NEW RB BOOK ON AMAZON!!!

Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:37 pm

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Does anyone have this book or has anyone read it yet? If so, would you please comment on it here?

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/613244 ... 34&seller=

The price is over the top, way too much for a book that is made up from Wikipedia articles that cost the publisher nothing.

The company, along with many others these days, has an interesting business model. Produce a book that costs them more or less nothing and then greatly overcharge for it. I looked up the company and got the following information on it from...Wikipedia.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VDM_Publishing
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Post by **mtaylo28** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:31 am

That is a ridiculous price. Especially since much of wikipedia's information is inaccurate and people seldom bother to include their references.

Post by **Clinozoisite** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 3:53 am

Um...what?! I have no idea what that book could possibly contain which would be worth that price tag. And to blatantly reference the fact that it is composed of "high quality" wikipedia articles...WTF?

There are no words with which to describe this.

Post by **Chibi Rachy** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 1:55 pm

Anyone who buys that book is a sucker. Forgetting the price tag, why buy a book of articles from Wikipedia? Saying they are high quality is just an oxymoron. The site is nothing more than just a quick reference that cannot be considered a true reference in itself. The only thing to take from Wikipedia is the sources from which the information is gathered. It is good for gathering sources into one place and some of them are high quality. Everything else... not so much.

Post by **Rainbow Brite** » Sat Mar 05, 2011 2:27 pm

What a rip off! I really hope nobody buys ones of these. I've seen them for other subjects as well and they're always ridiculously priced.

Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:22 pm

Chibi Rachy wrote:Anyone who buys that book is a sucker. Forgetting the price tag, why buy a book of articles from Wikipedia? Saying they are high quality is just an oxymoron. The site is nothing more than just a quick reference that cannot be considered a true reference in itself. The only thing to take from Wikipedia is the sources from which the information is gathered. It is good for gathering sources into one place and some of them are high quality. Everything else... not so much.

And a lot more moron than oxy!!!

Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:39 pm

This type of book came to my attention recently when I learned about a new book about jazz in France. I bought that and it turned out to be a PhD dissertation in Sociology rather than in music in general or jazz in particular. It has since gone into the recycling bin as I've got no need to keep it. And that book led me to another, the second one being about French jazz violinists. I didn't notice on the Amazon listing that it only had about 30 pages, not enough to go into any kind of detail on any of the six musicians listed in the title.

Anyway, the book arrived and it was a nasty surprise. There wasn't anything in there I didn't already know. As I only paid around USD 20 for it I didn't feel so bad but decided that I wouldn't be getting anything like this again. I also wrote a very negative review about it and hope that it will be up by now.

When I saw the new RB book and saw the Wikipedia mention on the cover, I knew it was more of the same. I put it on here as a warning to everyone else.