The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter 30th July 2003
eBooks Readable By Both Humans and Computers For Since 1971
Part 2
In this week's Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter:
1) Editorial
2) News
Radio Gutenberg Update
3) Notes and Queries
4) Mailing list information
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1) Editorial
Hello,
After all my moaning last week about not getting any mail, someone
wrote in to explain that it might be that I never say anything
controversial. Well, pass me the tin-opener I have some worms to set
loose*. In the second of today's news stories, you will read that we
have been asked by Amazon to help with their latest project. This is
something which Michael Hart is requesting your feedback on, your
thoughts are important here. Please take a look at the article and
mail us with your comments, you will find both the newsletter and
Michael's email addresses at the end of the article.
Happy reading,
Alice
*Please note I am not actually in favour of putting worms into tin
cans, I think it's cruel. It's just an expression.
(news@pglaf.org - If you hit reply, the mail you
send does not reach me and disappears into the ether, it's my
anti-spam policy.)
We welcome feedback and awkward questions at the address above. Please
feel free to send our general ramblings to a friend.
Thank you to everyone who reads this bit, especially Joel Erickson,
Jack Gartin, Holly Ingraham and John Green who all sent me a mail to say so,
it's nice to know you're out there.
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2) News
Distributed Proofreaders Update
I know this is a PG newsletter, but symbiosis is an important thing
(it's also very difficult to spell!).
Distributed Proofreaders has set a few notable milestones over the
past few weeks and I thought it worth mentioning them. As of the time
of writing, the monthly total amount of pages proofread was standing at
a huge 118,311. That's
118,311 pages.
Their aim this month was a mere 95,010, which has been
totally shattered. DP has so far posted over 1700 books to Project
Gutenberg, in July alone 180 have been submitted. As Thierry put it
so well in the forums "What a fine library room that would be." There
are also well over 1,000 projects waiting in the queue to be
proofread, indicating a great future for both DP and PG.
So, time to pour a frosty drink, and having toasted the second
birthday of PG Australia (see pt1), please raise your glass to
Distributed Proofreaders.
We thank you all.
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Amazon Says They Want To "Partner" With Project Gutenberg
Amazon Has Asked For Our Help With This, What Do YOU Think We Should Do?
AMAZON TO ADD TEXT-SEARCHING FEATURE
Amazon.com is working on a new program to offer users the ability to
search thousands of nonfiction books. In the Look Inside the Book II
program, users would not be able to view the entirety of any text but
could search for words or phrases across many thousands of texts. The
results would show the sentence where the term appears, and users could
expand that sentence to see several pages before and after the term.
Amazon is currently negotiating with many large publishing houses to
make content available in the program, which Amazon argues will be an
incentive for customers to buy more books. Most of the publishers
Amazon has talked to have reportedly been interested in the program,
though they are concerned about exposing too much of their material.
Users who were able to see just a few pages of reference books and cookbook=
s,
for example, might see all they need to see and not buy the book.
New York Times, 21 July 2003 (registration req'd)
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/07/21/technology/21AMAZ.html
This is the article run in last week's Edupage. Project Gutenberg has
been invited to join in with this project, and we would like to know
what YOU think. You can mail us either here at the newsletter
news@pglaf.org, or you can mail Michael Hart directly at
hart@beryl.ils.unc.edu with the subject Amazon (this makes sorting the
mail simpler, thanks)
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Improved Service
In a bid to make the newsletter more helpful to readers who may be
using screen reading software. We are able to offer the booklisting
normally contained in part 3 in a different format to make your life a
little easier. An example of the new style listing is given below. If
you would like either a daily or weekly version of this list please
email news@pglaf.org, and state which version you require.
{Note to the unwary: this is an example, the real booklist is in part 3.}
34 NEW ETEXTS FROM PROJECT GUTENBERG US
A Complete Grammar of Esperanto, by Ivy Kellerman Mar 2005[esperxxx.xxx]7787
The Female Gamester, by Gorges Edmond Howard Apr 2005[fmgstxxx.xxx]7840
[Subtitle: A Tragedy]
A Primary Reader, by E. Louise Smythe Apr 2005[preadxxx.xxx]7841
[Also posted: illustrated HTML, zipped only - pread10h.zip]
The Rise of Iskander, by Benjamin Disraeli Apr 2005[?riskxxx.xxx]7842
[7-bit version with non-accented characters in 7risk10.txt and 7risk10.zip]
[8-bit version with accented characters in 8risk10.txt and 8risk10.zip]
[rtf version with accented characters in 8risk10r.rtf and 8risk10r.zip]
[rtf version has numbered paragraphs; txt version has no paragraph numbers]
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Radio Gutenberg Update
http://www.etc-edu.com
Books this week for Radio Gutenberg are Lewis Carroll's Alice's
Adventures in Wonderland, and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens.
Listeners should be aware that Radio Gutenberg is likely to move
frequency shortly as they are changing ISP, we expect within the next
week. Full details as soon as we get them.
Also, if you are interested in creating a slide-show with a soundtrack
from your favourite book, or piece of literature please mail us here
at news@pglaf.org and we will pass your message on.
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3) Notes and Queries
Request for sponsorship
From Ted Garvin
There are some books of historical/literary significance that I would
like to get through ILL (Inter Library Loans). Only one problem (aside
from finding time to scan them, but I seem to manage in that area),
and that is lack of funds.
So this is a plea for sponsorship. Email Ted at garvint at yahoo.com
- Ted
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Interesting Books this week
Charles O'Malley, Vol. 1, by Charles Lever Jul 2005 [#2][?mly1xxx.xxx] 8577
The excerpt from the Preface is an example of the lovely style of the
author of "Harry Lorrequer".
Notes:
Charles O'Malley: the Irish Dragoon (1841): the best of Lever's early works
and a superb example of a fast-paced, humorous, adventure-bestrewn Victorian
military novel. In its lack of disciplined structure the novel has been
compared, by some eminent critics, with the tradition of oral story-telling
in Ireland.
Excerpt from the Preface:
The success of Harry Lorrequer was the reason for writing Charles O'Malley.
That I myself was in no wise prepared for the favor the public bestowed on,
my first attempt is easily enough understood. The ease with which I strung
my stories together,--and in reality the Confessions of Harry Lorrequer are
little other than a note-book of absurd and laughable incidents,--led me
to believe that I could draw on this vein of composition without any limit
whatever. I felt, or thought I felt, an inexhaustible store of fun and
buoyancy within me, and I began to have a misty, half-confused impression
that Englishmen generally labored under a sad-colored temperament, took
depressing views of life, and were proportionately grateful to any one who
would rally them even passingly out of their despondency, and give them a
laugh without much trouble for going in search of it.
With many thanks to David Widger for bringing this to my attention.
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Wanted: Sub-editor
For newsletter and website.
Thank you
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Credits
Thanks this time go to Brett and George for the numbers and
booklists. Mark for the computer fixing (this week he's been really
clever), Greg for the website suggestions, Michael, and Larry Wall. Entertainment for the
workers provided by BBC 6music especially Tom Robinson (Yes, that
one). A special hello to John Hagerson.
pgweekly_2003_07_30_part_2.txt
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