User talk:Bookthing

Welcome!

Hello, Bookthing, and welcome to the ISFDB Wiki! I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are some pages that you might find helpful:

• Help pages
• Field-by-field guide to entering new publications into the database
• Help:Getting Started
• What the ISFDB Wiki is for
• FAQ
• Wiki editing help - Tips on how to use the wiki-specific features when editing wiki pages.
• Wiki Conventions - How things are usually done on this wiki.
• Help:How to upload images to the ISFDB wiki

Note: Image uploading isn't entirely automated. You're uploading the files to the wiki which will then have to be linked to the database by editing the publication record.

Please be careful in editing publications that have been primary verified by other editors. See Help:How to verify data#Making changes to verified pubs. But if you have a copy of an unverified publication, verifying it can be quite helpful. See Help:How to verify data for detailed information.

I hope you enjoy editing here! Please sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~); this will insert your name and the date. If you need help, check out the community portal, or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome!Kraang 02:00, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Year's Best SF 16

Hi! Your submission would make Year's Best SF a sub series of Year's Best SF 16[1]. What you need to do is click "Edit Title Data" and in series paste in Year's Best SF and 16 in series number. This will add the title to the series. Thanks for editing and welcome to the ISFDB!Kraang 03:03, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

I added the image you uploaded. This is a two step process, upload then submit the image link. Just right click the uploaded image go to properties and copy the URL and submit. This will then link the image. Thanks!Kraang 03:10, 13 July 2011 (UTC)

Lambshead's Cabinet

Should the introduction to this anthology be an essay or should it remain as a short story? Also please consider removing the note giving the source as Amazon and do a primary verification of the record. (Here's a link to the help page for verifying data.) Mhhutchins 03:08, 15 July 2011 (UTC)

The Simple Art of Murder

I see that you have submitted the 1988 edition of Raymond Chandler's The Simple Art of Murder (1950). Is there any speculative fiction in this book? As far as I can tell, the stories are mysteries and the book also contains Chandler's eponymous essay. The Collection title is in the database because it was reviewed by Algis Budrys in 1977, but I don't think we want to include the stories unless they have SF elements. Thanks for editing! Ahasuerus 04:45, 18 July 2011 (UTC)

Every Shallow Cut

The submission adding this new pub to the database was accepted, but I made some changes and additions. The price field should show the currency, so I added "$" before the price. I also changed the date to the one given in the Amazon.com listing, which also provided a cover image, and the cover artist credit. If you have a copy of this book, please do a primary verification (you can remove the "Data from Amazon" note as well.) Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:06, 21 September 2011 (UTC)

Sourcing data and/or verifying the record

When adding a new publication record to the database, or updating an existing one, it is important that you do one of two things:

1. If you have the book in hand, leave a message in the "Note to Moderator" field that you're working from a primary source, and after the submission is accepted go back to the record and do a primary verification. (There's a link in the Welcome section above for a page that gives instructions on how to do a primary verification.)
2. If you do not have a copy of the book, and you are working from a reliable secondary source for your data, you must record the source for your information in the "Note" field (not the "Note to Moderator" field),

Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:03, 14 August 2012 (UTC)

Currency

Please give the currency symbol when entering a number in the price field. Thanks. Mhhutchins 18:51, 18 August 2012 (UTC)

Kurland's The Infernal Devices & Others

I've accepted the submission to add this record but made the following changes based on the OCLC record, and to make it comply with ISFDB standards:

1. The title was changed from The Infernal Device and Others to The Infernal Device & Others which is the title according to the OCLC record from the book's title page. (We don't use the dustjacket or cover title.)
2. Publisher was changed from "St. Martins" to "St. Martin's Minotaur". (In most cases, we use the publisher's name as given on the title page, with occasional changes to conform to the publisher's canonical name.)
3. Page count was changed from "516" to "viii+516". (We include the roman-numbered pages in the total page count.)

I also added a link to the cover image on Amazon, and then merged the contents' title records with those that were already in the database. I also placed all of the title records in a new series. Thanks for contributing. Mhhutchins 17:46, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

Herbert's Destination: Void

I'm holding a submission to add a new printing of the Berkley edition to this title. You see that we already have a record for the December 1978 printing with a different ISBN and lower price. So I'm assuming your printing is a later printing, even though it gives the date of the first Berkley edition. Look again at the copyright page and see if there is any indication that it's a later printing, either a statement, e.g. "Second Printing", or a number line, e.g. "9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2". Thanks for looking. Mhhutchins 20:14, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

This is a later printing. Unfortunately, I cannot consult the copyright page to determine the exact printing number and date because the book is unavailable at the moment. I do have a scan of the cover which clearly shows the different ISBN and price. If you choose to approve the submission I can upload the cover afterwards. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bookthing (talk • contribs) .

The cover's not the problem. As I said, we already have a record with that date, so you'll have to get the correct date. Otherwise, if I accept the submission, I'll have to zero out the date to give it an unknown publication date. If you don't have the book at hand, you should always give the source for your data in the Note field. If the information is only from a scan of the image, you have to let us know that. It is important to realize that we want data from the book's interior: the title page and the copyright page. But getting information from a cover scan is OK, as long as your record that in the submissions Note field (not the Note to Moderator field).

One more thing, please end out your posts on the wiki with four tildes (~~~~) which automatically signs and dates the message. Thanks for contributing. Mhhutchins 00:07, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Submission approved and the record is here. Please update it to note the source for your data. Mhhutchins 00:10, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Pournelle's A Step Farther Out

Same situation as above with the submission to add a new printing of this title. We already have a record for the August 1980 edition with a different ISBN and lower price. Please recheck your copy to see if it's a later printing. Mhhutchins 20:16, 22 August 2012 (UTC)

This is a similar case to the Herbert. This is a later printing. Unfortunately, I cannot consult the copyright page to determine the exact printing number and date because the book is unavailable at the moment. I do have a scan of the cover which clearly shows the different ISBN and price. If you choose to approve the submission I can upload the cover afterwards. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bookthing (talk • contribs) .

Same response as above. I'm going to approve the submissions, but blank out the dates. You should go back to each of these records and add a note about the source for your data. Thanks. Mhhutchins 00:08, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Submission approved, and the record is here, awaiting your update to note the source. Mhhutchins 00:11, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

John Coulthart

I accepted two submissions adding cover art credit for this artist. Please update the records to indicate your source for the data. If you have the books, do a primary verification and remove the data from the note field giving the secondary source. Mhhutchins 00:13, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Image uploads

You will now have to link the files that you uploaded to the appropriate publication records. But, please keep in mind, the standards as outlined in the instructions for uploading images. They can not be more than 600 pixels at their longest side, and be no more than 150K in size. Three of the four images you uploaded exceeded these limits, and you should have got a warning that they were oversized. If you need instructions on how to link the images to the records, just ask here. Mhhutchins 01:20, 23 August 2012 (UTC)

Citing secondary sources

Hi. I've been processing your "Stanislaw Fernandes" credit additions. If you don't have the books and are making the determination from some other source (for example, the artist's website or a citation on the publisher's website), you should record that source in the publication's notes while you're in there adding the artist's name. Otherwise, someone with the pub will come along, find no explicit credit in/on the pub, and will be forced to figure out whether to keep that credit or not. The same goes for publication dates and anything else. Not only "should" the source be documented anyway, but you'll save a lot of head-scratching. Thanks. --MartyD 12:07, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

Preston & Child's Brimstone

Your submission to add a new record for this title is very similar to one that's already in the database (here). The differences: an additional "x" pages in the page count field, the publisher as "Warner Vision", and a different cover image. The publication date, ISBN, and price are the same leading me to think they're the same edition. In cases like this, it's better to just update the current record, especially when it has not been primary verified, and the data is from a secondary source. I'll keep your submission on hold and wait for your response. If you agree that these are probably the same printing, I'll delete the older record, accept your submission and then let you update it. One more thing: you did not give the source for your data in the submission, so I can only assume you're working from an actual copy of the book. If so, you should add a message in the "Note to the Moderator" field to this effect. This keeps the moderator from having to do additional research in order to confirm the data. If you're working from a secondary source, not the actual book, you should always note your source in the record's "Note" field. (Notice the difference between the two fields.) Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:05, 8 September 2012 (UTC)

I believe that these are the same printing and the older record should be deleted. I am working from an actual copy of the book. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Bookthing (talk • contribs) .

I have accepted the submission and deleted the old record. Here is the new record. According to the OCLC record the publisher is Warner Vision, and there are ten roman numbered pages. If this is true of your copy please update the record. Also remember to do a primary verification of the record, and to sign any wiki comment with four tildes. (See the welcome section above to learn how to do both.) Thanks. Mhhutchins 03:08, 9 September 2012 (UTC)

Poe's Poetry and Tales

Please cite the source for your data in the Note field of this record. If you have a copy of the book, please add the contents. Mhhutchins 04:05, 29 December 2012 (UTC)

Downbelow Station

Please enter the printing number as shown on the book's copyright page into the Note field of this publication. Thanks. Mhhutchins 20:59, 30 January 2013 (UTC)

The Elfin King

Please enter the printing number as given on the book's copyright page into the Note field of this record. Also please consider doing a Primary Verification of the record. It's one of the few things that keeps other editors from changing data which you have verified to be correct. Mhhutchins 20:10, 31 January 2013 (UTC)

Updating "Amazon", "Locus1", and other secondary source entries

I accepted your changes to The Sad Tale.... Some of the database entries are originally constructed using information from secondary sources. The notes will say something like "Data from Amazon.com as of ..." or "Data from Locus1 as of ..." or some such. When you have the actual book and make changes, you should update that note. If all of the information is available from your book, delete that part of the note entirely. If some pieces are not available in the book, for example, the publication date, then adjust the note to identify the specific items whose information still comes from the secondary source. Continuing the example, you might change "Data from Amazon.com as of ..." to "Publication date not stated; date from Amazon.com as of ...".

Please also consider doing a Primary Verification (follow the above link, and you'll find "Verify this Pub" at the bottom of the Editing Tools section at the left). If you prefer that people not ask you questions, consider Primary (Transient). Seeing either of those helps future editors know that someone at some point had the physical publication and entered/compared information from it. You don't have to do this, of course, it's just a request. Thanks. --MartyD 13:09, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Bridge of Years

What is your source for the cover art credit you wish to add to this record? It is important that you tell the moderator if you're working from the primary source (the book itself) or if the data comes from another (secondary) source. In the first case state "Book in hand" in the "Note to Moderator" field. In the second case, record the source in the "Note" field. 23:22, 16 February 2013 (UTC)

Instead of responding to this message, you made another identical submission and saying the in "Note to Moderator" that you're working from the book. The second submission was unnecessary if you'd just answwered my question, I could have easily accepted the first submission. This raises another question (which I wish you would respond to here): If you're working from the book why did you keep the note that the data is from Amazon and Locus? Also, you could have done a primary verification of the record and I would have known that you were working from the book, which would have made this whole message unnecessary. Mhhutchins 19:27, 17 February 2013 (UTC)