Changing the title because this is about footnotes, not about How to
search. And trimming tails, while I am at it.


On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 7:34 AM, Paul Mike Zender <[log in to unmask]>
 wrote:
>
>
> Looking up and reading key footnotes (references if the style is to put
> them at the end with in-line citations) is essential, joyful, and something
> you never 'outgrow.' I do it all the time. It's fun, like being a
> detective. Sometimes I encounter old friends as well as meeting new ones.
>

​I used to write long footnotes, very erudite of me. But interrupting the
reading to go to the footnote disturbs the pace of the writing. Especially
true when the publisher insists on putting the footnotes at the end of the
book, often in a section that does not hint where the footnote comes from.

So I vowed to use the following rule:

If it is important enough to say, then it should be in the text itself. I
reserve footnotes for references (a rule I often violate).  And I insist
that the publisher have as the running title on every footnote page, the
chapter number and name and the pages being referred to by footnotes on
that page.

*Footnote: *It is amazing that publishers put the title of the book on the
running title in the header, which is NOT what a reader needs. The reader
knows the book title, so why keep repeating it? The reader needs to know
what chapter name and number is being read. I hate it when the author says
(As seen in Chapter 7) but the header gives the name of the boo or chapter,
whereas the reader is quickly skimming to find the chapter number, which is
not stated in the header.   But I digress (which, of course, is the main
function of a footnote -- to support digressions.


I occasionally do put content in footnotes, even though it violates my
rule.  I just can't stop. But I try to avoid distracting the reader by the
use of footnote markers. The reader has to guess that I have a clever
little note and go to the back of the book to see if I have placed anything
there dealing with those pages. This is less disruptive for the casual
reader, but horrible for the scholar.

I have learned that when I read someone else's books, after I finish each
chapter, I turn to the end of the book, find the section where footnotes to
what has just been read are kept (praying that the publisher made this easy
by putting the chapter title, name and page numbers in the page header),
and read.  So i don't destroy the flow of reading, while still enjoying the
notes and references.
--

On Mon, Jan 15, 2018 at 8:19 AM, Gunnar Swanson <[log in to unmask]>
 wrote:
>
> Notes have a variety of functions. I was just talking to my graphic design
> seniors last week about how their use can affect both writing and design. I
> like explanatory/commenting/aside notes that add a contrapuntal aspect to
> writing but believe those should mainly be side notes. (I prefer that the
> side notes also line up with the specific text they refer to so the reader
> can find the way back and forth with least disruption.) What I’m writing
> now is meant to contain the reference needed for understanding in the text
> itself so end notes can suffice for those who want to follow up. (The
> project is meant to be a broad introduction so I hope the end notes will
> encourage further reading.)
>


>
> I find the various forms of notes popular in the humanities and social
> sciences (Author year) to be disruptive of reading. I’d much rather have
> the writer take the time to say "As Author said in her essay about
> footnotes, 'include a note that makes it easy to locate the original but
> don’t disrupt the reading any more than needed' so that I don’t have
> reminder that someone is performing being academic rather than just
> communicating with me" and then provide a way for me to locate the essay
> easily. (And, of course, I know that few writers have control over things
> like note styles.)


I too prefer sidenotes. *SheJi *does this well (as do other journals and
occasional books). Per Mollerup's books are wonderfully designed with
sidenotes. (E.g., *"Simplicity: A Matter of Design."*)

--
I once wrote in a footnote that wouldn't it be nice if when you came to a
footnote number you could touch the number and be taken to the footnote and
then, immediately go back to where you left off.

Years later, a reader sent me that quote, stating that he was reading the
book on an electronic book reader, and the wish of that quote had actually
been fulfilled for the quote itself: My wish was ahead of its time, but
then, the electronic version of my book, contradicted my lament by making
it already true.

==
I write popular books, which is why my footnote policy works.

In a serious, scholarly book, quite often the meat is contained in the
footnotes.  I still think this is wrong: if there is so much of value in
the footnotes why shouldn't it be in the ext? One reason is that causal
readers should not get distracted by scholarly quibbles.

Another solution is to have sections labelled "Optional: for those
interested" (or some phrase like that).

======
The main issue is still unresolved. How can we provide the quibbles and
side notes that experts and scholars love, without detracting from the
reading experience of the casual readers?

Is the answer electronic books? Amazon Kindle does a nice job with their
"page flip" feature which makes it easy to flip back and forth along the
pages -- quickly skimming backwards to reread some section, with a menu
pinned to the screen that immediately takes you back to where you started)
even better than keeping one's fingers in the place). Plus, of course (in
those books that have it) easy back and forth between text and footnotes.
Amazon's tools are still deficient in many ways, but they make a huge
advance. I know find it easier to read scholarly books on amazon than on
paper.

*Footnote:* It is interesting to note that my parenthetical statements are
often simply miniature footnotes. Do they detract?


Don

-- 
Don Norman
Prof. and Director, DesignLab, UC San Diego
[log in to unmask] designlab.ucsd.edu/  www.jnd.org  <http://www.jnd.org/>


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