A great rework of the table of contents. Linchpin, by Seth Godin, briefly describes each chapter instead of just giving the page number. He turns the TOC into an opportunity to summarize the contents of the book for a new reader, not just tell them where things are.
Seen byJason Friedon February 12 2010.
There are14 comments.
Anonymous Coward
on 12 Feb 10
also a good way to prevent Cliff Notes from stealing some of the sales
So Seth is obviously big on the Kindle (you even get a bonus book when you buy Linchpin on the device). When you sample a book on the Kindle, you by default get the first chapter and front matter. This is a great way to hook people into the rest of the book with that sample. I am 90% sure that was the intent here.
Jakob Nielsen mentioned that when he did a usability study on the Kindle content, too: “Free previews will also change book writing: you’ll have to ensure that your best material is in the first chapter, because that’s what will sell the book. “
JJN
on 12 Feb 10
Very nice, and something of a return to the past. For example:
http://bit.ly/9X67c2 (The voyage of John Huyghen van Linschoten to the East Indies. From University of California/HathiTrust)
Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War) does the same in his books, and I love it.
mzo
on 13 Feb 10
Information Anxiety (1 and 2) by Richard S Wurman (TED founder) heavily pushed this idea but better years ago. Check out the Amazon look inside: http://www.amazon.com/Information-Anxiety-2-Hayden-Que/dp/0789724103
Up
on 13 Feb 10
@down I agree .. this is nothing new. Although McSweeney’s 1 did put a hilarious twist on it.
The architect Christopher Alexander did something similar in his Pattern Language books. He used a normal table of contents + a detailed ToC similar to Godin’s, and then he extended the pattern right into the text, with summaries leading each section.
Not a new technique – zillions of technical manuals do the same thing, but it can be an effective form of information layering. It’s eminently scannable, for one thing, good audiences with internet-honed reading habits.
Some 19th centuries used several info layering techniques like this: chapter summaries (both in the Toc and at the head of each chapters; custom page headers for each page; marginal notes, etc.). Some of them might be worth bringing back.
This discussion is closed.
About Jason Fried
Jason co-founded Basecamp back in 1999. He also co-authored REWORK, the New York Times bestselling book on running a "right-sized" business. Co-founded, co-authored... Can he do anything on his own?
Anonymous Coward
on 12 Feb 10also a good way to prevent Cliff Notes from stealing some of the sales
Kit
on 12 Feb 10So Seth is obviously big on the Kindle (you even get a bonus book when you buy Linchpin on the device). When you sample a book on the Kindle, you by default get the first chapter and front matter. This is a great way to hook people into the rest of the book with that sample. I am 90% sure that was the intent here.
Jakob Nielsen mentioned that when he did a usability study on the Kindle content, too: “Free previews will also change book writing: you’ll have to ensure that your best material is in the first chapter, because that’s what will sell the book. “
JJN
on 12 Feb 10Very nice, and something of a return to the past. For example: http://bit.ly/9X67c2 (The voyage of John Huyghen van Linschoten to the East Indies. From University of California/HathiTrust)
down
on 12 Feb 10quite common in literature.
cf. Swift, Gulliver’s Travels http://www.jaffebros.com/lee/gulliver/bk1/index.html
Victor P
on 12 Feb 10nice sketches in the background
Duder
on 12 Feb 10I’m not a fan. I’d rather be able to see the entire table of contents at a glance and leave the chapter summaries for the introduction.
Eric
on 12 Feb 10Very nice and clean. I wounder if this could be used in a site map? It would be a nice experiment.
Jimmy Chan
on 13 Feb 10I prefer 37signals Getting Real style, where contents are easy, short to the point.
No need TOC, no need thousand pages.
John
on 13 Feb 10Jason,
Did you buy it here in the city or on Amazon?
Garlin
on 13 Feb 10Robert Greene (author of The 48 Laws of Power, The Art of Seduction, and The 33 Strategies of War) does the same in his books, and I love it.
mzo
on 13 Feb 10Information Anxiety (1 and 2) by Richard S Wurman (TED founder) heavily pushed this idea but better years ago. Check out the Amazon look inside: http://www.amazon.com/Information-Anxiety-2-Hayden-Que/dp/0789724103
Up
on 13 Feb 10@down I agree .. this is nothing new. Although McSweeney’s 1 did put a hilarious twist on it.
Paul Magee
on 14 Feb 10Does an idea need to be completely new for it to have any value?
Isn’t doing something that works, a much better strategy than not doing it, just because its been done before?
I might be wrong but I sense a hint of it here in the comments, and I’ve seen it elsewhere.
I know people who constantly crave the buzz of something new, and reject anything they have heard before.
It’s a kind of elitism, like perfectionism. “Newism” that gives people an excuse to avoid taking any action.
Christopher Burd
on 14 Feb 10The architect Christopher Alexander did something similar in his Pattern Language books. He used a normal table of contents + a detailed ToC similar to Godin’s, and then he extended the pattern right into the text, with summaries leading each section.
Not a new technique – zillions of technical manuals do the same thing, but it can be an effective form of information layering. It’s eminently scannable, for one thing, good audiences with internet-honed reading habits.
Some 19th centuries used several info layering techniques like this: chapter summaries (both in the Toc and at the head of each chapters; custom page headers for each page; marginal notes, etc.). Some of them might be worth bringing back.
This discussion is closed.