Waiting for 2666 to arrive in 2008 - I WANT IT NOW!

[Dr. Drib]

I want it as an ebook.

I want it now.

And not next year.

I want desperately to read Roberto Bolaño’s novel, 2666, when it will be officially released in an English translation come Nov. 11, 2008.

Stay tuned.


Don

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I want it as an ebook.

I want it now.

And not next year.

I want desperately to read Roberto Bolaño’s novel, 2666, when it will be officially released in an English translation come Nov. 11, 2008.

Stay tuned.


Don

It's a great book no question about it. I bought an arc months ago and read it in 3 days or so and then reread it once and a half in another 3 days. I hope they will release it as an e-book but I do not know what the publisher stance (Farrar, Straus) is towards e.

The Spanish language e-book should be easily available underground due to the popularity of Mr. Bolano

[desertgrandma]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

I want it as an ebook.

I want it now.

And not next year.

I want desperately to read Roberto Bolaño’s novel, 2666, when it will be officially released in an English translation come Nov. 11, 2008.

Stay tuned.


Don

From someone completely unfamiliar with the author and novel, why do you want it so badly? Synopsis please?

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by desertgrandma

From someone completely unfamiliar with the author and novel, why do you want it so badly? Synopsis please?

My mini-review on sffworld

"Composed by 5 interlinked parts revolving around a mysterious German writer which has achieved belated recognition late in life and is supposedly finally seen in the dark, grimy Mexican city of Santa Teresa and the string of murders/rapes of hundreds of women in the above city in a period of about 8 years from 1993 to 2001.

Filled with odd characters, dark humor, grim and raunchy, its 900 pages turn by themselves and it's a book you can read in one sitting if you have a day to spend on it, being so absorbing.

Part one details the rise in reputation of the German writer Benno von Archimboldi, born in 1920, but a mysterious figure never seen by anyone except its publisher and supposedly living throughout the world. This part has as main characters 4 University professors and major Archimboldian translators/critics, a Frenchman, a Spaniard, a somewhat crippled Italian and an English lady, their inter relationships and meetings with assorted odd characters. Finally in 2001 they get a tip that Archimboldi has been recently seen in Mexico and they follow there.

Part two is shorter and stranger, about a weird Chilean academic currently teaching in Santa Teresa and met by the critics in part one - his back story and the whys of his keeping an obscure math book by a Spanish poet hanged on his clothesline outside his house and quite a few other weird happenings

Part three is seen through the eyes of a Harlem reporter who by chance is sent to Santa Teresa to cover a boxing match - he reports on African American politics/social issues but the sports reporter just got murdered - and his involvement with the daughter of the academic above and the first glimpse of the issues involving the hundreds of murders/rapes in Santa Teresa

Part four is about the murders - it is a grim litany of the bodies, the following investigations, sometimes followed by arrests, sometimes not, interspersed with a lot of other related things, like the affair between a detective and the head of the mental hospital, the story of various weird characters, corruption and indifference and much more.

Part five returns to Benno von Archimbaldi and tells his story focusing of his war experiences and how he got to be a writer, and later why he goes to Santa Teresa at age 81 in 2001"

[desertgrandma]

Wow. sounds incredibly deep.....

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

It's a great book no question about it. I bought an arc months ago and read it in 3 days or so and then reread it once and a half in another 3 days. I hope they will release it as an e-book but I do not know what the publisher stance (Farrar, Straus) is towards e.

The Spanish language e-book should be easily available underground due to the popularity of Mr. Bolano

The Spanish language book edition is available at every book store. (I live in Peru.)

A Spanish language ebook...I don't know...

Don

[ProDigit]

if you buy a scanner, you could create your own versions. A book like that probably takes 2-3 days to complete raw scanning and converting to .pdf.(doing 2pages per scan,and then later edit could make you finish within 2 days, that is if you are so willing to give up reading another book for scanning this one)!

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by ProDigit

if you buy a scanner, you could create your own versions. A book like that probably takes 2-3 days to complete raw scanning and converting to .pdf.(doing 2pages per scan,and then later edit could make you finish within 2 days, that is if you are so willing to give up reading another book for scanning this one)!

You're right: I could scan it. However, there are two obstacles to consider:

1) It would cost about $35 to ship the book from the U.S. to Peru.

2) I would need to buy a scanner and obtain some good [perhaps free] software.


I'm a book collector and quite familiar with Bolaño’s work, so I want this hardback as part of my collection. Also, because of its massive size, I want this as an ebook for the convenience of reading on my Reader.

I purchased The Savage Detectives in hardcover when it came out when I lived in the U.S., and then also from Sony when it became available as an ebook.

It WILL become available, as Bolaño is too important a writer for it not to come out as an ebook. Also, it's a front-list item (meaning it's a new book that is a literary treasure) and is considered his masterpiece.

Don

P.S.: I'll more than likely go ahead and order the hardback when I get my first check from teaching, in about 2-3 more weeks. Also, it'll be nice to treat myself to a birthday gift, since Nov. 16 is my birthday.

....but the waiting....

[ProDigit]

well,I'd allready wish you a happy birthday, 16 days in advance!

I bought a while back an HP scanner and printer /copy machine all in one for about $100.
It came with some software (HP director something...) you can still download from their website. (one of the older HP PSC series)
When scanning you can load a program that will automatically convert the document to pdf,with a distinction between text, images B/W or color, or all together.
My software version would detect any scanner, including a webcam, and use it to scan and reconstruct a document.
I think HP's software has been updated,and the more modern versions only work with one of their devices; but maybe the older software still functions with a variety of scanners.

If you don't mind installing HP software on your computer for testing purposes, the following link may or may not work:
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/s...product=427933
Try to download some PSC software bundles (usually around 166MB in size though).

You may need to refer to older downloaded software, and maybe upgrade some adobe things on there.
I never actually tried converting a book from my webcam, even if it is possible to do that with a higher resolution cam, but with the scanner things worked out pretty ok!
The version included even seemed to recognize the fonts used, but was pretty slow to work with (needing to confirm to continue or close the pdf document after every page).

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

It WILL become available, as Bolaño is too important a writer for it not to come out as an ebook. Also, it's a front-list item (meaning it's a new book that is a literary treasure) and is considered his masterpiece.

Ask Thomas Pynchon about e-books and see why it's not a given that 2666 will be a legit e-book despite the above being absolutely true. As mentioned illegit Spanish e-books of his work should be very easy to find, though sadly I do not really read that language.

Savage Detectives is also superb, but 2666 is a true masterpiece of world literature and I hope this US edition that seems to have some buzz behind, will get the posthumous recognition for Mr. Bolano in the English speaking world that he has in the Spanish speaking world.

[ShortNCuddlyAm]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

Ask Thomas Pynchon about e-books

What's his view on ebooks? And does this mean I should give up hope of getting any of his books as ebooks?

(and apols for threadjacking )

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by ShortNCuddlyAm

What's his view on ebooks? And does this mean I should give up hope of getting any of his books as ebooks?

(and apols for threadjacking )

There are quite a few famous authors dead set against e-books and Thomas Pynchon comes to mind while JK Rowling is another one. That of course does not stop ilegit e-Pynchon all over the net and of e-JK Rowling that is well publicized

I would love to see 2666 as a legit US e-book but since Mr. Bolano is not with us anymore, I think it will all be up to the publisher and I do not know its track record with e.

[Donnageddon]

There are quite a few famous authors dead set against e-books and Thomas Pynchon comes to mind while JK Rowling is another one. That of course does not stop ilegit e-Pynchon all over the net and of e-JK Rowling that is well publicized

When will they ever learn.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by Liviu_5

There are quite a few famous authors dead set against e-books and Thomas Pynchon comes to mind while JK Rowling is another one. That of course does not stop ilegit e-Pynchon all over the net and of e-JK Rowling that is well publicized

I would love to see 2666 as a legit US e-book but since Mr. Bolano is not with us anymore, I think it will all be up to the publisher and I do not know its track record with e.

Yes, but The Savage Detectives is available as an ebook, so I was projecting () the hopeful release of 2666.

Don

[Liviu_5]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Yes, but The Savage Detectives is available as an ebook, so I was projecting () the hopeful release of 2666.

Don

Who is selling the e-book of Savage Detectives? I checked FW and BoB and could not find it.