Focusing on the Web Only

As of today the paperback and PDF version of Vietnamese Typography are discontinued and no longer sold on the web site. Making updates to all three versions had taken up too much time and effort. The print edition, in particular, had been a hassle to update. Every time I found a typo, I had to resubmit the entire book to Blurb, delete the old version, change the new link, and buy at least one copy of the new version for myself in order for the book to stay in the Blurb’s bookstore. The entire experience wore me out. Maybe Blurb is not the right choice for publishing my book.

On the other hand, if an error is found on the web site, I can make the change instantly without any cost. As a result, I am focusing my attention only on the web site. I can create and edit any part of the site without much effort. Yesterday, I added a new literary example, which is a request from a type designer. He asked for a long-form example so he can analyze how the diacritical marks are set in long paragraphs.

To make the example not just useful for examining typography but also learning about Vietnamese history, I decided to including the intriguing mystical legend of the origin of the Vietnamese people. After days of research, I borrowed an excerpt from an essay that talks about the fascinating myth.

Since the site is no longer selling the paperback and the PDF edition, I switch to the support system. I hope readers will contribute to the project if they find the resource useful.