Amazon Books "On Demand" -- June 2, 2021

I think I mentioned this on the blog: after reading the illustrated edition of Joshua Slocum's Sailing Alone Around The World, I ordered an annotated version through Amazon.

This is the screen-shot of the order:

• the order was placed May 28,2021;
• the book was delivered May 30, 2021 (two days later)

So what? you say.

This is the "so what." 

These are screenshots of the book cover and the publication date:

In other words, this book was printed / published "on demand." 

The publishing company is not named.

The editor is not named. The individual who provided the introduction or the annotation is not provided. 

The copyright for this book has long expired. Anyone can print this book. I believe books can be copyrighted for 50 years and then extended by the author (estate, heirs) by an additional fifty years, but that's it. Interestingly, Mark Twain figured out a way to get around this and copyrights to his books lasted longer than the conventional copyright (and for all I know are still copyrighted; I don't know). 

The price I paid for this book: $0.00 (sells for $10.00). I "covered" the cost with points accrued on the credit card.

The book is returnable. 

The book absolutely does not meet my standards and is pretty much falsely advertised. But I won't return it; it's easy to carry (small soft cover) and one that I can easily mark up. 

Generally (?) Amazon alerts the buyer to these "printed on demand" books. I do not recommend buying them unless one really needs it for some reason and there are no alternatives. 

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Donuts

Yesterday I mentioned Krispy Kreme. 

According to a reader, this is a big deal. Who knew? I certainly did not. 

I did not know that the fact I like Krispy-Kreme-like donuts set me apart from those who like cake donuts. 

Apparently this can be almost as serious as Trump supporters vs Obama supporters. 

I definitely fall into the Krispy-Kreme-like donuts.

So, I was curious. What was I eating when I had coffee at Dunkin' [Donuts] when we "lived" in Boston some years ago. 

Well, it turns out Dunkin' has three options: Krispy-Kreme-like donuts; cake donuts; and, French cruller. 

I had forgotten all about French cruller but of the three, the cruller is definitely my favorite. Hand it to the French, they always seem to come out on top when it comes to food. You like your steak rare? The French? Steak tartare. 

And, oh, by the way, French toast (whether it's French or not, who knows) is so much simpler to make than pancakes or waffles and so much better.