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Conference unifix::sailing

Title:SAILING
Notice:Please read Note 2.* before participating in this conference
Moderator:UNIFIX::BERENS
Created:Wed Jul 01 1992
Last Modified:Mon Jun 02 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:2299
Total number of notes:20724

886.0. "Dolphin Book Club anyone?" by DFCON1::FRENCH () Thu Jul 07 1988 14:07

Is anyone out there interested in joining the Dolphin Book Club? They are 
currently offering an incentive which would benefit both a new member
and a menber who refers them.

What is the deal? If you send in my referral form,you wold get 3 books chosen 
from this months freebie brochure for $2 total and I get one free book. 
I have listed at the end what the free choices are this month.
They send out a "monthly" (every 3.5 weeks) catalog and choice of the month 
selection card. Either you send the card back to say no or they send you the
book. Your obligation is to buy 3 books over a 2 year period.

I have been a member for about 2-3 years. Their books sell for a bit under
list, but shipping puts them at about list price. I see 3 advantages - 
you get the 3 (almost) freebie books when you join, you get a free book
if you refer a new member when they have an offer like this (several times
a year) and you get a good selection to chose from sent to you each month - a 
great way yo get through long winters! The disadvantage - you have to send 
that little card back every month that you don't want them to send a book. 
(I have never had them send me a book which I didn't want)
If you are seriously interested, send mail to DFCON1::FRENCH. I only have one 
referral card.

The $2 selections include

Boatbuilding Manual			How To Buy a Sailboat
Somewhere East of Suez			Sailor's Log
Sailing at night / Sailing in the Fog / Essential Not Book / Elem. of Seamanship
Precision Cruising			The Capable Cruiser
Chapman's (Piloting Seamanship & ...)	Rigger's Apprentice
Cruising adventures (Eric Hiscock)	Fine Yacht Finishes
The Sextant Handbook			Offshore Yachts
Emergency Navigation			Intnl Maritime Directory
Rigging					The Circumnavigators Handbook
Cruising as a way of life		Marine Diesel Engines
Heavy Weather Sailing			Shipshape
After 50,000 Miles			The Improbably Voyage
Comfort in the Cruising Yacht		From A Bare Hull
How to Live Aboard a Boat		The marlinspike Sailor
The yachtsman's Emergench Handbook	First Aid Afloat
Best Boats to build or Buy		The boats they Sailed in
Cruising Giude to the N.E. Coast	Complete Book of Anchoring & Mooring
One Watch At a Time			Reading the Weather
The Norton Encyclopedic Dict of Navig.	Annapolis Book of Seamanship

Bill French

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886.1CASV01::THOMAS_EThu Jul 07 1988 15:038
    Up to several years ago if you failed to send the card back in time you
    could simply refuse the book when it arrived. I had to do it twice :-).
    Don't know if that's still the case.
    
    Ed
    
     

886.2Return of unwanted books.DFCON1::FRENCHThu Jul 07 1988 15:2710
    Their policy is:
    
    "If the 'News' doesn't arrive in time to allow you a full 10 days
    to return your Reply Form and you happen to receive a Selection
    you don't want - No problem. Simply return it at our expense, no
    questions asked"
                  
    
    

886.3Reading - Next Best Thing ?NBC::CARVERJohn J. CarverFri Jul 08 1988 21:1912
    I am also currently a member of the club and have been, by and 
    large, pretty happy with the reading list. I have also gotten 
    STUCK with books I didn't want, by forgetting to return the
    card :-) , and by misshipment. I haven't had any trouble returning
    the books either (I did forget about the "return it at our expense").
    
    My recommendation, for those considering it, is that its not a bad
    deal. 
    
    JC


886.4Watch out for the quality!EBBV01::CASWELLTue Jul 12 1988 19:2418
    
       Be careful about "Book Clubs"! My Father-in-law owns a book bindery
    an he pointed out to me that the quality of the binding comes at
    several levels. He first showed me what would be a "Book Store"
    quality book, then we looked closely at the "Book Club" books. There
    were some very definate differances between them. Book binderys
    sort the runs into several levels of quality for the publisher.
       Since I only buy hard bound books for the purpose of keeping
    them in my library for a long time (also since they are referance
    books and get used often) and want their quality to last. I no longer
    buy "Book Club" books.
       Take the ride down to the local bookstore and buy a good quality
    hard cover, it'll cost you about the same price in the end and you
    won't have to worry about those cards getting in the mail!
                                                                   
    
                                               Randy

886.5GRAMPS::WCLARKWalt ClarkMon Jul 18 1988 12:139
    RE: .4
    
    Good caution, but I have been a Dolphin member for about 5 years
    and cannot remember a substandard book binding job.  Also, since
    the nautical publishing audience is quite limited, would it make
    sense to bind books at several quality levels ?
    
    Walt

886.6Bookstore qualityCAADC::GREGORYDon Gregory @ACIThu Aug 18 1988 22:3217
        Different clubs have different standards.  For example,
        all (I think) of the Doubleday book clubs (e.g., Science
        Fiction, Mystery, et al) use mostly "book club" editions.
        The page edges are rough, they use cheaper paper,
        etc.
        
        Dolphin Book club is from the same folks that bring
        you "Book of the Month Club."  I believe the latter
        (and Dolphin) provide standard editions, the same
        you'd get in a bookstore.  Certainly all the ones
        I've gotten from Dolphin (about 12 hardcover, another
        8 or so paperbacks) were high quality.
        
        I recommend 'em.
        
        Don G.

886.7rules are ment to be brokenSRFSUP::PAPAweight to the weather railFri Aug 19 1988 21:379
    I am currently a member of the Dolphin Book Club.  You can request
    that the date by which you must respond to stop shipment of the
    "selection of the month" be set to null (blank).  I explained to
    them that I live on my boat and my mail is sent to a post office box.
    I continued to explain that I am not able to respond in time to
    stop shipment of their current selection, but would like to continue
    my membership.  Nice story huh ... it worked.
    					<--left-coast-john--