Question about "Pointers on C"

[tigervamp]

I purchased "Pointers on C" online and just received the book. The
pages look like they have been poorly photocopied, not the quality I
would expect from a $73 book. My question is, to those that have the
book, is your copy the same or was I hood-winked?

Yes, I know this is off-topic but I thought it would be the best place
to ask since I know people here have the book.

Thanks,

Rob Gamble

 

[=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=C1lvaro?= Palma Aste]

tigervamp escribió:

I purchased "Pointers on C" online and just received the book. The
pages look like they have been poorly photocopied, not the quality I
would expect from a $73 book. My question is, to those that have the
book, is your copy the same or was I hood-winked?

Yes, I know this is off-topic but I thought it would be the best place
to ask since I know people here have the book.

Where did you buy it? To think twice before buy there I say....

--
Atte.
Álvaro Palma Aste
******************************************************
It's the only form of protest they're allowed
I've seen their silent faces scream so loud
If they were to speak these words they'd go missing too
Another woman on a torture table what else can they do

Sting - They Dance Alone (Cueca Sola)...

30 años, ni perdón ni olvido, JUSTICIA!

 

[Tom St Denis]

I purchased "Pointers on C" online and just received the book. The
pages look like they have been poorly photocopied, not the quality I
would expect from a $73 book. My question is, to those that have the
book, is your copy the same or was I hood-winked?

Yes, I know this is off-topic but I thought it would be the best place
to ask since I know people here have the book.

'
You bought a book online for 73$? You were scammed sir.

You can buy TAOCP for much less [for a real hardbound copy] and IMHO it's
worth much more then some stupid book on C.

That will learn you to buy books online from nonrepudible sources...

Tom

 

[Julian V. Noble]

I purchased "Pointers on C" online and just received the book. The
pages look like they have been poorly photocopied, not the quality I
would expect from a $73 book. My question is, to those that have the
book, is your copy the same or was I hood-winked?

Yes, I know this is off-topic but I thought it would be the best place
to ask since I know people here have the book.

Thanks,

Rob Gamble

My guess is that the original publisher, rather than relinquishing the
copyright to the author when the book went out of print, either sold
the rights to keep the book "in print" to an archival publisher like
Butterworth (who uses some form of print-on-demand technology to print
one at a time), or else the OP is doing it himself. The author should
scream bloody murder and demand his copyright back--his contract
almost certainly specifies that he can get it by asking. But until he
asks, they are free to sell such copies to unsuspecting folks like you.

Something like that happened when I specified a text for a course. I was
first told the book was out of print. Then I was told it had a new
ISBN number, and that had confused the person taking the orders. In fact
the new ISBN referred to just such cheesy copies, NOT the original hardbound
book, at a vastly inflated price. The students were mad as hell, and who
could blame them?

Keep in mind that in some circles POD is considered a valuable service--
for example when a library has had its only copy of an important reference
stolen or mutilated. Photocopy or POD is then the only way to recoup
the loss. And since it is hand work, it is far more expensive than running
off 2000 copies using standard phot offset printing technology.

--
Julian V. Noble
Professor Emeritus of Physics
(e-mail address removed)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
http://galileo.phys.virginia.edu/~jvn/

"God is not willing to do everything and thereby take away
our free will and that share of glory that rightfully belongs
to us." -- N. Machiavelli, "The Prince".

 

[tigervamp]

'
You bought a book online for 73$? You were scammed sir.

I should clarify, this was actually a late Christmas gift. The srp is
$73, few places are selling it for much less.

You can buy TAOCP for much less [for a real hardbound copy] and IMHO it's
worth much more then some stupid book on C.

I have dozens of books on programming including about 10 on C, I
didn't have this particular one which seems to be very popular so I
asked for it.

That will learn you to buy books online from nonrepudible sources...

This was purchased though Amazon.com from superbookdeals.com. I will
have it returned if this is not how the book usually appears but I
need to compare notes with someone who has it.

 

[Kevin Goodsell]

This was purchased though Amazon.com from superbookdeals.com. I will
have it returned if this is not how the book usually appears but I
need to compare notes with someone who has it.

There's always the library and book stores, if no one here can help. You
could also check reviews - they sometimes mention the quality of the
binding, materials, printing, etc.

-Kevin

 

[osmium]

You can buy TAOCP for much less [for a real hardbound copy] and IMHO it's
worth much more then some stupid book on C.

Let's see if I understand this. If there is a real good book on quantum
mechanics that is $5 and a book on horse shoeing that I've had my eye on is
$7, I should buy the book on quantum mechanics?

Or did I miss something?

 

[tigervamp]

There's always the library and book stores, if no one here can help. You
could also check reviews - they sometimes mention the quality of the
binding, materials, printing, etc.

-Kevin

I checked alot of reviews, all very good, I would suspect someone would
mention the poor quality if all copies were like mine. None of the book
stores in my area have a copy, I'll look around more on Monday if nobody
else with a copy comes forward.

Rob Gamble

 

[Tom St Denis]

You can buy TAOCP for much less [for a real hardbound copy] and IMHO it's
worth much more then some stupid book on C.

Let's see if I understand this. If there is a real good book on quantum
mechanics that is $5 and a book on horse shoeing that I've had my eye on is
$7, I should buy the book on quantum mechanics?

Or did I miss something?

I'd say yes. You don't need a book on C, that's why they invented google.
However, the stuff in TAOCP is very valuable [and condensed into several
volumes instead of all over the net].

Quite frankly learning 99% of C can be accomplished only through practice.
E.g. write a lot of small simple programs and get experience. No book other
than perhaps K&R [2nd ed] itself is really going to help without going out
of the way.

Tom

 

[osmium]

I purchased "Pointers on C" online and just received the book. The
pages look like they have been poorly photocopied, not the quality I
would expect from a $73 book. My question is, to those that have the
book, is your copy the same or was I hood-winked?

Yes, I know this is off-topic but I thought it would be the best place
to ask since I know people here have the book.

I looked at a nice, fresh, full price version of the book this morning and
see what you mean. The code samples look as thought they were printed on a
(computer) printer and a photocopy made from them and that was inserted into
the paste up to produce the plates to print the book. Did you come to the
one that was made on the tiny quadrule paper yet? But the body of the text
itself looked OK.

Like you I would be disappointed, the book is on the thin edge of being
overpriced anyway and Addison-Wesley is not exactly a newcomer to book
publishing. But it is rare to find a book so highly praised by both real
students *and* ACCU. You have had several days to look at it now, if you
still like it I say keep it. And I would make a note to write a nasty
letter to Addison-Wesley - but probably never actually do it. If you want
to shop around, take a look at _Expert C Programming_ by Peter van der
Linden; but it doesn't have the range that the one you have does.

Just barely perhaps: the people involved thought this gave the book an added
touch of realism. If so, Courier is all we need for realism, guys. We see
Couier we think "This is code".

 

[tigervamp]

I looked at a nice, fresh, full price version of the book this morning
and see what you mean. The code samples look as thought they were
printed on a (computer) printer and a photocopy made from them and that
was inserted into the paste up to produce the plates to print the book.
Did you come to the one that was made on the tiny quadrule paper yet?
But the body of the text itself looked OK.

Like you I would be disappointed, the book is on the thin edge of being
overpriced anyway and Addison-Wesley is not exactly a newcomer to book
publishing. But it is rare to find a book so highly praised by both
real students *and* ACCU. You have had several days to look at it now,
if you still like it I say keep it. And I would make a note to write a
nasty letter to Addison-Wesley - but probably never actually do it. If
you want to shop around, take a look at _Expert C Programming_ by Peter
van der Linden; but it doesn't have the range that the one you have
does.

Thanks for the informational reply. The only reason I wanted the book was
for completeness since it got such rave reviews. It is a good book and if
this is the real version I will keep it. I am still surprised at the
quality though, this is a order of magnitude lower than anything I have
every seen from Addison-Wesley.

Just barely perhaps: the people involved thought this gave the book an
added touch of realism. If so, Courier is all we need for realism,
guys. We see Couier we think "This is code".

Agreed. K&R pulled it off well.


Rob Gamble

 

[Alan Balmer]

Agreed. K&R pulled it off well.

Unfortunately, even K&R currently suffers from mistreatment at the
hands of the publisher (Prentice Hall.) Current printings are done on
thick, cheap paper which bleeds the print to the point where I keep
trying to clean my glasses.

They've obviously reduced the cost, but not the price.