M A N T E X N E W S L E T T E R Number 52 - mid July 2001 News + Reviews + Holiday Reading ---- ISSN 1470-1863 ---- 0----- 'The Internet for Writers' If you're a writer who wants to make the most out of the Internet, you need to get connected, get in touch with writers' groups, search out publishers, and make the most of all the free information that's available. Nick Daws' book is designed to do just that. It lists resources you will need to research, promote, and publish your work. It also includes a list of famous writers' web sites - with names ranging from Margaret Atwood, through George Orwell, to Oscar Wilde and Richard Wright. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/daws.htm 0----- Holiday Reading #1 If you're heading for the beach, why not treat yourself to something from the classics you've always meant to read. They're top quality, and very good value - because they're out of copyright. Virginia Woolf comes first in our most-visited author pages. Try 'Orlando', 'Mrs Dalloway' or her 'Collected Short Stories'. Beautiful prose stylist; feminism with wit and panache; but don't look for plot or suspense. Full details of all her major works at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/woolf-04.htm 0----- QUIZ - Technology [answers below] Who invented the mouse, and when? Who coined the term 'hypertext' - and when? Who wrote the first Web browser which could run on any machine - and when? 0----- 'Don't Make Me Think' Web usability guides are all the rage. Now that there is a potential decade of experience available, those people who started early are offering reflections on what works - and what doesn't. Steve Krug is typical of this group. His best-selling 'Don't Make Me Think' is a tutorial in web strategies which takes you from first principles in Web design, through to final usability testing. His principles are very simple, very basic. The user should come first, come second, and be in the designer's mind all the time. All pages should be small, fast to download, and easy to navigate. Fortunately, he shows you how to achieve these effects, and how to organise the fine details of a site to maximise its effect for the user. This is an attractive book from New Riders which sits well alongside their excellent series on Web design strategies. They're pricey - but good quality in presentation and content. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/krug.htm 0----- Holiday Reading #2 D.H. Lawrence is next most popular author on our site. He's still a guru on issues of personal relations, social class, and - yes, sex. He's one of those rare writers who seem just as successful with the short story, the novella, and even poetry. Try 'The Complete Short Stories' or 'Sons and Lovers' - his first great novel. Full details of his greatest works at http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/dhl-04.htm 0----- BANNED BOOKS The 'Ten Most Challenged Books of 2000' has been announced in the USA. A 'challenge' is when the public complains about the content. And top of the list is: 1. Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling, for occult/Satanism and anti-family themes 0----- Holiday Reading #3 Henry James is like good wine - an acquired taste. He writes in a prose style which became more and more complex as he explored the subtleties of human relations. Once you get used to the long sentences, you'll be hooked. Start with 'Washington Square' or 'The Aspern Papers'. Full details of his greatest works at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/aa810/james-01.htm 0----- FREE software - Sticky notes Are you one of those people who has Post-It notes stuck all over your monitor? Then you'll love TurboNote. This is a great way to stay organized without having to put real sticky notes on your monitor -- and it's FREE. Use its small colored notes for reminders, messages, phone numbers, or to-do lists. You can modify the color and size of your notes and temporarily move them off screen. One especially nice touch: You can open Web addresses, programs, and files that appear in notes just by double-clicking on them. http://www.WebmasterFree.com/turbonote.html 0----- Holiday Reading #4 Jane Austen is a well-established classic. Read her for witty observations of human frailties, a sharp irony, and an elegant prose style. This is Heritage Literature - but it's the very best. http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/aa810/austen-04.htm 0----- Quiz - ANSWERS Who invented the mouse, and when? ANSWER - Douglas Engelbart in 1963 Who coined the term 'hypertext' - and when? ANSWER - Ted Nelson in 1965 Who wrote the first Web browser which could run on any machine -- and when? ANSWER - Nicola Pellow in 1991 0----- Holiday Reading #5 Vladimir Nabokov is a modern master - most famous of course for 'Lolita', a wonderfully rich and amusing novel a bout love, obsession and sex between a middle-aged man and his under-aged step-daughter. But he wrote many other wonderful novels and stories too. Peruse the best of his work at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/ou/a319/nab-01.htm 0----- NEXT ISSUE due week of 16 August which just happens to be my birthday! 0----- Coming Soon 'Word 2000 in a Nutshell' 'The Sciences Good Study Guide' 'Modern Architecture' (c) Copyright 2001, MANTEX All Rights Reserved PO Box 100 Tel +44 0161 432 5811 Manchester Fax +44 0161 443 2766 M20 6GZ UK www.mantex.co.uk If you like this newsletter, PLEASE FORWARD IT to friends and colleagues. New subscribers should register at the following address -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm FREE BACK ISSUES featuring news items, reviews, and product details are available at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/news/archive.htm Please retain the copyright and subscription information. It may be posted, in its entirety or partially, to newsgroups or mailing lists, so long as the copyright and subscription information remains. If you have any requests, observations, or items you would like to be included in our next issues, just mail us at -- news@mantex.co.uk You receive the MANTEX newsletter because you subscribed to it. If you wish to unsubscribe, go to -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/newslet.htm News-52-July-2001 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library