Tie-Ins

The internet's existence is being recognized in nearly every field of human endeavor. Merchandise is marked with the URL of a manufacturer or wholesaler. Authors, publishers, and even some individual books have web sites.

Here's some examples from a shelf of new books coming in to the library:

A donated trade paperback edition of Bridge of Sighs, by Richard Russo -- has two -- (www.vintagebooks.com for the publisher, and www.readinggroupcenter.com for guides for book discussion groups)

Bugs as Pets, by Jay F. Hemdal. -- has three -- (tfh.com for the publisher, (animalplanet.com for the television series tie-in, and AnimalPlanet.com/ROAR for a program about responsible pet care.) In addition, the book has an extensive list of web sites in the "RESOURCES" section.

Cross Country, by James Patterson -- has two -- (JamesPatterson.com for the author, and HachetteBookGroup.com for the publisher.)

Dashing Through the Snow, by Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark -- (SimonandSchuster.com for the publisher)

The Private Patient, by P.D. James -- (www.aaknopf.com for the publisher)

Too Many Toys, by David Shannon -- (scholastic.com for the publisher)

The most tightly integrated tie-in between print and electronic sources comes with some children's book series where the publishers maintain elaborate web sites with the books serving as entry points. Each book in Rosen Publishing's PowerKids series has its own web page of links to further sources. The links are reviewed regularly and kept up to date. The various imprints of Capstone Press link their books to facthound.com, with an ISBN index to tie resources to individual books.

And finally, Larry and the Meaning of Life, by Janet Taschjian -- has a network of inter-related links: JanetTaschjian.com for the author, Thegospelaccordingtolarry.com and Larryandthemeaningoflife.org for the character, and HenryHoltKids.com for the publisher.

You could chase all those links and never have time for reading!