I'm with Brid. Let's review the policy
This, for me, was a rare item of interest, and one I'll act on.
There is at times like this a rather unappealing undercurrent of
snobbery towards 'commerce' on this and similar lists, one that
somehow refuses to recognize that academic posts, conferences,
seminars etc are not that different from books.
I don't suppose it would be feasible to maintain a two-stream list,
one for people who are happy to learn about new books in the field,
and a list-lite (or possibly heavy) for those who don't want to know.
(uh, consider those last four words again.)
Picking up Carsten Timmermann's point, mightn't another possibility
be to require/request publishers to seek their authors' sanction
before advertising their specific books in this way?
regards,
Hugh Aldersey-Williams
>Gosh. That surprises me.
>
>I think it's an ideal forum to promote books, conferences etc. as
>well as discussion.
>
>Maybe it's time to review 'the policy'?
>
>Regards
>Brid
>
>----------------------------------------
>> Date: Mon, 30 Oct 2006 12:51:01 +0000
>> From: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: book promotions on mersenne
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>>
>> Just a gentle reminder :
>>
>> It has been the policy, reflecting the wishes of the majority of mersenne
>> members, that the list is *not* used for promotion of books. This applies
>> even when the book is clearly of direct interest to the
>> historians/sociologists/philosophers of science/technology/medicine.
>>
>> The reason is simple: there are too many books that interest us! Leading to
>> too many mersenne emails, etc etc
>>
>> If anyone feels strogly about this issue, either one way or the other, feel
>> free to email me, and/or the [log in to unmask]
>>
>> cheers
>>
>> Jon
>>
> > Dr Jon Agar
>> Visiting Associate Professor, Department of History of Science, Harvard
> > University
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