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Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing"

Subject: Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing"
From: Gene Kim-Eng <techwr -at- genek -dot- com>
To: Robert Lauriston <robert -at- lauriston -dot- com>, "techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 24 Mar 2016 11:20:37 -0700

Some sample pages from a Sears Modern Home instruction manual can be viewed here:

http://www.cabincreekcds.com/SearsHBInstructions.htm

If a single person wrote this, indexed it, did all the illustrations and shot all the photos single-handed and still had time to actually design the house, it would be very impressive indeed.

The Aladdin manual, on the other hand, is a much simpler work:

http://www.forgottenbooks.com/books/Aladdin_Manual_of_Construction_Practical_Methods_Covering_Every_Step_1000839976

(they'll make you sign up for a free account to view it)

I can definitely see a chief architect, who is less involved with the hands-on work of design than the staff architects, turning this out.

Gene Kim-Eng


On 3/24/2016 10:51 AM, Robert Lauriston wrote:

The technical writing was done by the architects. Of course they must
have had a typical lead-type-era team of editors and so on to produce
the printed manuals.

David S. Betcone, who was later the chief architect for Sears's
architectural division, is credited as the sole author and illustrator
of the Aladdin Manual of Construction. Aladdin was Sears's biggest
competitor in the kit home market.

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Follow-Ups:

References:
RE: Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Gene Kim-Eng
Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Rick Lippincott
RE: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Erika Yanovich
Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Robert Lauriston
Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Gene Kim-Eng
Re: "Surviving the Dying Career of Technical Writing": From: Robert Lauriston

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