# Get this book!



## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Yesterday I was re-reading "The Practical Guide to Man-Powered Bullets" by Richard Middleton.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Man-Powered-Bullets-Richard-Middleton/dp/0811701565/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1374214593&sr=8-2&keywords=human+powered+bullets

There is a paperback version with a slightly different title, but I think it has the same content ... not sure as I have not seen it.

http://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Man-Powered-Weapons-Ammunition/dp/1602391475/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1374256338&sr=8-3&keywords=human+powered+bullets

The paperback version is much cheaper. Anyway, if you are serious about slingshots, you should get this book. He discusses in quite a bit of detail many of the technical aspects of slingshots which are often brought up on this Forum. Now, there is a lot of information in the book about other weapons, like stonebows for example. But Chapter 4 deals exclusively with "catapults". He reports on many experiments done with our beloved devices. He talks about the effects of temperature, delayed release, draw length, etc. He talks about the fact that different pieces of what appear to be the same tubing will yield quite a variation in velocity. He explains why heavier ammo yields higher energy. He discusses problems with calculating velocities from physical considerations alone. He explains why tapered bands give higher velocities. He talks about making "tapered" tubes by inserting a smaller diameter tube into a larger diameter tube. And on and on.

The book is not only informative, but it is well written with a great deal of humor. It is an entertaining read.

This is not exactly a "how to" book ... he does not tell you how to make a slingshot from scratch. He does talk about an interesting method of attaching tubes to forks and an interesting pouch. But it is not really a book on constructing slingshots. But it is a great book to help you understand slingshots.

Get this book!!!

Cheers ..... Charles


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## bigron (Nov 29, 2012)

when was the book written and revised


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

You know, Charles, I have that book somewhere in PDF format. Had it for years. But I've never gotten around to reading it. Now that I know there's a chapter on slingshots, I'll see if I can find it. Thanks, man!


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## Vetryan15 (Feb 7, 2013)

I have seen this book, but never read it, it's now on my list of book. Thsvks Charles


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

bigron said:


> when was the book written and revised


Originally published in 2005. Paper edition in 2007.

Cheers .... Charles


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

The book is available on Amazon.com in Kindle format for $9.99. It can be read with any computer or reading device with a free down-loadable app.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

DawnEvil said:


> The book is available on Amazon.com in Kindle format for $9.99. It can be read with any computer or reading device with a free down-loadable app.


Yep, as you wish ... But for $13.46 you get a real book that you can hold in your hand. And 15-20 years down the road, you will still be able to read it .... 50 years down the road you will still be able to read it. I would not hold out much hope for your Kindle "book" for that many years.

Cheers ... Charles


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## orcrender (Sep 11, 2010)

I have the second book. It is well thought out.


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## TimR (May 22, 2011)

I've had it on interlibrary loan request several times. Usually they're very good but this one they haven't come up with. I may have to buy a copy.


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Charles said:


> DawnEvil said:
> 
> 
> > The book is available on Amazon.com in Kindle format for $9.99. It can be read with any computer or reading device with a free down-loadable app.
> ...


I don't think that I will be able to read it 50 years down the road no matter what format it is in! I agree that a paper copy is better for most, but, some people prefer ebook format. So long as I have a computer I can have my ebooks, they never wear out.


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## Tex-Shooter (Dec 17, 2009)

I have had that book for several years and it is a joy to read. Some of the things that describes in the book are hilarious. I have had contact with Richard and he is a fine person. -- Tex


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Charles said:


> DawnEvil said:
> 
> 
> > The book is available on Amazon.com in Kindle format for $9.99. It can be read with any computer or reading device with a free down-loadable app.
> ...


Charles, what you say about a real book is true enough, but I don't know what the advantage of being able to hold it in your hand is. You can hold a Kindle in your hand, too.

What you say about the kindle or pdf formats is pretty much unfounded speculation on your part. I seriously doubt it will be the electronic formats that will go away first (they always have a way of converting to new or other formats). And, conversely, I seriously believe that 50 years from now they won't even be printing books on paper much any more.

. . . BTW, can you just press a button on a "real" book to look up a word, or do you have run to a dictionary (if available)? What about making hi-lites and notations in "real" books: can you make them without using pens, etc., then have them stored all together so you can find them easily without paging through the whole tome? How about having a permanent extra copy of a "real" book in case you lose it? Where do you keep that?


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

when was the last time your books hard drive crashed ?


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Imperial said:


> when was the last time your books hard drive crashed ?


Interesting question, Imperial. It depends on what you are calling a book. Is the book parcel of paper, bound together with glue, with inkstains on the pages that represent information? Or is the book the information represented? My hard drive can crash all it wants. I will still have the information (that is the book) on my Kindle. If my Kindle AND my hard drive both crash, Amazon has a permanent copy -- which I do not have to re-purchase -- ready for me to download again, any time.

Now a question for you. What happens when your "book" gets ruined, lost, or stolen? Paper books aren't necessarily impervious to the elements, or to accidents.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Dayhiker said:


> Charles said:
> 
> 
> > DawnEvil said:
> ...


Hey DH,

I guess I have a preference for things that depend as little as possible on technology. That's one of the reasons I like slingshots ... and why I prefer pumpers and springers to CO2 air guns. Until a couple of years ago I had a very remote place on the north end of Vancouver Island. It was water access only, with no roads, no power, no cell phone access ... nothing. Sitting up there for a month or two, a Kindle or a computer were useless. Yep, I suppose I could haul in a generator, but why? Ordinary books printed on paper require no technology to read.

You are right that the modern electronic gadgetry has some advantages ... word search is a good example. But I figure it is a good idea to reason that the future will be much like the past in many respects. Do you still have an 8 track tape player? Not many folks these days even still have cassette players. And around here almost no one has a dvd player any more. Is your current computer able to read an 8 inch floppy disk? Can it read a 5.25 inch floppy disk? How about a 3.5 inch floppy? I have books that were printed in the 1700s, and all I need to do to read them is to open them up and look.

I do not mean to be preachy here ... just giving some of my reasons. Certainly everyone must make decisions about their level of technological dependency. Personally, I like to guard against technological failure as much as I can. Paper books can be lost, stolen, damaged, burned ... just like e-books. But paper books do not depend on electricity, nor the availability of the internet in order to be read.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Charles said:


> Dayhiker said:
> 
> 
> > Charles said:
> ...


Charles, you missed the part where I said that the electronic media can always be re-formatted to be used in the newest reading devices. So that isn't even a consideration. Do you think, for instance, that all those corporate legal documents written in pdf format in the eighties and nineties are just going to go away because somebody stored them on 3.5-inch flopp discs? I'm not trying to be preachy either, but in our lifetimes -- or the lifetimes of anybody alive -- computers, readers, and electricity are not likely to go away. And as for the convenience and self-sufficiency of having a paper book... Well I guess that's cool if you only have one book or two. But I'd rather have my kindle to tote around in my backpack with a hundred books in it.

Books printed in 1700's can be read in your Kindle, too. All you gotta do is open and flip a switch. I still do not see any advantage.

By the way, I have many old books with problems. The glue has dried and the pages are falling out all the time. Don't know what's so great about them. Many of them I bought in used-book stores and they already smelled musty when I bought them.

Okay, maybe I am getting preachy.

One of the best things I like about reading books on my computer is the easy and quick cut-and-past feature. It's so easy to cut out sections and paste them into a personal notebook, a copy of which you can keep on a thumb drive. Or use a service like "Evernote", which stores them online, where they can be accessed on any computer. (I think Google offers this, too.)

Living like Thoreau for a while is a pretty cool experiment for a season or two, but even he came out of the woods after a while.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

World's most egregious hijack! Sorry Charles. :blush:


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

No sweat, DH. I don't care what format one uses ... I just think serious slingshotters should get a copy of this book and read it.

Cheers .... Charles


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Charles said:


> No sweat, DH. I don't care what format one uses ... I just think serious slingshotters should get a copy of this book and read it.
> 
> Cheers .... Charles


I agree with this statement by Charles. I did not mean to create a firestorm when I suggested the availability of the book on Kindle. It was offered as an alternative. However, I will say this, without computer technology and the internet there would be no Slingshot forum. I am thankful that such is not the case because I have learned so much from people like Charles who shares their understanding and experiences with us.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

DawnEvil said:


> Charles said:
> 
> 
> > No sweat, DH. I don't care what format one uses ... I just think serious slingshotters should get a copy of this book and read it.
> ...


No fire storm DE. Me and Charles are just a couple of quirky old dudes who understand one another enough to have a conversation without boiling over.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Dayhiker said:


> No fire storm DE. Me and Charles are just a couple of quirky old dudes who understand one another enough to have a conversation without boiling over.


Now wait just a minute!!! Just who are you calling quirky???? Hmmm, I guess it's OK. Let's see ... if you are saying you and I are alike, then I take that as a supreme complement ... :rofl:

Yeah ... when you get to our exalted age, the only firestorm worth the battle is lighting a match with a slingshot ... :wave:

Cheers ....... Charles


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## reset (Apr 13, 2013)

Next hijack.

Wait a minute are you 2 old dudes suggesting that all old dudes are quirky? I resemble that remark!


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

How old do you have to be, to be quirky?


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

reset said:


> Next hijack.
> 
> Wait a minute are you 2 old dudes suggesting that all old dudes are quirky? I resemble that remark!


Not at all, sir. Not at all... (don't know how Charles feels, though)


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

DawnEvil said:


> How old do you have to be, to be quirky?


I was born quirky. :lol:


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## Flatband (Dec 18, 2009)

Excellent book Charles. I've had it for quite awhile. He covers a lot of ground in there!


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

I'll bet if you leave the copy of the book on the front seat of your car it's still there's when you get back. Try that with you kindle. My daughter left her Garmen Gps on her front seat at the mall and they broke into the car to get it. When's the last time someone broke into anything to get a book ? I'm with Charles I'll take the book.


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## Dr J (Apr 22, 2013)

I think I would like to get the book also. You folks who live in the Good old U.S.A. do not appreciate how fortunate you are.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Dr J said:


> I think I would like to get the book also. You folks who live in the Good old U.S.A. do not appreciate how fortunate you are.


What makes you think that?... Surely you don't mean me. If all I could get was the book, I'd get it; but I know how lucky I am to be able to read & store it electronically. Therefor I take full advantage of this good fortune. :headbang:

You know, this discussion of formats reminds me of all the arguments I had years ago with people who didn't want to use calculators, who steadfastly clung to their belief in the necessity of learning to do square roots and stuff with a pencil and paper. I used to refer them to ancient times when they were used to memorizing the works of great authors (who wrote in poetry mainly to make their ideas memorizeable) and then passed on the traditions orally. When they started mass-producing books, the naysayers thought this would be the end of real learning. For with the "crutch" of books to support their memories, students would never "properly" learn anything. This is also like calculators vs. pencil and paper. Now that the ordinary calculator -- that you can buy for a couple of bucks in a drugstore -- is ubiquitous and cheap, it ain't going anywhere. (And the manual methodologies can stay in the books, in case you need them.)

It is my contention that if calculators and computers and the internet become extinct, it can only mean that the fall of Civilization has occurred, in which case your books will be the least of your worries.

Oh, and Cjw: By that reasoning, you shouldn't own a TV, either. When was the last time someone stole your radio? :cookie: Or, should a girl not own a purse, because if she left it on the front seat of her car someone might steal it?


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Hmmmm ... let me see now ... I can pitch a real book out of a second story window onto the concrete, and it will be just fine after the impact. Try that with your stinking Kindle .... HA! :devil: Thousands of years into the future, no one will be digging up the Dead Sea Kindles .... :rolling:

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Imperial (Feb 9, 2011)

wow, i didnt think there was a huge storm about a book and an e-book. i just enjoy holding a book in my hands and turning the pages, reading on a lil kindle is not my thing, im old skool :king: . despite the fact im about 20-30 years younger than some of you guys. i love the added danger in reading a real book, in that you dont know which page will give you a papercut- "turn the page roulette"!


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Maybe if kids didn't have to depend on their calculators so much the could actually add and subtract on their own and give you the correct change instead of having to rely on an electronic device to do their thinking.


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

I know a lot of young people really computer savy into all the new electronics. But can't even change the tire on their car. I hope if there's ever a national emergency all their fancy electronics help them when there's no power. Or their going to be the thin the herd crowd.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

I guess you guys are going to be the winners after the shtf. Good luck... I will join the "stupid" kids. What's to lose? At 68, I don't have that long to live anyways. :neener:


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

I was using the GPS on my I-phone the other day with really weak signal. Kept going in and out. Thank god I know how to read a paper map and a Thomas guide or I would have never got there.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Dayhiker said:


> I guess you guys are going to be the winners after the shtf. Good luck... I will join the "stupid" kids. What's to lose? At 68, I don't have that long to live anyways. :neener:


DH, we are the same age. I am shooting for at least 100, and I hope you make it there too! And may you enjoy your Kindle the whole time, you quirky old dude!!! :wave:

From one quirky old dude to another .... 

Cheers ..... Charles


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Charles said:


> Dayhiker said:
> 
> 
> > I guess you guys are going to be the winners after the shtf. Good luck... I will join the "stupid" kids. What's to lose? At 68, I don't have that long to live anyways. :neener:
> ...


Charles, I don't care how long I live as long as I live well.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

Eww, eww, I want in on this.

I like both paper books and e-books! If my house burns down, all my paper books will be gone to me. My e-books I can just download onto my phone, or a buddies computer for no cost to me. Sure, my kindle may burn up, too, but what's the cost of a kindle? $80? Or about half the cost of the Dark Tower series.

Both have advantages and disadvantages. The ability to have literally (get it? literally?) hundreds of books in my pocket is amazing. The ability to get a first edition down off the bookshelf and blow the dust off of it is awesome. Why not enjoy the best both worlds have to offer? Now, continue your bickering, please.


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Cjw said:


> I was using the GPS on my I-phone the other day with really weak signal. Kept going in and out. Thank god I know how to read a paper map and a Thomas guide or I would have never got there.


Try finding your way without a map or a compass, just using the stars. Then you'll be in the spirit of things.


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Stars don't give me street name and address. ????


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Cjw said:


> Stars don't give me street name and address.


Which way you goin'?


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Cjw said:


> Stars don't give me street name and address.


Exactly! You need technology to find your way. It seems strange to reject computer technology while on the internet posting on the forum. By the way, I am old enough to be quirky, in terms of age, I am in the northern hemisphere approaching the arctic lights!


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

No. Americo Vespucci had it right. NASA don't know nothin'. What if their computers broke down? anic:

... I had two jobs that required me to use street maps all the time. Many times (*not* a few times) I either ended up lost or completely at a loss to find an address in Boston, MA -- one of the country's oldes cities. In contrast, (if we're going on anecdotes now), I went down to the shoot with Flatband and the guys last year guided by my daughter's GPS system and without ever preparing for the trip I came to my 400+ mile destination with precision in both time and location. On the return trip, it even got me around the traffic delays -- again with precision in timing and location. Try that on the fly with a paper map.


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## harpersgrace (Jan 28, 2010)

Best to have both, redundancy is the spice of life....but what do I know I still like vinyl better than CDs.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

harpersgrace said:


> Best to have both, redundancy is the spice of life....but what do I know I still like vinyl better than CDs.


 :lol: No surprise there Scottie!


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

All your paper books, maps, and newspapers are belong to us. HAHAHAHA!


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Maybe we should throw out our Barbeques and cook everything with the micro wave or nu wave oven since tech is so much better. Get rid of your fire place use just central heating.


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

Just use digital watches because reading the hands on a watch is to old school.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

Reading is so 2010. I prefer to have all of my information pumped directly into my brain through fiber optic cable.


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

I use tech. But I like the fact I can still add . Multiply and divide with a pencil and paper and not totally dependent on electronics. If my GPS stops working I'm not lost like a little kid in the woods.


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Cjw said:


> Maybe we should throw out our Barbeques and cook everything with the micro wave or nu wave oven since tech is so much better. Get rid of your fire place use just central heating.


The difference is, Cjw, that barbequed steaks still taste better than nuked ones. The content of a book is exactly the same as in the paper one, only way more useful in electronic format. And contrary to what you seem to think, way more permanent if you know what you're doing.

And lest we forget: we can convert the electronic book to paper fairly cheaply if that's what we want. (I used to do that with old technical manuals before I realized what a waste of time it was.)


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

This whole thread has gone a bit loopy. I started off, offering the knowledge that a certain book was available in the Kindle format for an alternative source and it turned into a feud between the Flintstones and the Jetsons. Do you all remember these cartoons or am I dating myself?


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

"Meet George Jetson... His boy Elroy..."

"WILMA!"


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

*Yabba Dabba Dooo!*


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

You can store all the books you want on your kindel but when someone walks into my den with my book library on the shelves all those leather bound books just says something that a kindel sitting on your desk doesn't . Call me a traditionalist or old school.????


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

What was that book again Charles?


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## Dayhiker (Mar 13, 2010)

Cjw said:


> You can store all the books you want on your kindel but when someone walks into my den with my book library on the shelves all those leather bound books just says something that a kindel sitting on your desk doesn't . Call me a traditionalist or old school.


Traditionalist! :neener: Old School! :neener:

Cjw, I have tons of regular books laying all over the place, too. No leather-bound ones though. You rich or something?


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

I have leather bound books published in the 1904, but I wouldn't use them very much for fear of damaging them. They are fragile. This brings up another interesting factor. Most modern books are made with paper based on wood pulp. This makes the paper acidic in nature, meaning that they will not last as long as books made in the past, which were made of linen. It is likely that the books will disintegrate within a relatively short period of time. I have some books that are already becoming yellowed and brittle. You may wish you had a Kindle library when you come home to a pile of paper dust instead of a library.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

The problem is not necessarily the use of wood pulp, but rather how that pulp is treated. The majority of paper produced these days is acid free, with a life of 500 to 1000 years.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acid-free_paper

Cheers .... Charles


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## Cjw (Nov 1, 2012)

I have some books from the early 1800s that are still readable. So I'm sure the other books will be around a lot longer than I'll be.


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## treefork (Feb 1, 2010)

View attachment 38498


This is the copy I bought. I prefer this over paper or kindle. But that's just me!


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Charles. Thank you for sharing this. I need to read this.


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Cheap paperback books are not usually printed on acid-free paper because of its greater expense.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperback

I need to come up with something classy to sign out with like Charles with his Cheers! Bye bye, maybe? No, too much like Joerge.


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## Jaximus (Jun 1, 2013)

DawnEvil said:


> I need to come up with something classy to sign out with like Charles with his Cheers! Bye bye, maybe? No, too much like Joerge.


I'm partial to:

-Kirk out.

-Astalavista, baby.

-IT'S A COOKBOOK!

-Same bat-time, same bat-channel.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

treefork said:


> download (6).jpg
> 
> This is the copy I bought. I prefer this over paper or kindle. But that's just me!


Hey TF ... not a bad choice, but they will not survive the 2nd floor test ... :rofl:

Cheers ...... Charles


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

NaturalFork said:


> Charles. Thank you for sharing this. I need to read this.


Hello NF,

It really is a fun read ... lots of humor mixed in with the technical stuff. And he covers a wide variety of things besides slingshots. With your interests, I am sure you would find it very absorbing.

Cheers ..... Charles


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## DawnEvil (Apr 28, 2013)

Well, here is my last word, maybe, on this topic. The KILLER argument! The Kindle version is cheaper. I already have the computer. I am already connected to the internet. It is cheaper! Did I say that it is cheaper? Maybe it's my bloodlines, Scottish descent, but it's cheaper.

How about Cheerio for a parting line? Naw, it don't work for me.

P.S. one advantage of torturing you all with my rantings is that I got a lot more posts! Posts are good!


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## TimR (May 22, 2011)

Kindle is $9.99, paperback from Amazon is $13.46, or you could take the electronic file to Staples and print it for 9 cents a page, which would come out to $19.12.


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Go for it in whatever format suits ..... just read the book, because it is full of useful information ...

Cheers ... Charles


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## melvin (Jan 11, 2011)

Can I join the "Quirkies" ? Been trying to develop my type "B" personality for a while don't know if it's working or not and some days I just don't care. I love books and am using my Kindle a lot, I don't care where I read stuff to me it depends on the circumstances at the time, it's all good.

Melvin


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## Charles (Aug 26, 2010)

Melvin, quirky is as quirky does ... I am sure that with lots of practice you will qualify ... :rofl: :wave:

Cheers .... Charles


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## Bill Hays (Aug 9, 2010)

Sounds great.... I'll wait for the movie!


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## LostMarbles (May 31, 2013)

Some for $3 + s/h used... http://www.alibris.com/booksearch?browse=0&keyword=1602391475&mtype=B&hs.x=0&hs.y=0

Half.com has some too but many are the same listings as ailbirs.


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## Henry the Hermit (Jun 2, 2010)

I bought the Kindle edition.


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## TimR (May 22, 2011)

I got it today via interlibrary loan.

Definitely a must read!


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## tradspirit (Jul 23, 2012)

I just bought it from Amazon and look forward to a good read. Thanks Charles for the heads up. From one quicky ol' fart to another.


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