Brierley on Kindle?

[rgraybill44]

If John Brierley's popular A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago were only on Kindle or in some other ebook form, one could have it on one's smartphone or ebook reader and not have to carry the book at all. Send an email to info@findhornpress.com suggesting that if you agree, or go to Amazon, call up the book, and click on the request link to get the book on Kindle. Brierley himself suggests you tear out the pages as you pass the places they describe to reduce weight--we can elminate the weight entirely if we have it in ebook form.

 

[jirit]

If John Brierley's popular A Pilgrim's Guide to the Camino de Santiago were only on Kindle or in some other ebook form, one could have it on one's smartphone or ebook reader and not have to carry the book at all. Send an email to info@findhornpress.com suggesting that if you agree, or go to Amazon, call up the book, and click on the request link to get the book on Kindle. Brierley himself suggests you tear out the pages as you pass the places they describe to reduce weight--we can elminate the weight entirely if we have it in ebook form.

Ben Cole has made available his guidebook in a pdf format that can be downloaded to a ipad or iphone for example

Ben Cole
Publisher Pili Pala Press
2934 Woodland Dr
Vancouver, BC V5N 3R1
tel 604-872-0073
fax 604-872-0078
bencole@pilipalapress.com
http://www.pilipalapress.com

 

[rgraybill44]

Brierley's publisher ( at info@findhornpress.com ) wrote back to me immediately to tell me that Brierley won't be available in Kindle format because John believes smartphones and ebook readers are a distraction to the pilgrim and should best be left behind. I suppose it depends on how a pilgrim uses his/her electronic devices. My smartphone is not a global phone, so I won't use it as a phone at all. During the day it is a light-weight 8 megapixel camera with geocoding. In the evening, if the albergue has WiFi, I can have a look at the flowers I may have seen during the day (http://www.santiago-compostela.net/flowers.html), and send a brief email to my house-bound sister in Connecticut just to keep in touch and brighten her day a bit. I can check the weather for the next few days. I have an English-Spanish dictionary stored on the device so I can deceipher Spanish signs or even ask a question in Spanish if I must.

I doubt that there will be many people who will say to themselves: "I wasn't going to take my smartpone, but now that John's book is available in ebook form, I guess I will." He loves the pilgrim experience so much that I'm sure we can't appeal to him on the basis of the fact that he could get a whole new stream of revenue from the royalties on ebook versions.

 

[vagabondette]

What an amazingly arrogant reason to not offer it. So much for the theory that everyone walks their own camino, no matter which route they take. If he is not going to make it available on kindle he should at least make it available in a timely manner because when i looked on amazon it takes 1-3 months to arrive. Now i am glad i didnt buy it. I will buy from someone who isnt so close minded and who realizes that some people like to save trees and skip destroying a perfectly good book.

 

[merrellj]

Jirit,

Thanx for this information, but pilipalapress site seems to want to ship?? you copy of ben cole pdf ebook

Can you advise where copy can be downloaded, or am I missing something on publisher's site.

Regards, John

 

[dazzamac]

Given that John Brierley argues against taking cameras, phones and other technology in his guide to the Camino, it would be somewhat hypocritical to then offer the same guide in an electronic format. So I admire the stance he has taken on this one.

However, I disagree with his reasoning against technology and would be very tempted by the idea of an eReader or similar device that consistently weighs the same amount regardless of the number of pages or accompanying books that it holds. So long as technology remains at the service of the pilgrim and not the pilgrim beholden to technology, I don't see it as a distraction but as another resource to draw upon. After all, printed books on paper represent a technological advancement on hand written vellum manuscripts.

 

[walkingtotheend]

:idea:

For those inclined and have the time (and scanner)

Pages of any document can always be scanned electronically and then carried on the ipad, phone etc for personal use (not distribution to others).

No difference in doing this to the old school photocopyng as far as I can see.

You will still need to buy the hard copy book, but you dont create waste by ripping out used pages

Where there is a will there is a way (usually)
Ian

 

[jirit]

Jirit,

Thanx for this information, but pilipalapress site seems to want to ship?? you copy of ben cole pdf ebook

Can you advise where copy can be downloaded, or am I missing something on publisher's site.

Regards, John

Hello John

You can simply purchase and down the copy here
http://www.pilipalapress.com/Merchant2/ ... e_Code=PPP

Regards

 

[gittiharre]

Hi, I usually carry a guidebook of some sort and thought perhaps I might take a Kobo/ similar to Kindle thing next time, with the added advantage of having books to read as well. I downloaded a guide by Alison Raju as this was the only english guide available for the Le Puy route. Hopeless. First of all I dislike her guidebooks intensely as I can't relate to endless route instructions, I had the same problem with my Austrian guidebook by Peter LIndenthal, I got lost so many times as the instructions were wrong or had changed, I spent many grumpy hours feeling exhausted and confused, secondly it is hard to read, the maps can't be deciphered on the Kobo and you can't flick to and fro the different pages to work out distances etc. So I will either follow the arrows on the Le Puy route, they are so plentiful, you don't really need a guidebook, look up accommodations ahead in the tourist office or gite Miam Miam Dodo or carry the lightest guidebook, the Rother, which happens to be in german, it has elevations and distances and accommodation.

 

[PadreQ]

I took both a Kindle and the Brierly book with me last Fall.

I think having the guidebook on the Kindle would have been very difficult to use. The device is just not that easy to navigate around in a book - it is really designed for reading something through. I had all sorts of valuable information stored as pdfs on my kindle and was glad that I did as well as many books. And I discovered that I really did not do that much reading on the camino (in airports, bus stations and in the air I did)- and I like to read! And having the Brierly on the side of my pack in easy reach was extremely convenient. I took pains to protect my kindle and to keep it dry - my Brierly took some abuse and didn't complain.

 

[november_moon]

I think having the guidebook on the Kindle would have been very difficult to use. The device is just not that easy to navigate around in a book - it is really designed for reading something through

I have found that to be the case with Nook books as well. Great for reading, but not so great for flipping back and forth or finding something in the book unless I have put in bookmarks ahead of time. I haven't walked the Camino yet, but I have tried using electronic guidebooks for other trips and wasn't happy with it.

 

[colinPeter]

I tend to take some information on my phone, but I think it is a a bit difficult to use on a phone as a guide book. I tend to scribble & take notes in my guide.
I think the Davies & Cole book mentioned is an excellent guide book. However, the eBook is still the 2009 3rd edition and I don't think I'd get much out of it on an iPhone.
I noticed a little while ago info on the following web page advertising miam-miam-dodo for iPhone.
http://www.chemindecompostelle.com/Iphone/index.html
The page indicates a release date of April, but I can't find any more information at this stage.
Does any one know any more about it?
Col

 

[billvinhage]

Hopefully he will have a change of heart someday......having it on my iPad mini would save me some weight.........I can't imagine being beholden to it, but it will allow me to skype call home, keep copies of my travel documents, have a few books to read, allow me to do some writing without carrying pen and paper, and the list goes one........he is a Luddite......

 

[naplesdon]

Kindle on the Camino, no kidding?

 

[weradln]

I can understand Brierleys' position but I do plan to carry my iPhone, and a charger, and a 3-way electrical plug, as I need to keep my loved ones informed.

So since I'm carrying it I'm considering leaving my Brierley at home and just rely on a few iPhone apps that I think might be useful...

First is a Spanish/English dictionary, iTranslate. Given my terrible Spanish I'm sure I'll use it a fair amount.

Second is Wise Pilgrim Camino Francais. It has a good albergue listing and location description that is readable without data cell service. If you do have data cell service then a map with your current location and the location of the albergues. Thinking this will be handy in the cities?

Third app is Eroski Consumer. Alas it's only in Spanish but has route information, albergue listings and lots of useful information "Dificultades", "Observaciones" & "Itinerario". If only I spoke better Spanish!

And last but not least is the iPhone app for this forum!

 

[Dubbydub]

How big is the Brierley book in paper form? Heavy?

I plan on doing the Camino in 2014, (and sure enough, God might have other plans!) but....

I will carry an iPhone if all goes well with the Kindle app, amongst others. That is life today. Hard to push back really.

I may buy the book. If I do, I will transfer important info onto a note app in sequence, or something along those lines. So I go to my notes, enter each stage, number them, enter the lodging info.

Add the Eroski, and on the trail are the waymarks. Is the Way THAT difficult to navigate really?

Maybe I am naive, but honestly, we want directions, lodgings, food and drink, and a pleasant journey.

Many travel the Way without Brierley and manage to get to Santiago I'd say.

Buen Camino.

 

[november_moon]

I love my Nook, but I don't find eBooks to be a good format for guidebooks. Maps are hard to see, can't easily flip back and forth (to consult a map while reading text, etc.). On a tablet it is better since you can zoom in and have color, but it still is less than ideal. For guidebooks, I still go for the paper.

I will bring my Nook on the Camino so I can read books - I read everyday and it seems that there will be ample time for reading between finishing walking for the day and turning in for the night. I can't imagine being without a book and I don't want to carry extra weight or bulk with paperbacks.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Jirit, I could not open that link. Does Cole have their VDLP version on .pdf?
That would ROCK, since I left my copy in Leon years ago and the danged thing is unaffordable now!

 

[jirit]

Jirit, I could not open that link. Does Cole have their VDLP version on .pdf?
That would ROCK, since I left my copy in Leon years ago and the danged thing is unaffordable now!

I think you will need to contact Ben Cole directly to see what the status is with the PDF link. Ben told me sometime ago that they were done publishing guidebooks but the link would remain.

Given the changes that have occurred on the via de la plata, you might want to consider another guidebook.