Vargas said:
There is also a 2nd Edition of this book completely revised and extended (actually another 1000 pages added(!)
The second addition was set to be produced in 2015, but was cancelled, I know this for a fact because I was told, by Fathi Habashi himself and have asked the publisher (Wiley) who has stated the same thing. There is another set of books on the subject by Wiley, but they are by a single author and not the same at all.
if you want to I can contact the german publisher and either ask if they have another copy stored somewhere or about a reprint by them(that could be REALLY expensive). Might be easier for me, cause I speak german
I contacted the publisher, in Germany and in the US (Wiley has offices and printing facilities in NY), and was told that after a certain point they destroy the books, they do not keep anything on hand. This set was produced in 1997, they have no books available.
Do you want this book, because
A.) you just like to have a book in your hand instead of staring at the screen or
B.) out of "sentimental" reason - meaning you're fine with the PDF, but you just want the
original sitting on your bookshelf (I'm that type of person
)
I always prefer books to the electronic version, but I have almost all the books I own pertaining to metallurgy, refining, etc in PDF format as well so I can read from my phone when I cannot pull a book of the shelf. I have this particular set of books in .PDF format currently. I have done a lot of research while attending collect and have found having several books I can cross reference against suits me best. For me, it makes researching far more productive. The first few days I had these books were productive, and since I have found a wealth of information.
in case of A.) to give you an idea what a reprint/facsimile for your personal use would/should cost at your local printer
I have requested permission, from Wiley, to reprint the manuals, I want something with a professional binding. If they allow the reprint, I will be making them available for purchase. The set, in 1997 sold for $1,600. Printing it from a ream of paper is just simply not an option. As a business, specially in California, if I were to be caught with such a document I could be setting myself up for a big fall.
Based on the PDF, original size, 2 Volumes, 1000 pages each, Softcover, total 2000 pages
There is actually a total of 2426 pages.
in case of B.) Abebooks, bookcrossing.com (possibly for free there)
I have actually contacted Abe, Alibris and 17 other rare book sellers, not one of them has ever had this set of manuals come up for sale. Neither has Amazon ever had any used come up for sale. The reason is that there were not many of these manuals ever printed, it's a reference set and almost all that were purchased, were by colleges or businesses.
I have called several libraries, around the world, trying to locate one that would allow me to purchase the set, nothing.
I contacted a book store in India that did have a set come up for sale 3 years ago, the set sold for over $3,000 US but they have never had it in again since.
I contacted a individual who sold a set last year in Russia, but he actually worked for the firm that had the set, and it was given to him as a gift.
I have had lengthy email discussions with the author/editor, Fathi Habashi, who I have actually invited to this forum and has signed up but has yet posted anything, about this book set. Not even he knows where a set can be obtained.
I do have the set in my possession currently. I contacted the library of a college I attended that isn't too far from where I live. The set used to be reference only but they moved it to the stacks a few years ago because they were not being used. I am the only person who has ever checked them out. I have them in my possession currently.
With all that being said, I appreciate the suggestions. And if anyone has a suggestion I haven't exhausted I would appreciate it as well. I think at this point my best option is to see if I can get permission to have them re-printed. Barring that, I have no other option except the PDF version, and to continue checking them out from the UC Berkeley Library.
Scott
