History of The Basin in
Book Form
The book is
comprised of 15 chapters. Not all chapters are completed.
As chapters are completed they will be added to this
site.
Each
completed chapter is standalone with its own contents,
summary and index. When all chapters are complete, I will
create a single contents and index covering all chapters.
The raw
information for the book is stored electronically using
sophisticated page layout software. At any time the book
can be reproduced in a number of formats:
In
high quality printed book form. This may be done
in limited numbers for special occasions or when
the book contents are more stable I may offer
printed versions at a low cost.
In
simple HTML format for on-line viewing. This
format is available on this site.
As an
e-book that can be read on-line or downloaded and
read/printed off-line. Currently, only PDF e-book
format is available on this site.
CD
ROM of everything that I can fit on it. This
format is not yet available.
Currently,
only two of the above formats are available. What format
you initially choose to use is dependant on the speed of
the Internet connection you have. Some of the PDF files
with pictures are large and will take a long time to
download. Read the detailed information below about each
format to help you decide the format to use.
PDF
Format
Each chapter
has been created in a popular electronic book (e-book)
format known as Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) that
faithfully reproduces the book layout. Unfortunately, for
some chapters with many pictures, the PDF file size is
large.
In order to
read PDF files, you need to add a PDF viewer to your
browser. You can then read the PDF file on-line or first
download the file and then read/print the file off-line.
Adding a viewer to your browser is simple and PDF viewers
are available for free on the Internet. See Internet
Help for
information on how to obtain a PDF viewer and download
files.
The PDF
format is only available as separate files for each
chapter due to the large file size that would be required
for the whole book. PDF files are optimised for viewing
in a browser or printing on a home or office quality
printer. In particular, photographs do not print at their
original quality.
If you view
the PDF files in a viewer in your browser, the Contents
and Indexes are clickable. That is, if you click on an
index entry, the viewer will scroll to the page that
contains the index entry. Also included are
"thumbnail" views of each page. If you double
click on the thumbnail view of a page, the viewer will
scroll to that page.
Two versions
of the PDF file are available and both include an index.
With
no pictures. The space occupied by
pictures is blank. This reduces the file size and
consequently the download time. The pictures can
be viewed via the on-line format.
With
pictures. For some chapters, this
results in a large file size if there are many
pictures. The large file size results from
ensuring that the picture resolution (in
particular, maps) is good enough to see fine
details on screen.
If you print
a PDF file that includes pictures, you will notice that
the picture quality is not ideal. This is because PDF
files have been optimised for viewing on a browser and
there is a trade-off between picture quality and PDF file
size.
On-Line
HTML Format
The on-line
HTML is automatically produced by the software used and I
have limited control over the format. It is not ideal,
but quick and easy to generate and includes indexes. It
uses frames which may be a problem for some browsers. It
also has limitations and some things don't work properly
such as:
Photographs
and maps are not shown "in-line". You
have to click on a hyperlink to view them. This
was done deliberately to reduce download speed
for those with low speed connections. Initially,
you view only text and if you want to see any
pictures you have to click on a link.
Photographs
and map reproductions are not ideal because they
have been compressed to reduce file size and are
missing their captions.
Some
of the pages are very long and you have to
continually scroll down. I realise this is not
good manners but I have no control over this.
There
is no way of printing all the on-line information
so it formats nicely.
The on-line
HTML format has been designed so that the first level you
see is all text based and will thus download very
quickly. To view a picture you must click an a labelled
link. You can use the HTML format to quickly decide if
you are interested in the contents. You may then decide
to download the corressponding PDF file.
What
Format to use
If you have a
high speed Internet connection, such as cable or a direct
link, speed is not an issue, so I suggest you view the
PDF files on-line or download them and read/print them
off-line.
If you have a
low speed modem connection, I suggest you first view the
HTML format because the entry layer is all text and will
download quickly. You may choose to look at some pictures
by clicking on links. If you find something of interest,
download the PDF file without pictures first. If you are
still interested, download the PDF file with pictures.
The
Book
Click on the
"[Last Updated Info]" links for information on
the latest changes made for a particular chapter. The
file size for each PDF file is given below each PDF icon.
See Internet Help for information on how to calculate
download times.
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