RedShelf

This is one of the worst reading websites I have ever used. Features like page number, zoom in/out, etc. cover text while text-to-speech is in use and does not allow user to move the page as it reads, making comprehension of text extremely hard. I usually bookmark any textbooks I use for class on my MacBook and this website does not allow this feature for quick access when studying unlike all the other reading websites I have used in the past. When I go to their website, it is hard to find my book making it even more challenging to use. When I try to copy and paste important information to my notes, a popup makes me click copy and also confirm that I want to copy it wasting my limited study time when my initial 'command c' should have worked. Then when I go to paste the text, it is in quotation marks which is unnecessary and distracting when it is only going to my personal notes. Not only does it do that, but it also highlights the text that was previously copied and does not allow the reader to unhighlight it. As someone who has ADD and is easily distracted, it is extremely hard to focus when random parts of my reading are highlighted. When using this website, I often became enraged by all of the previously stated issues often finding myself yelling at my computer out of frustration and unable to continue reading. Would not recommend using this website if allowed other options.

Update: I have figured out how to unhighlight text but took a 20-year-old college student about a week to figure out so I'm not sure if I'm just stupid or this website is just challenging to use. If I wanted something highlighted, I would do it myself. I don't need the website to do it for me.

I ordered a book for school that had a video sería I could not access. I wrote customer service and was helped immediately.

The customer service is so good and they help me to solve my problem very fast and I am very satified. The Redhelf is reliable!

I am a professor teaching population genetics, and requested an "inspection copy" of a new book on Molecular Population Genetics. This would normally be provided free for an actual book if I called the editor associated with this area of science, because the publisher, Sinauer/Oxford University Press, know that I may implement the book as a required or recommended reading in my courses.

Instead, after my online application, OUP directed me to my free copy on RedShelf.com, but I was underwhelmed. I could not obtain a PDF copy (presumably in case I circulated it), and the text I did receive online was fuzzy and difficult to read. I searched for FST (a common parameter in population genetics, which is dealt with in the book), but the search engine failed to find it, even though it is treated as a major topic in the book. I tried highlighting the FST statements in the text and copying (Ctrl-C) to see if I could search for the formatting they use, but this didn't work either. Instead, RedShelf chose to colour the background to the FST text yellow (for some reason), but no copy was transmitted to the clipboard, so I could not paste it into the search engine.

Supposedly, by my license I am allowed to print out only 36 pages, but I've not tried; a clear printout would make the whole book readily readable. I suspect that the printnout would be very low quality, compared to the printed book.

With internet delays and slow response due to bloated software of RedShelf, this book is not readily readable at present in this format, in what they presented me as my "free copy."

In view of the unsuccessful search for FST, I searched for my own name, and found it once. But it's present at least twice in the actual text, I found. I suspect that the RedShelf strategy is to provide a very low resolution copy of the book, but instead of taking the original electronic text, they appear to have scanned the book at low resolution, and then attempted to recognize text in that low resolution version, and provide the low resolution version to subscribers. So there are errors.

Really, you can do better RedShelf! And OUP, you should just send me a PDF!

At first, most would view this as perhaps another Kindle fashioned creation allowing one to use the book one has purchased as seen fit. Unfortunately, this is NOT the case at all.

Although they tout the ability to download your purchased book, you simply cannot. Failed attempt after failed attempt, I tried downloading one page, two pages, even front cover to back and to no avail. Customer service was no help in this area as they simply deemed it as an issue on my end even after I tried literally every browser known.

I tried in vain to simply copy and paste some text because after all, if I cannot download the book (although yet again, the author had given that permission) I could at least take the bits and pieces I needed for offline development. Nope, sorry. The overlords had also disabled that option and replaced it instead with an annoying color highlighting option that painted your entire page with whatever god awful highlight color available, informing you that the author had disabled the option of copy and paste.

So... let me get this straight. I paid for an online book to download and I cannot do that. I cannot print any of the pages, I cannot copy or paste any content and the interface is so slow, laggy and devastatingly resource intensive that it locks up my browser on a computer that cost over $3,000.00 to build and yet I am told it is "something on my end"?

Anybody remotely giving this "site" above one star is simply reading a book and not interfacing with the content as a student, instructor, programmer or experimenter would do with coded content. Had this book been offered through Amazon, I would of happily purchased it through that method rather than this obvious cash grab and user restriction.

Think about it. When you buy a book from a book store, does somebody stand over your shoulder telling you what you can and cannot do with your purchase? No. It is your book. Use it for toilet paper if need be, but in this case, the slow, lagging mess of restricted content of simply being able to view your book purchased at almost hardcover cost, implanted within a horrible interface lacking options, annoying pop up with highlighting, adding notes and bookmarks that work a quarter of the time, simply is not worth the price. Look elsewhere because customer service could care less no matter how many times you email them your issues.
Absolute scam!