M A N T E X N E W S L E T T E R Number 62 - mid-January 2002 Writing + Design + e-Books ------ ISSN 1470-1863 ------ 0----- 'How to Write Critical Essays' We've covered lots of writing guides in recent issues. This one has been out for a while - but it's a regular favourite on the bookshelves. It's written for students of literary studies - but the advice will be of use to anybody in the humanities, where you normally have to argue a case. David Pirie talks you through what's required - from understanding the question, through reading and taking notes, to mapping out a first draft. He has a comforting, old-fashioned approach which I'm sure many people will find reassuring. Full details at -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/pirie.htm 0----- QUIZ In which country was D.H. Lawrence's novel, 'The Plumed Serpent' set? 0----- '72 - dpi' Weird title - beautiful book. It's a collection of web site designs, each one covering a full page. The designers are all trying to come up with something different to the usual left-hand navigational column plus text-based descriptions of what's on offer. Some of their designs are like works of art in their own right. There are lots of interesting graphics, and some novel uses of typography. Many of the designers seem to be currently working in studios in the East end of London - so obviously that's where it's all at c.2002 This is one for fans of modern graphics, avant garde web design, and typography. Full details at -- http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/klant-2.htm 0----- QUIZ What would you do with an ocarina? 0----- FREE Zip Utility UltimateZip v 2.0 is an excellent piece of software. As the name suggests, it does everything you could wish for in zipping and unzipping. It supports 16 archive types - Ace, Arj, Cab, Lha, Rar, Tar, GZip, Zip and so on. It has many features like drag and drop support, self-extracting archives, multi-disk spanning, and Zip repair. UltimateZip includes a Wizard interface for easy compressing, updating, extracting, and decoding. Download (1.9 MB) at - http://www.ultimatezip.com 0----- QUIZ Which is larger, the Red Sea or the Black Sea? 0----- 'Semiotics: The Basics' Daniel Chandler has had a web site with guidance notes on semiotics for his students for some time now. At last he's made it into print. The study of 'Signs' can mean anything - from language, to physical gestures, clothes, food, architecture, or even theory itself. What he offers is a gentle explanation of how the study of signs developed from late nineteenth century linguistics - into its blend with post-modern critical theory where it sits today. He does all this with a light touch - and he never becomes partisan or gets too heavy with the theoretical aspects of the subject. This is a useful addition to the Routledge series of introductory studies. Full details at - http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/chandler.htm 0----- QUIZ Who wrote 'The Last of the Mohicans'? 0----- More on e-Books Publishers Taylor and Francis [that's Routledge to most of us] have decided to jump into the business of e-Books. 1250 of their best-selling titles have been made available, and some loss-leaders are priced at UKP 5.00 They have opted for three formats - Microsoft Reader, Adobe Acrobat, and Mobipocket Reader. Details -- http://www.eBookstore.tandf.co.uk 0----- QUIZ What does an isobath connect on a map? 0----- 'Writing in Action' Paul Mills offers guidance to those people who are into creative writing - prose, poetry, or drama - and he himself works in all three genres. His approach is to talk you through the characteristics of each one - what makes it different from the others, and what you need to think about if you want to avoid the common mistakes. For good measure, he throws in some basics on grammar and syntax, and even briefly covers essays and reports. http://www.mantex.co.uk/reviews/mills.htm 0----- QUIZ ANSWERS In which country was D.H. Lawrence's novel, 'The Plumed Serpent' set? ANSWER: Mexico What would you do with an ocarina? ANSWER: Play it - it's a musical instrument Which is larger, the Red Sea or the Black Sea? ANSWER: The Black Sea Who wrote 'The Last of the Mohicans'? ANSWER: James Fennimore Cooper What does an isobath connect on a map? ANSWER: Points of equal underwater depth 0----- COMING SOON 'Crime and the Internet' 'Blown to Bits' [e-Commerce] 'Flash for Cartooning' 'Dreamweaver 4 in a Nutshell' 'Innovating in Higher Education' (c) Copyright 2002, 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-62-mid-Jan-2002 ISSN 1470-1863 The British Library