What is the Scientific American Book Club and How Does it Work?

[Imparcticle]

Is anyone here a member of the SCIAM book club??

 

[Moonbear]

Didn't even know it existed. Do they choose books with science themes? Do they have local "chapters" that meet, or some such thing, or is it via the internet, or do they just recommend good books to read? Tell us more :-)

 

[recon]

Are you a member, Imparcticle?

I subscribe to the Scientific American, but I can't subscribe to the Book Club because I don't live in the U.S. :(

Moonbear, from what I can tell from the advertisement in the magazine, all they do is send 5 pop-science books to your mailing address each month at a discounted price. I think you need only pay $5 for 5 books initially, but it gets a little more expensive after that.

 

[Moonbear]

Oh, THAT kind of book club! 5 books a month is a lot!

 

[Imparcticle]

3 books actually. for $1.99 each (with membership). Yes, recon, I am subscribed. I have been for 2 years now, and I have been tortured by the fact that I haven't joined the club...you see, its required that you buy 3 books every month. That's a lot, and already I need to get an extra book case! But the part that kills me is the books they have. For this month, a few of the 28 books to choose from include: "The Quantum World", "A Mathematical Bridge", "The Fabric of Space" by Brain Greene, "Calculus: The Elements", "The Golden Ratio", "DNA", "Is it in your genes"...I want them all!

Anyway, I posted this thread to see if it is worth joining. I mean, it might come with good stuff, but on the other hand, I don't want to burden myself.

 

[Moonbear]

I don't care for those clubs that require you to make a certain number of purchases every month. The problem is, they usually wind up running out of titles I find interesting long before the required number of purchases has been met. And usually, after the initial offer of 3 or 5 books, the rest aren't really bargain priced. They never tell you the prices before you sign up. So, look through their list, see how many of the titles you'd be interested in buying, see what their minimum number would be and decide for yourself if you can find that many books in their list. It's no bargain if you have to fulfill the agreement in the end by buying a bunch of books you don't really want.

 

[Imparcticle]

I posted a reply a moment ago, and now it has disappeared.

Anyway, yes Recon, I am subscried to SCIAM, but not a member of the book club. The book club is wonderful in many ways. You get excellent science books (like "The Fabric of Spacetime" by Brian Greene or "The Golden Ratio") for just $1.99 each (with membership, which is a subscription to the magazine, costs about $40). I pay for the subscription from the little allowance I save up every year. So I wasn't sure if I should join the club, since I'd be required to buy 3 books every month for 2 years. So I posted the thread to see if anyone could lend me some advice. Sorry I didn't specify this on my first post. I haven't had much time online this week. The most is 10 minutes.

 

[Imparcticle]

okay, now its back...(my last post)

Moonbear: You know, I have seen the list of books for months now. Every month, they have a new set of books that are reallly attractive. Once they had a book called "Faster Than Light", (about FTL theory) which cost $30 at a book store I always go to. I wanted the book really bad, and suddenly it appears in SCIAM for $1.99! WOW!

I'm not joining. I have other clubs I still have to invest $ in. oh well. Maybe when I'm rich some day...thanks for the replies.

 

[MTyler8]

Yes, I'm a member and have been for several years. Its amazing how incorrect the posts have been so far. You pay a very reduced price plus shipping for the first group of books, depending on the particular offer.

When I first joined I then had to purchase 3 more books in the next year or so. I'm not sure if they still do that. They do not require you to buy 3 books a month or any such nonsense. You do have to respond in a set amount of time to avoid being automatically sent the Featured Selection. Returns have been easy on the few occasions I have had to do that.

http://www.sciambookclub.com/doc/full_site_enrollment/fse_about_the_club.jhtml#b3

A lot of the books are on the popular level but quite a few are not. They usually indicate the level of the intended reader so you won't spend a lot of money on something that is above/below your level. I have purchased several books that have been useful additions as study guide and additional reading for my classes.