Launching SuttaCentral Editions

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Well I know what I’m getting during the next Lulu Black Friday sale. Thank you Bhante and crew for this wonderful offering. :pray:

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Awesome! Will the books at a later point also contain the map @jonas has been working on? Or is that for something else? I would like a copy with the cool map. :smile:

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Indeed, that is the purpose of the map. But it has turned out so good, maybe we should make it into a printable poster as well?

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Absolutely!! Would be wonderful.

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I would definitely get the map poster.

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If we get a high quality image, it should be easy enough to get it printed online. Does anyone know of a good poster-printing service?

Sadhu Sadhu… the service SuttaCentral does for those wanting to learn What the Buddha Said… is immeasurable… So many languages… instant comparison of with the Pali text … a Pali dictionary… Loads of Merit to you Bhante…

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Having see the link to the editions page shared in various places on line, I’m noticing a lot of users unable to figure out how to get the books. That’s a shame. Downloading and purchasing books should not be complicated.

For one thing, It is not at all obvious on the main editions page that the titles are what you have to click to get to the actual book page. For mobile users it’s even worse since there is no mouse to hover and add the underline that traditionally indicates a link. At a minimum the book thumbnails could be linked to the book page. But really, as ugly as they may be, a “Get the Book” button is a kindness to the user. It’s what people expect.

On each book page, having the buttons to purchase the hard copy volumes labeled as “Print on Demand” is not user friendly. Literally no one cares that what stands between them and the acquisition of the book is something known as “print on demand.” They just want to buy the book. In almost every case when using a computer if the button says “Print” then one will expect to have it print from the printer sitting next to the computer.

Just label the buttons “Purchase” since that is exactly what will happen when they click it.

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This is so beautiful and wonderful. It’s yet another way to preserve the Buddha-Dhamma. Thank you Bhante and thanks to everyone who has worked so much to make SuttaCentral an amazing resource for the Buddha’s teachings.

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When will Ayya @sabbamitta 's German SN get an “edition”? :grin:

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Not so quickly, I am afraid! I am still constantly making edits in already translated texts while working on the new ones, and that will probably remain the case until the last line of the last Sutta of the canon is translated.

It’s indeed amazing how interlinked the different texts of the Buddhist canon are, and you only get aware of the full scope of this with an intense study, such as is a translation—especially if it’s done with a tool like Bilara.

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Well, the beauty of digital editions is that they’re relatively easy to update :grin:

And you should probably write up those observations some time too! I’d love to read what the project has revealed for you :blush:

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Not in a systematic way, but there are some impressions that touch me along my translation work in the Dhammaregen newsletters. However, in German … :cry: :smile:

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Dear Bhante,

I downloaded, unzipped, and opened up the new DN pdfs and found the suttas are in reverse order for each of the volumes. Volume 1 is ordered from 13 to 1, Volume 2 is ordered 23 to 14, and Volume 3 is ordered from 34 to 24. I unzipped the MN and it is ok. I read through the entire DN introductory material to see if you intended to do this, but I could not confirm any such intention.

Sincerely,
HearingEntry

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Oh wow, thanks for pointing that out, no idea how that happened. It seems to only affect DN, but we will check and fix it ASAP.

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Apparently this was caused by an update to our database which broke some AQL queries. Hongda has fixed it and the updated files should appear soon.

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Beyond belief … Thank you

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Gosh thank you for the hint, @Snowbird . I’ve just spent an embarrassingly long time on my mobile trying to understand how ordering would work. The only things that look clickable are the downloadable files or the GitHub link. Fortunately, I remembered your post here, without which I’d still be flummoxed.

So, I’d second the call for something more obvious like a button for each book. I’d suggest linking the cover images to their respective pages, too.

Bhante @sujato I’m wondering if there is an easy way to just order the entire collection with one click? No mucking around, I’ll take the lot, mate! I’m thinking of making it easier particularly for libraries and monasteries. The monastery I’m staying at would love a full set and I noticed that the Buddhist library in Sydney did not have any copies (but should, as I’ll be doing a month long course there next year on the Basics of Early Buddhism, so I was thinking of encouraging some Dhamma Dana to crowd source the entire collection beforehand)

Or, for libraries and monasteries, is it best to wait a while for the special editions you’ve got planned? Will there be hardcover editions?

Another thing that might be helpful for shoppers is a rough idea of how much the entire collection costs (I understand shipping is still extra) but I think that would be a great incentive to encourage people to consider getting the whole collection and also save people the time and clicking back and forth—as I’ve just been doing—to arrive at a rough price. (For those who were wondering, it’s about USD $522 plus shipping. Don’t trust my maths though, I have dyscalculia. Still, a bargain at any price of course but good to know, right?)

Last suggestion as a first time book looker-er, on the home page, where the SuttaCentral Editions banner is, it might be clearer to have
“Read Selected SuttaCentral translations as printed or digital books” to help people make the link between the online world of SC and ordering printed copies.

Having just been at Lokanta Vihara recently and seen all the new paperback editions (with maps and notes) in real life, I was so happy and grateful! It was impressive to see the books all together. They were good quality and felt great to hold. I’d encourage folks to order!

Thank you X 10000000, Bhante Sujato :pray:

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We’re looking into it.

Probably. Other editions will come, but it’s hard to predict how and when.

Eventually, yes.

Pricing is set by Lulu.