[Textbook-l] textbook ideas

[Karl Wick]

Hi, I am the guy who made the initial request to open up a
spot on Wikipedia for textbook development. I have a
physics book I am writing and want to donate and probably
give a good start to an organic text as well. 

Text of an email I just sent to Mav, who asked me to sent
it thru the mailing list:

It seems like some people on the mailing list want things
defined real well from the onset. Is that necessary or can
we just wing it and develop policies as time and need
warrant ? 

I had the idea that textbooks could be started as units
with a defined goal and audience. For example, my physics
book could be designated as an introductory college-level
text suitable for pre-meds. 

I am imagining the textbook development as beginning
general and moving towards specific, as one basic "unified"
text for each discipline that eventually differentiates
into multiple books over time. Books for more narrowly
defined audiences, levels, goals, study guides, etc. Since
textbooks have a voice could we not allow this to happen
naturally and even allow multiple voices ? 

My opinion is that rules and regs should be a bit lax on
the textbook subdomain until needed ... I agree that NPOV
should not be required .. there is also an issue that
authors styles can be quite different, some study guides
even use little jokes to help you remember information. 

And one unrelated question: Do you have an idea of
copyright issues, specifically, if I use the chapter
structure of an existing book written by another author for
a Wiki book or is that infringement ? I am imagining I
could lift the overall structure from one of my old orgo
textbooks for the basis of a book on O Chem ..I read that
the information itself is not under copyright, just the
"creative presentation" of it. Do you happen to know where
the chips would fall in this case ?

Thanks,
Karl

PS Thank you for your support of the wiki textbook concept
..

http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Karlwick

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