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Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2003 13:42:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: Alice Wood <alice at beryl dot ils dot unc dot edu>
Subject: [gweekly] Pt2 Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter 27th August 2003
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The Project Gutenberg Weekly Newsletter 27th August 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
Distributed Proofreaders Update
Radio Gutenberg Update
3) Notes and Queries
4) Mailing list information
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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daily lists.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
1) Editorial
Hello,
There's so much in the newsletter this week I'll let you get on reading.
Happy reading,
Alice
(news@pglaf.org - If you hit reply, the mail you
send does not reach me and disappears into the ether, it's an
anti-spam policy.)
We welcome feedback and awkward questions at the address above. Please
feel free to send our general ramblings to a friend.
The Project Gutenberg Newsletter Website is available at
http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/newsletter
Any feedback about the website is most useful.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
============= [ SUBMIT A NEW EBOOK FOR COPYRIGHT CLEARANCE ]==============
If you have a book you would like to confirm is in the public domain in
the US, and therefore suitable for Project Gutenberg, please do the
following:
1. Check whether we have the eBook already. Look in
http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/GUTINDEX.ALL
which is updated weekly. (The searchable catalog at
http://www.gutenberg.net lags behind by several months)
2. Check the "in progress" list to see whether someone is already
working on the eBook. Sometimes, books are listed as in progress for
years - if so, email David Price (his address is on the list) to ask
for contact information for the person working on the book. The "in
progress" list:
http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html
3. If the book seems to be a good candidate (pre-1923 publication
date, or 1923-1988 published in the US without a copyright notice),
submit scans of the title page and verso page (even if the verso is
blank) to:
http://beryl.ils.unc.edu/copy.html
You'll hear back within a few days.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
2) News
What's happening to Project Gutenberg?
Over the past couple of weeks, since the Project Gutenberg needs you
posting, there seems to have been much disquiet about whether Project
Gutenberg will survive and exactly what is happening. Below, we have a
couple of messages from both Michael Hart and Greg Newby, which
hopefully, will put your minds at rest. We also have a few ideas below
that about what you can do to help.
"PG has run for 32 years with no cash, much of the time with WORSE than
no cash, I paid to keep it running, and I have no intention of changing.
I would pay to work for PG, and that's been the case all along. . . .
So the ONLY think we NEED cash for is to keep our legal registrations
going. . .which costs some $5-$10K per year. . .which we can do, even
if I have to pay for it."
Michael Hart
"PG will not go away, ever!
Even if there is no money.
Even if Michael or I gets run over by a bus tomorrow (though
you could sweat a bit if we both get run over. That's why we
live 3 timezones apart! No, just kidding...it's because
Greg likes dog mushing, and Michael likes Chicago-style pizza)
Even if PGLAF (who holds all the bank accounts) gets sued
out of existence by a monster corporation.
Even if iBiblio crashes and burns.
Even if the Internet Archive crashes and burns, or they both do!
Even if all the publishers start selling our eBooks and not crediting us!
Even if the IRS yanks our 501(c)(3) status.
There is only one thing that can make PG go away, which is if
all of our volunteers stop contributing their time, energy
and love of literature.
(Even then, the past content will stay.)"
Greg Newby
-----------------------------
OK, suggestions for how people such as you and I can help.
A comment was made on a DP forum last week that people felt that they
personally could not make a difference.
Well, I put it to you that this is not quite true. Back in 1971, one
man started to put one document on the internet, has this made a
difference? Well, you're reading this!
Of course it does, so let's think in terms of money not books.
One dollar*
That's all you need, go and find one, take a look, have a feel. Not
much is it? A bit like one book, significant for itself, but not much
to look at. Now say you donate your dollar to PG. Hmm, not much
difference to the overall scheme of things.
Now say we all donate one dollar. What have you got now?
Well, the subscriber numbers for the newsletter are around the 5,000
mark. So if we all donate one dollar that keeps PG running for at
least six months!
We will also, hopefully, be starting up a PG/DP shop soon, so get saving for those Xmas prezzies now!
Alice
*Please substitute the appropriate monetary unit, my favourite has to
be the Thai baht! What a great name!
-------------------
Distributed Proofreaders Update
Last week we promised you a peek into the Project Release Queue for
DP. For those readers just tuning into the column, the Queue is the
waiting room for text projects which have been fully prepared for the
proofreading process. When a text appears in the First Round of
proofing it has been drawn from the pool of projects within the Queue
awaiting release.
To reach a stage of proofing readiness a text requires a good deal of
preparation work. A book must first be scanned and the scans must be
processed with OCR software to produce the raw, first draft text of an
e-book. Once this has been completed, the text and images must be
processed and readied for the DP proofing system. When we look at the
1275 projects in the Q', it is hard to behave unimpressed by the work
already invested by dedicated Project Managers.
It is exciting to read through the manifest of projects awaiting
release. In a very real way it is like seeing into the future. At some
point ahead, all of these works will be available to the world through
Project Gutenberg. One of the real marvels of the Distributed
Proofreaders project is that it has provided a way for anyone
with an Internet connection to be a participant in building that future.
There is another important benefit to Project Gutenberg that DP has
taken to a new level. By distributing the work load and breaking tasks
down into manageable components, DP has developed a realistic solution
for converting large scale projects into digital form. The most
obvious example of this presently within the Release Queue, are the
number of Periodicals currently under development.
Distributed Proofreaders is presently seeing through a veritable
renaissance of the 'golden age' of the periodical journals which
occurred during the Nineteenth century. Thanks to the impressive
labors of Juliet Sutherland, Don Kretz and DP's own Richy 42, 'Sixty
Years' of the Scientific American journals are being made available at
PG. Elsewhere Joshua Hutchinson and Jon Ingram have been working
(without sleep it seems) to prepare for DP such periodicals as;
Atlantic Monthly; The American Review; Punch; Blackwoods; The Strand;
Continental Monthly and others. The content of the golden age journals
is of both literary and historic value. Many of the great books we
know today as classics were initially published in periodical
form. It's delicious stuff to proof!
Another form of large scale project which is now possible to seriously
consider because of DP are large book sets. Such works as the
Encyclopaedia Britannica and Richard Hakluyt's vast series on the
'Principal Navigations of the English Nation' have been moving through
the DP rounds for some time. A project that is about to begin its' own
passage is the complete, multi volume edition of Sir George Frazer's
Golden Bough which Suzanne Shell is seeing through.
Each week we will take a look into the Queue and see what's in store
for proofers in the near future. For now, as we come to the end of
August our attention turns to the landmark of DP having produced 2,000
completed books for Project Gutenberg.
This is a source of great pride for those at DP who have been a part of the
effort. Expect some wild celebrations soon! We are already developing
a special issue to celebrate this event, which will explore the
history of the project so far. We will also spend some time with DP's
founder Charles Franks and share a glimpse of his vision for the
project's future.
For now...
Thierry Alberto
-------------------
'Best Of Project Gutenberg'
Announcing the release of the August 2003 'Best of Project Gutenberg'
CD. On this marvellous tome you will find 692 files of the absolute
best that PG has to offer. I think if you had this little lot as a
library you would be very proud. There's Beowolf, the Life and
Adventures of Davy Crockett, Pi to a million digits (this is
apparently, one of the most popular downloads), The Frogs by
Aristophanes, Artistole's Treatise on Government, there are books by
Jane Austen, Charles Dickins, Frank Baum, James Cook's First Voyage
Around The World, Coleridge, Victor Hugo, Abraham Lincoln,
Shakespeare, Twain, right down to Emile Zola. You can find more
information at
http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/cdproject
Where the whole thing is available for download.
Alice
-------------------
Radio Gutenberg Update
http://www.radio-gutenberg.com
This week RG is running AEsop's Fables on channel 1 and The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis on channel 2.
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.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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 in
a different format to make your life a little easier. An example of
the changed 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.}
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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3) Notes and Queries
Not another FREE eBook Reader!
Yes, another FREE eBook reader. The yBook Reader from Spacejock Software.
However this is a reader with a few differences. Firstly it has been
developed by an Australian (Aussie), so it must be good.
Secondly, it has all the features (and then some) that we have come to
expect from Windows eBook Readers:
Runs on Windows 95/98/ME/NT/2000/XP and Linux (using Wine).
Displays text and html files on side-by-side pages.
Resize the pages, adjust the margins, set text and paper colour.
Search for words or phrases.
Automatic bookmarks.
Text sizes from tiny to HUGE.
No zooming, panning or scrolling.
Espa=F1ol, Deutsch, Portugu=EAs, Nederlands, more to come.
Completely Free: No registration, no adware, nothing. (But donations are
accepted!)
Last, but certainly not least, this reader downloads (and opens into the
browser) files from the PG and PG of Australia web sites. Simply select the eBook of
your choice and wait for it to load.
As an added bonus to yBook, Spacejock also boasts yRead--FREE text to SPEECH
software. Load up your eBooks, sit back, and have yRead tell you a story. With free
software from Microsoft you can even choose to listen to a male or female reader
sporting a British accent.
Check out the Spacejock site at
http://members.iinet.net.au/~simonh/spacejock/
and download yBook, yRead and other free software.
Col Choat
-------------------
Project Gutenberg Mailing Lists
This week we are announcing the beginning of gutvol-w, a new mailing
list to help plan new website changes, and to help with moving the PG
website over to ibiblio. Curators for different sections are needed,
as well as volunteers to write and update various bits and pieces. as
always, this is a 'put as much energy into it, as you want to' idea,
but if you are interested, please join.
I thought it might also be helpful to give people a run down of the
mailing lists that are available to help people at PG. The following
lists are currently running and open to all:
gweekly - weekly newsletter, the magnificant tome you are reading now
gmonthly - monthly newsletter, marvellous round up of the month at PG,
similar to this marvellous tome
posted - book postings as they happen, important news as well (high
traffic volume)
gutvol-d - volunteer discussion unmoderated (medium traffic)
gutvol-l - volunteer announcements (light traffic)
gutvol-m - multi-media list, for audio and other non-text discussion
(e.g. movies, music) (light traffic)
gutvol-p - programming volunteers, for software development (light traffic)
gutvol-w - new list for gutenberg website development (traffic? what traffic?)
glibrary - library help, help in tracking down books and copyright
research (light traffic)
gutnews - the official mailing list of the Gutenberg Gazette (light traffic)
guttv - PG's attempt at world domination! No really, TV spots for PG
(very little traffic)
To find these lists you can go straight to listserv.unc.edu and look
them up individually, alternatively,
http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/subs.htm gives you links to all the
lists.
Alice
----------------------------------------------------------------------
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These sites and indices are not updated instantly, as additional
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for those who wish to obtain these new ebooks, please refer to the
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Use your Web browser or FTP program to visit our master download
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and look for the first five letters of the filesname. Note that
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etext00, etc.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DISTRIBUTED PROOFREADERS NEEDS CONTENT, PROOFERS AND SCANNER TYPES
Please contact us at:
dphelp@pgdp.net
if you would like to know more about the Distributed Proofreaders.
Please visit the site:
http://www.pgdp.net for more information about how you can
help, by proofreading just a few pages per day.
If you have a book that has been scanned, but not yet run
through OCR (optical character recognition) or proofed,
and you would like the Distributed Proofreaders to work on it,
please email dphelp@pgdp.net and we will get things started.
Also, DP is seeking public domain books not already in the
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visit http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/GUTINDEX.ALL (a text file),
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Do you have Public Domain books your would like to see in the archive?
Can they be destructively scanned? If so send them to the Distributed
Proofreading Team! Please email dphelp@pgdp.net with your geographic
location. You will be given the address of the nearest high-speed scanner
(note that the high-speed scanner requires destruction of the book(s) which
will not be returned)." Alternatively, you can send your books directly to:
Charles Franks
9030 W. Sahara Ave. #195
Las Vegas, NV 89117
Please make sure that any books you send are _not_ already in the archive
and please check them against David's In Progress list at
http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html
to ensure no one is currently working on them. It would also be helpful if
you obtain copyright clearance before mailing the books, and send the 'OK'
lines to
dphelp@pgdp.net
********
Do you like to work on an entire book at once but don't have the time or
technology to do the scanning, OCR, and initial proofing yourself?
Distributed Proofreaders has the perfect solution! Send email to
dphelp@pgdp.net saying that you are interested in post-processing and we
will help you find a project to work on.
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Credits
Thanks this time go to Brett and George for the numbers and
booklists. Thierry, Gali, Cheryl and Branko, Greg, Michael, and Larry
Wall. Entertainment for the workers provided by Liz Kershaw and Andrew Collins.
pgweekly_2003_08_27_part_2.txt
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