I decided to visit my local Border bookstore this past week so that I could actually see that GWT in Action was on the shelves. I am not sure why I wanted to look, I guess I was just had a little spare time, and was curious.
I went right over to the shelf filled with books about web programming, perhaps my most visited shelf in the store, and began a visual search for the book. I didn't see it, so I scanned the adjacent shelves as well. I thought that perhaps they were out of stock.
I went over to the in-house computer to do a lookup for GWT in Action, and the computer said that it was on shelf A030, and likely to be in the store. I went back to the other Ajax books I saw, but couldn't understand why the computer said shelf A030 when the other Ajax books were on shelf F050.
I started following shelf numbers down the isle, and then I finally saw the book. They had positioned GWT in Action at the very beginning of the Computer books, a section that I rarely visit. The shelf was labeled "Web Search/Directories". They put the book somewhere between a book on search engine optimization, and "Google Hacks".
Ugh.
So if you happen to visit your local borders, be sure to check out GWT in Action, right next to your other favorite search related books.
2 comments:
At one time Borders had qualified people. Ask about specific translation of Dante's Inferno and you got someone knowledgeable about Renaissance literature. These days your just as apt to get some fellow who thinks it's a graphic novel.
I once found a book on (programmatic) neural nets in the basic science category at Barnes & Noble. I let the staff know it should be in programming and they were happy to have the feedback. Generally, worker-bees at bookstores, even the big chains, are interesting and well informed, but I don't expect them to be domain experts, whether about Marlowe or about UI frameworks.
The big chains could make a system to ensure that books are filed correctly... Then they'd be even more bland than they are. That being said, it must be vexing, as an author, to find your baby mis-shelved.
I'm glad to have found GWT I.A., and my only debate is whether to buy it as an e-book or in realspace, but buy it I shall. Best of luck with it.
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