Where can I find a good book holder for decent sized programming books?

Question

Suppose you have a book on a programming language and are trying to learn the language. You want to write the code that is given in the book in so you can learn by example while you read. But you hate holding the book on your lap and trying to type at the same time. I find that extremely uncomfortable.

Someone recommended that I try using a music stand, but I figured the placement of that would be problematic since I would have to turn my head too much.

Does anyone know of a good book holder that they can recommend that can sit next to your monitor so you can look at it while you type? Specifically, I am looking for one that can handle about a 600 page paperback book.

Answer 1

The web is the best book holder.

Answer 2

try a PDF edition of your books

Answer 3

An Amazon Kindle.

Answer 4

I went looking for something like this a long time ago and found nothing that did the job, so I grabbed a pair of pliers and a bent a strong coat hanger into the shape I wanted.

It's relatively flimsy, but you can toss it when you're done. And, you can tweak your design if it 'doesn't quite work'.

Answer 5

I'd recommend buying a second monitor.

I know that's somewhat of a played out answer and I didn't believe it before either, but this weekend I hooked up a second monitor and put Safari Books on it, and it really does make a ton of difference...

Once you buy a holder for a book and put it next to your monitor, you might as well just have a second monitor.

Or I'd suggest getting a desk that is "deeper" and putting your arms on top of the pages. This will hold the book down and not let pages flip.

Answer 6

Many books publish their examples on the web. Once you download them, you can copy and paste the examples into your IDE.

Answer 7

Are you asking for something like this? It's "guaranteed to keep your Book Open!" Also, good video tutorial here.

Answer 8

I myself haven't tried these, but if you're willing to buy these and have enough desk space, they seem like a really good option:

Bookstand's, and Dictionary Style, specifically. To hold the book open you could use one of these: Book Clip.

And as everyone so kindly suggested, a PDF version is usually good, if available.

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Side:

Come on guys, don't be dumb. That's like him asking where to get gas at a decent price and you tell him to ride a bike. Answer his question, and suggest he ride a bike at the end.