# Something fell out of "S."
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [November 6, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242 "2013-11-06T14:10:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/1 "2013-11-06T14:10:24Z")
Has anybody bought _S._ by JJ Abrams and Doug Dorst yet? My copy arrived yesterday, and of course, the first thing I did as soon as I took it out of the slipcase was drop it on the floor.
All of the stuck-between-the-pages materials stayed between the pages — except for one thing: a cardboard wheel with a slot in it that rotates around another cardboard wheel. Both have numbers around the perimeter. If I had to guess, I’d say it was some sort of decoding device.
Anyway, does anyone know which two pages this thing is supposed to be between? Does anybody know if it matters which two pages this thing is between?
Thanks for the help.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/2 "2013-11-06T14:35:33Z")
Yup, I have it, haven’t read it yet.
The wheel thing is just stuck between the last page and the back cover.
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### Author:  [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/3 "2013-11-06T14:41:27Z")
Great. Now they’re putting old-school security on books. If you don’t have a decoder, you can’t read the last paragraph of each chapter.
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### Author:  [@jharvey963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jharvey963)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/4 "2013-11-06T17:16:57Z")
Ok, I’ll bite. WTH is “S.”? I’ve looked on IMDB and Amazon (searching for JJ Abrams, since S. would be impossible to search for).
Thanks,
J.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/5 "2013-11-06T17:30:37Z")
You can search for ‘S.’ on Amazon. But [here’s a link](http://www.amazon.com/S-J-Abrams-ebook/dp/B00G99SIO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383758951&sr=8-1&keywords=S.).
For those of you who have it - any ideas on how to read it? I read the first chapter, going back and forth between the text and the writing in the margins, and it drove me nuts. I’m thinking of reading through all the text first, then going back for everything else, unless someone has a better idea.
Edit: [Here’s](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/books/j-j-abrams-and-doug-dorst-collaborate-on-a-book-s.html) an article about the book. The videos are worth checking out.
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### Author:  [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/6 "2013-11-06T18:05:24Z")
OK, having looked at the article, now I am not getting how there can be a Kindle edition of this, but there seems to be one.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/7 "2013-11-06T18:13:25Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> OK, having looked at the article, now I am not getting how there can be a Kindle edition of this, but there seems to be one.
Wow, there is. I’m surprised.
I love my Kindle, but I absolutely wouldn’t get it the Kindle version of this book. It was designed to be held, and smelled, and fiddled with. I’m not sure how they did it, but the paper looks and feels like a really old book. Half the fun of it is how cool it is physically.
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### Author:  [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/8 "2013-11-06T18:13:29Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> The wheel thing is just stuck between the last page and the back cover.
Great. Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)
#### Post date: [November 6, 2013, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/9 "2013-11-06T18:15:14Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> I’m thinking of reading through all the text first, then going back for everything else, unless someone has a better idea.
That’s what I intend to do (assuming I can keep my eyes from wandering). We’ll see how well it works.
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/10 "2013-11-18T00:54:20Z")
OK, I’ve got one now.
There’s a napkin covered with writing around page 300. It fell out, and I don’t know exactly where to put it back. Anyone?
Side question: I can’t believe that nobody’s posted an inventory online yet, with all the objects and page #s, but I can’t find it. Anyone?
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### Author:  [@aurora\_maire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aurora_maire)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/11 "2013-11-18T05:36:29Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> OK, I’ve got one now.
>
> There’s a napkin covered with writing around page 300. It fell out, and I don’t know exactly where to put it back. Anyone?
>
> Side question: I can’t believe that nobody’s posted an inventory online yet, with all the objects and page #s, but I can’t find it. Anyone?
I’d never heard of S. so I checked out the Amazon link. Looks very interesting! And I found this in the comments:
1. Konfidential/confidential note from Straka 1928 - vi/vii.
2. Pollard State University stationary – V. M. Straka accused of … - 10/11.
3. Toronto Review for History + Humanities article pg. 33 - 20/21.
4. Daily Pronghorn from January 8, 2012 - 32/33.
5. Telegram to Karst & Son Publishers (11/19/1924) - 54/55.
6. Suicide leap horrifies witnesses (10/31/1910) - 69.
7. Blue note from Jean-Bernard Desjardins - 86/87.
8. Small 4 page note from Jen to Eric - 100/101.
9. Postcard from Brazil (April 12) - 112/113.
10. Photograph of a walled off stone archway. - 130/131.
11. Postcard from Brazil – Native Birds (April 15) - 178/179.
12. Postcard from April 18, 2012. - 190/191.
13. Postcard of beach (April 19) - 192/193.
14. Postcard from April 20 - 200/201.
15. Long yellow note from male character about Uncle Zeke - 203.
16. Old photograph of girl standing by a ship - 242/243.
17. “Monkeys of Brazil” card w/ newspaper clipping of Caldeira’s obituary - 256/257.
18. Pronghorn Java napkin map - 306/307.
19. V. M. Straka quote: “A person is no more & no less than the story of his passion & deeds.” - 360/361.
20. Letter from Jen to Eric on Pollard SU library stationary (big paper) - 376/377.
21. Note from Ermelinda Pega - 416/417
---
### Author:  [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/12 "2013-11-18T06:50:36Z")
> [@njtt](#):
>
> OK, having looked at the article, now I am not getting how there can be a Kindle edition of this, but there seems to be one.
I didn’t read the article but the Amazon link went to the Kindle edition and a few of the comments said things like “after you finish, go back and read the orange and green notes” or “I read the first chapter then reread just the margin notes” and I’m wondering how this would work with a Kindle.
I’ve seen books that have “margin notes” but it’s a mess and I wouldn’t want to read an entire book with it. And colored notes really wouldn’t work unless you had a Kindle Fire.
I wonder if, instead of the book being ‘typed’ into the Kindle it’s scanned in so that you can at least see a difference in the handwriting?
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/13 "2013-11-18T12:46:13Z")
I actually don’t think there’s a version on the Kindle; you might want to go back and check. I was reading yesterday that the only electronic version they made was an iPad app.
Regardless, I think you’d miss a lot of the point of the book reading it electronically. If there was ever a book meant to be read as a printed book, it’s this one. And I’m a die-hard Kindle reader.
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### Author:  [@Bakhesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bakhesh)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/14 "2013-11-18T12:52:16Z")
> [@Athena](#):
>
> You can search for ‘S.’ on Amazon. But [here’s a link](http://www.amazon.com/S-J-Abrams-ebook/dp/B00G99SIO6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1383758951&sr=8-1&keywords=S.).
>
> For those of you who have it - any ideas on how to read it? I read the first chapter, going back and forth between the text and the writing in the margins, and it drove me nuts. I’m thinking of reading through all the text first, then going back for everything else, unless someone has a better idea.
>
> Edit: [Here’s](http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/28/books/j-j-abrams-and-doug-dorst-collaborate-on-a-book-s.html) an article about the book. The videos are worth checking out.
I’m guessing the text in the margins just reads “\”
---
### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [November 18, 2013, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/15 "2013-11-18T13:16:04Z")
> [@aurora\_maire](#):
>
> I’d never heard of S. so I checked out the Amazon link. Looks very interesting! And I found this in the comments:
>
> 1. Konfidential/confidential note from Straka 1928 - vi/vii.
> 2. Pollard State University stationary – V. M. Straka accused of … - 10/11.
> 3. Toronto Review for History + Humanities article pg. 33 - 20/21.
> 4. Daily Pronghorn from January 8, 2012 - 32/33.
> 5. Telegram to Karst & Son Publishers (11/19/1924) - 54/55.
> 6. Suicide leap horrifies witnesses (10/31/1910) - 69.
> 7. Blue note from Jean-Bernard Desjardins - 86/87.
> 8. Small 4 page note from Jen to Eric - 100/101.
> 9. Postcard from Brazil (April 12) - 112/113.
> 10. Photograph of a walled off stone archway. - 130/131.
> 11. Postcard from Brazil – Native Birds (April 15) - 178/179.
> 12. Postcard from April 18, 2012. - 190/191.
> 13. Postcard of beach (April 19) - 192/193.
> 14. Postcard from April 20 - 200/201.
> 15. Long yellow note from male character about Uncle Zeke - 203.
> 16. Old photograph of girl standing by a ship - 242/243.
> 17. “Monkeys of Brazil” card w/ newspaper clipping of Caldeira’s obituary - 256/257.
> 18. Pronghorn Java napkin map - 306/307.
> 19. V. M. Straka quote: “A person is no more & no less than the story of his passion & deeds.” - 360/361.
> 20. Letter from Jen to Eric on Pollard SU library stationary (big paper) - 376/377.
> 21. Note from Ermelinda Pega - 416/417
That’s great! Thanks!
---
### Author:  [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2013, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/16 "2013-12-26T15:59:36Z")
Just wanted to bump this thread because I was gifted with a copy for Xmas. I spent twenty minutes just leafing through it and being gosh-wallowed by the artistry of the production.
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### Author:  [@Cayuga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cayuga)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2013, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/17 "2013-12-26T22:58:05Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#):
>
> Just wanted to bump this thread because I was gifted with a copy for Xmas. I spent twenty minutes just leafing through it and being gosh-wallowed by the artistry of the production.
It’s pretty impressive, isn’t it?
I finished reading the text the other day. Tonight I’m going to start over, this time taking in the marginalia.
---
### Author:  [@Goofus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Goofus)
#### Post date: [December 26, 2013, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/18 "2013-12-26T23:56:33Z")
Although I don’t see myself ever spending money on anything with JJ Abrams’s name on it, I am glad to see [feelies](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feelie) making a bit of a comeback.
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### Author:  [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2014, 6:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/19 "2014-04-23T06:49:43Z")
In the main text of the Ship of Theseus story, the protagonist gets abducted and taken across a sea for days and then ends up in a Czech town. But the Czech republic is landlocked. What’s going on?
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### Author:  [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)
#### Post date: [April 23, 2014, 7:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/something-fell-out-of-s/673242/20 "2014-04-23T07:02:53Z")
> [@Isamu](#):
>
> But the Czech republic is landlocked. What’s going on?
What, you’ve never visited the [seacoast](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winter%27s_Tale) of [Bohemia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Winter%27s_Tale#The_seacoast_of_Bohemia)? Great beaches there.
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