M A N T E X N E W S L E T T E R Number 61 - January 2002 Subscribers' favourite books ------ ISSN 1470-1863 ----- Happy New Year to everyone! We start off 2002 with a review of those items YOU liked best in the last twelve months. 0----- 'The Design of Everyday Things' Donald A. Norman is a design and usability guru who now teams up with Jakob Nielsen to tell businesses where they are going wrong - for a big fee. His most influential book is a delightful tour through the problems and disasters of everyday life as we grapple with the problems of bad design. Video recorders adults cannot program; doors which don't open; taps you don't know which way to turn. He explains why they don't work properly - and he shows how they could be designed more successfully. This book has become a modern classic of good design practice. You can see why at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/norman.htm 0----- QUIZ - Who were the legendary founders of Rome? 0----- WAN2TLK? - ltle bk of txt msgs Text messaging is the new email - especially amongst the young. There's a whole new language of F2T (free to talk) and MYOB (mind your own business). If you want to get up to speed with the latest in electronic messaging, have a look at the mini guidance manual which knocked Harry Potter off the top of the best-seller list. Review and details - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/omara.htm 0----- QUIZ Where is the Foreign Office in Paris? 0----- 'The Art + Science of Web Design' Jeffrey Veen had a big hit with his first book - "HotWired Style". This is the follow-up - and it's even better. It's an insider's view of how the Net works, and how Web sites should be designed for the user's benefit. It's not a book full of pages of code. These are ideas, strategies, and policies. He analyses big sites such as Yahoo, and shows you how and why they work so well. But for designers there are some excellent tips - such as how to use cascading style sheets to control the layout of your pages. Suitable for intermediate users. Well written. Highly commended. Full review at -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/veen.htm 0----- QUIZ Who composed the opera 'Eugene Onegin'? 0----- 'Stop Stealing Sheep' This is a best-selling book on typography, despite its daft title. Erik Spiekermann and E.M. Ginger take you through the basics of type and offer an appreciation of good design. It's an elegant production, with a minimum of technical detail and lots of enthusiasm. Review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/spiek.htm 0----- QUIZ Which French novelist wrote 'Gigi'? 0----- 'Taking Your Talent to the Web' Web design manuals are starting to become more sophisticated. There are plenty which deal with the practicalities of coding, but there is a new generation emerging. Jeffrey Zeldman's approach is to help people make the transition from HTML to the more advanced technologies of XHTML, style sheets, and JavaScripts. It's an elegant production, and Zeldman has a witty and entertaining style. Full review and details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/zeldman.htm 0----- QUIZ What would you use to make a Pina Colada? 0----- 'Writer's Internet Handbook' If you want to break into electronic publishing, there are two easy avenues open to you - E-zines and E-books. In both cases, you write your material, then there are plenty of people ready to publish it for you. But how do you find out who these people are, and where are they listed? Karen Scott's new guide 'The Internet Writer's Handbook' does just that. She lists all the major E-publishers, tells you what sort of writing they are looking for, and - most importantly - how much they pay. If you plan to publish your work on the Internet, this book is a sound investment. Full details and review at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/scott.htm 0----- QUIZ Which member of the pumpkin family might you find in a bathroom? 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----- QUIZ Who wrote the poem 'Gunga Din'? 0----- Modern Typography - David Carson There's a new expanded edition of David Carson's 'The End of Print'. Our review of this book is one of the most-requested pages on our site. David Carson was once a competitive surfer and a sociology teacher - but he became a leading figure in the Grunge school of west coast American typography in the 1990s. 'The End of Print' is a best-seller which he designed himself and shows a wacky sense of graphic design in which pictures, text, and page layout all seem to blend into each other. This one is for post-Modern fans. Full details and review at -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/carson-1.htm 0----- QUIZ Who painted 'The Raft of the Medusa'? 0----- 'Writers + Artists Yearbook' The latest edition of this best-selling reference book has just appeared for 2002. It's an encyclopedia of what writers, journalists, and media workers need for contacts with publishers, agents, and anyone else in the communication industries. If you want to publish your writing, locate outlets, mug up on copyright, or see the best-seller lists for last year - it's all here. Details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/black.htm There's a rival publication called 'The Writer's Handbook' which appears at the same time. The main difference is that the Handbook puts more emphasis on journalism and the broadcast media. See the difference at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/turner.htm 0----- QUIZ What was the river of forgetfulness in Greek mythology? 0----- 'Fresh Styles for Web Designers' The Web has spawned all sorts of page designs and site structures. In this new book, Curt Cloninger looks at some of the best by new young designers - some of them quite experimental. He defines the style - Gothic, Lo-Fi Grunge, Paper Bag, or HTMinimaLism - analyses some examples, and then shows you how the designers achieve their special effects. It's a lively and beautifully illustrated book, full of tips and thought-provoking ideas. Details - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/clon.htm 0----- QUIZ In which European city is the Prado art museum? 0----- 'Improve your Writing Skills' FREE e-Book Would you like to be able to write clearly and effectively? Do you get stuck with issues of punctuation? Here's the answer to your problems - a FREE, downloadable e-Book. It's a guide which takes you through writing skills from commas and paragraphs to editing and presentation. It even tells you how to overcome writer's block if you're stuck for ideas. You can give the book away to your friends, or put it onto your own web site to attract visitors. Full details - http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/ebooks.htm 0----- QUIZ What is the largest country in South America? 0----- 'Making Digital Type Look Good' This is the most attractive book on typography I have seen for a long time. Bob Carter offers a comprehensive explanation of digital type and shows how it can be used to stunning effect. The book is a work of art in terms of print production. Every page is elegantly designed, deeply 'layered', colour-coded, and illustrated with well-chosen examples. If you are interested in typography, web design, or beautifully made books, this is one you can't afford to miss. Full details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/gordon.htm 0----- QUIZ ANSWERS Who were the legendary founders of Rome? ANSWER: Romulus and Remus Where is the Foreign Office in Paris? ANSWER: Le Quay d'Orsay Who composed the opera 'Eugene Onegin'? ANSWER: Tchaikovsky Which French novelist wrote 'Gigi'? ANSWER: Colette What would you use to make a Pina Colada? ANSWER: Pineapple, rum, and coconut Which member of the pumpkin family might you find in a bathroom? ANSWER: The loofah Who wrote the poem 'Gunga Din'? ANSWER: Rudyard Kipling Who painted 'The Raft of the Medusa'? ANSWER: Gericault What was the river of forgetfulness in Greek mythology? ANSWER: Lethe In which European city is the Prado art museum? ANSWER: Madrid What is the largest country in South America? ANSWER: Brazil 0----- COMING SOON 'Semiotics: The Basics' 'Flash for Cartooning' 'Blown to Bits' [e-Commerce] 'How to Write Critical Essays' 'Crime and the Internet' 'Innovating in Higher Education' (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-61-Jan-2002 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library