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1

Hi guys, getting hardcopy books here in the Philippines is kinda harder. Books that are available here are mostly outdated. Newer books are for "order-basis" which makes it more expensive. So, maybe you can share here on where you get your programming books from?

The more less expensive, the better. :cheers:

flag	asked Oct 9 at 7:31 jerbersoft 311●7

datenshi · Accepted Answer · 2009-10-09 08:34:35Z UTC

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Amazon.com. There was a time when we ordered 20k+ worth of books from Amazon: even after the DHL priority shipping and customs fees, it was still cheaper (mainly because of the built-in discounts) than having it ordered via Powerbooks. If you're willing to wait up to two months, the standard shipping is even more cheaper since it usually slips through customs.

I don't go for tech-specific books, though, since they get obsolete quickly and that online tutorials are usually more up-to-date.

[Edit: For a list of the timeless books mentioned by Jon below, head over to this site and this site.]

edited Oct 9 at 8:34

answered Oct 9 at 7:58

datenshi
1,613●1●7

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Aye on tech-specific books. When you get software development titles, get the "timeless" ones that deal with SDLC, or management. Books like Code Complete, Mythical Man Month, Head First Design Patterns, Joel on Software, Don't Make Me Think, etc which deal with language or technology-agnostic issues are best. – Jon Limjap Oct 9 at 8:13

Agreed on the tech specific books. More on best practices is a better choice when buying books. Btw, how many days you waited for the books to arrive? – jerbersoft Oct 9 at 8:30

Priority Shipping takes 2-4 working days. You'll be given a tracking code so that you could track its location. Standard Shipping is sent to countries in batches, if you're lucky you could get your books in 2 weeks. The longest I've waited was 2 months. – datenshi Oct 9 at 8:38

Randell · Answer 2 · 2009-10-09 09:28:07Z UTC

I also get mine from Amazon. The problem with buying books from Amazon is when you only need a book or two. Sometimes, your shipping fee is higher than the price of your book - that goes for both priority international shipping or standard shipping.

Another problem with standard shipping is that it takes too long to arrive. I once had a project wherein I needed a book for reference (yes, I'm that kind who prefers books over the internet). What happened was the book arrived after 2 months. By the time the book arrived, I was already working on a different project where I no longer needed the book.

Another problem with standard shipping is that books sometimes get stuck at the post office. Yes, it happened to me. Instead of simply waiting for the book to arrive at my doorstep, I still had to fetch my book at the post office, which is less convenient. Yes, I'm that lazy.

So here's what I did after discovering those inconveniences:

Like what what @datenshi mentioned, it would be better to order in bulk so you wouldn't have to pay for the expensive shipping fees every time you need a book.
Order books with your peers. Similar to the first point, but this time, you get to share the shipping fee with somebody else. This works best when you only need a few books and want to pay only a percentage of the total shipping cost.
Also connected with #1, Plan ahead. Whenever you find a good book that you want, but you know you won't be able to read it within the next few weeks, list it down. When you already have a good list of books that you want, that's the time when you can place your order.
Use alternative shipping methods. The last one I used is Pobox.ph. With Pobox.ph, you order books from Amazon and instead of sending the books to your house/office in PH, you have your books delivered at their warehouse in the US. They then deliver your books in a month or less right at your doorstep. Plus, the shipping fee is cut in half. There are other shipping alternatives, but this is the one I used because their customer support is very helpful.
And yes, don't go for books that contain topics that can go obsolete very very fast. That's the time when I prefer the internet over books. For example, I prefer reading about various JavaScript libraries on the internet.

I've also tried ordering on A1Books through Google Checkout. It took 3 months as far as I can remember. When I tried ordering on bookstores connected to Paypal, they didn't have the books I needed.

Oh, and one more thing: it would be awesome to work for companies who invest on lots and lots of books so you wouldn't have to spend for the books yourself.

bonskijr · Answer 3 · 2009-10-09 14:17:15Z UTC

5

I got mine when I was working overseas via my Indian teammate, you can't believe how cheap the reprinted books there. I think that India has some special deal with international publishers(MS publishing/Wrox/Apress etc) to reprint low cost edition of books.

Anyway check this site of one the book publishers. Indian Rupees is 1:1 with Philippine Pesos.

answered Oct 9 at 14:17

bonskijr
271●1●7

Yes, I went to Bombay a few years back. I was surprised to see that they have many sidewalk vendors who sell books. I even bought a copy of Anthony Robbins' book there for around P80-100. I think the same title sells here for around P400-500. – drewbocz Oct 13 at 3:24

1

Yep, its insane that it seems to apply in India/Indian subcontinent. Not it anywhere else, its goldmine if somebody is able to replicate that here and Asia – bonskijr Oct 13 at 8:33

Can I also order books via credit card using this site? – napoleon-assign.verisignlabs. Oct 28 at 5:25

I'm not really sure, since this is "for the Indian subcontinent." Even if you're able to buy, duties and shipping might mount to the same amount of non low cost edition. – bonskijr Oct 28 at 6:35

mparaz · Answer 4 · 2009-10-12 14:42:54Z UTC

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waiting for the Kindle! sana sulit.

answered Oct 12 at 14:42

mparaz
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i bought my husband a kindle last year, he loves it. beware of publishers who remove books in circulation without notifying the buyers. i think amazon got some backlash for that. and publishers still price e-books accordingly if it's hardback or paperback. it's quite strange since it's an e-book! i guarantee you'll love it, enjoy your kindle! – cow Feb 6 at 7:22

katz · Answer 5 · 2009-10-13 17:32:49Z UTC

3

I get books from Manning. Manning.com offers MEAP + ebook + the printed copy for certain books.

answered Oct 13 at 17:32

katz
690●8

iskwid · Answer 6 · 2009-10-13 02:48:12Z UTC

2

Flazx sometimes throws a File not found error, you just have to change some of the parameters for the dl link to work.

Also, try infoq.com, they're offering free mini ebooks (Scrum from the trenches, bla bla bla)

answered Oct 13 at 2:48

iskwid
91●3

paul_sns · Answer 7 · 2010-02-04 06:04:50Z UTC

For eBooks, I usually buy from Manning and Apress. Both have daily deals where you can buy eBooks for 10 USD (Apress) or two for one promos from Manning.

For Hardcopies, nothing beats Amazon. To save on shipping, I usually ship them over to relatives in the US.

dotslashbin · Answer 8 · 2009-10-09 08:55:22Z UTC

I get my books online. I usually go to bookstores, but I end up not finding what I want, so I just go to amazon instead.

Sometimes, the books that I get are cheaper than the shipping rate that I need to pay for. But its not pretty bad. Afterall, if you're business with this craft, then I guess it is just fair that you invest on some things that will improve yourself.

Pogz Ortile · Answer 9 · 2009-10-09 19:46:05Z UTC

-1

I use PhProxy plugin then browse through http://www.flazx.com

There are countries where downloading of the ebooks from their site is not allowed ( i think ph is one of it)

If you cant download you wont see the download link.

answered Oct 9 at 19:46

Pogz Ortile
787●7

3

Is flazx an ebook pirating site? Because if it is, then we definitely should not patronize it. – Randell Oct 10 at 14:35

it should have been shot down if it was illegal. you could check their clause before you download. it fully says 'educational purposes' perhaps as long as you dont sell it. then nothings wrong. – Pogz Ortile Oct 11 at 4:59

There are countries where there still aren't any copyright laws concerning e-books so sites like those aren't shut down (think how long TPB was up before officials tried to take it down). Philippines has a copyright law concerning books so it's technically illegal to pirate them... but then again, given that there is a lack of implementation for that law, it's more of a gray area. – datenshi Oct 12 at 15:32

concerning books.. ebooks are a different thing so maybe the laws on the two are completely different. i guess its up to ones moral virtues what to dl or not. not everybody wants to "dl and have a look" anyway. haha. – Pogz Ortile Oct 13 at 2:12

Where do you get your books?

9 Answers

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