29
$\begingroup$

Some authors do a really great job by collecting errors and comments to their books and putting a list on their websites. I wonder if there is some (perhaps wiki-style) website where errata are collected. Does anybody know?

$\endgroup$
2

6 Answers 6

12
$\begingroup$

There isn't. This was proposed a few weeks back on the algebraic-topology mailing list. In response to that, a forum was started to discuss this idea, called the r-forum. Contributions are welcome.

$\endgroup$
4
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Seeing the 7 upvotes on this post, I am somewhat disappointed when I navigated to the r-forum and found it completely empty. $\endgroup$ Feb 5, 2014 at 15:59
  • $\begingroup$ @WillieWong This was posted in 2009. It is now 2014. At some point in those five years, the rForum ceased operation. At a later point, I migrated all of the forums that I ran, but obviously the rForum didn't migrate properly and no-one's noticed until now! The old posts are still around - I haven't deleted the database. If I get a minute I'll figure out what went wrong with the migration. $\endgroup$ Feb 9, 2014 at 19:23
  • $\begingroup$ ** grumble non persistent links grumble ** Glad I could be of service. :-) Offhand do you remember there being any interesting conclusions in that discussion? If there weren't any, then there's little point reviving the link... $\endgroup$ Feb 11, 2014 at 8:56
  • $\begingroup$ ** grumble only me who seems to do this stuff grumble ** I think that there was some discussion that would be useful to have archived. I'll dig it out and get it visible again. $\endgroup$ Feb 11, 2014 at 17:28
10
$\begingroup$

Not quite what you asked for...but useful anyway: Mathematical Errata (Wayback Machine)

$\endgroup$
4
  • $\begingroup$ There are a lot more errata than that on the web, though. $\endgroup$ Oct 28, 2009 at 14:45
  • 5
    $\begingroup$ This link no longer works. $\endgroup$ Sep 17, 2014 at 19:00
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ It's too bad this went away. You can still see it in web archives like the WayBack Machine. But the last update was 2007. A reason that errata lists should be in permanent places. $\endgroup$ Sep 17, 2014 at 19:22
  • $\begingroup$ Here is a Wayback Machine snapshot from May 2012. (I did not find a working snapshot with a later timestamp.) $\endgroup$ Feb 1, 2020 at 14:23
4
$\begingroup$

I have created a web page recently. If you know about any Errata (official or unofficial) leave a comment here after checking it in mathbookserrata.

$\endgroup$
7
  • $\begingroup$ Rings, Modules, and Algebras in Stable Homotopy Theory is one that I know of. Here is the errata: math.uchicago.edu/~may/PAPERS/ekmmerr.pdf $\endgroup$ Feb 4, 2020 at 8:25
  • $\begingroup$ I compiled errata for Barnes and Roitzheim's book Foundations of Stable Homotopy Theory a few years ago. It can be found at doronlgn.github.io/…. $\endgroup$ Mar 27, 2022 at 2:25
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @DoronGrossman-Naples: Will that website last forever? if so, lets add it to the list? $\endgroup$
    – C.F.G
    Mar 27, 2022 at 6:20
  • $\begingroup$ @C.F.G I intend for this website to remain active indefinitely. It isn't associated with a university, so it should remain active as long as GitHub does (unless the authors ask me to take it down for some reason, which I doubt will occur). $\endgroup$ Mar 27, 2022 at 6:23
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @DoronGrossman-Naples: OK, I've added it to the list. $\endgroup$
    – C.F.G
    Mar 27, 2022 at 6:32
4
$\begingroup$

I think not only for books, but for published papers etc. also there should be errata lists----these could really save many a hair-pulling moment! Moreover, this will make the errata-fixing process public, and because of that probably faster and more transparent.

In fact, it would be great if such a database were created on the stackexchange.com framework, because that works so admirably for MO.

I created a proposal on stackexchange.com, if you are interested please follow it here:

https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/23788/math-errata-database

Additionally, if someone has a better proposal, I am totally willing to support that too.

$\endgroup$
5
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Man, I'm really going back and forth on this one. On the one hand, a StackExchange/MathReviews/arXiv/"errata-base" hybrid site sounds awesome. On the other hand, how would that even work? $\endgroup$ Nov 12, 2010 at 1:48
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ Yeah, I myself have been vacillating for more than a month; yesterday a colleague of mine expressed strong interest in such a site, which impelled me to write this response. I think, because making errata lists is soooo boring (at least for me), such a stackexchange might not be sustainable....especially because the original authors might be either dead, or somehow otherwise indisposed to responding. Hmmm.. $\endgroup$
    – Suvrit
    Nov 12, 2010 at 9:55
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @Suvrit I am proposing some site on the lines I think you were aiming at. Please check it out to see if it is valuable area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/90443/math-review $\endgroup$ Aug 26, 2015 at 11:46
  • 3
    $\begingroup$ @ConradoCosta this site might be valuable, but a bit tricky if people end up discussing "work officially under review" and not yet published. In some sense, if Mathscinet would have a "discussion" facility available, that would nail this problem proposed in your area51 proposal... $\endgroup$
    – Suvrit
    Aug 26, 2015 at 13:32
  • $\begingroup$ @Suvrit I agree, the purpose is to discuss issues and typos on books and published articles. What happened to math errata database proposal? $\endgroup$ Aug 27, 2015 at 13:20
3
$\begingroup$

Recently, I found Math Book Notes Wiki on wikia network. There still not yet many books, but it seems promising, since it is a public wiki.

According to its front page,

The purpose of this wiki is to collect clarifications and errata of math texts. People who are learning a subject for the first time have a different perspective on the material than experts who know the whole subject by heart, and consequently are in a unique position to help each other out. If you've got any books around with the notes you made while you were learning from them, please by all means contribute! The more embarassing the misconceptions, the better -- these are the things that people don't warn each other about, and consequently cause beginning students a massive amount of grief.

$\endgroup$
3
$\begingroup$

This very recently opened area 51 proposal here at StackExchange could fill this need:

https://area51.stackexchange.com/proposals/90443/math-review

It has a broader scope than the 2010 proposal by Suvrit, which didn't make it, perhaps this one will.

$\endgroup$
2

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.