book as api (hugh mcguire)

anAPI for

books@hughmcguire

pressbooks.com

To Do List:

1. start thinking of books as [stuff].

2. think about how we make books

3. look at examples

4. wonder: is this easy or hard?

What is a book?

My definition:

“A book is a discrete collection of text (and other media), that is designed by the

author(s) as an internally complete representation of an idea, or set of ideas;

emotion or set of emotions; and transmitted to readers in various formats.”

What’s in a book?

joy! pleasure!

knowledge!characters!

fictional people!real people!

places!concepts!footnotes!references!

lots and lots of other ...

THINGS! (and: things that we can name).

What is an API?

Terry Jones’s Definition:

“Just as a User Interface gives humans access to information, an API gives programs access to information.”

What is a (book) API’s job?

“To give other services the ability to use [the stuff] in your books, under

defined circumstances.”

An API is another mechanism

by which a publisher can do its job, which is:

“to make public” the contents of a book

(under certain commercial arrangements)

HOW:

Start with your INDEX.

What is an index’s job?

Shakespeare’s Answer:

“And in such indexes, although small pricksTo their subsequent volumes, there is seen

The baby figure of the giant massOf things to come at large.”

(Troilus and Cessida).

What does a paper index look like?

What does an ebook index look like?

That there is a link!

<a href="/chapter3/index-entry-78">Dracula</a>

<a href="/chapter4/index-entry-101">May 1, 1893</a><a href="/chapter1/index-entry-122">Munich</a><a href="/chapter9/index-entry-11">Murder</a>

<a href="/chapter10/index-entry-68">Succotash</a><a href="/chapter6/index-entry-99">Smith, Dr.</a><a href="/chapter16/index-entry-119">Sambuca</a>

<a href="/chapter15/index-entry-199">Vienna</a><a href="/chapter2/index-entry-666">Veins</a>

Jonathan Harker’s Journal:3 May. Bistritz.

Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning ...the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place....

Left Munich at 8:35 P.M., on 1st May, arriving at Vienna early next morning ... the post town named by Count Dracula, is a fairly well-known place....

Left <a id="index-entry-122">Munich</a> at 8:35 P.M., on <a id="index-entry-101">1st May</a>, arriving at <a id="index-entry-199">Vienna</a> early next morning... the post town named by <a id="index-entry-99">Count Dracula</a>, is a fairly well-known place...

What does a smart index look like?

Left <a id="index-entry-122" class=”place”>Munich</a> at 8:35 P.M., on <a id="index-entry-101" class=”date”>1st May</a>, arriving at <a id="index-entry-199" class=”place”>Vienna</a> early next morning...the post town named by <a id="index-entry-99" class=”person”>Count Dracula</a>, is a fairly well-known place...

<a href="/chapter3/index-entry-78" class=”person”>Dracula</a>

<a href="/chapter4/index-entry-101" class=”date”>May 1, 1893</a><a href="/chapter1/index-entry-122" class=”place”>Munich</a><a href="/chapter9/index-entry-11" class=”cause-of-death”>Murder</a>

<a href="/chapter10/index-entry-68" class=”food”>Succotash</a><a href="/chapter6/index-entry-99" class=”person”>Smith, Dr.</a><a href="/chapter16/index-entry-119" class=”food drink”>Sambuca</a>

<a href="/chapter15/index-entry-199" class=”place”>Vienna</a><a href="/chapter2/index-entry-666" class=”body-part”>Veins</a>

HEY!

THAT’S AN API!

THAT WAS EASY!

What can we do with a book API?

We can build different interfaces that allow readers to engage in

different ways.

The Pulp interface.

image: Gleann Ignacio

The Bits interface.

Image: Rebekah Ford

The “what stuff is mentioned in this

book” interface:

Small Demons.

The “who is reading this and what are

they saying about it” interface:

Readmill.

The“Let’s explode this book and put it back

together in a very cool way” interface:

Dracula Dissected.

bit.ly/draculadissected

IS THIS HARD?

Not if you use a good book-based

content management system.

(like PressBooks!).

Conclusions:

1. Books are made of stuff that can be

named

2. If you name stuff in your HTML (while indexing!), then we can

(easily) build new uses/interfaces for our books, such as Dracula

Dissected.

3. <shameless_plug>

If you use something like PressBooks to make your books,

making Dracula Dissected becomes easy.

</shameless_plug>

So ... What is a book?

My definition:

“A book is a discrete collection of text (and other media), that is designed by the

author(s) as an internally complete representation of an idea, or set of ideas;

emotion or set of emotions...

... with an API.”

Talk to me about dissecting your Dracula!

hugh@pressbooks.com@hughmcguire

http://pressbooks.com