(C) MicroMart (UK) Ltd, NO MATERIAL MAY BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION. TEXTBOOKS REBORN Midlands based Information Education have revolutionised the traditional textbook by transforming many existing texts and commissioning new work in their VIEWBOOK format. These 'magnetic books' are helping young adults throughout the country come to grips with their studies by being able to search any particular VIEWBOOK with the power of a database and flexibility of a word processor. Specific passages may be saved as ASCII files for later use or printed directly from within the 'book.' Information Education was set up by a group of academics in 1986 and is based in Stoke-on-Trent. By 1988 Information Education had published 26 standard Viewbooks - each of around 30,000 words - suitable for use with BBC's, RM Nimbus, Amstrad PCW's, IBM PC's (and compatibles) and the Archimedes. Publishing software has been developed for individuals to create their own Viewbooks using standard ASCII text files as their source. Viewbook.Author, as it is called has been hailed as a major breakthrough in publishing because of its ease of use and flexibility. Viewbooks have been designed with the look and feel of a traditional textbook, complete with table of contents, chapters and detailed index. Unlike the traditional book users may interrogate their electronic 'book' using Boolean AND/OR/NOT logic. Using powerful searching techniques that are easy to master makes the Viewbook idea so versatile. Indeed, Viewbooks are regularly in use in over 750 educational locations and have been used by literally many, many thousands of GCSE, A level and undergraduate students. On average one new title per month is being added to the 40 titles all ready available. These titles range from ENGLISH/DRAMA with Shakespear's 'Macbeth' and 'Julius Caesar' through MEDIA STUDIES, CINEMA IN VIEW, GENERAL STUDIES, HISTORY, ECONOMICS, to GEOGRAPHY with 'Disappearing Forests.' Not content with adding new titles only, Information Education have published the 175,000 word 'Oxford Children's Dictionary' and the 'Good News Bible.' John Larkham, Director of Information Education, sees a very bright future for their Viewbooks. "We are discussing with a number of traditional educational publishers the possibility of producing joint products for joint marketing," he says. While these discussions are in the early stages John believes there is good reason for optimism. "In the longer term we would hope to be able to attract other specialist publishers outside of education whose readers/users would benefit from electronic versions of their products," John added. Information Education's activities aren't restricted to the United Kingdom either. There has been considerable interest from across the 'pond'. John Larkham was eager to add that, "Educational and Corporate organisations in New York are very interested in the Viewbook concept and are currently considering proposals we have made in response to their initial interest." Indeed, the Viewbook titles I have seen would be eminently suitable for use in a wide variety of institutions including reference libraries. With a suitable micro and a range of Viewbooks the man off the street would be able to visit his local reference library and interrogate any given text with the ease and power of a database, obtain hardcopy of the relevant passage, and be on his way in a matter of a few minutes. Many other organisations and establishments are discovering the benefits of the Viewbook system. Viewbooks can hold up to a maximum of 85,000 words, on the Amstrad PCW8512/PCW9512 and RM Nimbus versions, which gives 400 pages of text. Viewbook.Author has been used to create and distribute catalogues, reports and similar frequently changing texts as well as being an invaluable resource for writers, researchers and journalists to store their material on disc ready for quick and detailed access. Updates can be done from within Viewbook.Author itself. Viewbooks are priced at #17 each and the Viewbook.Author software for creating Viewbooks costs from #49 for the BBC version up to #99 for the IBM PC and compatible version. All prices plus P & P and VAT. For more details contact Information Education, Unit 33, Enterprise Centre, Bedford Street, Stoke-on-Trent. ST1 4PZ TEL: (0782) 281643