SFBooks

Patrick — Sun, 14 Jun 2026 22:04:13 GMT

add books

ISFDB

Patrick — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 22:19:29 GMT

fix links; add new Q&A; add page designations for spine and edges; add section "Book Edges"

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:19, 12 June 2026
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	== What to do after a long absence ==		== What to do after a long absence ==

	* Check the [[isfdb:What's_New\|What's New]] page to see what has changed while I was absent from ISFDB		* Check the [[isfdb:What's_New\|What's New]] page to see what has changed while I was absent from ISFDB.
	* Process the comments that I have on [[isfdb:User_talk:Herzbube\|my talk page]]		* Process the comments that I have on [[isfdb:User_talk:Herzbube\|my talk page]].
	* Update any links on this page that are no longer valid. Specifically this will happen for links to Help Desk topics, or topics on other discussion pages, that have been archived and are no longer found on the main discussion page.		* Update any links on this page that are no longer valid. Specifically this will happen for links to Help Desk topics, or topics on other discussion pages, that have been archived and are no longer found on the main discussion page.
	* Check out any loose ends listed in the TODO section further down this page		* Check out any loose ends listed in the [[#TODO\|TODO section]] further down this page.


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	; How do I enter a translated work? : Enter the work as a variant title. Note the translator in the title notes of the variant title. If there are several translations, create a separate variant title for each translation. The main help page with more information is [[isfdb:Help:How_to_enter_translations\|How to enter foreign language editions]].		; How do I enter a translated work? : Enter the work as a variant title. Note the translator in the title notes of the variant title. If there are several translations, create a separate variant title for each translation. The main help page with more information is [[isfdb:Help:How_to_enter_translations\|How to enter foreign language editions]].

			; How do I record artwork on the spine or on the edges of a book? For instance, all volumes I'm receiving from my Broken Binding subscription have such artwork. : In April 2026, new page designations for these locations were introduced: "sp" for the spine, and "edge" for the book edges. If different book edges contain different artwork, use "te", "fe" and/or "be". If in doubt, add a pub note. Also see the help page for the publication record [[isfdb:Template:PubContentFields:Page\|"Page" field]]. '''Important:''' Use INTERIORART for this kind of artwork, not COVERART.

			; Primary Verifications are fluent and change as they come and go. Example: If a publication has 2 primary verifiers, and the first removes their verification, then the second will now be the shown as the first. How do I unambiguously reference primary verifiers in the pub notes? : A convention is to use references like "PV1", "PV2", etc., but as the question points out these references are prone to become incorrect when primary verifications are removed. For some time now, it has become possible to use templates in "Notes" fields, specifically the "PV" template to refer to a primary verifier by name (and link to their talk page). The syntax is this: <code>{{PV\|<name>}}</code>. See [[isfdb::Help:Using_Templates_and_HTML_in_Note_Fields\|this ISFDB help page]] for a list of usable templates.


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	* Add Mac Kinsey, John Sinclair and Tony Ballard to the database		* Add Mac Kinsey, John Sinclair and Tony Ballard to the database
	* Is Achermann and/or his books above the threshold? Probably not.		* Is Achermann and/or his books above the threshold? Probably not.
	* According to the title page, the anthology publication {{P\|114261\|Spectrum I}} should have the subtitle "A Science Fiction Anthology". The SFE entry for [https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amis_kingsley Kingsley Amis] has this subtitle. Also {{P\|23788\|New Worlds 8: The Science Fiction Quarterly}, another anthology, does have the subtitle. At the time I verified the pub record I did not have the energy to bring this up with many editors because I was at that time busy with pushing forward magazine editing.		* Spectrum series of anthologies
			** According to the title page, the anthology publication {{P\|114261\|Spectrum I}} should have the subtitle "A Science Fiction Anthology". The SFE entry for [https://sf-encyclopedia.com/entry/amis_kingsley Kingsley Amis] has this subtitle. Also {{P\|23788\|New Worlds 8: The Science Fiction Quarterly}}, another anthology, does have the subtitle. At the time I verified the pub record I did not have the energy to bring this up with many editors because I was at that time busy with pushing forward magazine editing.
			** Ditto for the older edition of Spectrum I, and for Spectrum II. Spectrum III: "A Third Science Fiction Anthology". Spectrum IV: "A Fourth Science Fiction Anthology". Spectrum V: "A Fifth Science Fiction Anthology".
			** Another issue is that the introductions and prefaces are not correctly varianted to reflect the publication title. For instance, {{P\|177421\|Spectrum V}} uses "Introduction (Spectrum 5)" (Arabic numeral), whereas {{P\|198033\|Spectrum 3}} uses "Introduction (Spectrum III)" (Roman numerals). This likely does not only affect the publications I have PV'ed, but also publication of others. Fixing this mess will take some effort because quite a few people are involved.


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	* [https://aeolidia.com/illustration-types/ aeolidia.com]: "A spot illustration is an object that stands on its own, without a background scene. We use this type of illustration to highlight featured areas on home pages and add personality throughout the site. Sometimes an animal or creature can be a spot illustration if it’s a simple object (such as a bird in flight or a teddy bear), rather than a full mascot with character."		* [https://aeolidia.com/illustration-types/ aeolidia.com]: "A spot illustration is an object that stands on its own, without a background scene. We use this type of illustration to highlight featured areas on home pages and add personality throughout the site. Sometimes an animal or creature can be a spot illustration if it’s a simple object (such as a bird in flight or a teddy bear), rather than a full mascot with character."
	* [https://whiterabbit.nz/hero-and-spot-illustration/ whiterabbit.nz]: "A spot illustration is the simplest and most literal expression of a concept; it’s an object that stands on its own, without a background scene. [...] Sometimes an animal or creature can be a spot illustration if it’s a simple object, but they will be small and simple. Spot illustrations usually do not include any people but occasionally include some atmospheric background elements, depending on the design. [...]"		* [https://whiterabbit.nz/hero-and-spot-illustration/ whiterabbit.nz]: "A spot illustration is the simplest and most literal expression of a concept; it’s an object that stands on its own, without a background scene. [...] Sometimes an animal or creature can be a spot illustration if it’s a simple object, but they will be small and simple. Spot illustrations usually do not include any people but occasionally include some atmospheric background elements, depending on the design. [...]"


			=== Book edges ===

			Besides the front and the back, a book has 4 other sides:

			* The spine.
			* And the top, bottom and fore (or facing) edges.


			There are different ways how the 3 edges can be decorated. [https://www.paintedwingspublishing.com/book-edges-explained This page] explains them in some detail. Here is a summary:

			* Stenciled/painted edges: The decoration is applied after the book is fully manufactured.
			* Digitally sprayed edges: Some printers can apply this before manufacturing, others afterwards.
			* Embedded/printed edges (aka forced edges): These are created by embedding an edge design in the outer margins of a book’s manuscript. During the binding and trimming process, the design is revealed.
			* Gilded edges: The decoration is created by gluing a thin metallic sheet to the edges of a book. This is an ancient technique.


			At the time of writing this summary I haven't got more than a vague understanding of how each technique works, but I find it fascinating that they exist and I may try to learn more in the future.

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