Assimil phasing out physical books?

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Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby rowanexer » Sat Mar 25, 2023 1:57 am

Has anyone noticed this happening? As someone who prefers physical books and seeks to reduce my screentime as much as possible this is really worrying. There's not an unlimited supply of second-hand physical books if they just stop making them.

Ukrainian, Czech and Catalan are not available as books, Dutch with Ease is gone altogether, and the newest Italian with Ease is not being published in physical format and is impossible to find even second-hand.

Are they only publishing some languages in electronic format due to low sales?
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby tastyonions » Sat Mar 25, 2023 3:09 am

It looks like they are still selling the newest L'italien:

https://www.assimil.com/en/recherche?or ... erway=desc

Or did you mean the English base?

That stinks about the Catalan and Dutch. I bought those in physical form only a few years ago.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby rowanexer » Sat Mar 25, 2023 4:27 am

Yes the English base. I was really disappointed because I recommended it to a friend and then realised the newest English edition was impossible to find in physical form.

Dutch is also a language I want to study in the future so I planned to buy the book (English base to catch the similarities) but it looks like I should buy it quickly from third party websites if Assimil doesn't sell it officially anymore.

It feels like language learning is going in the direction where an app is expected to be the primary resource, which I'm not a fan of at all.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby Ccaesar » Sat Mar 25, 2023 8:41 am

Sadly, it's a tendency based on a lot of bias. Most empirical research shows that the physical format is superior to the electrical one in most cases. However it does make the process of making flashcards directly from your course easier (which does take longer if you have to stare at the physical book when you are typing the text in otherwise)
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby PeterMollenburg » Sat Mar 25, 2023 10:59 am

Turd heads! = Yes, agreed, this sorely disappoints me too. :cry:
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby rdearman » Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:02 pm

Ccaesar wrote:Sadly, it's a tendency based on a lot of bias.

Not a lot of bias, just a single bias. Electrons are cheaper than wood pulp.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby lavengro » Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:05 pm

Ccaesar wrote:Sadly, it's a tendency based on a lot of bias. Most empirical research shows that the physical format is superior to the electrical one in most cases. ....

I get that people have preferences, and sometimes quite strong preferences, but I am surprised to hear this. Is there actual research supporting this, and in what way has the physical format been found to be superior to digital or electronic format?

I no longer work with printed material if I can at all avoid it, whether for work or language studies, and the only difference I have found is one of convenience.

ETA Not to be "that guy" needlessly, but if the "bias" behind a decision to reduce or eliminate production of physical texts in favour of digital texts had been made on the basis of "We cannot afford to incur the environmental impact that physical books involves" ("We" being the planet, the environment, any hope generations after us may have to a reasonable and liveable climate), then (and I know I will not be popular in saying this) I am very strongly in favour. The differential impact on the planet of producing, distributing and ultimately eliminating paper books compared to Jeff Bezos hitting send on a digital book request is very considerable.
Last edited by lavengro on Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby rdearman » Sat Mar 25, 2023 2:50 pm

lavengro wrote:
Ccaesar wrote:Sadly, it's a tendency based on a lot of bias. Most empirical research shows that the physical format is superior to the electrical one in most cases. ....

I get that people have preferences, and sometimes quite strong preferences, but I am surprised to hear this. Is there actual research supporting this, and in what way has the physical format been found to be superior to digital or electronic format?

I no longer work with printed material if I can at all avoid it, whether for work or language studies, and the only difference I have found is one of convenience.

Some empirical research studies that have investigated the impact of e-books vs. print books on learning include:

  • Saxena, A., & Raghuwanshi, S. (2018). E-books vs. print books: a literature review. Journal of Education and Practice, 9(19), 71-76.

  • Mangen, A., Walgermo, B. R., & Brønnick, K. (2013). Reading linear texts on paper versus computer screen: Effects on reading comprehension. International Journal of Educational Research, 58, 61-68.

  • Hsieh, P. H., Cho, Y. C., & Sullivan, H. (2014). The impact of e-books on young children's learning: A case study of Sesame Street e-books. Computers & Education, 72, 271-279.

  • Delgado, P., & Vargas, J. (2015). E-books or textbooks: Students' preferences and academic performance. The Electronic Library, 33(2), 226-238.

The studies listed above provide mixed results on the impact of e-books vs. print books on learning. Some studies suggest that reading from print books may lead to better reading comprehension and retention compared to reading from e-books, while others find no significant difference between the two formats or that e-books may have some advantages, such as convenience and interactivity.

For instance, the literature review by Saxena and Raghuwanshi (2018) suggests that students generally prefer print books and perceive them as more effective for learning, but the authors acknowledge that some studies have reported no significant difference or even some advantages for e-books.

The study by Mangen et al. (2013) found that reading from paper led to better performance on a reading comprehension test compared to reading from a computer screen, but the effect was small and may depend on individual differences.

The study by Hsieh et al. (2014) reported mixed findings on the impact of e-books on young children's learning, depending on the type of e-book and the child's reading ability.

The study by Delgado and Vargas (2015) found that college students preferred print books over e-books and perceived them as more useful for studying, but there was no significant difference in academic performance between the two formats.

Overall, the research suggests the impact of reading format on learning outcomes may be complex and depend on multiple factors, such as the type of content, the individual reader's preferences and skills, and the learning context. In other words... Your Mileage May Vary.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby Ccaesar » Sat Mar 25, 2023 4:03 pm

Using computer to read or e-books is basically a time travel back to before the book press. You are reading in Papyrus (just to underline my point, both have their advantages, but I personally use my kindle for "pageturners") and books I intend to do work with or exercises I get physically.
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Re: Assimil phasing out physical books?

Postby Airegin » Sat Mar 25, 2023 9:17 pm

I noticed this with some of the french base books as well. This is why I buy 3 copies for each language I'm actively learning and a single copy for languages I may want to learn in the future.
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