Where can I find reasonably verbose Battlestar Galactica (2004+) summaries? [more inside]
posted by gensubuser on Dec 12, 2009 - 10 answers

Can you recommend a good replacement for the "Today's Papers" feature on Slate.com? I liked that it surveyed a bunch of news/newspaper sites, and then they were conveniently summarized in one article. [more inside]
posted by bluefly on Oct 21, 2009 - 14 answers

Please help me read The Master and Margarita. [more inside]
posted by cranberrymonger on Aug 19, 2009 - 8 answers

My approach to academic papers is to read through once, then go back and type up notes on it. The problem is that my notes serve two functions: summary and commentary. What's the best software for making synopses of academic papers with personal annotated notes? [more inside]
posted by painquale on Nov 18, 2008 - 12 answers

How can I add summary data to my video files? [more inside]
posted by verisimilitude on Jul 23, 2008 - 4 answers

i want something sort of like this, only more to my liking. recommendations, please. [more inside]
posted by gcat on Apr 17, 2008 - 4 answers

I'm looking for a concise and readable overview/guide of what could be considered "classic literature" for a mature ESL student. [more inside]
posted by Phire on Nov 15, 2007 - 7 answers

How can I keep up with television spread memes without watching (much) tv? [more inside]
posted by yohko on Oct 24, 2007 - 18 answers

I've just finished re-reading the 4 books in the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke and Gentry Lee, and was wondering about the sequels by Lee solo, set in the same universe, which by all accounts are not very good. Has anyone read them, and would you like to summarise? [more inside]
posted by Orange Goblin on Mar 7, 2005 - 1 answer

I have always enjoyed reading the summaries that often appear in the Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data (the small type at the beginning of the book that includes the date of publication, etc.) of books for young people. Just because they're amusing, I'll provide an example:

Poinsettia and the Firefighters by Felicia Bond
Summary: Poinsettia the Pig feels lonely and afraid of the dark until she learns that there is someone else awake and keeping watch all night: the fire fighters.

Why are these summaries there? Why don't books for adults have them?
posted by bubukaba on Feb 3, 2005 - 3 answers