|   I've trying - without much success - to find books that cover SGML.
|   The problem is that the books I order seem to wind up being "canceled"
|   by the publisher, or the publication date keeps moving towards the more
|   distant future.

which books have you ordered that wound up canceled?  I think it would be
good to know what's going on, and I'm waiting for various books on SGML-
related topics myself.  the current crop is, even with the single exception
you are aware of, a far cry from a desirable situation.

|   I'm also looking for more *practical* treatments of SGML.  Errr,
|   something that my managers can read and comprehend easily!

some such are in the works, as far as I have heard.  <soapbox>  I'm wary of
managers who want to "comprehend easily" any arbitrarily complicated topic.
take operating systems.  managers choose Microsoft because everybody else
does.  take programming languages.  managers choose C++ because everybody
else does.  take design methodologies.  managers choose object-orientation
because everybody else does.  thusly chosen, they will lead to disaster and
managers will learn that they have a made a mistake and go on to choose
another mistake exactly the same way.  if they succeed, it's pure accident,
and never to their credit, except for hiring technically sound people who
are willing to work for people who will take the credit for their work.
_this_ is the software crisis, if you ask me.  </soapbox>

show me a manager who is able to comprehend the technical issues he is to
decide on and _then_ go on to make those decisions, and you have a manager
that I'd like to show how to employ SGML -- I expect he will be able to
comprehend the reasons why SGML is a good idea, and not ask whether it's
Microsoft-compatible and object-oriented without being able to comprehend
an answer either way.

|   I'm somewhat suprised at the lack of coverage for this subject; the
|   bookstore that I go to (Books & Bytes, Naperville, IL) is pretty darn
|   good, but they had nothing in stock at all.

to my surprise, Quantum Books near (or at) the MIT campus had the SGML
Handbook and the deRose/Durand HyTime book in stock last month.  they also
managed to special-order an obscure, but essential, book on lambda calculus
in a week, so I suggest giving them a call at <quanb...@world.std.com>.
another alternative may be Computer Literacy Bookshops <sa...@clbooks.com>.
for mail order, another option is to telnet to books.com, but I don't get
through right now.

#<Erik>
--
requiescat in pace: Erik Jarve (1944-1994)