As books move to digital, we need to think beyond "words under glass" for ebooks. Alistair and I propose something more exiting: books connected to the network and accessed by APIs, allowing new interfaces & new thinking about what we should be able to do with books. This is the 2nd half of the Tools of Change workshop I did with Alistair Croll.
4. My definition:
“A book is a discrete collection of text (and
other media), that is designed by the
author(s) as an internally complete
representation of an idea, or set of ideas;
emotion or set of emotions; and
transmitted to readers in various formats.”
11. “To give other services the ability to
use [the stuff] in your books, under
defined circumstances.”
12. An API is
another mechanism
by which a publisher can do its
job, which is:
“to make public”
the contents of a book
(under certain commercial
arrangements)
16. Shakespeare’s Answer:
“And in such indexes, although small pricks
To their subsequent volumes, there is seen
The baby figure of the giant mass
Of things to come at large.”
(Troilus and Cessida).
23. Jonathan Harker’s Journal:
3 May. Bistritz.
Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May,
arriving at Vienna early next morning ...the
post town named by Count Dracula, is a
fairly well-known place....
24. Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st
May, arriving at Vienna early
next morning ... the post town
named by Count Dracula, is a
fairly well-known place....
25. Left <a id="index-entry-122">Munich</a>
at 8:35 P.M., on <a id="index-
entry-101">1st May</a>, arriving at <a
id="index-entry-199">Vienna</a> early
next morning... the post town named by
<a id="index-entry-99">Count Dracula</
a>, is a fairly well-known place...
27. Left <a id="index-entry-122"
class=”place”>Munich</a> at 8:35 P.M.,
on <a id="index-entry-101"
class=”date”>1st May</a>, arriving at <a
id="index-entry-199"
class=”place”>Vienna</a> early next
morning...the post town named by <a
id="index-entry-99" class=”person”>Count
Dracula</a>, is a fairly well-known
place...
57. My definition:
“A book is a discrete collection of text (and
other media), that is designed by the
author(s) as an internally complete
representation of an idea, or set of ideas;
emotion or set of emotions...
... with an API.”
58. Talk to me about dissecting your
Dracula!
hugh@pressbooks.com
@hughmcguire
http://pressbooks.com