NavList:

John,

You call my review "scathing" and you say that you expected it to be "harsh", but there is no review publicly available to anyone here. So that's a bit "unsporting", wouldn't you say? I have written many positive, even glowing, reviews of books here for NavList and also as an invited reviewer in the pages of "Sky & Telescope" back in the 1990s. I enjoy reviewing an artfully written book. In fact, I got the distinct impression from your emails that you had asked me to review it, rather than another obvious candidate, specifically because you thought I would be generous to the book. I will tell you this: I was very unhappy by the time I was done writing up my notes, and I mean that literally. That's why I sent you an email saying that I was sorry I couldn't say better things about it. I felt SO bad about this that I specifically chose not to collect the $250 fee from your publisher for my work.

I will repeat part of what I said previously on the apparent market for the book:
"I was asked to review a draft of John Huth's book a little over a year ago. I presume it has been significantly revised [...] but I cannot imagine that the overall goal of the book has changed. It is a "meditation" on aspects of navigation aimed at "liberal arts" majors at the college level."

I think that is accurate. It is not a review --just a statement. And who knows... with the way the publishing industry works today, your book may well be acclaimed as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

-FER

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