---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 17:07:08 -0400
From: David Goodman <dgoodman@Princeton.EDU>
Subject: Re: Cost per title... (Albert Henderson)

Al,
It is very easy to put page numbers, for example in brackets, into even the
most basic html or even plain ascii file.
There also exists such things as Acrobat and images.
The dissemination of information did not necessarily reach the ultimate peak
of perfection with the invention of metal type. -- David

> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Tue, 31 Oct 2000 09:16:58 -0500
> From: Albert Henderson <NobleStation@COMPUSERVE.COM>
> Subject: Re: Cost per title... (Dan Lester)
>
> Thanks for your question.
>
> Style manuals generally are attempting to
> embrace the new technology. The technology -- which
> was not designed to meet the norms of science and
> scholarship -- has not made it easier. The technology
> that cannot deliver is not a desirable substitute.
>
> My point in the posting quoted below is that the
> precision required by a style manual that asks for
> the exact location of a quotation is an effort at
> excellence. Excellence should be a priority of the
> academy. Editors and authors strive for excellence.
> Readers expect it.
>
> Put it this way, if a source uses a particular
> word or phrase in several contexts, page numbers
> are necessary to identify the distinctions. A
> URL for an HTML chapter is a poor substitute for
> a page-citation. As a matter of fact, I consider
> URLs to be ephemeral. They should be avoided if
> there is a print alternative.
>
> In short, a primitive technology has no place
> dictating style when the result is second-rate.
>
> Albert Henderson
> Editor, PUBLISHING RESEARCH QUARTERLY 1994-2000
> <70244.1532@compuserve.com>