GlobalMentor and John Wiley & Sons Partner for Interactive Educational eBook

CHELSEA, OK, USA — April 29, 2002 — GlobalMentor, Inc. and John Wiley & Sons, Inc. today announced the publication of Graph Theory and Geography, an electronic book (eBook) that uses animation and user interaction to enhance the learning process. This educational text surpasses eBooks currently on the market by providing a new realm of interactive content. The book can be read using GlobalMentor's Mentoract™ Reader, the only eBook software currently able to support such rich content.

Graph Theory and Geography: An Interactive View is the first eBook released by a major publisher that contains extensive user interaction stored in the industry standard Open eBook format. The work is part of the Wiley Interscience Series in Discrete Mathematics and Optimization, and was written by professors Sandra Arlinghaus, William Arlinghaus, and Frank Harary, renowned experts in the fields of geography and graph theory. The book includes real-world examples to highlight the synthetic nature of graph theory and geography, and provides complete, up-to-date coverage of relevant theories using animations, interactive activities, and full-color graphics. Author Sandra Arlinghaus explained that while printed books can only show non-moving graphs, "using an electronic medium allows a human reader to click on portions of a graph, then move sections of the graph, and immediately see the results—right within the pages of the book."

Features of the book include:

Perry King, Web Development Manager at John Wiley & Sons, Inc., noted that the popular Open eBook format provides a standard storage and distribution method for the eBook, while GlobalMentor's technology provides interaction. "OEB is becoming widely used in the publishing world, but until now most OEB content merely mimicked printed books," remarked King. "GlobalMentor allowed us to enhance Graph Theory with direct interaction and make the content come alive, while still adhering to OEB guidelines."

GlobalMentor, Inc. has been involved in the eBook industry since its inception and co-authored the Open eBook (OEB) Publication Structure specification for publishing eBooks. Last year GlobalMentor advanced eBook accessibility by providing a free downloadable eBook reading system, the Mentoract™ Reader, which can be used on Windows, Linux, and the Macintosh. Garret Wilson, president of GlobalMentor, noted that the Open eBook format allows Graph Theory content to be accessed in a standard way while allowing the supplementation of richer information. "Other OEB-compliant reading systems can read the words of Graph Theory, but currently only our Mentoract™ Reader is powerful enough to provide the full interactive experience that the authors of this book intended."

More information about Graph Theory and Geography, along with a free demonstration version that may be downloaded prior to purchasing, is available at http://www.wiley.com/legacy/graph_theory/index.html . The book may be purchased from Wiley's online storefront at http://www.wiley.com/cda/product/0,,0471411892,00.html . The book requires the Mentoract™ Reader, available for free from GlobalMentor's web site at http://www.globalmentor.com/software/reader/ .

About the Authors

Sandra L. Arlinghaus is an Adjunct Professor of Mathematical Geography and Population-Environment Dynamics in the School of Natural Resources and Environment, and in the College of Architecture and Urban Planning, at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is also Founding Director of the Institute of Mathematical Geography in Ann Arbor.

William Arlinghaus is Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Lawrence Technological University.

Frank Harary is a Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, New Mexico State University (Las Cruces).

About GlobalMentor, Inc.

GlobalMentor, Inc. is an international education technology company and is a member of the Open eBook Forum, the World Wide Web Consortium, and the Unicode Consortium. For more information, contact info@globalmentor.com or visit GlobalMentor's web site at http://www.globalmentor.com/ . GlobalMentor's Mentoract™ Reader software is available for free from http://www.globalmentor.com/software/reader/ .

About John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., provides must-have content and services to customers worldwide. Its core businesses include scientific, technical, and medical journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional and consumer books and subscription services; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley has publishing, marketing, and distribution centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia. The company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb. Wiley's Internet site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com/ .