readily available. I found no Kindle editions of Faulkner's books either.

I guess I have not realized the complexities of getting stuff out in electronic form. I can't really blame Sony for not having something no one can get. However, I still cannot believe that they do not have an English dictionary available. Perhaps I just can't find it on their site.

jasonkchapman · 11-30-2007, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunster

I guess I have not realized the complexities of getting stuff out in electronic form. I can't really blame Sony for not having something no one can get. However, I still cannot believe that they do not have an English dictionary available. Perhaps I just can't find it on their site.

They probably don't sell a dictionary because it wouldn't be of much use on the Sony. Also, at one page at a time, it would be really difficult to use, as was mentioned upthread. I don't, however, think selling a dictionary is the sine qua non of being a "real" bookstore. There are a lot of "real" specialty booksellers around that don't sell dictionaries because they aren't part of the specialty, unless you count things like "So-and-so's Dictionary of [Insert Genre Here] Trivia".

As an aside. Faulkner remains one of my all time favorite authors. The Sound and the Fury is pure genius.

11-29-2007, 09:44 PM	#1
dunster Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Sony reader	A bookstore for people who like the books at the grocery store shelf I am not one of the people who complains because the reader does not play dvds and retrieve my golf balls. But I would like to be able to get books that I want to read that I can get at the local library. The Sony ebookstore has a limited collection of "classics" and a large collection of popular trash, the latter for about the same price as the real books. It does not appear to have an English Dictionary of ANY kind on its site! Wouldn't it be nice to be able to look up a word while you were reading? It does, however, have "Jeff Foxworthy's Redneck Dictionary II". The perfect device and ebookstore for Americans today.

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11-29-2007, 10:24 PM	#2
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,892 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	Most books at the checkout are romance trash. The best use for romance pbooks is to recycle it into toilet paper. I saw on TV the other day (in HD 1080i) how they make toilet paper from recycled paper.

11-29-2007, 11:45 PM	#4
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	I'd agree, if a dictionary is a big deal, look toward the Kindle or the Cybook Gen3. Possibly the iLiad if you want to invest that much money.

11-30-2007, 11:44 AM	#6
yvanleterrible Reborn Paper User Posts: 8,616 Karma: 15446734 Join Date: May 2006 Location: Que Nada Device: iPhone8, iPad Air	We have romance fans around here, some of them have high standards and I respect that but I guess what they like would not be on grocery store check out shelves. That shelf is usually a preselected range of popular books and I don't understand what criteriae those books are chosen from and who does that selection. Some places have better judgement as to include HP or something as good but it usually stops there. Does anyone know how it works in that industry?

11-30-2007, 12:41 PM	#8
NatCh Gizmologist Posts: 11,615 Karma: 929550 Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Republic of Texas Embassy at Jackson, TN Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3	Any number of titles is limited if measured against the list you want to read and found lacking.

11-30-2007, 01:31 PM	#9
dunster Junior Member Posts: 9 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2007 Device: Sony reader	My main point about the dictionary was that any bookstore that does not have a single dictionary available for purchase is not much of a bookstore. As for the "classics", the collection is oddly limited. Many of the books are not necessarily classics, just what they appear to have obtained from some sort of collection. For example, they have every single thing George Bernard Shaw ever wrote, many of which were hardly classics, but nothing written by William Faulkner!

11-30-2007, 03:37 PM	#10
stustaff Wizard Posts: 1,055 Karma: 2110 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Derbyshire UK Device: sony reader PRS505 and 600	I think your being a bit unfair dunster, a dictionary isnt something people read! and its a sony reader! it would be impossible to use a dictionary as a dictionary so why put one in their store. If you really want one, buy one in html or LIT?

11-30-2007, 05:32 PM	#12
JSWolf Resident Curmudgeon Posts: 73,892 Karma: 128597114 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Roslindale, Massachusetts Device: Kobo Libra 2, Kobo Aura H2O, PRS-650, PRS-T1, nook STR, PW3	And they sell the Soap Opera magazines and trashy gossip rags at the checkouts too.

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