Hi!  I recently ordered an H.G. Wells novel, and received a comic book version of the story... SO not what I wanted.  I marked it received, since the ISBN of what I was sent matched what I received, but is there any way in the future to make sure that I'm getting what I think I'm getting?

I used the 'review' feature to note that the ISBN was for a graphic novel version of the story, so at least future requesters can be warned (though it'll probably be more difficult for me to get the book sent off).

Thanks!

Denise

Might I ask what you got? (I love HG Wells and graphic novels)

There were two books: 
http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780883017388-The+Food+of+the+Gods+Pocket+Classics  and  http://www.paperbackswap.com/book/details/9780883017159-The+Invisible+Man+Pocket+Classics

 (The Invisible Man and Food of the Gods)

If you (or anyone else) would like them, I'll offer 2 for 1.

Denise

I'll take them both! I'll PM you.

The ISBN number is not always associated with just one version of a book. If you look up the 13 digit ISBN on Amazon it refers to a paperback version (click on "excerpt" and you will see a page of text).

Because of that, you should really go back and edit your review to remove the reference to a graphic novel. Reviews follow all books posted with that particular ISBN and someone else will think it is a graphic novel when it may not be one. It is an issue with ISBNs and not PBS, btw.

In the case of "The Food of the Gods" the book description states it is " H.G. Well's classic presented as a graphic novel." . Since that is in the book description, it is fine and alerts the requestor that it is in fact a graphic version.

When I looked up the ISBN (9780883017159) on Amazon, it says "no image available" and invites me to search inside another edition of this book.

I understand that the ISBN isn't associated with just one version of the book, but by adapting it into a graphic novel, the story gets slightly changed... kinda how a movie isn't the same as a book, it's just based on it.

For Food of the Gods, I updated the book info and included the graphic novel note in the description. 

Denise

I sometimes check on Amazon.com to make sure it is the book I'm looking for. Just go to Amazon.com and then in the search type in the ISBN number or copy and paste it.

What I like about this is I can see a cover if Paperback Swap doesn't have one, read more reviews and get a little more info on the book.

Hope this helps.

Ashley

Denise, I'm assuming by "graphic novel" you mean a cartoon type novel, rather than a text novel, with pics similar to the ones Sheri above has in her sig lines? If so, is there an adapter/editor listed on the actual books that you have? Perhaps, on the copyright page?  These both appear to be, from your description, adaptations of the original Wells' stories. If so, there should be an adapter or editor name inside the book. I do not believe, Charlie, that this ISBN goes with the "normal" versions of these stories, according to what she is describing.

If they are not the type of graphic that I have described, please tell me what YOU mean by graphic. I could very easily interpret "graphic novel" to mean a violent, grotesque novel, too. That is just as easily what is meant by a graphic novel to me. So,  you need to be a little more descriptive both here and in the book description. I also believe that if it is not the original H.G. Wells stories, then there will be another person's name on that book and it needs to be placed on the details of the book here on PBS.

On the "Food of the Gods" I don't think I would have thought it was a full book, at 80 pages.  I have the other book at 192 pages, altho it has a different ISBN. My daughter currently has it, I'll check on Monday to see if it is a "graphic novel" and let you know.

Sorry!  Yes, I meant graphic novel as in pictures... like the Sunday comics (though they are black and white rather than color). 

It's weird that there is no illustrator or adapter listed, at least not that I could find (and both the front and back matter are pretty sparse).

I found a webpage on the "Pocket Classic" series: http://www.classicscentral.com/pocket-1.htm

Denise

SO! From that description, apparently we are supposed to know that if the publisher is POCKET CLASSICS then it is a graphic/comic novel? In that case, first, is the letters prefacing the listing of your books, Denise, on them anywhere?  And is the publisher of the listing your ordered them from, Pocket Classics? Maybe something similar to the following needs to be added to all Pocket books?

"Pocket Classics are not "comic books"...they are small "paperback" books (64 pages). They are illustrated retellings of classic stories in B&W comic book type artwork. They all use the interior B&W artwork from the 1970's Pendulum Classics series in a slightly smaller format."

Here is a couple from an eBay seller (mycomicshop) that has several Pocket Classics. They all have basically the same thing, just the title within the description is changed:

"Pocket Classics 27: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1984) is an illustrated retelling of the classic story by Samuel Clemens. 64 pages, B&W, 4.25-in. x 6.75-in."

"Pocket Classics 06: Huckleberry Finn (1984) is an illustrated retelling of the classic story by Samuel Clemens. 64 pages, B&W, 4.25-in. x 6.75-in."

Does this sound logical? I guess I should put this in my guidelines, and maybe you would like to take on the challenge of correcting all the Pocket Classics that we have listed in the database, Denise?   :)

Sure, I'll update all of the listings.  ;-)  I'd hate to see someone else make the same mistake.

Denise

Okie, I updated Black Beauty (C1, figured I'd start at the beginning so I wouldn't miss any).  I'm not sure how you can look up edits, but here are the ISBNs.  The eBay seller posts the covers clearly enough that I can read the ISBNs off of the cover!  :-)

ISBN-13: 9780883017005
ISBN-10: 0883017008

Is there a way to be notified when edits are approved?  I don't want to do any more until I know that I'm doing them right.

I was able to track down the adapter and illustrator from the original Pendulum Press series, so I'll keep researching those.

Denise

Great, Denise, sounds like you have a good project there. No, there's no way for me or you to see the edits until they show up on my approval screen or your screen afterwards. I can't go picking thru the list, they come up, one at a time for us. I know the queue was cleared earlier today, so the one you did should get approved tonight, and if it doesnt go thru me, and doesn't go thru right, I'll bring it up in the data correctors private discussion forum.

I need to make a statement in there and in the guidelines topic that I have going for these books, so that if anybody else comes across them and decides to do something different they don't counteract what you are doing.

Ok, the Black Beauty has come thru already, I just checked, but since we are going to treat these as a series, and they do have a number for each title, could you add it in the title like this Black Beauty (Pocket Classics, C1) etc? Other than that, the edit you did is perfect! Good job!

Are you listing the adapter, then the original author, then the illustrator in that order? I didn't check, but I think I would try to be consistant since you are working with them all at one time. Since we don't really need to clutter up the database with the extra words, you could add the names into the description with the qualifiers with them, maybe on a separate line after the last paragraph? I often do that with extra information on a book. I put the important stuff first, then follow with extra stuff like who the reader of an audio is, or the cover artist or such when I have it.

Based on the description in this book, these are another similar series:

Jackie Robinson (Pocket Biographies)

Subjects:

• Biographies & Memoirs >> People, A-Z >> ( R ) >> Robinson, Jackie

ISBN-13: 9780883017937

ISBN-10: 0883017938

Publisher: Academic Industries

Publication Date: 1984

Book Type: Paperback
Book Description:

Small, 4" x 7" comic-type book. One of several in the "Pocket Biographies" series

I'm pretty sure I had submitted the title line with the number in it.  I'm not sure what happened there.

On the author, etc... you're saying that I should include each person's name in the "author" line, and then clarify who they are in the "description"?

Yeah, after the 60 Pocket Classics, there are 12 Shakespeare Pocket Classics, so then I'll do the Pocket Biographies.  I can tell that I'll be busy for awhile!  :-)

On a slightly unrelated topic... is there anyway to find out what was wrong with cover images we submitted?  I submitted about a dozen, and only half of them are showing up now.  I'd like to have cover images for the stuff on my bookshelf, but there's no reason to submit the same image over again.

Thanks!

Denise

It's very likely that you did, Denise, and the approver removed it. I have posted in the corrector's private forum that these are to be left in. With the guideline the way it was before, it was basically set to pull all "Classic" out of the titles, but this one needs to be in there because of what it represents.

Yes, you got the name idea right, in my opinion, that's how I think it should be.

As for images, you should have received a PM telling you there was a problem with it when it was denied. I try to always state WHY it was rejected, but I don't know what other approvers do. If you would like an opinion on your images, I'm always willing to accept them and review them personally for you to help you learn what is and is not acceptable. I also help people learn to crop or whatever with their images. Just send me a PM and I"ll give you an email addy that I use for the images here. No problem!