Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ

Sometimes the edition reviewed makes a big difference to potential readers. *Iff* we can get everyone to try to review the specific edition they read, or heard, we can do our 'citizenship of goodreads' duty and make the set of reviews for each book more helpful.

When you write a review you are reviewing a specific edition. And those reviews are generally combined, but a reader can 'filter' by edition, say to get only the audiobooks, or the unabridged, or the illustrated, or the classic that has extensive notes vs. one that is just the text.

There's also an ability to use 'format' when using your shelves now, which is tremendously helpful for users.

Ah! Thanks for the tip about "format!" I will modify some of my bookshelf columns to show the format!

Oh my the format field is wonderful. I have shelves that I used to sort my TBR’s in to format types (tbr-paperback, tbr-audio, tbr hardcover) so I could decide what I had to read in various situations. At home - hard covers, at work - paperbacks, driving or walking - audio. Now I can use the format field in the main To Read shelf and can see what format, so much easier. Of course I still have other shelves for series I am working on and I still want the “Prophet� shelf which would tell me just exactly which book I was going to read next, Boy would that save time.
< grin >

OMG! A format column!

Now I have to double check myself to be sure I have chosen the correct one.

Ralph wrote: "Oh my the format field is wonderful. I have shelves that I used to sort my TBR’s in to format types (tbr-paperback, tbr-audio, tbr hardcover) so I could decide what I had to read in various situati..."

I want the prophet to tell me which books to remove from my to-read shelf! I have way too many and will never likely get through them all as I keep adding more every time I read a friends' positive reviews on ones I've never heard of before! So many books... as they say...

I always make sure to note when I'm reviewing an audio version, and make note of my feelings on the narrators. When it comes to audiobooks, narrators make or break them for me, so I think it's really important to review that aspect of the book and I almost always check audio book reviews to see what people thought of the narrator before getting the audio book.

Vicky, does using the "filter" function to sort out just the reviews for audio versions work well for you? In other words, do you find that reviewers are actually doing a pretty good job of reviewing the same edition they read/ heard?

Cheryl in CC NV wrote: "Vicky, does using the "filter" function to sort out just the reviews for audio versions work well for you? In other words, do you find that reviewers are actually doing a pretty good job of review..."

Honestly? No, not really. More often than not, people add an afterthought that says "I listened to the audio book it was good/bad."

I'm sure there are some people who just add whatever edition they can find and review it without knowing better, but there are others who have the review SHELVED as an audio book and make no mention of the cast.

That's what I thought. Too bad. Well, at least we here know better and will be more careful! ;)

I'm very particular about matching my books on here properly. It bugs me if the particular copy I have isn't found on here. Like two I bought recently, when I went to add them, a ton of different cover arts popped up, but none matched the ones I had. Stuff like that bothers me a bit. I can see to an audio-book listener/reader that having a specific review about the audio-book would be very helpful too.

Kit, many times a book will be reissued with a different cover, though it has the same ISBN. You can request an alternate cover be added if you go to the Librarian's group here at Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. Someone will be happy to do it.

Kit, I second what Elizabeth said about using the Librarian's group. I've been wondering how many here are GR Librarians. I'm one and would be glad to help you with that. I think it is very important to have correct book cover images up for each edition of a book

In another group, the ever-helpful L J posted:

"I tend to search by ISBN because in the past I was often looking for a specific edition of book. Before GoodReads I searched ABE, AddAll, or WorldCat. Before that I searched Books In Print and used ISBN to confirm I'd found correct edition. Before ISBN I used Library of Congress number to identify correct book.

"The following is an abbreviated version of ISBN section of my spiel on identifying books.
Using ISBN as identifier is not perfect. Not only are there many books printed before ISBN, publishers re-use ISBN on multiple printings of a book. This leads to confusion whether edition is paper or e format. E editions are even more prone to cover changes than print editions but that doesn't change the edition ISBN anymore than cover change of paper book changes edition.
Ideally for book buyers, publishers would only re-use the ISBN if later printing is exactly like earlier printing, cover art, size, etc. but that is not the case. If the main body of text remains the same publishers are likely to consider book to be a later printing of the same edition even if it looks very different.
Different groups view ISBN differently. Book collectors, used and collectable book sellers and many others connect the ISBN to the first printing. Book owners usually associate ISBN with edition they own and may not realize ISBN can connect to multiple printings. Sellers of new books connect ISBN to newest printing because that's likely what they have for sale.

"In the late 1960s when ISBN was introduced I was told how wonderfully useful it would be going forward because it would make different editions easy to identify. Multiple printings of same edition would have same number, which made sense as some books go to second and third printings before street date but are identical except for indication of which printing. At that time most did not anticipate how edition and printing would be defined so that what to the book buyer was a new edition, to the publisher was just a new printing whether it looked the same or looked very different.

"The official ISBN website says "ISBN is the unique identifier for every title, edition and format." Notice it says nothing about printing. Most book buyers or owners probably don't know the difference between edition and printing and, other than collectors, most have never even heard of state.
ISBN website: "

Lots of good information, L J, thank you!!