"Read Mode" in Word 2013 does not look as the "Take a Tour" document says - wonder why so?

If you just want to see how the book (facing pages) will look when made into a book (whether or not you're using "Book fold"), you can do this in Print Preview.

Thanks.

I do not just want to see how the book (facing pages) will look when made into a book using Print Preview. I want complete DTP from start to finish, book arrives at publisher's desk.

Page arrangement in Word has to follow the binding technique to be used. Word 2007 was capable of handling all that with ease provided one had experimented with, and arrived at, proper mix of settings under page layout. Word 2013 has killed that hidden potential. Hats off to Microsoft.

Background

Prior to Word 2007, I used extensively Adobe PageMaker 7. Those days OT Fonts were not in vogue.

Adobe stopped further development of PageMaker after 2003 as Microsoft did for its web designing software FrontPage 2003, and again Expression Web 4. At this point, I explored Microsoft Publisher 2003 and found it a poor substitute for Adobe PageMaker.

Then I figured out how Microsoft Word 2007 could deliver the result, I was looking for, by harvesting its hidden potential. Besides, Word 2007 also offered Unicode compatibility for multi-lingual publications.

With new PC, new OS, I bought new Office 2013 only to find how frustrating it could be to encounter Microsoft's legandary inconsistency by deploying which they make their own product weaker than before.

When you select "Book fold," Word gives you two pages per sheet, and you can see two pages in Print Layout view or Print Preview (but facing pages only in Print Preview). This is a Page Setup setting that has nothing to do with the view. You can view two pages (facing pages in Print Preview) just the same if the document is set for Normal, the only difference being the size of the "pages." The preview in the Page Setup dialog is not intended to show how the document will look on the screen, just the fact that there will be two logical pages printed on one physical sheet.

Read Mode (Full Screen Reading in Word 2007 and 2010, Reading Layout in Word 2003) is not intended to be WYSIWYG and is not primarily intended for editing. It is meant to be a view in which the document can be made more readable by increasing the text size; it is not for laying out or editing the text but for just reading it. That's why it was made the default view for opening Word attachments directly from email, the assumption being that if  you just opened the attachment (as opposed to saving it to the HD and then opening), your primary interest was in the content, not the layout.

I still don't understand what you think Word is not doing. You can still layout a book for desktop publishing. If it will be bound in the conventional way, you would be best advised not to use "Book fold," which will lay out pages for a folded booklet (and 100 pages is about the maximum you can successfully have in a folded booklet). You can set "Mirror margins" and have different odd and even running heads and footers. What is it that you find yourself unable to do?

How many real books (150 to 300 pages) you have designed, finalized, published in different languages using Word 2007 that you are suggesting "best advised not to use "Book fold"?

What I have stated is based on practical use of Word 2007 which, with your limited perspective, you have failed to understand. Hence, it is pointless wasting time on this subject anymore.

I admit you are expert in theory but that is inconsequential.

I also admit that I made the mistake of even attempting to explain to you in my last reply looking at your 'assumption' that was way off the mark.

A few of the books I have designed and typeset can be seen at http://wordsintotype.mvps.org/Books.htm (or you may want to "Look inside" at http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Lights-Music-Joanne-Rains/dp/0964372746 or http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Me-Butterfly-Tree-Fairhope/dp/059537042X). These are just the commercially published ones; I have also formatted others for private publication.

But my point about "Book fold" was that it should not be used unless you actually plan to print the book as a folded booklet. If it is being sent to a printer/publisher for traditional printing, it should be sent as separate pages (and in this day and age, usually as a PDF).

A few of the books I have designed and typeset can be seen at http://wordsintotype.mvps.org/Books.htm (or you may want to "Look inside" at http://www.amazon.com/Looking-Lights-Music-Joanne-Rains/dp/0964372746 or http://www.amazon.com/Meet-Me-Butterfly-Tree-Fairhope/dp/059537042X). These are just the commercially published ones; I have also formatted others for private publication.

But my point about "Book fold" was that it should not be used unless you actually plan to print the book as a folded booklet. If it is being sent to a printer/publisher for traditional printing, it should be sent as separate pages (and in this day and age, usually as a PDF).

I do not restrict my work to designing and typesetting. That is what we proudly call specialization (restricted view). I don't send separate pages to printer and leave rest to be done by him. I send the complete dummy based on what type of binding I want so that sorting process can get done with ease and accuracy after taking impressions (physical printing). I get involved into paper selection, lamination, binding process, costing, promoting, and distribution arrangements. I am a registered publisher and I assign my own ISBNs, and I work with different options, at different times, to have a comparative view, and budget allocation. I have already explained to you what prompted me to explore hidden potential of Word 2007 and then utilize to the hilt. But with Word 2013 that advantage has either disappeared, or calls for launching another exploration.

Anyhow, I am clear that nothing worthwhile will come out of further discussion and these discussions are robbing me of valuable time. The discussion began with a simple question and ended up with a big discussion which was not intended. I do not wish to let myself drift any further. 

Regards