Google Betas Google Print

Chronic Infection writes "Google is beta testing a book search service called Google Print. Here is a list of books included to date." Quick spot checking turned up excerpts like this one for The DaVinci Code, a great book if you haven't read it.

Re:Page rank in books?

[MoonFog]

On Google Print pages, we provide links to some popular book sellers that may offer the full versions of these publications for sale.

Seems that they do not link to the books directly, but to retailers. From this page [google.com]

Here's how to print Amazon's book search

[Anonymous Coward]

Not really related to Google directly, but still useful. In a user .css file (you can specify it in IE's accessibility options or Opera, or use userContent.css in your Mozilla/Firebird profile chrome directory): .readerImage {
display: inline !important;
}

That's it. Really simple.

Re:The Da Vinci Code....

[nat5an]

Wow, you obviously haven't read the book. It has absolutely nothing to do with the so-called "Bible Code," which I'll agree is utter rubbish. "The daVinci Code" is fiction...so I suppose you're right, it's not true.

Re:Page rank in books?

[FartingTowels]

There are hyperlinks in books and are called references. Also, in most cases, information in books is not designed to skew potential search logic, so search can be performed at face value - by keywords (like in old good search engines).

BTW, I wonder when will the first "sex sex sex porn porn porn hot hot hot big big big" book show up?

A list of the all the books...

[GeekLife.com]

is available with a particularly phrased Google search [google.com].

Re:The Da Vinci Code....

[RTPMatt]

Um, ok 'The Bible Code' and 'The Da Vinci Code' are very different books. The Da Vinci code is not a book that claims that the bible holds secret messages about the future. It is more of a michael crichton-style murder-mystery that brings up a lot of ideas about the bible and religion that most people have not thought of. It does not claim to be a book of facts, more a new spin on topics that really cannot be proven one way or another. It is definatly a worthwhile read, if you are open to the posibility that maybe, just maybe the bible is not a completly factual record.

Has anyone read The DaVinci Code?

[herrvinny]

I have, and really, it's not that great of a book. What makes it a bestseller is that it provides new insights into the Catholic Church, and, in the course of the fiction story, weaves in a good nonfiction tale.

It really is fascinating reading, like proclaiming that the Holy Grail, long thought to be a chalice (see Monty Python and the Holy Grail [imdb.com]) is actually the remains of Mary Magdalene, and the quest to find her remains and to pray by them. It also says that with Mary's remains, there are boxes of old documents with proof that the Church was involved in a conspiracy, made Mary out as whore when really she might have been Jesus's wife.

IMHO, I think this book was designed as a nonfiction book first (the story of Mary, etc) and then the fiction part was made up, so to help burn away the ire of the Catholic Church. I hear this book caused quite a stir in the Vatican. The thing that might have saved it was probably that it was styled as a fiction book.

If you want to read some interesting insights into the Catholic Church, read this book. If you're looking for a good fiction title, forget it. You're better off acquiring a copy of Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen [amazon.com] or something else from the classics.

Re:Has anyone read The DaVinci Code?

[Fished]

In my opinion, as a non-Catholic but a Christian who is working towards a Ph.D. in Historical Theology, the book is errant nonsense. There is no serious argument offered in support of its core premise, just a bunch of fictional "academics" stating as "fact" a bunch of speculative crap that no serious person in the field takes seriously.

little useful info = advertising

[obtuse]

It's hard to tell yet, but the first book I looked at had less information than a libraries card catalog entry would.

That qualifies as advertising. If that happens often, I won't bother to look at them.

Re:Author doesn't know squat

[metric10]

Here's a good review and critique [tektonics.org] that goes into some detail of what's wrong with the book.