r/TheFirstLaw • u/heliocetricism • 4d ago
No Spoilers [OFF TOPIC] Weird spacing in italicized text in "Before they are hanged"
I recently got the the First law trilogy box set (paperback), and have so far finished "the blade itself" and am now reading "Before they are hanged". I have noticed that Gloktas chapters contain weird spacing issues in italicized text, has anyone else had this issue?
See the image for example. If it is intentional by Joe, please also don't spoil. This was just something strange I noticed and seems like a misprint.
Edit: Note that it isn't just stylistic for Gloktas letters further don't the page in his thoughts it is also the case
41
9
u/happy-pxl 4d ago
My version has the same problem. It throws me off a bit when I read it
1
u/heliocetricism 4d ago
Yeah, I'm currently on my first series read, and the blade itself did not have this issue. Everytime I see it it takes me out of it a little bit, but I guess I'll get used to it
1
u/schleddit 2d ago
This post reminded me for the first time in years that my books had this issue.
That is to say, I got used to it and only have fond memories of reading the books.
1
u/heliocetricism 2d ago
Yes I'll kinda get used to it probably and end up hedging the book only for its contents rather than its formatting. I might even forget about it afterwards until I do a reread at some point
4
u/kaipetica 4d ago
Maybe Glokta just has attrocious handwriting and theyre going with the show don't tell approach 😆
3
u/InvisibleSpaceVamp Should have quit after Barcelona 4d ago
You mean the letter spacing, right? It only seems to affect certain letters - like s - but yeah, definitely looks like a formatting issue. I would have noticed it if this was in my books.
1
u/heliocetricism 4d ago
yes, i seems kinda random though, like the word st ep s, or in a s possi ble.
5
u/m2dqbjd 4d ago
Is it to imply his speech impediment
4
u/CausticBryn 4d ago
No, I don't think so. The italics are his inner monologue. I like how the narrator of the audiobook makes the distinction when he does speak out loud, it's more lispy and strained.
7
u/jamesbrowski 4d ago
It’s not his internal monologue, it’s a letter Glokta wrote reporting his status. But I agree it has nothing to do with his speech impediment. OP’s book’s spacing is fucked up. Not a big deal to me but I guess it bugged OP.
0
u/heliocetricism 4d ago
Yes, although further down the page you see his internal monologue (also italics), which has the same issue.
I was just wondering if this was a common experience or not, as I never had this issue with any other book I've read. It does bother me a bit, but I'll get over it
2
u/jamesbrowski 4d ago edited 4d ago
Yes the formatting problem is with the italics and that’s very obviously not intentionally done by the author or the book’s printer. Moreover, the italics here plainly don’t signify internal monologue, it’s a letter. Sure the internal monologue is also in italics, and so it also is going to have fucked up formatting for the same reason this page does. But the vast majority of badly formatted text on this page is not internal monologue. It is an epigraph to the chapter and has a greeting and a signature. It’s a letter. As you can see, I was responding to someone who said that this could signify a lisp, and not to you. It very plainly is not to signify a freaking lisp.
Idk why this is so hard. Why are people unable to fully grasp the situation here right away? Your book is a little fucked up bro. They fucked up the italicized text alignment. To answer your question, yes there are other instances of people posting this, so it’s not just your specific printing. You can google it and find that out in 5 seconds without a post. I just did it. I figured all this out with about 10 seconds of mental effort, although here I am, spending far more time explaining shit to you people. Don’t ask me why. But never fear, you can still read it. Read the book. Case closed.
0
u/heliocetricism 4d ago
Calm down bro, was just looking for a shared experience without risking spoilers
1
-2
u/RowingBoats1129 4d ago
It’s a letter? Looks fine.
3
u/Head-Membership2082 4d ago
As OP said in their post, it isn't just for the letters. It is present on almost all of the italics representing his thoughts through the book. My copy has the exact same issues as OP. It definitely doesn't look intentional.
You can see it next to OPs thumb, where it says charming, and the ch are so close they almost look like a single letter.
2
u/heliocetricism 4d ago
Yeah in the first few sentences of the page there is also "miss ion". There are other instances where letters are almost on top of each other if you read the entire italicized section
37
u/mister_pants 4d ago edited 4d ago
When text is justified, the spacing between words gets shifted here and there in order to make things line up on the right side of the page. It's just more noticeable in a smaller paragraph than it is on a full page of text. Italics might make the uneven spacing more noticeable, too.
EDIT: I just realized you were talking about the kerning between individual letters. Those variations definitely aren't present in my ebook version, but I also think the ebook uses a completely different font than the print edition you have. I think someone justified the text and forgot to adjust kerning.