diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 9109.txt | 12976 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 9109.zip | bin | 0 -> 197941 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | pgf2002.zip | bin | 0 -> 958291 bytes |
6 files changed, 12992 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/9109.txt b/9109.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d121386 --- /dev/null +++ b/9109.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12976 @@ +The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002, by Jim Tinsley + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: The Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002 + +Author: Jim Tinsley + +Release Date: October, 2005 [EBook #9109] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on September 7, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: iso-8859-1 + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROJECT GUTENBERG FAQ 2002 *** + + + + +The Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002 + +by Jim Tinsley + + + +Important: This file is posted to the Project Gutenberg archives +not as a current guide, more as a historical reference. I hope +that future FAQs will be posted, as the project evolves, but +this one is of its time. + +If you want the most up-to-date information from PG, please +see the current version of the FAQ, from the Project Gutenberg +site, or, at the time of posting, at: + + http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/faq/gutfaq.txt + or + http://ibiblio.org/gutenberg/faq/gutfaq.htm + + + + +Acknowledgements + +Writing a FAQ for an organization of fanatical proofreaders has +its ups and downs! I'd like to thank all those who corrected +my facts and my typos, and especially the people who pointed out +the lack of clarity in certain answers. The remaining errors and +opacity are all mine. + + + +Preface to the archive edition + +Ironically, Project Gutenberg, which preserves the writings of +others, doesn't have much written history itself. There are +scraps of e-mails and guidelines, but many newsletters and other +internal writings before 1996 have gone to the great bit-bucket +in the sky. + +The later half of the '90s marked a graceful blooming of Project +Gutenberg's growth. Three related technical factors contributed: the +explosion in home PCs brought standardization, which made it easy +for non-techies to install scanners, which, in response to the new +demand, became plentiful and cheap. And, of course, these years saw +the rise in popularity of the Internet, which has always been PG's +main channel of communication and distribution. + +However, while PG's production expanded geometrically, at Moore's +Law rates, there were barriers to participation. Most volunteers had +to find an eligible book, scan or type it, and proof the resulting +text all by themselves. This was and is a fairly significant amount +of work: 40 painstaking hours would be a typical commitment for one +book. + +Beyond that, simply learning the mechanics of producing e-texts +could be a serious challenge for newcomers. Nearly all internal +PG communication, except for the Newsletter, was by private e-mail, +and instructions had to be repeated many times to individual new +volunteers, all of whom showed up with great good will, but most of +whom vanished after a week or two. + +Michael Hart was unstinting in his editing of incoming texts and +handling questions by e-mail, but any one person has only so many +hours. + +The Directors of Production at the time -- Sue Asscher, Dianne Bean, +John Bickers and David Price -- served as contact points for advice +and help, made enormous efforts of production themselves, and tried +to share the scanned texts among new volunteers for proofing. They +made a huge contribution to building community in PG. + +Pietro Di Miceli set up a web site for the project in 1996, and with +the popularization of the Web (as opposed to the Internet), this became +a beacon for readers and new volunteers. + +All of these people reached out to willing volunteers, drew them in, +helped them, encouraged them. The Project and all of the readers of +the books, now and in the future, owe these people a great debt. +Without them, Project Gutenberg could not have achieved what it has. +But still, for the most part, each volunteer worked alone. + + +In 1999, I wrote, in response to an offer to volunteer: + + I think I can best answer your offer, and many others like it, + by giving an extended description of what actually happens in + the making of PG texts, and why it's often not easy to get + started. + + There is no agenda, no master list of tasks ready to be given to + volunteers. This is often the hardest thing to get across to new + volunteers. I know I waited quite a while after volunteering for + someone to give me a job to do before I realized it. + + + Exactly five steps are normally performed in the publishing of + an e-text. + + 1. Someone, somewhere gets a public-domain copy of a text they + want to contribute. + + 2. That volunteer confirms its PD status by sending TP&V to + Michael, and getting copyright clearance. + + 3. Someone, usually the same volunteer, scans and corrects the + text, or, if skilled in typing, types the book into an e-text. + + 4. Someone, often a different volunteer, second-proofs the + e-text, removing the smaller errors. + + 5. The e-text is sent to Michael for posting. + + + There are three barriers which make it difficult for most people + to contribute: + + 1. Getting a PD book. + + 2. People without scanners and typing skills have no way of + turning a book into an e-text. + + 3. Even with a scanner, turning a book into an e-text is not + easy or quick. + + Since, generally, people who have a PD book don't just want to + send it off to a stranger for scanning, the people who produce + e-texts have to get over all three of these barriers. This is + the bottleneck in production. It's relatively easy to get an + e-text second-proofed; making it in the first place is the + hardest part. You need to have a book, the means to turn it into + an e-text and the time and will to do it. + + After that comes second proofing. There are two problems here. + One is that there may not be enough texts for all the people who + want to second-proof; the other is that a lot of beginners just + abandon texts given to them for second-proofing, which holds up + the process and is discouraging for others. So a lot of + volunteers do their own second-proofing or send their texts to + established contacts with a track record of finishing the job, + rather than making them available to newbies. The Directors of + Production do serve as contact points, and at any given moment + may have some texts for proofing, but they can only distribute + the texts that have already been made. + + + With that explanation out of the way, I can better address your + question of what you can do. + + + Second-proofing is an easy way to start, but material isn't just + waiting for you. If you want to look for some, post your offer + here and wait a week or so. If no takers by then, e-mail Michael + and ask if there are any texts available; he may be able to + refer you to a Director of Production who has something current. + You may not get an e-text immediately, but you will get one. Of + course, you can also look here for offers of e-texts ready to + proof. + + Your other option is to take on a book yourself. In your case, + you already have a scanner, so you are equipped to become a + producer. You need to find a PD book. + + Getting PD books means finding and borrowing or buying them. You + can do this through used bookshops, libraries or book sites on + the Internet. I mention a few net sites in the FAQ in the link + below. I get all my books through them, since they make it easy + for me to find the books I want. Prices range from $5 up to (in + my case) about $30. + + The best advice I can offer here is: pick a book that you _want_ + to contribute, and a book you'll enjoy working with--you'll be + living with it up close and personal for quite a while. + + + +In March and April of 1999, Pietro created the PG Volunteers' +WWWBoard and Greg Newby set up the mailing list gutvol-d, and, for +the first time, volunteers who hadn't been introduced to each other +by Michael or the Directors could meet online and communicate +directly. A few FAQs and HOWTOs were written, covering the basics, +the nitty-gritty of producing books. All of this activity made it +much easier for people to get involved, and the Project experienced +a new influx of interested volunteers. Improved OCR software was +also a factor at this time: in response to the commoditization of +scanners, there was rapid improvement in the quality of OCR, and +better OCR made for easier production of e-texts. More work was +shared out in co-operative proofing experiments. + +It was in this new, expansive atmosphere, with ideas flooding in +from enthusiasts newly energized by the project, that Charles Franks +(Charlz) came up with the idea of a web site that would serve to +distribute the work of proofing a book among many volunteers. But +not only did he think of the concept; he went ahead and did it! + +In April 2000, Charlz first requested comments on his idea in +a post on the Volunteers' WWWBoard, and by the end of September, +the first e-texts were queueing up on the production line. + +On October 9th, Charlz wrote: + + Number of pages proofed by date: + + 2nd 6 + 3rd 6 + 4th 20 <-- Newsletter + 5th 27 + 6th 25 + 7th 29 + 8th 30 + 9th 45!! (and the day ain't over yet) + +(The "Newsletter" is a reference to the site being mentioned in +the PG Newsletter on October 4th, 2000). + +Distributed Proofreaders, or DP, simply kept growing from there, as +Charlz kept scanning and adding more books and features and +proofers, and its simple organic growth produced 600 e-texts in two +years, but when Charlz asked for more help on Slashdot, a popular +technical news site, on November 8th, 2002, the response blew the +roof off! The pages per day figure jumped from 1,000 to about 10,000 +for a while, then settled down at its current 4,000. 4,000 pages, +even given that each page is proofed twice, is a lot of pages. 2,000 +produced pages per day is about five full books per day. DP has +formed the backbone of PG's production ever since. Whatever the +future of DP's production, its effect on shared knowledge and +resources, and the communication and community it has built, ensures +that Project Gutenberg will never be the same again. + + +I began writing this FAQ in March 2002, and was essentially finished +around December 2002. It sat around, with a few tweaks here and +there in response to comments, until the start of September 2003. + +Today, it is a useful guide to Project Gutenberg norms and practices. +By the time you read it, it may be ancient history ("Hey, Grandad, +did you REALLY scan things from paper? Why didn't you use your +brain implant?" :-) But it is one record of How Things Were in +Project Gutenberg during this time of change. + +jim +September 7th, 2003. + + + + + + + + +Project Gutenberg FAQ 2002 + +I have a question not answered in this FAQ. How do I ask it? + +If it's about how to produce a text, the Volunteers' Board at +<https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/wwwboard/> is generally the best +place to ask. + +If it's a question of active interest to the general body of +volunteers, you can ask it on the gutvol-d mailing list. See +<https://www.gutenberg.org/subs.html> for joining it. + +For other questions, you should check our Contact Information page at +<https://www.gutenberg.org/contactinfo.html> and e-mail the appropriate +person. + + + About Project Gutenberg: + +G.1. What is Project Gutenberg? +G.2. Where did Project Gutenberg come from? +G.3. What has Project Gutenberg achieved? +G.4. Who runs Project Gutenberg? +G.5. How many people are in Project Gutenberg? +G.6. How can I contact Project Gutenberg? +G.7. How can I help Project Gutenberg? +G.8. How can I keep in touch with what Project Gutenberg is doing? +G.9. What is the relationship between Project Gutenberg, Projekt + Gutenberg-DE, Project Gutenberg of Australia, and Project Runeberg? + + + About Project Gutenberg publications: + +G.10. Does Project Gutenberg publish only books? +G.11. What books does Project Gutenberg publish? +G.12. What other things does Project Gutenberg publish? +G.13. How does Project Gutenberg choose books to publish? +G.14. What languages does Project Gutenberg publish in? +G.15. Why don't you have any / many books about history, geography, science, +G.16. Why don't you have any books by Steven King, Tom Clancy, + Tolkien, etc.? +G.17. Why is Project Gutenberg so set on using Plain Vanilla ASCII? + + + +Readers' FAQ + + About Finding eBooks: + +R.1. How can I find an eBook I'm looking for? +R.2. Can I get a complete list of Project Gutenberg eBooks? +R.3. How can I download a PG text that hasn't been cataloged yet? +R.4. You don't have the eBook I'm looking for. Can you help me find it? +R.5. Where else can I go to get eBooks? +R.6. I see some eBooks in several places on the Net. Do different + people really re-create the same eBooks? + + + About Using the Web Site: + +R.7. Why couldn't I reach your site? (or: Why is your site slow?) +R.8. I get an error when I try to download a book. +R.9. I searched for a book I know is in Project Gutenberg, but got no + results. +R.10. Can I copy your website, or your website materials? +R.11. Your site doesn't look right in my browser. + I clicked on a button, and nothing happened. +R.12. What does that thing about "Select FTP Site" mean? +R.13. What exactly is an FTP site anyway? +R.14. Can I become an FTP mirror? +R.15. Can I make a private FTP mirror for my school, library or + organization? +R.16. When I clicked on the file I want, nothing happened. +R.17. How many texts are downloaded through the web site? +R.18. What are the most popular books? + + + About Downloading and Using Project Gutenberg eBooks: + +R.19. Should I download a ZIP or a TXT file? +R.20. I've got a ZIP file. What do I do with it? +R.21. I tried to unzip my file, but it said the file was corrupt, or + damaged. +R.22. I see gibberish onscreen when I click on a book. +R.23. Can I download and read your books? +R.24. What am I allowed to do with the books I download? +R.25. Does Project Gutenberg know who downloads their books? +R.26. I've found some obvious typos in a Project Gutenberg text. + How should I report them? +R.27. I've found some obvious typos in a Project Gutenberg text. + Who should I report them to? +R.28. I've reported some typos. What will happen next? +R.29. I've got the text file, and I can read it, but it seems to be + double-spaced or it has control characters like ^J or ^M at + the end of every line. +R.30. When I print out the text file, each line runs over the edge + of the page and looks bad. +R.31. I can read the text file, but a few characters appear as black + squares, or gibberish. +R.32. Can I get a handheld device for reading PG texts? Which device + should I get? +R.33. How can I read a PG eBook on my PDA (Palm, iPaq, Rocket . . .) + + + About the Files: + +R.34. What types of files are there, and how do I read them? +R.35. What do the filenames of the texts mean? +R.36. What is the difference within PG between an "edition" and a "version"? +R.37. What is the difference between an "etext" and an "eBook"? +R.38. What are the "Etext/Ebook numbers" on the texts? +R.39. What do the month and year on the text mean? + + + +Copyright FAQ + +C.1. What is copyright? +C.2. Does copyright differ from country to country? From state to state? +C.3. What are the copyright laws outside the U.S.? +C.4. Why does Project Gutenberg advise only on U.S. copyright issues? +C.5. I don't live in the U.S. Do these rules apply to me? +C.6. What is the public domain? +C.7. What can I do with a text that is in the public domain? +C.8. How does a book enter the public domain? +C.9. How does a copyright lapse? +C.10. What books are in the public domain? +C.11. My book says that it's "Copyright 1894". Is it in the public domain? +C.12. How can a copyright owner release a work into the public domain? +C.13. When is an author not the owner of a copyright on his or her works? +C.14. What does Project Gutenberg mean by "eligible"? +C.15. I have a manuscript from 1900. Is it eligible? +C.16. How come my paper book of Shakespeare says it's "Copyright 1988"? +C.17. What makes a "new copyright"? +C.18. I have a 1990 book that I know was originally written in 1840, + but the publisher is claiming a new copyright. What should I do? +C.19. I have a 1990 reprint of an 1831 original. Is it eligible? +C.20. I have a text that I know was based on a pre-1923 book, but I + don't have the title page. Can I submit it to PG? +C.21. How does Project Gutenberg "clear" books for copyright? +C.22. I want to produce a particular book. Will it be copyright cleared? +C.23. I have some extra material (images, introduction, preface, missing + chapter) that should go into an existing PG text. Do I have to + copyright-clear my edition before submitting it? +C.24. I see some Project Gutenberg eBooks that are copyrighted. What's + up with that? +C.25. What are "non-renewed" books? +C.26. How can I get Project Gutenberg to clear a non-renewed book? + + + +Volunteers' FAQ + + About the Basics: + +V.1. How do I get started as a Project Gutenberg volunteer? +V.2. What experience do I need to produce or proof a text? +V.3. How do I produce a text? +V.4. Do I need any special equipment? +V.5. Do I need to be able to program? +V.6. I am a programmer, and I would like to help by programming. +V.7. What does a Gutenberg volunteer actually do? +V.8. Can I produce a book in my own language? +V.9. Does it have to be a book? Can I produce pieces from a magazine + or other periodical? +V.10. Do I _have_ to produce in plain ASCII text? +V.11. Where do I sign up as a volunteer? +V.12. How do PG volunteers communicate, keep in touch, or co-ordinate work? +V.13. Where can I find a list of books that need proofing? +V.14. Is there a list of books that Project Gutenberg wants? +V.15. I have one book I'd like to contribute. Can I do just that without + signing up? + + + About production: + +V.16. How does a text get produced? +V.17. How long must a text be to qualify for PG? +V.18. What books are eligible? +V.19. Are reprints or facsimiles eligible? +V.20. What is the difference between a reprint and a facsimile? +V.21. What is the difference between a reprint and a "new edition"? +V.22. What book should I work on? +V.23. I have a book in mind, but I don't have an eligible copy. +V.24. Where can I find an eligible book? +V.25. What is "TP&V"? +V.26. What is "Posting"? +V.27. I think I've found an eligible book that I'd like to work on. + What do I do next? +V.28. What books are currently being worked on? +V.29. How do I find out if my book is already on-line somewhere? +V.30. My book is not on the In-Progress list, and I can't find it on-line. +V.31. My book is on-line, but not in Project Gutenberg. What should I do? +V.32. My book is already on-line in Project Gutenberg, but my printed book + is different from the version already archived. Can I add my version? +V.33. I see a book that was being worked on three years ago. Is anyone still + working on it? +V.34. I've decided which book to produce. How do I tell PG + I'm working on it? +V.35. I have a two- or three-volume set. Should I submit them as one text, + or one text for each volume? +V.36. I have one physical book, with multiple works in it (like a + collection of plays). Should I submit each text separately? +V.37. How do I get copyright clearance? +V.38. I have a two- or three-volume set. Do I have to get a separate + clearance on each physical book? +V.39. I have one physical book, with multiple works in it (like a + collection of plays). Do I have to get a separate clearance + for each work? +V.40. Who will check up on my progress? When? +V.41. How long should it take me to complete a book? +V.42. I want/don't want my name published on my e-text +V.43. I'd like to put a copy of my finished e-text, or another + Gutenberg text, on my own web page. +V.44. I've scanned, edited and proofed my text. How do I find someone + to second-proof it? +V.45. I've gone over and over my text. I can't find any more errors, + and I'm sick of looking at it. What should I do now? +V.46. Where and how can I send my text for posting? +V.47. What is the "Credits Line"? +V.48. How soon after I send it will my text be posted? +V.49. I found a problem with my posted text. What do I do? +V.50. Someone has e-mailed me about my posted text, pointing out errors. +V.51. Someone has e-mailed me about my posted text, thanking me. + + + About Proofing: + +V.52. What role does proofing play in Project Gutenberg? +V.53. What is Distributed Proofing? +V.54. What do I need to proof an e-text? +V.55. Do I need to have a paper copy of the book I'm proofing? +V.56. What's the difference between "first proof" and "second proof"? +V.57. What do I do with an e-text sent to me for proofing? +V.58. What kinds of errors will I have to correct? +V.59. How long does it take to proof an e-text? +V.60. Are there any special techniques for proofing? +V.61. What actually happens during a proof? + + + About Net searching: + +V.62. I've found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but it's not + in the PG archives. Can I just submit it to PG? +V.63. I've found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but it's not + in the PG archives. Why should I submit it to PG? +V.64. I have already scanned or typed a book; it's on my web site. + How can I get it included in the Gutenberg archives? +V.65. I have already scanned or typed a book; it's on my web site. + The world can already access it. Why should I add it to the + Gutenberg archives? +V.66. I have already scanned or typed a book, but it's not in plain text + format. Can I submit it to PG? + + + About author-submitted eBooks: + +V.67. I've written a book. Will PG publish it? +V.68. I have translated a classic book from one language to another. + Will PG publish my translation? +V.69. OK, this is one of the cases where PG will publish it. + What do I do next? +V.70. I hold the copyright on a book. Can I release it to the public domain? +V.71. I hold the copyright on a book. Do I have to release the book + into the public domain for Project Gutenberg to publish it? +V.72. I hold the copyright on a book, and would like Project Gutenberg + to publish it. Can I choose what rights to assign? + + + About what goes into the texts: + +V.73. Why does PG format texts the way it does? + + + About the characters you use: + +V.74. What characters can I use? +V.75. What is ASCII? +V.76. So what is ISO-8859? What is Codepage 437? What is Codepage 1252? + What is MacRoman? +V.77. What is Unicode? +V.78. What is Big-5? +V.79. What are "8-bit" and "7-bit" texts? +V.80. I have an English text with some quotations from a language that + needs accents--what should I do about the accents? +V.81. I have some Greek quotations in my book. How can I handle them? +V.82. I want to produce a book in a language like Spanish or French + with accented characters. What should I do? + + + About the formatting of a text file: + +V.83. How long should I make my lines of text? +V.84. Why should I break lines at all? Why not make the text as one + line per paragraph, and let the reader wrap it? +V.85. Why use a CR/LF at end of line? +V.86. One space or two at the end of a sentence? +V.87. How do I indicate paragraphs? +V.88. Should I indent the start of every paragraph? +V.89. Are there any places where I should indent text? +V.90. Can I use tabs (the TAB key) to indent? +V.91. How should I treat dashes (hyphens) between words? +V.92. How should I treat dashes replacing letters? +V.93. What about hyphens at end of line? +V.94. What should I do with italics? +V.95. Yes, but I have a long passage of my book in italics! I can't + really CAPITALIZE or _otherwise_ /mark/ all that text, can I? +V.96. Should I capitalize the first word in each chapter? +V.97. What is a Transcriber's Note? When should I add one? +V.98. Should I keep page numbers in the e-text? +V.99. In the exceptional cases where I keep page numbers, how should + I format them? +V.100. Should I keep Tables of Contents? +V.101. Should I keep Indexes and Glossaries? +V.102. How do I handle a break from one scene to another, where the + book uses blank lines, or a row of asterisks? +V.103. How should I treat footnotes? +V.104. My book leaves a space before punctuation like semicolons, + question marks, exclamation marks and quotes. Should I do + the same? +V.105. My book leaves a space in the middle of contracted words like + "do n't", "we 'll" and "he 's". Should I do the same? +V.106. How should I handle tables? +V.107. How should I format letters or journal entries? +V.108. What can I do with the British pound sign? +V.109. What can I do with the degree symbol? +V.110. How should I handle . . . ellipses? +V.111. How should I handle chapter and section headings? +V.112. My book has advertisements at the end. Should I keep them? +V.113. Can I keep Lists of Illustrations, even when producing a + plain text file? +V.114. Can I include the captions of Illustrations, even when producing + a plain text file? +V.115. Can I include images with my text file? + + + About formatting poetry: + +V.116. I'm producing a book of poetry. How should I format it? +V.117. I'm producing a novel with some short quotations from poems. + + + About formatting plays: + +V.118. How should I format Act and Scene headings? +V.119. How should I format stage directions? +V.120. How should I format blank verse? + + + About some typical formatting issues: + +V.121. Sample 1: Typical formatting issues of a novel. +V.122. Sample 2: Typical formatting issues of non-fiction +V.123. Sample 3: Typical formatting issues of poetry +V.124. Sample 4: Typical formatting issues of plays + + + About problems with the printed books: + +V.125. I found some distasteful or offensive passages in a book I'm + producing. Should I omit them? +V.126. Some paragraphs in my book, where a character is speaking, + have quotes at the start, but not at the end. Should I close + those quotes? +V.127. The spelling in my book is British English (colour, centre). + Should I change these to American spellings? +V.128. I'm nearly sure that some words in my printed book are typos. + Should I change them? +V.129. Having investigated what looks like a typo, I find it isn't. + Do I need to do anything? +V.130. Aarrgh! Some pages are missing! Do I have to abandon the book? +V.131. Some words are spelled inconsistently in my book (e.g. sometimes + "surprise", sometimes "surprize"). Should I make them consistent? + + + +Word Processing FAQ + +W.1. What's the difference between an editor and a word processor? +W.2. Should I use an editor or a word processor? +W.3. Which editor or word processor should I use? +W.4. How can I make my word processor easier to work with for plain text? +W.5. What is the difference between proportional and non-proportional + fonts? +W.6. I can't get words in a table or poem to line up under each other. + + + About using MS-Word: + +W.7. I've edited my book in Word - how do I save it as plain text? +W.8. Quotes look wrong when I save a Word document as plain text. +W.9. Dashes look wrong when I save a Word document as plain text. +W.10. I saved my Word document as HTML, but the HTML looks terrible. + + + +Scanning FAQ + +S.1. What is a scanner? +S.2. What types of scanners are there? +S.3. Which scanner should I get? +S.4. What is ADF? +S.5. Should I get ADF? +S.6. What's a "TWAIN driver" and why do I need one? +S.7. How do I scan a book? +S.8. My book won't open flat enough for a good scan, and I don't + want to cut the pages. +S.9. How long does it take to scan a book? +S.10. What scanner settings are best? +S.11. Can I use a digital camera in place of a scanner? +S.12. What is OCR? +S.13. What differences are there between OCR packages? +S.14. How accurate should OCR be? +S.15. Which OCR package should I get? +S.16. What types of mistakes do OCR packages typically make? +S.17. Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed text? +S.18. I got an OCR package bundled with my scanner. Is it good enough + to use? +S.19. I want to include some images with a HTML version. How should I + scan them? +S.20. I want to include some images with a HTML version. What type of + image should I use? +S.21. Will PG store scanned page images of my book? + + +HTML FAQ + +H.1. Can I submit a HTML version of my text? +H.2. Why should I make a HTML version? +H.3. Can I submit a HTML version without a plain ASCII version? +H.4. What are the PG rules for HTML texts? +H.5. Can I use Javascript or other scripting languages in my HTML? +H.6. Should I make my HTML edition all on one page, or split it into + multiple linked pages? +H.7. How can I check that I haven't made mistakes in coding my HTML? +H.8. Can I submit a HTML or other format of somebody else's text? +H.9. How big can the images be in a HTML file? +H.10. The images I've scanned are too big for inclusion in HTML. + What can I do about it? +H.11. Can I include decorative images I've made or found? +H.12. How can I make a plain text version from a HTML file? +H.13. How can I make a HTML version from my plain text file? + + +Programs and Programming FAQ + +P.1. What useful programs are available for Project Gutenberg work? +P.2. What programs could I write to help with PG work? + + +Formats FAQ + +F.1. What formats does Project Gutenberg publish? +F.2. What is, and how do I make or use various formats? + + +Volunteers' Voices - Volunteers talk about PG + + Amy Zelmer + Ben Crowder + Col Choat + Dagny + Gardner Buchanan + Jim Tinsley + John Mamoun + Ken Reeder + Lynn Hill + Sandra Laythorpe + Tony Adam + Tonya Allen + Walter Debeuf + + +Bookmarks - web pages commonly referred to in the FAQ + +B.1. Project Gutenberg +B.2. Distributed Proofing Sites +B.3. Other On-Line eBook Pages +B.4. Lists of Suggested Books to Transcribe +B.5. Finding Paper Books On-Line + + + + + +About Project Gutenberg: + + + +G.1. What is Project Gutenberg? + +Project Gutenberg is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and +distribute cultural works. + + + +G.2. Where did Project Gutenberg come from? + +In 1971, Michael Hart was given $100,000,000 worth of computer time on +a mainframe of the era. Trying to figure out how to put these very +expensive hours to good use, he envisaged a time when there would be +millions of connected computers, and typed in the Declaration of +Independence (all in upper case--there was no lower case available!). +His idea was that everybody who had access to a computer could have a +copy of the text. Now, 31 years later, his copy of the Declaration of +Independence (with lower-case added!) is still available to everyone +on the Internet. + +During the 70s, he added some more classic American texts, and through +the 80s worked on the Bible and the collected works of Shakespeare. +That edition of Shakespeare was never released, due to copyright law +changes, but others followed. + +Starting in 1991, Project Gutenberg began to take its current form, +with many different texts and defined targets. The target for 1991 was +one book a month. 1992's target was two books a month. This target +doubled every year through 1996, when it hit 32 books a month. + +Today, we have a target of 200 books a month. + + + +G.3. What has Project Gutenberg achieved? + +Project Gutenberg is the original, and oldest, etext project on the +Internet, founded in 1971. + +In mid-2002, we are not only still going, we have made over 5,000 +eBooks available, with a current production target of 200 more each +month. + +We have many mirrors (copies) of our archives on all five continents. + + + +G.4. Who runs Project Gutenberg? + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a 501(c)(3) +organization. Dr. Gregory B. Newby <gbnewby@ils.unc.edu> is our +volunteer CEO. Professor Michael Hart <hart@pobox.com> is our Founder +and Executive Director. + +In terms of the day-to-day production of eBooks, our volunteers run +themselves. :-) They produce books, and submit them when completed. +Our Production Directors help with general volunteer issues. The +Posting Team check submitted texts and shepherd them onto our servers. +You can find current contact information for these people on the +Contact Information page at <https://www.gutenberg.org/contactinfo.html>. + + + +G.5. How many people are in Project Gutenberg? + +As of mid-2002, there are about 100 active producers, and 200 regular, +active helpers doing tasks like proofing. Something like 1500 people +receive our Newsletter. + + + +G.6. How can I contact Project Gutenberg? + +There are lots of ways to contact us, depending on what you want to +talk about. The Contact Info page +<https://www.gutenberg.org/contactinfo.html> on the main web site lists +them. + + + +G.7. How can I help Project Gutenberg? + +Donate money! We're an all-volunteer project, and we don't have much +to spend, so even a little goes a long way. Our Donation page +<https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html> tells you how. + +Produce a text! Turn an old book into an immortal etext. +The Volunteers' FAQ [V.1] tells you how. + + + +G.8. How can I keep in touch with what Project Gutenberg is doing? + +Subscribe to one of the Newsletters--weekly or monthly! + +The page <https://www.gutenberg.org/subs.html> gives details of how +to subscribe, unsubscribe and access the archives. + + + +G.9. What is the relationship between Project Gutenberg, Projekt + Gutenberg-DE, Project Gutenberg of Australia, and Project Runeberg? + +These are all entirely separate organizations. Projekt Gutenberg-DE +and Project Gutenberg of Australia use the "Project Gutenberg" +trademark with permission, and they operate within the copyright rules +of their respective countries. Project Runeberg has no specific +connection with Project Gutenberg. + + + + +About Project Gutenberg publications: + + + +G.10. Does Project Gutenberg publish only books? + +No. + +Project Gutenberg also publishes other cultural works like movies and +music, but the bulk of our collection is books. + + + +G.11. What books does Project Gutenberg publish? + +Any books that we legally can, and that our volunteers want to work +on. + +We cannot publish any texts still in copyright without permission. +This generally means that our texts are taken from books published +pre-1923. (It's more complicated than that, as our Copyright FAQ +explains, but 1923 is a good first rule-of-thumb for the U.S.A.) + +So you won't find the latest bestsellers or modern computer books +here. You _will_ find the classic books from the start of this century +and previous centuries, from authors like Shakespeare, Poe, Dante, as +well as well-loved favorites like the Sherlock Holmes stories by Sir +Arthur Conan Doyle, the Tarzan and Mars books of Edgar Rice Burroughs, +Alice's adventures in Wonderland as told by Lewis Carroll, and +thousands of others. + +These books are chosen by our volunteers. Simply, a volunteer decides +that a certain book should be in the archives, obtains the book and +does the work necessary to turn it into an e-text. If you're +interested in volunteering, see the Volunteers' FAQ at [V.1] below. + + + +G.12. What other things does Project Gutenberg publish? + +We have published some music files, in MIDI and MUS formats. We have +published the Human Genome. We have published pictures of the +prehistoric cave paintings from the south of France. We have published +some video files and some audio files, including a Janis Ian track and +readings from public domain books. + + + +G.13. How does Project Gutenberg choose books to publish? + +Project Gutenberg, as such, does not choose books to publish. There is +no central list of works that volunteers are asked to work on. +Individual volunteers choose and produce books according to their own +tastes and values, and the availability (or price!) of the book. + + + +G.14. What languages does Project Gutenberg publish in? + +Whatever languages we can! As above, this is decided by what languages +our volunteers choose to work with. + + + +G.15. Why don't you have any / many books about history, geography, + science, biography, etc.? + Why aren't there any / more PG books available in French, Spanish, + German, etc.? + +If we can legally publish a book, and it isn't in the archives, it's +because no volunteer has produced it yet. At the moment, we have a +predominance of English language novels because that is what most +people have chosen to work on. + +We're always looking for new languages and topics, and always +delighted to see people producing them. If we don't have enough of the +types of books you would like to see, why don't you help us out by +contributing one? If the people interested in a particular area don't +contribute, we'll always be short in that area. + + + +G.16. Why don't you have any books by Steven King, Tom Clancy, + Tolkien, etc.? + +Project Gutenberg can publish only books that are in the public +domain [C.10] unless we have the permission of the copyright holder. +Current bestsellers have not yet entered the public domain, and we're +not likely to get permission from the authors to publish them. + + + +G.17. Why is Project Gutenberg so set on using Plain Vanilla ASCII? + +Don't misrepresent us--we support and publish many open formats, but, +yes, we do want to have a plain text version of everything possible. + +We're looking at our history, and we're planning for the long +term--the _very_ long term. + +Today, Plain Vanilla ASCII can be read, written, copied and printed +by just about every simple text editor on every computer in the world. +This has been so for over thirty years, and is likely to be so for the +foreseeable future. We've seen formats and extended character sets +come and go; plain text stays with us. We can still read Shakespeare's +First Folios, the original Gutenberg Bible, the Domesday Book, and +even the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Rosetta Stone (though we may have +trouble with the language!), but we can't read many files made in +various formats on computer media just 20 years ago. + +We're trying to build an archive that will last not only decades, +but _centuries_. + +The point of putting works in the PG archive is that they are copied +to many, many public sites and individual computers all over the +world. No single disaster can destroy them; no single government can +suppress them. Long after we're all dead and gone, when the very +concept of an ISP is as quaint as gas streetlamps, when HTML reads +like Middle English, those texts will still be safe, copied, and +available to our descendants. + +The PG archive is so valuable, yet free and easily portable, that even +if every current PG volunteer vanished overnight, people around the +world would copy and preserve it. + +If the ZIP format loses popularity, and is replaced by better +compression, it will be easy to convert the zip formats automatically +(and we post all plain-text files in unzipped format as well). If hard +drives are replaced by optical memory, it will be easy to copy the +files onto that. If even ASCII is superseded by Unicode or one of its +descendants, it will be possible for our grandchildren to convert it +automatically (and ASCII is included in Unicode anyway). + +By contrast, many of us have files saved in proprietary formats from +word-processors only 5 or 10 years old that are already impractical +for us to read. Some of our files produced just a few years ago using +non-ASCII character sets like Codepage 850 are already giving problems +for some readers. Some eBook reader formats launched within the last +few years are already obsolete. We have learned from that experience. + +We also encourage other open formats based on plain text, like HTML +and XML, and even occasionally not-so-open ones when simple formatting +isn't enough, but plain text and ASCII is the only format and +character set we're sure of in a rapidly-changing technological +landscape. + +Please see also the FAQ [F.1] "What formats does Project Gutenberg +publish?" for more detailed discussion of formats. + + + + + +Readers' FAQ + +About Finding eBooks: + + + +R.1. How can I find an eBook I'm looking for? + +For PG books, the simplest way is to go to the home page at +<https://www.gutenberg.org>, type the Author or Title into the +search form, press the "Search" button, and follow the choices. + + +As of late 2002, there is a full-text search available at +<http://public.ibiblio.org/gsdl/cgi-bin/library.cgi> +where you can search not only for titles and authors, but any +words or phrases you want to look up. For example, entering +"Ample make this bed" and running an "entire books" search for +all words leads you to Poems Of Emily Dickinson, Series Two. + + +R.2. Can I get a complete list of Project Gutenberg eBooks? + +Yes. There are two main options: + +GUTINDEX.ALL is the raw list of files posted. You will find it at: +<ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/GUTINDEX.ALL> + +PGWHOLE.TXT is the list of files cataloged. A Zipped version is: +<http://promo.net/gg/pgwhole.zip> + +When we post a book, the posting information contains title and +author, eBook number, base filename and schedule year and month. +This raw information goes into GUTINDEX.ALL. + +After posting, our catalogers get to work and add more information +--things like full title, subtitle, author birth and death dates, +Library of Congress Classification, full filenames and sizes. When +a book has been cataloged, it is entered onto the website database +so that you can search for it. PGWHOLE.TXT is a summary of the +books in the website database. + +People who want to bypass the search on the website and find books +themselves will probably want to use GUTINDEX.ALL, since it doesn't +wait for the cataloging. + + + +R.3. How can I download a PG text that hasn't been cataloged yet? + +In short, just browse to: + +<http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/> + +choose the schedule year of the text (newly-posted texts will usually +be in the latest year) and look down the list to find the filename +you're looking for. + +In general, you need to know: + +a) the address of an FTP site +b) the schedule year of the text you want +c) the basename of the text you want. + +The fastest and safest FTP site to use for this is ftp.ibiblio.org, +which is the first of our two primary posting sites (the other being +ftp.archive.org). We post to these two sites, and then other sites +copy from them at intervals, so with any FTP sites other than these +two, the file may not be available immediately. + +You can get the schedule year and basename of the text from its line +in GUTINDEX.ALL. Let's take an example. The file + +Mar 2004 The Herd Boy and His Hermit, by C. M. Yonge [#32][hrdbhxxx.xxx]5313 + +has been posted just a few hours ago as I write this. From the +GUTINDEX entry, the schedule year is 2004, and the basename of the +text is hrdbh. + +We divide our texts into directories (folders) based on the schedule +year, so this eBook will be in the directory for 2004, which will be +named something ending in /etext04. All the directories are named +etext plus the last two digits of the year. (Somebody's going to have +to change that convention in about 87 years from now! :-) We currently +have directories starting at 90, running through the 90s and then 00, +01, 02, 03, 04. All eBooks produced before 1991 are in the /etext90 +directory, so if you're looking for + +Dec 1971 Declaration of Independence [whenxxxx.xxx] 1 +or +Aug 1989 The Bible, Both Testaments, King James Version [kjv10xxx.xxx] 10 + +you should look in /etext90. + +As it happens, ibiblio supports both HTTP (web) and FTP access to the +text, so we can just browse to + +<http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/> + +and choose the 2004 directory from there. + +If you want to automate this, you could also use the more direct +address + +<ftp://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext04/> + +The equivalent address for ftp.archive.org is + +<ftp://ftp.archive.org/pub/etext/etext04/> + +Either way, we see a long page of files, in alphabetical order. Scroll +down to the "H"s and look for hrdbh. We see four files with this +basename: + + hrdbh10.txt + hrdbh10.zip + hrdbh10h.htm + hrdbh10h.zip + +This means that both plain text and HTML formats are available, +and you can choose to download them either zipped or uncompressed. +For more detail about conventions for filenames, see the FAQ "What +do the filenames of the texts mean?" [R.35]. The main thing you need +to know is that any file beginning with hrdbh is some format or +edition of this book. + +Finally, all you have to do is click on the format you want to +download. + + + +R.4. You don't have the eBook I'm looking for. Can you help me find it? + +Sorry, no. We can suggest (see below) some other places to look for +publicly accessible books on the Net, but we can't do the search for +you. + + + +R.5. Where else can I go to get eBooks? + +The On-Line Books Page <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/> and the +Internet Public Library at <http://www.ipl.org/> are two sites that +specialize in creating a list of all books on-line from any source. +Searching them is a good place to start. + +If you're looking for commercial books, like current textbooks or +bestsellers, you're not likely to find them here, since recent books +are not in the public domain. For these, you should look for +commercial booksellers on the Net--any search engine will direct you +to some if you enter search terms like "shop ebook". + + + +R.6. I see some eBooks in several places on the Net. Do different + people really re-create the same eBooks? + +It does happen, but mostly by accident. Anyone experienced in eBook +creation will first search the usual places to see whether anyone else +has already transcribed the book they're interested in. If it has been +transcribed, they will not duplicate the effort. + +Etexts that are in the public domain very often float around the Net +for years--stored in a gopher server here, posted to Usenet there, +held on someone's local computer for a year or two and then +reformatted as HTML and uploaded to a web site somewhere else. And +this is good, because we want texts to be copied as widely as +possible. + +Public domain eBooks are fair game for anyone to copy, correct, mark +up, package and post: that's what being in the public domain means. + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often quickly copied and reformatted, and +posted on other sites like Blackmask at <http://www.blackmask.com>. + +If you find an eBook in many different places, the odds are good that +it came from one original source, and was copied around. + +It does sometimes happen that people duplicate the transcription of +books already made into text. Sometimes it's because they didn't find +the version already made. Sometimes they have a different edition, and +want to transcribe that. Mostly, though, we all try not to do more +work than we have to. + + + + +About Using the Web Site: + + + +R.7. Why couldn't I reach your site? (or: Why is your site slow?) + +This isn't common, but it happens. Project Gutenberg is a very busy +site, probably one of the busiest non-commercial sites on the Web, and +sometimes the amount of traffic causes a slowdown. + +There may also be a bottleneck somewhere else between you and the +site. If at first you don't succeed, _don't tell us_, just try, try +again. The correct address is either: + +http://promo.net/pg/ + or +https://www.gutenberg.org/ + + + +R.8. I get an error when I try to download a book. + +We do not keep e-text files on this site. Instead, many FTP sites +throughout the world hold the whole Project Gutenberg archive of +texts. An FTP site is just a computer on the Internet that specializes +in holding files for download and sending them to people on request. +You can find a list of FTP sites that hold Gutenberg texts at +<https://www.gutenberg.org/list.html>. + +When you're searching or browsing for titles and authors, you're on +this Project Gutenberg site, but when you click on the book to +download it, you are connected to an FTP site. At the time you click +on the filename, your browser contacts an FTP site and tries to +download the file from there. If you get an error, it could be because +the FTP site is busy, or because there's a network traffic bottleneck +between you and that FTP site, or because the text you're looking for +is missing from that FTP site. + +Usually, the easiest solution is to choose another FTP site to +download your text from. Go to the Search page, choose a different FTP +site, and search again for your text. + +Tip: You should always try to choose the FTP site closest to you. Not +only are you helping to minimize Net traffic by choosing a nearby +site, but your file will download faster! + +If all else fails, note the year and the filename of the book you +want, choose an FTP site from this list and click on one of them. Then +browse your way through the listings to the file you want. + +For example, if you find "Lady Susan" by Jane Austen, you will see +that it was published by Gutenberg in 1997, and its filename is +lsusn10.txt, so browse to one of the FTP sites, choose the directory +called etext97 and click (or right-click and Save, depending on your +browser) on the file lsusn10.txt. + + + +R.9. I searched for a book I know is in Project Gutenberg, but got no + results. + +First go to the Advanced Search page. Sometimes you may miss in +searching because of alternative spellings, so try searching +separately using just one word in Author or Title. Read the Search +Tips. + +If that fails, you can Browse through the site catalog. Let's say +you're looking for "The Wandering Jew" by Eugene Sue. + +Go to the PG Home page: <https://www.gutenberg.org/> + +Once on this page, click on: "Browse" in "Browse by Author or Title" + +You are then brought to a new page, asking you to select an "FTP +site". Further details on how and why to choose an "FTP Site" are +available on this page. + +Select an FTP Site from the Selection List available at the bottom of +the page, then click on "Select". + +You get a new page, Click on "S", initial for "Sue, Eugene" + +You should now see a list of all of the Authors whose Last name starts +with "S". Scroll down till you find the direct links to the Sue, +Eugene works. + +Click on the work you are interested to, then click on the file link +found on the page you were brought to, Etext Card ID -3987- when +selecting the work, as immediately above. + +On this page, above the teaser, there are two working links: + +DOWNLOAD: + · es12v10.txt - 2.95 MB + · es12v10.zip - 1.10 MB + +Click on the link of your choice in order to get the book. + +If you can't find your text either way, the book has not been +cataloged. The site catalog always lags behind the postings, since we +need to collect extra information about the book and the author before +it goes into the full catalog. If you know that the book has been +posted recently, and maybe hasn't made it into the catalog yet, read +the FAQ "How can I download a PG text that hasn't been cataloged yet?" + +If even this doesn't help, don't despair! We don't have it, but it may +be elsewhere on the Web. Go to the major search engines and try there. +You can also try looking in the Book Search section of The On-Line +Books Page <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/> or the Internet +Public Library <http://www.ipl.org>, and if you have no luck with +that, you might be able to find it listed as being In Progress +somewhere on their Books In Progress and Requested page at +<http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/in-progress.html>. + + + +R.10. Can I copy your website, or your website materials? + +No. + +Keeping the PG site updated with the latest e-text releases is an +ongoing job, and our experience is that people, however +well-intentioned, do not keep copies up to date. We want there to be +one clear source for people seeking the latest Project Gutenberg +information, and we think that having a lot of out-of-date copies and +partial copies scattered around the net would be a bad thing. + +We welcome mirrors and copies of our e-texts, in new FTP sites [R.14], +but the main web site itself is copyrighted and may not be copied. + + + +R.11. Your site doesn't look right in my browser. + I clicked on a button, and nothing happened. + +We take a lot of trouble to ensure that our website uses only valid, +standard HTML, and we're not even slightly tempted to use glitzy +features that look good in one browser but don't work in another, so +we can promise you that our site is not the problem. + +The site uses Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), a W3C standard since 1996. +Some older browsers have a buggy implementation of CSS, and this can +cause some things to appear off-kilter. If your browser is even older, +or doesn't know about CSS at all (as in the case of Lynx, for +example) it should have no problem. + +If you actually clicked on a button, like the Search button or the +Post button on the Volunteers' Web Board page, and nothing happened, +you might be behind a proxy or web filter that doesn't like you making +POST requests. If you have a web filter switched on, turn it off, +reload the page and try again. + + + +R.12. What does that thing about "Select FTP Site" mean? + +Our texts are not actually held on the website. The website just holds +an index; the files themselves are held on many sites throughout the +world, called FTP sites. When you have found the book you're looking +for, and you make that final click to get it, you're not actually +talking to our website any more--you are transferred to the FTP site +you selected. Some FTP sites are near you; some are far away. Some may +be faster than others, even if they are about the same distance; some +may have temporary technical problems. + +You should usually select the FTP site nearest you. If you find you're +having problems with that one, you can select another. + + + +R.13. What exactly is an FTP site anyway? + +FTP stands for File Transfer Protocol, one of the oldest and most +reliable protocols of the internet. This is the method by which a file +can be copied from one computer to another. + +An FTP site, or FTP server, is a computer that holds files that people +can upload and download. In the case of PG, the Posting Team upload +our texts when they're ready to two main FTP servers, +<ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org> and <ftp://ftp.archive.org>, which serve as +our master copies. + +Other FTP sites around the world automatically download the files from +these master sites, so they have a full set of PG publications for you +to download. Because they only check for updates and new files at +intervals, some FTP sites may be a day or two behind. Some FTP sites +don't have space available for everything, so they may hold only the +zipped versions of the files. But most FTP sites will have the +entire PG collection. These are called FTP "mirrors", since they are a +copy of the original. + +Many FTP sites exist that offer a full PG mirror but are not on our +FTP sites list. Commonly, these are in schools, where they serve the +local students, but don't have enough bandwidth to offer downloads to +worldwide users. + + + +R.14. Can I become an FTP mirror? + +Yes! We're always looking for more FTP mirrors. + +If you manage an FTP site with a few GB of space, please check our +Contact Information page <https://www.gutenberg.org/contactinfo.html> +and contact the appropriate person, who will make the arrangements for +you. If space is a problem, you can consider holding only zipped +copies of the texts. We can move you up or down the FTP site list as +you want more or less traffic. + + + +R.15. Can I make a private FTP mirror for my school, library or + organization? + +Yes. + +We like all FTP mirrors to be open to as many people as possible, but +we know that not all schools have the resources to be a public mirror, +so we welcome all mirrors. + +And anyway, you don't even have to ask, because we don't control +what happens to our texts once we post them! + + + +R.16. When I clicked on the file I want, nothing happened. + +When you select a file for download, your request goes to the FTP site +you selected, not to our website. If the FTP site you selected is +having problems, or if there is the Net version of a traffic jam +between you and it, you may have problems downloading. + +Select a different FTP site [R.12] and try again. + + + +R.17. How many texts are downloaded through the web site? + +We don't really do statistics, but in one particular month for which +we did, we had a figure of about 800,000 searches completed. Since the +final request for download goes to the FTP site selected and not to our +website, we can't confirm that all of these were actually downloaded, +but we expect that most people who have gone all the way through the +search will finish the job. + +In another month, we had about 1,000,000 downloads of files from +ftp.ibiblio.org, our main FTP site. This does not count downloads from +other FTP sites, of course. Why are there more downloads than +searches? Because people who are already familiar with getting PG +texts can skip the website search and download straight from the FTP +sites. + + + +R.18. What are the most popular books? + +We very rarely do statistics, but on one occasion in late 1999 when we +did, we found the top author searches to be: + + 1 shakespeare + 2 poe + 3 doyle + 4 melville + 5 dante + 6 joyce + 7 shaw + 8 christie + 9 conrad + 10 porter + 11 verne + 12 hemingway + 13 darwin + 14 miller + 15 woolf + 16 zola + 17 king + 18 eliot + 19 churchill + 20 smith + 21 twain + +and the top individual books searched for to the point of downloading +were: + + 1. Lady Susan, by Jane Austen + 2. 1st PG Collection of Edgar Allan Poe + 3. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle + 4. Moby Dick, by Herman Melville + 5. A Christmas Carol, by Dickens + 6. The King James Bible + 7. Twelve Stories and a Dream, by H.G. Wells + 8. Stories by Modern American Authors + 9. Lock and Key Library, Magic & Real Detectives + 10. [Hans Christian] Andersen's Fairy Tales + 11. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Washington Irving + +These numbers vary a lot. When a movie based on a classic is released, +downloads of that eBook go through the roof! + + + + +About Downloading and Using Project Gutenberg eBooks: + + + +R.19. Should I download a ZIP or a TXT file? + +If you know how to unzip a file, then downloading the zip is faster. +For some non-text eBooks that contain multiple files, like HTML with +included images, only a zip file may be available. For some other +formats, like MP3 or MPEG, there may not be a zipped version available +because the native format of the file is already compressed enough +that zipping it doesn't save much. + + + +R.20. I've got a ZIP file. What do I do with it? + +Unzip it. + +If you want a free program, you could try the open source Info-Zip +software available at +<http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/tools/zip/info-zip/> for Mac, MS-DOS, +Unix, Windows and just about everything else you might have. + +If you want a commercial program, PKZIP from <http://www.pkware.com> +and WinZip from <http://www.winzip.com> are among many popular +shareware utilities that allow you to unzip files. + +Mac-users using Stuffit Expander may like to set a preference (File / +Preferences / Cross Platform) to "Convert text files to Macintosh format +. . . When a file is known to contain text". This gets rid of strange +characters (linefeeds), which are not wanted on a Mac, at the beginnings +of lines. MacZip is another free program for Macs. Mac users can also +try ZipIt or other shareware programs available from the Info-Mac +archives, e.g. from +<ftp://mirrors.aol.com/pub/info-mac/_Compress_&_Translate/>. + + + + +R.21. I tried to unzip my file, but it said the file was corrupt, or + damaged. + +The chances are that it didn't download correctly. Try downloading it +again. If you don't succeed the second time, try downloading the +unzipped version. + + + +R.22. I see gibberish onscreen when I click on a book. + +To save download time, our etexts are stored in zipped form as well +as text form. Zipped files are smaller, and take less time to transfer +to your computer, but you need a program to unzip them. If you try to +view a zipped file directly, it looks like gibberish. + +You can recognize zipped files easily because their filenames end in +.zip. + +If this happens, either make sure you're asking your browser to Save +the file rather than display it (often, you right-click the file and +choose Save) or else click on the version of the file that ends in +.txt instead of .zip. You don't need a zip program to view .txt files. + +Looking at a zip rather than a text file is by far the most common +reason for this problem, but there are some others. If you're quite +sure that you're not looking at a zip file, then it could be that the +file you downloaded is in a character set that your viewer doesn't +recognize, like Big-5 [V.78] for Chinese texts, or Unicode [V.77]. +If this is the case, you will have to find a viewer that works on your +computer for the specified character set. We may also have an ASCII +version of the same text available for you--we do try to have ASCII +versions for everything [G.17], but some languages, like Chinese, +just cannot be sensibly expressed in ASCII. + +If you can see _most_ of the characters, enough to be able to make out +the text, but there are regular gibberish characters, black squares, +empty boxes or obviously missing characters scattered about through +words, then you are probably looking at an "8-bit" text [V.79], with +accented characters, and your viewer doesn't handle the character set. +See the FAQ "I can read the text file, but a few characters appear as +black squares, or gibberish" [R.31]. + +If there are a very few gibberish characters, black squares or +obviously missing characters in the text, then it's likely that this +was intended to be a 7-bit text, but a few 8-bit characters like the +British pound symbol or accented letters slipped through. + + + +R.23. Can I download and read your books? + +Yes. That's what Project Gutenberg is all about--making texts +available free to everyone! + + + +R.24. What am I allowed to do with the books I download? + +Most Project Gutenberg e-texts are in the public domain. You can do +anything you like with these--you can re-post them on your site, print +them, distribute them, translate them to other languages, convert them +to other formats, or redistribute them in unchanged form. However, if +you distribute versions under the Project Gutenberg trademark, we do +impose some conditions, which are explained in the header and/or +footer in each text. + +Some Project Gutenberg e-texts have copyright restrictions. You can +still download and read these, but you may not be allowed to +reproduce, modify or distribute them. When browsing or searching on +the site, you will see these copyright-restricted texts indicated in +the listings. For fuller information about them, download the e-text +and read the header or footer of the file, which will spell out the +conditions in detail. + + + +R.25. Does Project Gutenberg know who downloads their books? + +No, and we don't want to! + +Like any Internet transfer, our sites have to know the IP addresses +that contact them; without that, no communication is possible. But we +do not trace, hold or examine them beyond what is necessary to deal +with any problems or maintain logs or statistics. We never identify IP +addresses with people. + +Further, we encourage people, sites, schools around the world to +mirror, or copy, our texts to their sites. Once that happens, we have +no control over them, and we never have any idea who or even how many +people access them after that. + +Even further, we encourage people to distribute the texts on disks, +CDs, paper, and any other storage format they can find. We encourage +them to convert the texts to other formats, and share them. + +For most people reading this, anonymity is probably not an issue, but +you may live in a place or time where reading Paine, or Voltaire, or +the Bible, or the Koran, is considered suspicious or even subversive. +We don't know who you are, and what we don't know, we can't tell. + +Currently (mid-2002), by means of DRM (Digital Rights/Restrictions +Management) many commercial publishers can make a list of exactly +who is reading which of their eBooks. We _don't_ know, and we don't +_want_ to know. + + + +R.26. I've found some obvious typos in a Project Gutenberg text. + How should I report them? + +The first thing to remember is that the people who actually make the +corrections you suggest are very experienced, and are used to seeing +lots of different types of errata reports. So the exact format of your +report isn't really very important--just get the report to us in any +clear form that we can understand. + +Beyond that, here are some tips to avoid misunderstandings. + +It's always helpful if you report the full title, etext number, year +and filename of the text you are correcting. We have multiple editions +and versions of some texts, like Homer's "Odyssey", and unless you +tell us exactly what text you mean, we may have to spend some time +searching and guessing. + +Especially, _please_ check and report the exact filename of the text. +It is amazingly common for people to report problems with abcde10.txt, +when abcde11.txt is already posted, and has these and other errors +already fixed. + +When there are only a few errors, it's usually easiest to cut and +paste the line or lines where the error is into your e-mail, with your +comment. + +It can also be useful to give the line number of the place where the +error is, and some people who check texts regularly do this. If this +seems natural to you, do it; if it doesn't, don't. + +An ideal report for a typical errata list might look like: + + Title: The Odyssey, by Homer + Translated by Butcher & Lang + April, 1999 [Etext #1728] + File: dyssy08.txt + + Line 884: + back Telemachus, who bas now resided there for a month. + "bas" should be "has" + + Line 1491: + Ithaca yet stands. But I wouldask thee, friend, concerning + "would" and "ask" are run together here + + Line 1563: + in his father's seat and the elders gave place to him + This is the end of a paragraph, and needs a period at end. + + Line 15346-7: + 'Hearken to me now, ye men of Ithaca, to the + will say. Through your own cowardice, my friends, have + I think there is something missing between "the" and "will" + + +But the following would get the job done as well: + + In Homer's Odyssey, translated by Butcher and Lang, from /etext99, + file dyssy08.txt, I found the following errors: + + Telemachus, who bas now resided + change "bas" to "has" + + But I wouldask thee, + "would ask" run together + + and the elders gave place to him + needs period + + ye men of Ithaca, to the + will say. + line missing between "the" and "will"? + +Where there are more than a few changes, it may be easiest all round +just to submit a corrected version of the file. However, if you do +this, please do not re-wrap the paragraphs unless it is really +necessary; we need to check your suggestions before reposting, and if +the file is very different, it is difficult and time-consuming for us +to find your real changes among all of the changes in the lines. + + + +R.27. I've found some obvious typos in a Project Gutenberg text. + Who should I report them to? + +The Posting Team, who post the books, also make the corrections, and +ultimately, the corrections need to go to them. + +Many producers put their e-mail addresses in their texts, specifically +so that readers can contact them when errors are found. If you see +that in your text, you should try to contact the producer first. This +is especially true if the corrections aren't obvious, as in the case +of missing words. The producer is likely to have the original book, +and will probably be able to confirm your corrections without visiting +a library. If the book needs the corrections, the producer can then +notify the Posting Team. + +If you get no response from the producer, or if there is no e-mail +address listed, or if the corrections are small and obvious, you can +send them to any or all of the Posting Team directly. + + + +R.28. I've reported some typos. What will happen next? + +This varies wildly. Sometimes, you may just get a response e-mail in a +day or three saying thanks, and that we've fixed the typo. This is +normal when you've just reported one or a few obvious typos. + +Where there is some text missing, or the changes you suggest are +otherwise not obvious, we may have to find someone with an eligible +copy of the book to confirm the changes, and that might take time. +Normally, you will get an e-mail explaining that within a week. + +Sometimes, even though you've noticed only one or two small typos, one +of the Posting Team who was looking at it may find many more, and +decide that the whole text needs to be re-proofed. This may also take +time. + +If the text needs a lot of changes, we may post a new EDITION [R.35] +of it, with a new filename: e.g. abcde10.txt may become abcde11.txt. +In this case, you will receive a copy of the e-mail sent to the posted +list announcing the new file. Our current rule of thumb is that we +create a new edition when we make twelve significant changes, but we +judge each on a case-by-case basis, and especially will usually not +make a new edition if the original was posted recently. + + + +R.29. I've got the text file, and I can read it, but it seems to be + double-spaced or it has control characters like ^J or ^M at + the end of every line. + +This is most often seen on Mac or Linux. If you want to dig into why +this effect happens, see the FAQ "Why use a CR/LF at end of line?" [V.85]. + +Perhaps viewing it in a different editor or viewer will help, but it's +usually easiest just to globally replace all of the control characters +(if you see them) with nothing, or to replace all double line-ends +with single line-ends. + + + +R.30. When I print out the text file, each line runs over the edge + of the page and looks bad. + +If you have a file ending in .txt from Project Gutenberg, it is +usually formatted with about 70 characters per line, and with a +Carriage Return/Line Feed pair (also known as a "Hard Return" or a +"Paragraph Mark") at the end of every line. + +This is the most widely accepted format for text files, but it's not +ideal on all computers and all programs. 70 characters per line means +that if you are using an unusually large or small font to print it, +lines may wrap around or not reach across the page. The hard return +means that on some systems, the lines may appear double-spaced. + +Unfortunately, we can't advise you how best to format texts on all +systems, mostly because we don't know every system! Here are a couple +of tips you might try: + +If your font is too big or too small, try setting the font to Courier +size 10 or Times size 12. It may not be ideal, but it mostly works. + +In a word processor, you may be able to remove the Hard Returns, but +beware! if you remove too many, the whole text will become one +paragraph. One common formula for removing the HRs goes like this: + 1. First, all paragraphs and separate lines should be separated + by two HRs, so that you can see one blank line between them. + Where they aren't, as in the case of a table of contents or + lines of verse, add the extra HRs to make them so. + 2. Replace All occurrences of two HRs with some nonsense character + or string that doesn't exist in the text, like ~$~. + 3. Replace All remaining HRs with a space. + 4. Replace your inserted string ~$~ with one HR. + + + +R.31. I can read the text file, but a few characters appear as black + squares, or gibberish. + +The text is using some character set that your editor or viewer isn't. +For example, the text is using ISO-8859-1, and your viewer is using +Codepage 850--or vice versa. You can see the plain ASCII characters, +but non-ASCII characters like accented letters display as nonsense. + +Look at the top of the file for a clue to the character set encoding: +if it's there, it may help you to find which editor, or font, or +viewer you should be using. + + + +R.32. Can I get a handheld device for reading PG texts? Which device + should I get? + +To read eBooks on a handheld, you need three things: the eBook +content itself (which you can get from PG and other sites), a device +(which I will sometimes call a PDA, even though technically, the +RocketBook isn't a PDA) and the reader software that runs on the PDA. + +In mid-2002, there are three main families of handheld devices people +use for reading eBooks: Palms, Pocket PCs and RocketBooks (or their +successor, REB1100s). In general, it is possible to use any of +these in combination with any common type of personal computer. + +Palms are very common, especially when you count not just the Palm +<http://www.palm.com> itself, but PalmOS-based devices from other +manufacturers, like: + + the Franklin eBookman <http://www.franklin.com/ebookman/>, + the Handspring Visor <http://www.handspring.com>. + the Sony Clie <http://www.sony.com> and + +Because of the number of makers of PalmOS-based devices, you can buy +them with lots of combinations of features--color screen, audio, +different memory sizes. Of course, Palms have other applications +besides eBook reading. Palms are the smallest and most portable of the +three classes, and tend to have the best battery life for travelling, +but they also have the smallest screen. Just about all reader software +will run on Palms, except the Microsoft Reader, which runs only on +Pocket PCs, but you don't need the Microsoft Reader for Project +Gutenberg eBooks. + +In Pocket PCs, the Compaq iPaq is by far the most common in mid-2002. +More expensive and bulkier than a Palm, it does have a bigger screen. +Like the Palms, it can perform many functions besides reading eBooks. +Only Pocket PCs can support the Microsoft Reader, but this is not +necessary for reading Project Gutenberg eBooks. <http://www.compaq.com> + +The RocketBook, and its successor the Gemstar REB1100, +<http://www.gemstartvguide.com> are quite different from the others. +These were built specifically for reading eBooks, and do not have +additional functions. They are not, technically, PDAs. Their screens +are bigger, and excellent for reading, but do not offer color. They +also don't offer a choice of readers--the dedicated reader is built-in +to the device. Both of them require the eBooks you load to be +formatted for their reader, and files made for them usually have the +extension .rb for RocketBook. The REB1100 does not come with the +RocketLibrarian, which is the program you run on your PC to turn an +etext into a RocketBook file, but people are still making .rb files, +and the RocketLibrarian is still available and popular among an +enthusiastic group of Rocket users. (The REB1200 is entirely different +from the REB1100, and, as far as we know, PG etexts cannot easily be +transferred to it.) + +In summary, the Rocket/REB1100 is a dedicated reader, with a good +screen, but limited to what it does. + +Palms are relatively cheap and common, with a wide range of options, +and the capacity to function as PDAs as well. They can run all +common readers except the Microsoft one. + +The iPaq <http://www.compaq.com> has a good color screen, but is +bulkier than a Palm, and can run lots of readers, including the +Microsoft one, but not all Palm readers are available for Pocket PC. +Like Palms, the iPaq can do other jobs besides displaying eBooks. + +Different people make different choices among these for reading their +eBooks, and they all work well; it's a matter of personal taste. + + + +R.33. How can I read a PG eBook on my PDA (Palm, iPaq, Rocket . . .) + +To read a book on your PDA, you need to get the file into a format +that your reader software understands. Each PDA reader program will +work only with a specific format of file. Some will read several +formats, but, in general, it's a jungle of competing options. + +Unless you use a Rocket or REB1100, you will need to install at least +one reader program, and many veteran readers install two or three to +deal with different formats. There are many of them available. In a +recent internal poll of Gutenberg volunteers who use PDAs, + + C Spot Run <http://www.32768.com/bill/palmos/cspotrun/index.html>, + Mobipocket <http://www.mobipocket.com>, + PalmReader <http://www.peanutpress.com/> + Plucker <http://www.plkr.org> + +were our favored choices for reader programs. + +Further, the process may be different depending on which reader +software you're using. Each format that a reader understands has one +or more converter programs that run on your PC, and turn the plain +text file into that format. So in general, you have to: + + 1. Download the PG text + 2. Edit the text for the layout the converter wants (often HTML). + 3. Use the converter to create a file of the format the reader wants. + 4. Transfer the converted file to your PDA. + +If all this sounds too complicated, remember that many people take and +convert PG texts into many formats, and offer them for download from +their sites. Of course, there is no guarantee that someone will have +converted the particular eBook you want, but there are lots of +options. Try Blackmask <http://www.blackmask.com>, which lists +thousands of texts already converted for Mobipocket, iSilo, RocketBook +and the Microsoft Reader. + +There are many other sites that serve pre-converted PG texts. + +MemoWare <http://www.memoware.com> is also a useful resource for +converted eBooks, and has lots of information, including an excellent +map of the readers and formats jungle at +<http://www.memoware.com/mw.cgi/?screen=help_format> + +Tecriture <http://www.tecriture.net> hosts a service that downloads +and converts PG texts on the fly, and delivers them straight to you. + +If you're "rolling your own", you'll probably need to convert our +plain texts to HTML at some point, because a lot of converters require +HTML as input, and this is a common theme in readers' explanations of +how they get texts onto their PDAs. Don't panic! You don't have to be +a HTML wizard to do this--in fact, you don't need to know anything +about HTML at all! Usually, it's just a matter of removing some line +ends and Saving As HTML. You won't get a lot of fancy markup, or +images out of thin air, but you will get the book. + +One of the main things you usually have to do in making HTML is unwrap +the lines. If you're making your HTML manually, this is usually done +by replacing two paragraph marks with some nonsense marker like @@Z@@, +replacing all single paragraph marks with a space, and replacing the +nonsense marker with a paragraph mark. After unwrapping, the text can +just be Saved As HTML. + +There are some applications that specifically assist with +auto-converting text into HTML: + +GutenMark <http://www.sandroid.com/GutenMark> was specifically written +for the purpose, and knows enough about PG conventions to do a very +good job. + +InterParse <http://www.interparse.com> is a Windows-based generic text +parser that is very easy and intuitive to use. + +The World Wide Web Consortium lists some other options at +<http://www.w3.org/Tools/Misc_filters.html> + +If you're using a RocketBook or REB1100, you don't have either the +choices or the confusion to deal with. One of our volunteers who uses +a RocketBook offered this recipe for getting a PG text onto a +RocketBook: + +On converting to Rocket: + + 1. Download text file. + 2. Using your utility for showing formatting, enter your word + processing program's edit mode. + 3. Replace all double paragraph marks with some nonsense sequence + that can't possibly actually be there, such as @@Z@@. + 4. Replace all single paragraph marks with one single space + (enter). + 5. Replace your nonsense sequence with one paragraph mark. + 6. Convert all your double spaces to single spaces. Repeat this + until you get "0" for how many replacements were made. + 7. Save in HTML. + 8. Go into your Rocket Librarian. Use "import file using Rocket + Librarian." Go and pick up the file, which will be automatically + converted to .rb in this process. + +This sounds long, but it usually takes me under three minutes except +for a very long text. I've never taken longer than five minutes. You +can just go in and pick up the text file with Rocket Librarian, but +what you get onscreen doing this looks very odd. Steps 2-7 are not +essential, and if I'm in a hurry to read something once I might skip +them, but if it's something I know I want to keep I use them. + +This formula is not ideal for poetry or blank verse--if you want to +keep the lines unwrapped, you should avoid removing the paragraph +marks. + +Another volunteer, who reads on Mobipocket <http://www.mobipocket.com> +offered this suggestion: + +I use the MobiPocket Publisher, available free from +www.mobipocket.com. It wants to take a HTML file as input, so the +first thing I have to do is convert my PG text to HTML. + +I usually do this by running GutenMark, available at +<http://www.sandroid.org/GutenMark>. I can also do it in Microsoft +Word using the following sequence: + +Edit / Replace / Special and choose Paragraph Mark twice (or, from +replace, you can type in ^p^p to get two Paragraph Marks) and replace +with @@@@. Replace All. This saves off real paragraph ends by marking +them with a nonsense sequence. + +Now Replace _one_ Paragraph Mark (^p) with a space. Replace All. This +removes the line-ends. + +Finally, replace @@@@ with _one_ Paragraph Mark. Replace All. This +brings back the Paragraph Ends. + +Now I can Save As HTML. + +GutenMark does a better job of converting to HTML than my simple Word +formula, since it recognizes standard PG features, and sometimes +Mobipocket doesn't like the HTML produced from Word--it complains of a +missing file, or doesn't recognize quotation marks. + +Having got my HTML file, I open Mobipocket Publisher, choose "Project +Gutenberg", Add the File I created, and just Publish it to MobiPocket +.PRC format. Then I pick it up on my iPaq the next time I sync. The +whole process takes two or three minutes, and the results, since I +discovered GutenMark, are good. + +I recently came across InterParse 4 at <http://www.interparse.com>. It +doesn't have the built-in knowledge of GutenMark, so the results aren't +as good, but it's really easy to use, and you can see the effect of your +changes onscreen as you do it. For most PG books, all you have to do is +just Open the text file and choose Options / Remove all CRLFs (Except at +Paragraph End), then Convert / Text to HTML and Save As the HTML +filename you want. Quick and painless. + + + + + + +About the Files: + + + +R.34. What types of files are there, and how do I read them? + +The vast majority of our files are plain text. You can read these with +any editor or text viewer or browser. Some are HTML. You can read +these with any browser. + +For a full listing of other file types as of mid-2002, and how to read +them, please see the Formats FAQ [F.2]. + + + +R.35. What do the filenames of the texts mean? + +PG files are named for the text, the edition, and the format type. + +As of February, 2002, all PG files are named in "8.3" format--that is, +up to eight characters, a dot, and three more characters. + +The first five characters in the filename are simply a unique name for +that text, for example, "Ulysses" by Joyce begins with "ulyss". + +If the text has been posted as both a 7-bit and 8-bit text, then the +first character of the filename will be a 7 or an 8, to indicate that. +For example, we have both 7crmp10 and 8crmp10 for Dostoevsky's +Crime and Punishment. + +The 6th and 7th characters of the name are the edition number--01 +through 99. We normally start at edition 10 (1.0); numbers lower than +that indicate that we think the text needs some more work; numbers +higher than that mean that someone has corrected the original edition +10. + +The 8th character of the filename, if it exists, indicates either the +version or the format of the file. When we get a different version of +the text based on a different source, we give it an a, b, c, as for +example if the text is from a different translation. Where we have +posted a text in a different format, we also add an eighth +character--"h" for HTML, "x" for XML, "r" for RTF, "t" for TeX, "u" +for Unicode are established formats. There have been some experimental +postings with "l" for LIT, and "p" for either PRC or PDB. + +So, for example: + + 7crmp10 is our first edition of Crime and Punishment in plain ASCII + 8sidd10 is our first edition of Siddhartha, as an 8-bit text + dyssy10b is our first edition of our third translation of Homer's + Odyssey, in plain ASCII + jsbys11 is our second edition of Jo's Boys, in plain ASCII + vbgle10h is our HTML format of our first edition of Darwin's + Voyage of the Beagle + 7ldv110 is our 7-bit ASCII version of the first volume of the + Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci + +To make it worse, we don't always stick to these rules, for example: + + 1ddc810 is our first edition of the first book of Dante's + Divina Commedia in Italian, as an 8-bit text + 80day10 is our first edition of Verne's Around the World in 80 days, + in plain 7-bit ASCII in English. + emma10 is our first edition of Jane Austen's "Emma"--with a + 4-character basename instead of 5. + +Some series have special, non-standard names. Shakespeare is named +with a digit representing the overall source (First Folio, etc), then +"ws", then a series number, so for example 0ws2610, 1ws2610 and +2ws2610 are all versions of "Hamlet". The Tom Swift series is named +with a two-digit prefix denoting the series number, then "tom", so for +example 01tom10 is "Tom Swift and his Motor-Cycle". + +And what should we do with a text from a different source that is +formatted as HTML? For example, if dyssy10b is the name of the third +translation, what should the HTML version be named? dyssy10bh is +obvious, but it uses 9 characters. + +The problem, of course, is that we are trying to fit a lot of +information into an 8-character filename, and as the collection grows, +and the number of formats and versions increases, we come across more +pressure on filenames, so while the filename is a good guide to the +contents, it's not definitive. + + + +R.36. What is the difference within PG between an "edition" and a "version"? + +We give the name "edition" to a corrected file made from an existing +PG text. For example, if someone points out some typos in our file of +"War and Peace", we will fix them, and, if enough are found to warrant +a "new edition", then instead of just replacing the file wrnpc10.txt, +we may make a new file wrnpc11.txt, and leave the original alone. A +new edition is always filed under the same year and etext number as +the original--it's just an update. + +We give the name "version" to a completely independent e-text made +from the same original book, but a different source. For example, +Homer's Odyssey was translated by many different people, but they all +worked from the same book. The translations by Lang, Butler, Pope and +Chapman are very different, but they all come from the same root. + +Thus, these are all "versions" of Homer's Odyssey. We give them all +the same basename--dyssy--and each gets a new number, but we keep the +original basename, and add a letter to the filename to indicate that +they are "versions" of the same original book: + + dyssy10.txt Butler's Translation + dyssy10a.txt Butcher & Lang's Translation + dyssy10b.txt Pope's Translation + +The differences don't have to be as extreme as this for us to create a +new version. "Clotelle"/"Clotel", for example, was a book published +multiple times in English by William Wells Brown, and each time, he +changed the text. We preserve three different texts of the same book +as different versions: clotl10 clotl10a and clotl10b. + + + +R.37. What is the difference between an "etext" and an "eBook"? + +If there is any, it seems to be in the eye of the Marketing +Department! Michael Hart started the whole thing, and coined the word +"Etext". The term "eBook" is gaining in popularity, even for texts +that are not full books, so we've started using that more now. + + + +R.38. What are the "Etext/Ebook numbers" on the texts? + +These are simply a series of numbers. We give one to each etext as it +is posted, so the earliest etexts have low numbers and later etexts +have higher numbers. Etext number 1 is the Declaration of +Independence, the first text that Michael Hart typed in to the +mainframe that he was using in 1971. + +A few numbers are reserved for books that we hope to have in the PG +archive someday; for example, 1984 is reserved for Orwell's classic. + +When we improve an text by making some corrections, we call it a new +EDITION, and it keeps the same etext number, but when we post a +different VERSION of the same text, from a different paper book--like +different translations of Homer's Odyssey--each new version gets a new +etext number. + + + +R.39. What do the month and year on the text mean? + +Project Gutenberg sets a production target for itself. The idea is +that we try to produce X texts in a month, and we date the texts +according to what month of our schedule they appear in. For example, +if our target for September 2000 was 50 texts, and we actually +produced 55, then the last five would be dated October 2000, and we'd +get a head-start on the month. At the time of writing, in July 2002, +that target is the publication of 200 books per month. However, our +actual production has far outpaced our targets, with the result that +the "head-start" has accumulated so much that we are currently +releasing books scheduled for March, 2004! + +The fact that we're so far ahead of schedule makes this quite confusing +for newcomers. If it bothers you, just don't think about it! But at +least it's better than being _behind_ schedule. We didn't always produce +so many books. In the September 1994 newsletter, Michael Hart wrote: + + As always, I am terrified of the prospect of + doubling our output to 16 Etexts per month for + next year, we really need your help!!! + +That was when the Project's target was 8 Etexts per month. Today, +our target is heading towards 8 eBooks per _day_! + + + + + +Copyright FAQ + +C.1. What is copyright? + +Copyright is a limited monopoly granted to the author of a work. It +gives the author the exclusive right, among other things, to make +copies of the work, hence the name. + + + +C.2. Does copyright differ from country to country? From state to state? + +Copyright laws are constantly changing all over the world. Each +country has its own copyright laws, some within the framework of +international treaties, some not. Within the U.S., copyright laws are +federal, and do not vary from state to state. + + + +C.3. What are the copyright laws outside the U.S.? + +Sorry, we can't advise on copyright law outside the U.S. We can point +you to resources like <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/okbooks.html> +which tries to summarize the various copyright regimes, but we can't +guarantee that these are accurate. Even when they are accurate, it is +very hard to express some of the subtleties of copyright law in a +summary--for example, the question of what constitutes "publication" +for copyright purposes is sometimes unclear. + + + +C.4. Why does Project Gutenberg advise only on U.S. copyright issues? + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is registered in the +U.S. as a 501(c)(3) organization, and our two posting servers are +situated in the U.S., so we are subject to U.S. copyright law, and +only to U.S. copyright law. + +Because copyright laws are so tangled and different between countries, +not only in the broad sweep but also in the detail, and because +Project Gutenberg is subject only to U.S. copyright law, we just don't +have the expertise, time or resources to research and advise on the +law in other countries. + + + +C.5. I don't live in the U.S. Do these rules apply to me? + +Your country's copyright laws are different from those in the U.S., and +understanding and dealing with them is up to you. If you have a book +that is in the public domain in your country, but not in the U.S., it +is perfectly legal for you to publish it personally there, but we +can't. + +Similarly, it may be legal for us to publish it here, but not for you +to publish it, or perhaps even copy it, where you are. + +There are organizations in other countries operating in more liberal +copyright regimes that may be able to publish texts that we cannot. +For example, Project Gutenberg of Australia at +<https://www.gutenberg.org.au> can accept many works not eligible in +the U.S. + + + +C.6. What is the public domain? + +The public domain is the set of cultural works that are free of +copyright, and belong to everyone equally. + + + +C.7. What can I do with a text that is in the public domain? + +Anything you want! You can copy it, publish it, change its format, +distribute it for free or for money. You can translate it to other +languages (and claim a copyright on your translation), write a play +based on it (if it's a novel), or a novelization (if it's a play). You +can take one of the characters from the novel and write a comic strip +about him or her, or write a screenplay and sell that to make a movie. + +You don't need to ask permission from anyone to do any of this. When a +text is in the public domain, it belongs as much to you as to anyone. + +(However, when some character or part of the work is also trademarked, +as in the case of Tarzan, it may not be possible to release new works +with that trademark, since trademark does not expire in the same way +as copyright. If you propose to base new works on public domain +material, you should investigate possible trademark issues first.) + + + +C.8. How does a book enter the public domain? + +A book, or other copyrightable work, enters the public domain when its +copyright lapses or when the copyright owner releases it to the public +domain. + +U.S. Government documents can never be copyrighted in the first place; +they are "born" into the public domain. + +There are certain other exceptional cases: for example, if a substantial +number of copies were printed and distributed in the U.S. before March, +1989 without a copyright notice, and the work is of entirely American +authorship, or was first published in the United States, the work is in +the public domain in the U.S. + + + +C.9. How does a copyright lapse? + +Copyrights are issued for limited periods. When that period is up, +the book enters the public domain. + +Copyrights can lapse in other ways. Some books published without a +copyright notice, for example, have fallen into the public domain. + + + +C.10. What books are in the public domain? + +Any book published anywhere before 1923 is in the public domain in +the U.S. This is the rule we use most. + +U.S. Government publications are in the public domain. This is the +rule under which we have published, for example, presidential +inauguration speeches. + +Books can be released into the public domain by the owners of their +copyrights. + +Some books published without a copyright notice in the U.S. prior to +March 1st, 1989 are in the public domain. + +Some books published before 1964, and whose copyright was not renewed, +are in the public domain. + +If you want to rely on anything except the 1923 rule, things can get +complicated, and the rules do change with time. Please refer to our +Public Domain and Copyright How-To at +<https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/pd.html> for more detailed information. + + + +C.11. My book says that it's "Copyright 1894". Is it in the public domain? + +Yes. + +Its copyright date is 1894, which is before 1923, so its copyright has +lapsed. + + + +C.12. How can a copyright owner release a work into the public domain? + +A simple written statement, which may be placed into the work as +released, is sufficient. When a copyright holder places a book into +the public domain and wants PG to publish it, all we need is a +letter [V.70] saying that they are or were the holder of the copyright, +and that they have released it into the public domain. + + + +C.13. When is an author not the owner of a copyright on his or her works? + +An author may sell, assign, license, bequeath or otherwise transfer +his or her copyright to another party, such as a publisher or heir. + + + +C.14. What does Project Gutenberg mean by "eligible"? + +A book is eligible for inclusion in the archives if we can legally +publish it. + +We can legally publish any material that is in the public domain in +the U.S. [C.10], or for which we have the permission of the copyright +holder. + + + +C.15. I have a manuscript from 1900. Is it eligible? + +Maybe not. + +Works that were created but not "published" before 1978 will not enter +the public domain before the end of 2002. This gets complicated, and +it's not too common. If you have such a case, ask about it. + +A borderline example is the classic "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T. E. +Lawrence, which was actually printed and privately distributed, but +not "published", in 1922. We haven't been able to confirm any pre-1923 +"publication" for this. + + + +C.16. How come my paper book of Shakespeare says it's "Copyright 1988"? + +Shakespeare was published long enough ago to be indisputably in the +public domain everywhere, so how can a Shakespeare text be +copyrighted? + +There are two possibilities: + +1. The author or publisher has changed or edited the text enough to +qualify as a "new edition", which gets a "new copyright". + +2. The publisher has added extra material, such as an introduction, +critical essays, footnotes, or an index. This extra material is new, +and the publisher owns the copyright on it. + +The problem with these practices is that a publisher, having added +this copyrighted material, or edited the text even in a minor way, may +simply put a copyright notice on the whole book, even though the main +part of it--the text itself--is in the public domain! And as time goes +on, the number of original surviving books that can be proved to be in +the public domain grows smaller and smaller; and meanwhile publishers +are cranking out more and more editions that have copyright notices. +Eventually it becomes harder and harder to prove that a particular +book _is_ in the public domain, since there are few pre-1923 copies +available as evidence. + +Among the most important things PG does is preventing this creeping +perpetuation of copyright by proving, once and for all, that a +particular edition of a particular book _is_ in the public domain, so +that it can never be locked up again as the private property of some +publisher. We do this by filing a copy of the TP&V, the title page +where the copyright notice must be placed, so that if anyone ever +challenges the work's public domain status, we can point to a proven +public domain copy. + + + +C.17. What makes a "new copyright"? + +1. New edition + +When a text is in the public domain, anyone--from you to the world's +biggest publisher--can edit it and republish the edited version. When +the edits are substantial enough, the edited work is deemed a "new +edition", and gets a new copyright, dating from the time the new +edition was created. + +How substantial must the edits be to qualify as a "new edition"? +That is for a court to decide in any particular case. Changing some +punctuation or Americanizing British spelling would not qualify a work +for a new edition. Theorizing something about Shakespeare and +rewriting lots of lines in "Hamlet" to emphasize your point _would_ +make a new edition. In between those extremes is a grey area, where +each new edition would have to be considered on a case-by-case basis. + +A special case, that isn't quite a new edition, is when someone "marks +up" a public domain text in, for example, HTML. Where this happens, +the text is in the public domain, but the markup is copyrighted. We've +already seen that when an editor adds footnotes to a public domain +text, he owns copyright on the footnotes but not on the text: +similarly, when he adds markup to the text, he owns copyright on the +markup. + +2. Translation + +Translation is a common and justified special case of a new edition. +When someone translates a public domain work from one language to +another, they get a new copyright on the translation (but not on the +original, of course, which stays in the public domain so that lots +more people can use it.) + + + +C.18. I have a 1990 book that I know was originally written in 1840, + but the publisher is claiming a new copyright. What should I do? + +From a practical point of view, there's not much you can do about it. +It's a Catch-22 situation: in order to prove that the new printing +should be in the public domain, you need a provably public domain copy +to compare against the allegedly copyrighted edition, and if you have +that, you don't need the modern edition anyway. + + + +C.19. I have a 1990 reprint of an 1831 original. Is it eligible? + +Yes, as long as we can _show_ that it is a reprint, which usually +means that it has to _say_ that it's a reprint somewhere on the TP&V. + +However, we need to be very careful in a case like this. Commonly, the +book itself is eligible, but introductions, indexes, footnotes, +glossaries, commentaries and other such extras may have been added +by the modern publisher, so you should not include them except where +you can prove that they are part of the reprinted material. + + + +C.20. I have a text that I know was based on a pre-1923 book, but I + don't have the title page. Can I submit it to PG? + +Unfortunately, no. + +What you "know" isn't proof that we could take into court if we were +challenged about it in 20 years, and the whole problem of "new +copyright" [C.17] makes it effectively impossible to tell for sure +what is and isn't copyrighted anyway, without reliable evidence like +the title page. + +You need to find a matching paper edition for proof. See the FAQ "I've +found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but it's not in the PG +archives. Can I just submit it to PG?" [V.62] + + + +C.21. How does Project Gutenberg "clear" books for copyright? + +Usually, we just look at the TP&V. If it was published before 1923, or +says it is a reprint of a pre-1923 edition, that's all we have to do. + +In other cases, we may look up library publication data to prove, say, +that a book published in the U.S. without a copyright notice was +indeed published in the years when a copyright notice was required. Or +we may simply see that a particular text was published by the U.S. +Government. + +The bottom line is the question: if someone comes to us claiming to +hold the copyright on a text, do we have proof to show that they're +wrong? + +Whatever proof or search we have to do, we then file it, either on +paper or electronically, so that the proof will be available in 20 or +50 years' time, or whenever the challenge is made. + + + +C.22. I want to produce a particular book. Will it be copyright cleared? + +If it was published before 1923, you will have no problem with its +clearance. If you're relying on one of the other rules, it may just be +too much work to try and prove its public domain status. + + + +C.23. I have some extra material (images, introduction, preface, missing + chapter) that should go into an existing PG text. Do I have to + copyright-clear my edition before submitting it? + +Yes. + +Otherwise we would have no proof that the extra material you're adding +isn't copyrighted by someone. It's quite common for modern publishers +to add introductions or illustrations to a public-domain novel, and we +need the same standard of proof for these additions that we do for the +main text. + +This doesn't apply to an occasional word or two that was omitted by +mistake when the text was first typed. For example, you don't need +to clear another edition just to restore the words "thus perfected the" +and "eliminating all" to the sentence: + + And while we Country, we were also sorts of tediums, disputable + possibilities, and deadlocks from the game. + +while fixing typos. + + + +C.24. I see some Project Gutenberg eBooks that are copyrighted. What's + up with that? + +Authors or publishers may grant Project Gutenberg an unlimited license +to republish their works. In this kind of case, the copyright holders +still retain their rights, but grant permission for us to share these +eBooks with the world. + +These copyrighted PG publications can still be copied, but the +permissions granted are spelled out in their headers, and usually +forbid anyone to republish them commercially. + + + +C.25. What are "non-renewed" books? + +Works published before 1964 needed to have their copyrights renewed in +their 28th year, or they'd enter into the public domain. Some books +originally published outside of the US by non-Americans are exempt +from this requirement, under GATT. Some works from before 1964 were +automatically renewed. + + + +C.26. How can I get Project Gutenberg to clear a non-renewed book? + +As of mid-2002, you probably can't. Because of all of the checks we +need to do to ensure that the book wasn't renewed, or wasn't one of +the exceptions that was automatically renewed, we just don't have the +time to do it. But we're working on it. Right now, we're processing +copyright renewal records with the aim of making them searchable. + + + + + +Volunteers' FAQ + +About the Basics: + + + +V.1. How do I get started as a Project Gutenberg volunteer? + +What you actually need to do to produce a PG text can be stated very +simply: + + 1. Borrow or buy an eligible book. + 2. Send us a copy of the front and back of the title page. + 3. Turn the book into electronic text. + 4. Send it to us. + +That's it! All the rest of the producing parts of the FAQ are about +the details of how different people approach these steps. + +Different people find their own ways into PG work, and once in, find +their own niches. If you have your own ideas, don't let anything here +stop you from pursuing them. + +Some people just read the FAQs, go up to their attic, pull an eligible +book off the shelf, send TP&V [V.25] in, and start typing or scanning. +Next time we hear from them is when they send in [V.46] the completed +eBook for posting. It can be as simple as that. + +Some people just download existing PG texts, re-proof them very +carefully and send in corrections. + +Some people find regular collaborators through gutvol-d or the +Volunteers' Board or the distributed proofing sites, earn a reputation +as reliable proofers, and continue working as proofers. + +Most people start small, and after a little experience of distributed +proofreading or other proofing, begin their PG career as producers. + +If you're a typist, cheer now, because you can ignore all the +complicated paraphernalia of computer interfaces, and scanners, and +the quality of OCR software and the mistakes it makes. You can just +sit down at the keyboard with your eligible [V.18] book. + +If you're not a typist, start thinking about scanners. It may be a +while before you're ready to start scanning for yourself, but it's +never too early to find out about them. + +As soon as you have a solid grasp of how to turn a book into an etext, +please start thinking about how you're going to become a producer. +While proofing work is valuable, PG can only add books when someone +makes the effort to actually make etexts from them, and the people who +run distributed and co-operative proofing projects have to do a lot of +work before and after the proofing step; we want to spread that around +as widely as possible. Project Gutenberg needs more producers! + +Whatever you do, _don't_ just hang around expecting someone to offer +you a task to undertake. There is no "head office" where overworked +staff occasionally need interns to do filing and odd-jobs. There are +maybe 200 fairly regular contributors to PG, producers and significant +proofers. We almost never meet each other in person. We have jobs, and +families, and other interests. We work for PG when we can, and when we +want to. In many ways, you could look at us as 200 unrelated people, +each doing our own etext project, using Project Gutenberg as an +umbrella group that sets loose standards, files copyright proofs and +provides secure placement for the finished texts. Since we each have +our own self-assigned single-person tasks, there isn't too much room +to delegate some of that work to a beginner. By all means, volunteer +for some tasks--on the Volunteers' Board, or in gutvol-d--but you +should think in terms of defining your own tasks, and making your own +contribution. + + + +Orientation. + +Absolutely everyone--scanners, typists, proofers--should first spend +some time working on a distributed or co-operative proofing project. +This will allow you to get a feel for what happens in making an etext +from paper pages without committing you to more than a few hours' +work. + +This is not in any way an institutional requirement, since we don't +have any institutional requirements, but it is very good advice. Many +volunteers start eagerly, wanting to do lots of PG work, and then drop +out because they took on too much, too fast, without understanding the +nature of the work. Don't let that happen to you. Take it in small +chunks. + +Check out these distributed proofing sites: + +Charles Franks: <https://www.pgdp.net/> +JC Byers: <http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/index.htm> +Dewayne Cushman: <http://www.metalbox.net/dcushman/pgroot.htm> + +and spend a few hours over a couple of weeks just processing some +pages for real. + +While you're doing that, you should also join a couple of PG mailing +lists [V.12]--gutvol-d and either the weekly or monthly Newsletter list. +Reading these will start to get you connected to what's going on. +Browse the Volunteers' Board--there may be some offers going, and +there's a lot of experience captured in some of those "back-issues", +so don't confine yourself to the front page. + +Inform yourself on e-text issues generally, not just within Project +Gutenberg. Explore The On-Line Books Page and the IPL [R.5] and from +them find other eBooks available on-line. + +Have a look at our In-Progress List and some lists of suggestions +from others [B.4]. + +Look at sites like Blackmask <http://www.blackmask.com> and +Pluckerbooks <http://www.pluckerbooks.com/> and Memoware +<http://www.memoware.com> and Bookshare <http://www.bookshare.org> to +learn how our work is being used as a basis and copied and converted +and amplified in many other projects. + +Above all, READ a few Project Gutenberg eBooks! You don't have to read +them in full; you don't need to spend weeks poring over Dostoyevsky or +studying Shakespeare. Just download a few and skim them--you'll absorb +what a PG text should be quite painlessly, and maybe you'll get caught +up in the story! If you're looking for light reading, and can't think +of something that you specifically want, how about these all-time +favorites: + + The Gift of the Magi, by O. Henry. + The Lady, or the Tiger?, by Frank R. Stockton + A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens + Alice in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll + Anne of Green Gables, by Lucy Maud Montgomery + The Marvelous Land of Oz, by L. Frank Baum + A Princess of Mars, by Edgar Rice Burroughs + Heidi, by Johanna Spyri + A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, by Mark Twain + Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell + Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs + Tom Swift and his Motor-Cycle, by Victor Appleton + Rebecca Of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggin + Little Lord Fauntleroy, by Frances Hodgson Burnett + Aesop's Fables + Grimms' Fairy Tales + The Art of War, by Sun Tzu + Dracula, by Bram Stoker + Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss + The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells + + +If you have a taste for detectives and mysteries, there's + + The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle + Monsieur Lecoq, by Emile Gaboriau + The Mysterious Affair at Styles, by Agatha Christie + Arsene Lupin, by Edgar Jepson & Maurice Leblanc + Edgar Allen Poe's "The Gold-Bug" and + "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" in The Works of Edgar Allan Poe V. 1 + + +For the excessive buckling of various swashes, see: + + The Prisoner of Zenda, by Anthony Hope + The Man in the Iron Mask, by Dumas, Pere + The Three Musketeers, by Alexandre Dumas + Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson + The Scarlet Pimpernel, by Baroness Orczy + + +Effen youse got a hankerin' for a Western, there's: + + Riders of the Purple Sage, by Zane Grey + The Virginian, Horseman Of The Plains, by Owen Wister + Back to God's Country, By James Oliver Curwood + Selected Stories by Bret Harte + Jean of the Lazy A, by B. M. Bower + + +Or if you prefer your fiction more domesticated, there's: + + Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott + Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen + The Warden, by Anthony Trollope + The Heir of Redclyffe, by Charlotte M Yonge + Mother, by Kathleen Norris + + +For something to raise a smile, you can rely on: + + The Devil's Dictionary, by Ambrose Bierce + The Wallet of Kai Lung, by Ernest Bramah + The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde + Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome + Piccadilly Jim, by P. G. Wodehouse + + +If poetry is your thing, you have lots to choose from: + + Shakespeare's Sonnets + Project Gutenberg's Book of English Verse + The Home Book of Verse, edited by Burton Stevenson + The Complete Poems of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow + Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman + + +Now, that's just a handful from our over 5,000 eBooks, so don't tell +me you can't find anything to read! If you do have ideas of your own, +download GUTINDEX.ALL or PGWHOLE.TXT and browse through the whole +list, or Browse by Author on the website at +<http://promo.net/cgi-promo/pg/cat.cgi>. + +Download a few. Read them on your PC, or reformat them and print them +out, or convert them for your PDA. Get used to working with and +formatting text. Look at the formatting decisions that earlier +volunteers have made--they're not entirely consistent; different +people make different choices, different books require different +methods, and PG conventions have shifted slightly over the last 10 +years--but they're all perfectly readable and convertible today. + +If you find typos [R.26] in any of them, tell us! That's also a part +of being a Gutenberg volunteer. Our eBooks _improve_ with time! + +If you're thinking of making the best use of your time looking for +errors in posted texts, a good start would be to download 40 or 50 +texts, and run a spelling checker and gutcheck [P.1] on them all, +spending only 5 or 10 minutes on each. Having had a quick look at all +of them, concentrate on the ones that seem to have most +problems--where automated checkers see 10 problems, a careful human +will usually be able to pick up 20. + + + +Getting Productive + +OK, so you've seen what etexts should look like, you know what we do, +and proofing hasn't scared you off. It's time to step up and become a +producer. If you're not a typist and you don't have a scanner, take a +detour down to the Scanning FAQ [S.1] now, and come back when your +scanner is set up. If you're a typist or you've already got a scanner, +read on . . . + +Get a book. Just do it, OK? + +Ya gotta start somewhere, right? And finding an eligible book is +definitely somewhere. + +Finding an eligible book is a threshold for many beginning +volunteers--it's the first major step on the way to producing. For a +lot of people, it's also the toughest barrier they have to cross. +Fortunately, the barrier is only psychological, and can be crossed in +a few minutes. + +It's an unfamiliar process, and one that a lot of beginners feel some +anxiety about. Don't. It's quite straightforward: it's just buying a +book--you've done that, haven't you? Don't over-think it, don't worry +about whether you're making the "right" choice, don't spend months +comparing lists and choosing. Just do it. Once you've got your first, +you'll wonder what all the fuss was about. Thanks to the wonders of +the internet, your book can be on its way to you in an hour if you +have $20 to spend. + +Typists blessed with a good local library don't even have to buy their +books--they can just borrow one and type it up! (You may be able to +scan a library book, but get some experience with scanning first, and +avoid damage!) + +Let's deal with the decisions and other issues of picking one. + + + +_Copyright_ + +For your first book, don't try getting fancy with copyright issues. +Choose one that was published before 1923, and you're in the clear +for U.S. and PG copyright purposes. You can read the dates just as +well as we can--with books printed before 1923, there are no hidden +catches: "Pre-'23 is free". Just read the TP&V [V.25] of the book, +and see that it was printed before 1923, and you have no problems. +Of course, reprints [V.19] of books copyrighted pre-1923 (and various +other cases) are also clear, but if you have any concerns, just stick +to pre-'23 editions. + + + +_Which book?_ + +The answer to this question is different for everyone, but see how +much you agree with the following statements: + +"I have a favorite book, and I'd really like to produce that." + +Well, hey, this is no problem! You already know what you want. +Go check out whether the book is already on-line [V.29]. + +"I'd like to work on an important book, but I don't know which." + +Well, everybody's definition of "important" is different, but some +people have put their various ideas forward already; you can see +whether you agree with them! The InProg List contains some, with the +notation "Suggested book to transcribe" beside them. Steve Harris +keeps a list of unproduced possibles at Steveharris.net. John Mark +Ockerbloom's "Books Requested" page lists titles that people have +asked for. [B.4] Your problem if you fall into this category is that +other people probably wanted to produce "important" books too, and +lots are already done. + +"I just want an easy, trouble-free book to start with." + +Your first book doesn't have to be War and Peace (we've already got +that anyway!). Here's a tip: try looking for children's or what we +would nowadays call "Young Adult" books. These are typically short, +and may have large print, which makes life much easier if you're +scanning. They age well: children's stories from a century or more ago +are still readable and interesting to children today. We have many +children's and YA eBooks: not just the classics like Grimm and +Andersen and Heidi and Oz and Peter Pan and William Tell, but +lesser-known but still enchanting stories like The Counterpane Fairy, +or Lang's Fairy books. There are series, like the Motor Girls, or the +(Country) Twins series, or the Bobbsey Twins. There is lots and lots +of material here for you to start with, and these books are relatively +plentiful, since they were made to take the kind of treatment children +dish out, and many of them have been in school libraries or attics for +years. + +Whatever your choice, pick a book that you'll like; you'll be living +with it up close and personal for a while. Light reading, adventure +fiction, and books aimed at younger readers are safe first choices for +most people. If you admire 19th Century scientists or scholars, and +want to immortalize their work, great! But don't feel that you have to +dive in at the deep end just because someone else wants you to. + + + +_Getting your book: a practical exercise_ + +The Search + +At this point, you've got a list of books--maybe just one, maybe +several by an author or two, maybe just a genre like "Children's +Books" with some specific ideas. Maybe your mind is still wide-open. + +Before used booksellers had the Net, finding a particular old book was +a daunting job. Booksellers had informal networks among themselves and +exchanged catalogs so that each would know something about what was +available elsewhere, but, for a buyer, finding a particular book was +still hit-and-miss. Now, however, a number of large sites provide a +service to booksellers, where they can list their inventories for +people to search from anywhere. + +So now we go hunt for them on the Net. No, you don't have to buy them +on the Net--you can rummage in booksales and garage sales and used +bookstores, and that's its own kind of fun, though on a physical hunt, +what you need is to bring a long list of "already done" books with +you. But even if you never buy over the Net, it's a vast source of +information about what books are available, which are plentiful, and +which are cheap. It gives you some experience of what to expect when +you do your in-person browsing. + +Here's a story of a typical Net-hunt. And you can follow along with it +at home. :-) Your results, and the sites you end up at, will be +different from mine, but even if you don't end up buying a book on this +hunt, you'll get some experience of what's involved. C'mon, do it with +me--see if you can find a better bargain! + +I'm starting with two lists, and I'll follow up whatever seems +promising. I'd like to spend about $20--might go to $30. Definitely +not interested in $50 and up. I'm keeping in mind that I'll have to +add a bit for delivery--usually up to $10 within the U.S., but can get +expensive if you're in Perth, and ordering from a bookstore in Munich. + +I'm also avoiding anything that might be tricky to clear on this +search, and confining myself to books printed before 1923. + +Of course, by the time you read this, some of these books may already +have been produced, so if you're actually thinking of buying any, +check carefully first! + +My first shortlist consists of books that caught my eye from David +Price's In-Progress List, Steve Harris's site, and The On-Line Books +Requested page [B.4], and it reads: + + Louisa May Alcott: The Inheritance + E. W. Hornung: Irralie's Bushranger + E. W. Hornung: Stingaree + A. A. Milne: The Dover Road + A. A. Milne: Once on a Time + Samuel Richardson: Pamela + Oscar Wilde: The Critic as Artist + +As well as following along with my list, you should try finding two or +three books of your own, from those sites or from your own +preferences, and search for them in the same ways that I do. + +Everyone has their own searching technique and their own favorite +sites to search. For this session, I'm opening up three copies of my +browser--one for Alibris <http://www.alibris.com>, one for Abebooks +<http://www.abebooks.com>, and one for the Catalog of the Library of +Congress <http://catalog.loc.gov>. I'll do my initial searches on +Alibris and Abebooks, and keep the LoC site handy for reference. + +In Alibris, I head straight for the Advanced Search page, since they +allow searching by date, and I immediately put "before 1923" into +every search, which avoids having to scan through modern reprints. In +Abebooks, I choose "Hardcover" in their advanced search, which is not +quite as good a filter, but does at least screen out recent paperback +editions. + +In each of the sites, I just enter the author's surname and one word +from the title of each book, and look at the search results. + +Louisa May Alcott's "Inheritance" looks like it's going to be tough. I +don't find it in either of my two bookstores. On doing a little +checking with modern bookstores, I find it was her first novel, +written when she was 17, and as far as I can see, not published during +her life: apparently only recently published--the LoC site has +nothing prior to 1997. A disappointing start to my search. I +understand why it's very desirable to get it online, but this one's +going to be very tough to clear, and I'm staying away from it. + +E. W. Horning's "Irralee's Bushranger" is also elusive: it doesn't +show up at either of my sites, so I check out the LoC to confirm I +have the title right, and yes, there it is: "Irralee's Bushranger, a +story of Australian adventure, 1896." So I widen my search by visiting +<http://www.trussel.com/f_books.htm> and searching many of the sites +there. Still no luck. If I were particularly eager to get this book, +there are several things I might do at this point: I might register a +"want" with one of the sites, asking to be notified when a copy is +listed, I might use the OCLC WorldCat search (which Abebooks calls +"Find it at a local library") where I can locate libraries that have +copies, or I might even contact some individual booksellers and make a +request that they look for it. Some booksellers actually specialize in +looking for hard-to-find books; but of course I expect I'd have to pay +a bit more for it when they do find it, and given my success with the +rest of my list, and my price bracket, there seems no need to go that +far today. + +Horning's "Stingaree", by contrast, seems to be everywhere, in several +editions, and cheap. It must have been a bestseller in its day--not +surprising, from the author of "Raffles". 1902, 1905, 1909 editions +abound. The cheapest are 1910 and 1907 editions for $4.95 and $5.00 +from booksellers listed at Abebooks. + +Milne's "Dover Road" is available from both sites. There seems to have +been a Putnam's printing in 1922 of "Three Plays: The Dover Road. The +Truth About Blayds. The Great Broxopp." of which lots of copies +survive. There also seem to be later printings which would qualify as +reprints if I were desperate, but the 1922 edition is priced from +$12.00 to $50.00, so I'll take the 1922 $12.00 copy from Abebooks. As +a bonus, I don't see the other two plays listed as being online +anywhere, so I'll get three texts (and short ones, too!--279 pages for +all three) for the price and effort of one. + +Milne's "Once on a Time" is a bit less common, but once again a +Putnam's printing of 1922 keeps it in the race. There are a couple of +booksellers in England selling for 15 pounds (which just about makes +my $20 threshold) and 20 pounds, and an ex-library copy going for $25. + +There are lots of eligible copies of "Pamela" available, ranging from +a fourth edition at a mere $4,999 (no, thanks!) to a 1921 printing at +$6.60 at Alibris. I'll take that one, please. + +Wilde's "Critic as Artist" is fairly widely available. A 1905 edition +of "Intentions: the Decay of Lying; Pen Pencil and Poison; the Critic +as Artist; the Truth of Masks" is available at Alibris for $8.80, (and +other copies of the same edition there and on Abebooks in the $20-$30 +range) and Abebooks lists a London 1919 edition at $12.50. There are +several copies listed in both places as "undated" and "reprints"--I'm +avoiding these, since while it's quite likely that they might be +clearable, I'm not taking risks on this search. + + +My second list isn't a list--just a vague category: children's books +that are easy to do. + +I go to Alibris' Advanced Search, and enter "Child's" in the title, +and pre-1923 in the date, and, excluding titles already on-line, +immediately get: + + A Child's History of France $13.20 + A Child's Story of the Bible $5.50 + First Lessons in Botany or The Child's Book of Flowers $13.20 + The Child's Book of American Biography $11.00 + The Child's First Bible $8.80 + The Child's Music World $8.80 + +and so on through quite a list. + +OK. That's a good start. But my choice so far is unimaginative. I need +better search terms. So I go to main search engines with the terms +"children's antiquarian books" and find a half-dozen or so sites that +specialize in them. I can browse around there, though it's slower +going without searches to focus my results. I find +<http://www.bookrescue.com>, specializing in children's books. Wading +through the miles and miles of Alcotts and Barries and Burnetts, which +are mostly already online, I think, I find a couple of authors from +them who must have been popular, because they seem to have published +lots of books before 1923: Angela Brazil and Dorothy Canfield. (I only +got as far as the "C"s!) + +I could of course stop here and buy some, but today I want to see what +else is out there. + +Back at Alibris and Abebooks, armed with my authors to search by, I +turn up 4 pre-1923 books under $20 for Angela Brazil: + + A Terrible Tomboy + The Youngest Girl in the Fifth + A Fourth Form Friendship + A Pair of Schoolgirls + +and several between $20 and $30. + +Dorothy Canfield immediately yields multiple copies of: + + The Brimming Cup + Home Fires in France + Hillsboro People + Understood Betsy + Rough Hewn + The Real Motive + +and others, and I haven't even got to $20 yet, nor to the letter "D". + +A browse through the Ebay Collectible and Antiquarian Books section +also throws up a respectable list of eligibles. I won't even bother +counting that. + +In 20 minutes, I have found five of the seven on my search list. In +less than hour after that, I found over 16 eligible children's books, +all under or around $20 and all available online. + +Before committing to one, though, I would double-check that the book +hasn't been transcribed online, and isn't In Progress. + + + +Double-checking your selection + +If you're concerned that the book you have chosen duplicates another +that might be in progress, and want to double-check, you can e-mail +the Posting Team asking them to check whether any recent clearances +have come in for that title. + +Duplications do happen--there's no way of avoiding them when different +people are making independent decisions--but they are rare. + + + +Dealing with used booksellers + +As a class, used booksellers are very pleasant people--remarkably +friendly, knowledgeable and helpful, even to people buying on a +typical Gutenberger's budget. + +Some of them are not, however, models of ideal data organization when +it comes to Internet listings. There are lots of one- or two-person +operations dealing with an inventory of many thousands of books, and +having located your book online, you should check that it's still +available. + +You can place an order through the site and wait for the confirmation, +or you can simply call the bookseller. Not all booksellers' contact +details are listed, so it's not always an option, but when you do +phone you're likely to be speaking immediately to someone who can tell +you for sure whether the book is still there, can pull the book off +the shelf and answer questions about it, and can take your credit card +details on the spot and dispatch the book immediately. + + + +Copyright Clearance + +As soon as your book arrives, send us the information needed for +Copyright Clearance first. Even if your book is a true-blue, +no-questions-asked pre-1923 edition, we should know about it as soon +as possible so that it can go onto the In-Progress list for others to +see that someone has started on it. + +Wait for the confirmation e-mail before starting any serious work. +Some people have thought that "Copyright 1923" plus some wishful +thinking would be good enough, and, unfortunately, it isn't. Some +people have gone ahead and produced the whole book before sending +in the clearance, only to be disappointed, all their work wasted. + +Books published in 1922 or earlier are clearable, but some people, +ever optimists, overlook that little "1927" in small print on the +verso. Sometimes there is no copyright date on the front, and other +optimists assume that these books are OK. They may be; they may not +be. Don't get caught in the copyright trap. + +As soon as you have what you think might be an eligible book, do +not start on it. Do not ask another volunteer's opinion. Just send +in the TP&V and wait for the confirmation e-mail to find out for sure. + +Even when your TP&V clearly says "Copyright 1901", send it in. +We need to get it into the clearance files so that we can register +it as being In-Progress. + + + +Producing + +If you're a typist, there's not much more you need to know from this +point: you can just get on with the job, with maybe a few tips from +the FAQ. In fact, if you're a typist, you might wonder why the rest of +us make such a fuss about scanners, and settings, and OCR. Take pity +on us! we just can't produce the way you can. Smile indulgently, +ignore all the scanner jargon, and submit your completed text while +we're still saying bad words about the guttering on a greyscale image +of page 372. :-) + +If you are using a scanner to copy a book for the first time, be +patient with yourself. Some people start off with too high +expectations of what they can achieve. Believe it or not, scanning +does work effectively; it just doesn't work perfectly. And often, you +need a little practice before your scans work right with your OCR. The +Scanning FAQ [S.1] has lots of specific tips you can try. Start by +scanning a double-page about a third of the way through the book. Scan +in Black and White and in Greyscale, at 300dpi and 400dpi. Try 600 dpi +if it seems like a good idea. Put it through your OCR and see what +comes out. Move your scanner so that you can be comfortable while +placing the book and turning pages. Allow yourself an hour to +experiment with different settings, and different pages. Put the +sample images included with the Scanning FAQ through your OCR and +see how the output compares to the text produced by other packages. +That first hour finding out about how your setup works will be the +most valuable hour of scanning you will ever do. + +Having figured out what settings you want to use for this book, make +sure you implement the best speed you can. Usually this means telling +the scanner to scan _only as much area as the book covers_. This is +quite important, since the scanner will by default scan its whole +area, and you don't need all that; it just wastes time and makes your +images bigger. + +You may also be able to set your OCR or scanner software to auto-scan +pages with some preset delay, like 5 seconds. This also speeds things +up, because the scanner isn't waiting for you to hit the keyboard, and +you have both hands free at all times to turn the page and replace the +book. It takes a few pages to get into the rhythm; if you miss a +page-turn, don't worry--you can get it on the next scan. + +Using a reasonably modern but quite ordinary home/office type flatbed +scanner, you should be able to scan 200 pages an hour [S.9] of a +typical book, at good quality. 400 pages an hour is not unheard-of. +Now, it may fairly be said that scanning offers all the fun of ironing, +without the sense of adventure :-), but if you have got your settings +right, you will probably be able to do the whole job in less than two +hours. And now you're really on the road! + + + +V.2. What experience do I need to produce or proof a text? + +None. + +For producing, you will have to be able to type pretty well, or have +a scanner. + +For proofing someone else's text, when you don't have a copy of the +book in front of you, you should be reasonably familiar with the +language used in the book, and the styles of the time--Chaucer's +English was quite different from ours, and even 19th Century novelists +write some phrases unfamiliar to us today. + +That's it. You don't need experience in publishing, editing, or +computers. + + + +V.3. How do I produce a text? + +There are acres of words in this FAQ about that, but it all boils +down to 4 simple steps: + + 1. Get an eligible book--pre-1923, or one of the exceptions. Pull + it from your attic, borrow it from a library or a friend, buy it + in your local bookstore, in a flea-market or on-line. We don't + care which. + 2. Send us a copy or the front and back of the title page so we + can file proof of copyright clearance. + 3. Copy the text from the book into a computer text file. We don't + care whether you type it, scan it, voice-dictate it, or think of + some totally new way to do it. Just get it into a file. + 4. Send us the computer text file. + +That's all there is to it! + + + +V.4. Do I need any special equipment? + +You need the use of a computer of some kind, and Internet access is +usual, though we have had some volunteers contribute texts on floppy +disks. + +If you intend to scan books, you will need a scanner, but if you're +just typing or proofing you won't. + + + +V.5. Do I need to be able to program? + +Absolutely not! Very little of Project Gutenberg's work involves +programming, and it is never necessary to any part of volunteering. + + + +V.6. I am a programmer, and I would like to help by programming. + What can I do? + +At the risk of sounding facetious, the very best thing you can do is +figure out ways that more programming can help Project Gutenberg! + +A lot of programmers work on PG books, and anything easy has probably +already been done. The challenge for programmers who want to write +something that will help to produce etexts is not in writing the code; +it's in identifying ways that programs can help. + +Please see the FAQ "What programs could I write to help with PG work?" +[P.2] for some ideas in this direction. Whatever you do, don't just +hang around waiting for someone to ask you to write something, because +that's not going to happen. Think up a project, ask volunteers if they +would use it, and dig in! Better still, produce a few etexts yourself, +using the existing tools, and get a feel for the kinds of problems +that new software could help with. + +Apart from text production, we do develop some programs to help with +posting work, but as of mid-2002, we have nothing like an ongoing +programming project which people can join. + + + +V.7. What does a Gutenberg volunteer actually do? + +We buy or borrow eligible books, scan, type, and proofread. There are +a few other activities, but they consume only a very small fraction of +volunteer time. + + + +V.8. Can I produce a book in my own language? + +Yes! We want to encourage people to produce books in all languages, +and we cheer when we can add a new language to the list. + + + +V.9. Does it have to be a book? Can I produce pieces from a magazine + or other periodical? + +Magazines, newspapers, and other publications are just fine. For +copyright clearance, they work just the same way as a book. + +You do need to check the length of your piece [V.17]; we don't want a +zillion separate one- or two-page files. If the piece you have in mind +isn't long enough, you can add other pieces to it, or even most or all +of the magazine. If the work was serialized over multiple issues, you +can join them together for your PG text, but you do have to copyright +clear every issue of the magazine from which you copy material. + +If you have lots of old periodicals, you could even take one piece +from several, and make a new text which is a "theme" anthology of +those pieces. You can give it an appropriate title: "Civil War +Commentaries from X magazine 1892-1898." + + + +V.10. Do I _have_ to produce in plain ASCII text? + +Certainly not if it doesn't make sense. To take an extreme example, if +you're working in Japanese or Arabic, or creating audio files, there +is no point in trying to reproduce that in ASCII! + +Where the text can largely be expressed in ASCII, we do want to post +an ASCII version, even if it is somewhat degraded compared to the +original. However, we will post your file in as many open formats as +you want to create, so that your original work is available for those +who have the software to read it. + + + +V.11. Where do I sign up as a volunteer? + +You don't. We have no formal sign-up process, no list of volunteers, +no roll-call. If you produce a PG eBook, or help to produce one, you +are a volunteer. + + + +V.12. How do PG volunteers communicate, keep in touch, or co-ordinate work? + +We are very scattered geographically: U.S., Australia, Brazil, Taiwan, +Germany, South Africa, Italy, India, England, and all over the world, +so we can't really meet for coffee on Thursdays. :-) + +Most co-operation and co-ordination goes on by private e-mail. This is +efficient for volunteers who have worked with each other before, since +they know each other's interests and skills, but not so easy for +beginners to break in on, since they don't. + +The Volunteers' Web Board at <http://promo.net/pg/vol/wwwboard/> is a +publicly accessible forum for volunteers or potential volunteers to +post any question or information about how to create a PG eBook. + +There are a few Project Gutenberg mailing lists. Information about +joining them is available on the main site, at +<http://promo.net/pg/subs.html>. + +The Project Gutenberg Weekly and Monthly Newsletters, gweekly and +gmonthly, are one-way announcements, which allow PG to communicate with +non-volunteers who are interested in the eBooks we produce, but they +also contain notes and requests for assistance from volunteers. + +The Volunteers' Discussion Mailing list, gutvol-d, is a an e-mail +discussion forum for subscribers about any Gutenberg topic. + +The Volunteers' List, gutvol-l, is for private announcements for +active volunteers. + +The Programmers' List, gutvol-p, is for discussion of programming +topics. + +There are some other, specialized, closed lists for people who +do specific work within PG: + +The "Posted" List, posted, is for people who perform indexing on our +texts. An e-mail is sent to this list every time we post a text (see +the FAQ "How does a text get produced?" [V.16] section 5: Notification) +and the members of the list use it to update their catalogs. + +The Whitewashers' List, pgww, is for Posting Team internal messages. + +The Heroic Helpers List, hhelpers, is for people who can devote some +fairly regular time to doing odd jobs. + + + + +V.13. Where can I find a list of books that need proofing? + +There is no central list of this kind. There are distributed proofing +projects, currently at + +Charles Franks: <https://www.pgdp.net/> +JC Byers: <http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/index.htm> +Dewayne Cushman: <http://www.metalbox.net/dcushman/pgroot.htm> + +where you can proof parts of a book. This is advisable when you're +just starting out because it gives you some feel for what the work is +like. + +You can also look up existing, posted texts from the archives and +proof them. Just as there always seems to be one more bug in any +given program, there always seems to be one more typo in any given +text! Download a few, and scan quickly for problems by doing a +spellcheck or other automated check; if you can find any problems +quickly, then there are likely others to be discovered by a careful +proofing. + + + + +V.14. Is there a list of books that Project Gutenberg wants? + +No. Project Gutenberg, as such, does not "want" any specific books. +Individual volunteers choose what books to produce. Nobody gives +orders to volunteers about what they should work on. Nobody has an +official "hit-list" of books to add to the archives. + +Of course, individual volunteers and non-volunteers have their +preferences, and may suggest books to transcribe, and such suggested +lists pop up every so often, and are often useful to people looking +for ideas. + +There are usually some suggestions in David Price's InProgress list. +The On-Line Books Page has a section where people can list requests, +and Steve Harris has a site devoted to lists of books not yet in +Gutenberg or elsewhere. Treat all of these lists with some caution, +since someone may have started or even finished one of their +suggestions since they were last updated. + +PG Books In Progress <http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html> +On-Line Requested List <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/in-progress.html#requests> +Steve Harris' "To-do"s <http://www.steveharris.net/PGList.htm> + + + + +V.15. I have one book I'd like to contribute. Can I do just that without + signing up? + +Well, since there is no formal sign-up, of course you can! A lot of +texts have been contributed by people who just wanted to immortalize +one favorite book. Many of them had already created the eBook before +they even heard of Project Gutenberg, and we're always delighted to +add these to the archive! + + + + +About production: + + + +V.16. How does a text get produced? + +As stated back in the Basics section, all you need to do is: + + Borrow or buy an eligible book. + Send us a copy of the front and back of the title page. + Turn the book into electronic text. + Send it to us. + +That's all you actually need to know in order to be a producer. But if +you're interested in the details of how other people actually do this, +and want to know what else happens behind the scenes, here's a full, +blow-by-blow account. + + + +1. Finding an eligible book + +Volunteers find eligible books [V.18] in all sorts of ways. Some lucky +people have them in their bookshelves, or their attic. A lot of people +have a good library nearby, where they can find books, or request them +on interlibrary loan. Some people are big eBay fans; others like to +hunt for bargains on specialist booksites. And of course lots of +volunteers enjoy rummaging through actual used bookstores, or local +markets, or yard sales. + +Even if you're not going to take on a book yourself right now, search +for some on the Net and find out about how to get a copy. Next time +you pass an antiquarian bookstore, or a book market, drop in and +browse. Ask your local library about interlibrary loans. Eligible +books aren't hard to find once you know where to look. + + + +2. Copyright Clearance + +New volunteers sometimes find it hard to understand why this is so +important, and why, in particular, Project Gutenberg is so careful +about it. At base, it's simple: by keeping a filed copy of the TP&V +[V.25] of every book we produce, we can at any time protect our +publications against claims from publishers that they "own" the work, +and thus we can keep them available to the public. + +The copyright laws can be difficult to understand, and sometimes it +may take serious research to prove that a particular edition is +actually in the public domain. If you're not legally-inclined, just +keep repeating "Pre-'23 is free" if you're in the U.S.A. and stick +to books published before 1923. If you do want to delve deeper, read +our Copyright Rules page at <https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/pd.html> +and then go on to reading the Library of Congress Copyright Office +official papers at <http://www.copyright.gov/>. If you're in another +country, find out about your own copyright laws. + +Volunteers send in the TP&V from the book for us to inspect. This not +only gives us the proof to file, it also lets us know that someone is +really working on the text so that we can list it as being In Progress +for the information of others who might be interested. + + + +3. Scanning, typing, proofing and editing + +This makes up the bulk of PG's effort, and is discussed at great +length elsewhere in this FAQ. There are many, many ways to create an +etext from a paper book, and different people use different methods, +but it all boils down to making a text file. For a typical book, it +will probably take 40 hours of a volunteer's time. All that happens +here is that somebody makes the effort to transcribe one paper book +into a file that can be shared around the world and for all time. + + + +4. Posting + +[Note: this information is quite specific to the process we go through +now. It is quite likely to change as we improve the automation of the +tasks.] + +Posting is done by the Posting Team. The basic job is to receive the +text from the producer, check that it has been copyright cleared, +check that it conforms to Project Gutenberg standards, check it for +correctness (which can be anything from XML validity to simple +spelling), add the Project Gutenberg header and copy the text to the +two PG servers. + +In a simple case, where everything goes right, this can take as little +as fifteen minutes. In a complicated case, where we have to convert +formats, or there are a lot of errors in the text, or there are +problems with the copyright clearance, it can take hours or even days +while we wait for responses, or do a lot of editing, or find +conversion tools. + +Michael Hart used to do this work entirely alone, but in September +2001, he created the Posting Team to handle the load. (The Posting +Team are nicknamed the "Whitewashers" in honor of Tom Sawyer's +victims. :-) + + +Transferring the file + +You send the text to us [V.46] either by Web, by FTP with a username +and password that any of the Posting Team can give you privately), or +by e-mail. + +If you're FTPing, you should e-mail one or more of us as well, to +let us know what you've uploaded. + +One problem is files that don't transfer correctly. Especially by +e-mail, some files get damaged on the way. It's better to ZIP the +file before sending, if possible, to prevent some common problems +with text files. The use of compression formats other than Zip can +also create problems. Members of the Posting Team work on multiple +platforms--DOS, Windows, Linux, Solaris--and zipping and unzipping +programs are commonly available for all of these. Other compression +methods, like Stuffit or bzip2, are not so readily available, and +may give us trouble. + +We login via ssh to beryl, which is the Unix system on which we work +when posting, the same one that you FTPed the file to, unzip the file +and glance at the top of it. + + +Checking Clearance. + +We then check it for copyright clearance. The one and only absolute +rule that we NEVER bend, no matter what, is that we WILL NOT post a +file that doesn't have a clearance. If it ain't in the clearance +files, it don't get posted. + +Most regulars know that they should include their clearance line in +the e-mail submitting the text, but not everybody does, and not +everybody remembers every time. This can be frustrating, when +clearance is not included and not obvious. + +When Michael gives you your clearance on a book, he sends you back an +e-mail that has just one line, something like this: + +The Works Of Homer [Iliad/Odyssey] Tr. George Chapman Jim Tinsley 06/14/01 ok + +He saves these lines in files that we posters can access. We regard +this information as private, so we don't publish the details of who +has cleared what. + +When we get the text, we check whether the submitter has cleared it. +If there is a clearance line in the e-mail notifying us about the +text, there's no problem. If we can find the title of the text under +the submitter's name in the clearance files, there's no problem. +Unfortunately, sometimes we can't find it. There are two usual +reasons: either the text submitted is _part_ of the work cleared (for +example, submitting one play from a collection), or the text hasn't +been cleared yet. If the clearance isn't straightforward, we can go +back and forth and round and round in e-mails for a while. + +This is why it's a good idea to paste the clearance line into your +e-mail. + +If the title of the text you're sending isn't the same as the title of +the text cleared, BE SURE to paste in the clearance line AND explain +that the text you're sending is PART of the cleared book. Please also +list the titles of the other parts; it really does cause confusion and +delay when this is not clear. + + +Checking and Editing + +Sometimes, people send in a book in a non-text format like Word Perfect +or Microsoft Word, or send a text with unwrapped lines. In that case, we +try to get the submitter to fix them, but if they can't, we have to +convert the file to straight text before starting. + +Some producers, particularly inexperienced ones, want to add +non-standard annotations and mark-up and symbols to the text. This can +get ticklish; we don't want to discourage them, but we need to keep +texts reasonably standard. Usually, we can work something out. Maybe +the book should be added in _both_ text and HTML, for example. + +Assuming that it's a plain text file, we next run gutcheck and a quick +spellcheck on the file. This will tell immediately if it adheres to PG +standards and if there is any serious problem with it. + +If the file looks clean, we may skim it, looking for potential +problems or formatting issues. For clean texts, the only things we +usually need to change are unindented quotations or inconsistent +chapter headings (a lot of people seem to mix "CHAPTER III" with +"Chapter 14" and have irregular numbers of blank lines) or spacing and +a few 8-bit characters. Occasionally, we have to rewrap a text. We +also look out for included publishers' trademarks, which we normally +prefer to remove (trademarks are NOT subject to copyright expiration: +Macmillan(TM), the publishing house, is still around and trading), +unnecessary or downright odd indentation or centering, stray page +numbers, and prefaces or introductions or appendices that may not be +in the public domain. If the file has lots of 8-bit characters, we +probably need to make a separate 7-bit version, and post both. + +If the gutcheck and spellcheck don't look clean, or if conversion is +required, we may spend a lot more than 15 minutes on it. In a bad +case, we may have to get the file re-proofed. + +If you are conscious that you're doing something non-standard, and +really mean it to stay, say so in your e-mail. (For example, I +recently posted a text containing a family-tree representation that +had lines over 80 characters. Now, I would have left that one alone +anyway, but it helped that the submitter drew my attention to it in +the e-mail.) If it's too non-standard, the poster may not allow it to +stay, but at least you can discuss it. When a text needs a lot of +non-standard formatting or markup, you really need to ask yourself +whether you shouldn't be submitting it in HTML, with all the bells and +whistles, and settle for something more normal in the text variant. + +Mostly, errors are obvious, and there are at least some obvious errors +in most texts. When errors are completely obvious, we just fix them +without feedback to the producer unless you have specifically asked +for feedback in your e-mail. + +We're getting more HTML formats now, which is great, but incoming +HTML often needs a lot of work, because people who are not experienced +with HTML often make mistakes. The W3C <http://validator.w3.org> is +the official standard for valid HTML, but, for the average volunteer, +it's awkward to use. However, if you're submitting a HTML format, +please use Tidy, which you can get from <http://tidy.sourceforge.net>, +to check your text before sending it. + + +Header and Footer + +We add the PG header and footer. If there is a header and footer +already there, we strip them off first, since recent changes in the +header mean that a lot of people send files with headers that are out +of date. We have written programs to help with this. + +We get the number for the text from a program on beryl called "ticket" +that Brett Fishburne wrote, that dispenses the next number. That way, if +two or three of us are posting at the same time, we won't all grab the +same number. We create a 5-letter base filename, checking that it hasn't +been used before, and finally zip up the file. + + +Posting + +We now transfer the .ZIP and .TXT files to two servers: +ftp.ibiblio.org and ftp.archive.org. (This is usually the point at +which we realize that we forgot to make a change we noticed while +checking. Aaaargh!) + + + +5. Notification + +At this point, the book is posted, but nobody knows about it! We need +to do something about that. . . . + +We compose an e-mail to the "posted" e-mail list, cc: the producer, +with the line that is to go into GUTINDEX.ALL, the master list of PG +files. + +The "posted" list has only a few subscribers. These are the people who +index and create links to PG texts, and include both PG volunteers and +the maintainers of other sites that link to PG texts. + +They also commonly download the texts to get more information for +their indexes, and tell us if there is anything wrong with the files. + +This e-mail is simply the official notification to all these people +and the producer that the file has been posted. Here's a sample of +such an e-mail: + +To: "Posted Etexts for Project Gutenberg" <posted@listserv.unc.edu> +Subject: [posted] Posted (#5301, Duncan) ! +From: "Jim Tinsley" <jtinsley@pobox.com> +Date: Tue, 25 Jun 2002 06:21:27 -0400 (EDT) +Cc: you@example.com + +Mar 2004 The Imperialist, by Sara Jeannette Duncan [SJD#4][mprlsxxx.xxx]5301 + +There may also be some remarks, if the text is in any way +non-standard, or if files other than plain text were posted with it. + +From this e-mail, you can, if you want to see any corrections made, +immediately download the posted file and compare it to your version. +Since the notification is made _after_ the file has been copied to the +servers, it should be there waiting for you. + +To find out how to download a book that has just been posted, see the +FAQ "How can I download a PG text that hasn't been cataloged yet?" [R.3] + + + +6. Indexing + +From the "posted" list, the posting line is added to GUTINDEX.ALL +and our indexers begin the cataloging process, which is much more +thorough, for the website. This includes work like finding author's +dates of birth & death, getting the Library of Congress +classification, and the other information that makes up the website +searchable index. That process takes extra time, which is why the +website searchable catalog must always lag behind the actual titles +posted. + + + +7. Corrections + +It's remarkable how many people who went over and over the text to the +point of hating it suddenly see problems with it when they download it +a couple of days after it's posted! Something psychological there, I +expect. Anyhow, if you do download your text and see problems with it, +don't worry, just e-mail whoever posted it, or any other member of the +Posting Team. No, you're not stupid, or if you are, you're in good +company, because we've all done it! There's no big deal about +replacing the posted file with a corrected copy immediately. + +Over time, other readers may submit corrections. If you find an error +in a PG etext, see the FAQ "I've found some obvious typos in a Project +Gutenberg text. How should I report them?" [R.26] + +When the corrections are small, as most are, we will just make the +change to the existing text. If there are a lot of changes, we may +post a new edition [R.35] with a new edition number; e.g. if the +file abcde10 was corrected, we may post abcde11. We never make a +new edition when we get corrections immediately after posting. + + + +V.17. How long must a text be to qualify for PG? + +The rule of thumb is that we try not to post texts shorter than 25K, +or about 350 lines of 70 characters. This rules out, for example, a +lot of individual short poems. If you are interested in contributing +this type of material, consider making a collection of similar +texts--poems by the same author, or magazine articles on the same +subject. We have made a few exceptions, like Martin Luther King's +"I have a dream" speech, but very few. + + + +V.18. What books are eligible? + +A book is "eligible" for posting if we can legally publish it. This is +the case if: + + 1. it is in the public domain in the U.S.A., + OR, + 2. the copyright holder has granted unlimited + non-exclusive distribution rights to PG. + + + +V.19. Are reprints or facsimiles eligible? + +A reprint or facsimile of a book that would be eligible is itself +eligible. + +For example, if a book published in 1995 is a reprint of a book +published in 1900, then it is eligible. However, the onus is on us +to prove that it _is_ a reprint, and if it doesn't _say_ on the TP&V +that it is a reprint, confirming its eligibility may be impractical. + + + +V.20. What is the difference between a reprint and a facsimile? + +A facsimile retains the page layout and formatting of the original. A +reprint keeps the same words, but may lay the pages out differently. +For our copyright purposes, there is no difference--we can use either. + + + +V.21. What is the difference between a reprint and a "new edition"? + +A reprint contains only the words and pictures that were printed in +the original. A new edition is in some way changed; it has different +text, or pictures. It may be abridged, or expanded. It may have +material added or changed, using other versions of the book. + +A new edition gets a new copyright, and has to be cleared based on its +own copyright date and status, not the date of the original printing +of the title. See also the FAQ "How come my paper book of Shakespeare +says it's 'Copyright 1988'?" [C.16] for an example. + +Please note that we are talking here about a new edition of the +printed book, not a new (corrected) edition number for Project +Gutenberg naming purposes. + + + +V.22. What book should I work on? + +Nobody in Gutenberg is going to set assignments for you. You decide +what book to process. Just pick one that no-one else has already done, +or is working on. It's also sensible to pick one that you'll +like--you'll be living with it for a while. On a practical note, it's +probably better to start with a short book or even a short story, +since a long book can take quite a while to produce. + +Start by thinking of books written before 1923. Pick a book you like, +and check it out. If it's already done or still in copyright, try +other books by the same author. + +Visit the Project Gutenberg site and download a full list of Gutenberg +books in GUTINDEX.ALL. Have a look at the List of Books In Progress and +Complete [B.1]. Look for authors you like, and see what books by them +aren't yet available. + +Check out your old books. Maybe you have an eligible edition that +would be of great help to the project. + +Try your library. They may have some eligible editions--books we can +prove to be in the public domain--and you will certainly come away +with ideas. Ask your librarian. Librarians are keen to help on +projects like this. + +Browse second-hand bookshops in your area. There are lots of treasures +to be picked up very cheaply. + +Search for literature pages and bookshops on the Internet. + +If all else fails, you can always ask on the Volunteers' Board or try +the gutvol-d mailing [V.12] list for ideas. Others may know of books +that people are especially looking for, or projects already started +where you could help out. + + + +V.23. I have a book in mind, but I don't have an eligible copy. + +First, determine whether there are any eligible copies of the book, by +finding out the date it was published, possibly from the Catalog of the +Library of Congress [B.5] and checking the Public Domain and Copyright +Rules [B.1]. If there is a public domain edition, the next problem is to +find one to work with. + + + +V.24. Where can I find an eligible book? + +The most commonly used outlets are used bookstores, garage sales, +library sales, charity shops and any other place that sells old books. + +The Internet is a wonderful medium for finding used and antiquarian +books--used bookstores all over the world have found ways of +co-operating and listing their inventories on the Net, so that whether +you live in Los Angeles, Moscow or Perth, you can still find that book +you're looking for in a shop in a laneway of Amsterdam. Most on-line +listings will quote the publication year of the book, so you can check +that it's pre-1923. + +Two such sites that allow second-hand booksellers to list their +inventory are: + + Advanced Book Exchange <http://www.abebooks.com> + + Alibris <http://www.alibris.com> + +The book search page at trussel.com [B.5] has a list of many such Net +bookshops, or you can simply visit any search engine and search for Used +or Antiquarian Bookshops. You can often buy eligible books through these +sites very cheaply. + +If you still can't find the book you need, post a message on the +Volunteers' Board or to the gutvol-d mailing list; maybe someone else +can find it for you. + +Sometimes, it may be possible for you to work from a later edition, so +long as somebody who has an eligible edition can check it to make sure +that no changes have been made. Sometimes, you may be able to find a +modern reprint; reprints may be eligible, as long as they say they are +reprints of an edition that would be eligible. + +If you can type, or can scan without damaging the book, you can borrow +books long enough to produce them. Even if your local library doesn't +have the books you want, they may well be able to get them for you on +inter-library loan. Ask your librarian about it. + + + +V.25. What is "TP&V"? + +This is an abbreviation for "Title Page and Verso", and means a paper +or image copy of the front and back of the title page. + +Even if the back is blank, we need to have an image of it for the +files, to show that it _is_ blank, so that if, in ten years' time, +somebody queries our right to publish, we can show that we haven't +just lost it. + +Publishers print copyright information, like title, author, copyright +year and owner, and whether the book was a reprint, on the TP&V, and +by filing this, we can prove that the book we produced was in the +public domain. + +Sending us the TP&V is the One True Way to getting PG copyright +clearance [V.37]. + + + +V.26. What is "Posting"? + +Posting is the final stage in the production process, where the file +is given a number and official PG header, and copied onto our FTP +servers for distribution. See section 4 of the FAQ "How does a text +get produced?" [V.16] for a blow-by-blow account. + + + +V.27. I think I've found an eligible book that I'd like to work on. + What do I do next? + +Make sure nobody else is working on it, and that it's not already +online somewhere. + + + +V.28. What books are currently being worked on? + +Check out David Price's In Progress List (a.k.a. "the InProg List") +online at <http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html>. David +gets the information from Copyright Clearances that have been done, +and organizes it into a list. It can never be 100% up to date, since +clearances come in all the time, but it's the best online facility we +have, and it's much more clearly presented than the original clearance +files. + + + +V.29. How do I find out if my book is already on-line somewhere? + +There's no foolproof method; some student somewhere could have scanned +it and put it on her college web page without announcing it anywhere. +However, there are some regular places to check. + +It may sound obvious, but you should always look in the PG archives +first. Download GUTINDEX.ALL and keep it handy. Search the InProg +List [B.1]. + +The two other main places to search for your book are the Internet +Public Library <http://www.ipl.org> and the On-Line Books Page +<http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/>. These projects +specialize in indexing books that people make available on-line. + +If you still don't see your book on-line anywhere, hit your favorite +search engine, and give it the title, author's last name, and +preferably a few uncommon words from the first page of the book. +Sometimes one of those solo efforts shows up in a general search. + + + +V.30. My book is not on the In-Progress list, and I can't find it on-line. + Is it safe to go ahead and buy it? + +Probably. It could have been cleared, but not included in the InProg +list yet. If the amount of money to buy it is a consideration, you can +e-mail any of the members of the Posting Team, and ask them to check +the latest clearances for you. Even this isn't foolproof; another +volunteer could be placing their order at the same time you're placing +yours. Such duplications do happen, but they are very rare. + + + +V.31. My book is on-line, but not in Project Gutenberg. What should I do? + +If the on-line file is from the same edition as the one you have (e.g. +not a different translation) then you may be able to submit that file, +perhaps slightly edited, to Gutenberg using the clearance from your +paper copy. See "I've found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but +it's not in the PG archives. Can I just submit it to PG?" [V.62] for +how to do that. + +And of course, you can always still make your own version for PG. It's +surprising how often even very similar paper editions have small +differences that can be interesting or significant. + + + +V.32. My book is already on-line in Project Gutenberg, but my printed book + is different from the version already archived. Can I add my version? + +Yes! In fact, assuming that the version already there is in the public +domain, you can piggyback on the work already done by what is called +"comparative retyping". For example, let's say that you have a later +edition than the existing file; you can just take the existing file, +edit it to match your paper version, and submit it as a new file. Of +course, you must have Copyright Cleared [V.37] your paper version as +well. + + + +V.33. I see a book that was being worked on three years ago. Is anyone + still working on it? + +Maybe, maybe not. Some people abandon books, some people who are +regular producers clear them and put them at the bottom of the pile, +perhaps for years (though they will get round to them sometime), and +some people just simply take two or three years to produce a book. + +Once, we put names and contact details on the public InProg list, but +for privacy and spam-prevention reasons, we've taken them off. +However, the Posting Team have access to the master list of cleared +files, and will send a message on your behalf to the person who +originally cleared the book, asking if the project is still active, or +if the producer wants help. + +So if you really want to check this situation out, e-mail one of the +Posting Team. + + + +V.34. I've decided which book to produce. How do I tell PG + I'm working on it? + +As soon as you get Copyright Clearance [V.37], your book is entered +in the "cleared" files. David Price will take these, and add your +entry in his next release of the In Progress List. + + + +V.35. I have a two- or three-volume set. Should I submit them as one + text, or one text for each volume? + +Both. + +Quite a lot of 18th and 19th Century books, even straightforward +novels, were published as multipart sets. When you have such a set, +you should usually submit one text for each volume, and a "complete" +text with the contents of all volumes together. + +People who do this often complete and submit one volume at a time, +until they've finished, and then contribute the "complete" file. + + + +V.36. I have one physical book, with multiple works in it (like a + collection of plays). Should I submit each text separately? + +If the works are clearly separate, stand-alone texts, and are long +enough [V.17] to warrant inclusion on their own in the archives, then +yes, you should, and you _may_ also submit a "complete" version as well, +if it seems appropriate. This most commonly happens in a collection of +plays, though essays and other works may also fit the criteria. +Collections of poetry rarely do, since most poems are too short to +submit as stand-alone texts. + +Sometimes the book includes a preface or introduction or glossary +covering all the works in it. In this case, you can decide whether to +include these with each of the parts, or save them for the "complete" +version. + + + +V.37. How do I get copyright clearance? + +Basically we need to see images of the front and back of the title +page of the book, which is where copyright information is usually +shown. This is called "TP&V", for "Title Page and Verso" [V.25]. + +To Submit Online: + +As of late 2002, we have a new automated upload procedure using a web +page. This is by far the fastest and easiest way to get clearance. +You need scanned images (PNG, JPEG, TIFF, GIF), of the two pages, +of good enough resolution that the text can be read clearly, though +the files don't need to be huge. + +Just go to <http://beryl.ils.unc.edu/copy.html> and follow the +instructions. + + + +There are two other, older ways to submit a text for clearance. + +To submit by paper mail, photocopy the front and back of the title +page, even if the back is blank, write your e-mail address on it, and +send the photocopies to: + + MICHAEL STERN HART + 405 WEST ELM STREET + URBANA, IL 61801-3231 USA + +This is called Title Page & Verso, or TP&V for short, and is needed +for copyright research. A colored envelope is best, to make sure your +letter is easily recognized as TP&V. + +E-mail Michael hart@pobox.com when you send them, so he knows they're +on the way. It's a good idea to check back with him by e-mail after a +week or so if you haven't heard from him. + +About this, Michael says: "Please include always your e-mail name and +address, and mark the envelope with some distinctive mark and or +color. Colored envelopes fine. Just something so I can find it easily, +the mail here is slow and deep, like snow. Please send a note to: +<hart@pobox.com> for more info." + +To submit by e-mail, scan the front and back of the title page, even if +the back is blank, and e-mail the images to Greg Newby +<gbnewby@ils.unc.edu> as TIFF, JPEG or GIF in medium resolution. Make +sure that the print is legible before you send. + +Whichever method you use, you should expect to get an e-mail back +after about a week, with one line containing the Author, Title, your +name and date with the word "OK" at the end. This means that your text +has been cleared. + +A Clearance Line looks something like: + +The Works Of Homer [Iliad/Odyssey] Tr. George Chapman Jim Tinsley 06/14/01 ok + +If you don't get any response, e-mail to check that your TP&V was +received OK. If the word at the end of the line is not "OK", then +your text is not eligible, and a comment will probably be appended +explaining why it is not eligible. + +Don't start work on your book until you get that OK! It's very +sickening to do all that work, and then find out that your text +can't legally be put on-line! + + + + +V.38. I have a two- or three-volume set. Do I have to get a separate + clearance on each physical book? + +Yes. + +Some multi-volume works, notably reference books and translations, +were published in a series, and it may be that the first volume is +1922, but the others are 1923 or later, so we have to clear each +individually. + + + +V.39. I have one physical book, with multiple works in it (like a + collection of plays). Do I have to get a separate clearance + for each work? + +No. Since they were all printed together, one TP&V will suffice for +all, but . . . + +You should list each separate title included, if you intend to submit +each title separately (see the FAQ "I have one physical book, with +multiple works in it like a collection of plays. Should I submit +each work separately?" [V.36]). If, say, you clear a "Collected Plays +of Sheridan", and later submit an eBook of "The School for Scandal", +we will have trouble finding your clearance unless we have made a note +that "School for Scandal" is part of the contents of "Collected +Plays". + +In a case like this, you should include, on your paper or e-mail, +something like: + +George Bernard Shaw. Plays Unpleasant. 1905. +Contents: + Preface to Unpleasant Plays + Widower's Houses + The Philanderer + Mrs. Warren's Profession + +You only need to do this when you are going to submit each part +separately, which is commonly the case with plays, and sometimes +essays, stories and novellas. Taking a different example, the +"Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson", we would not need to list the +contents, since we wouldn't publish each poem separately. + +There is one exceptional case: if your book was printed after 1923, +but contains stories or plays some of which are stated to be reprints +of pre-1923 editions, you should give as much detail as possible about +what you intend to submit. + + + +V.40. Who will check up on my progress? When? + +Nobody. There are no schedules or timetables. You're welcome to +contact other volunteers [V.12] with comments or questions, though. + + + +V.41. How long should it take me to complete a book? + +Most books get done in between one and three months, but this varies +wildly. It depends on the amount of time you can afford to give it, +the length of the book and, if you're not typing, the quality of the +scan--if the book scans badly, you need to put more time into +proofing. + +Some very productive volunteers manage to turn out an e-text a week; +some books can take a year or more. + +Scanning itself doesn't take too long. Even if it takes you as much as +two minutes per page to scan, you will still complete a 300 page book +in 10 hours, and you will probably be scanning much faster than that [S.9]. +The problem is that the text generated by the scanner and your OCR +package is usually faulty. There are many cute scanner errors, +mistaking b for h, or e for c, so that "heard" is scanned as "beard" +or "ear" as "car". Makes the story more interesting sometimes! + +So now you need to do a first proof of the e-text. Read it carefully, +correct scanning mistakes, and make sure that you haven't left out +pages or got them in the wrong order. Unless your scan was +exceptionally good, this is the time-burner in the process. + +When you've done the first proof, you can either do a second proof +yourself, or send it to another volunteer for second proofing. + +If you're a typist, of course, you can skip right over the messy +scanning and scan-correction process. Yay typists!! + + + +V.42. I want/don't want my name published on my e-text + +No problem. When you send the e-text for posting, mention exactly +what, if anything, you want the Credits Line [V.47] to say. + + + +V.43. I'd like to put a copy of my finished e-text, or another + Gutenberg text, on my own web page. + +Great! PG encourages the widest possible distribution of e-texts. We +like to publish everything in plain text, which is the most accessible +format, since everybody can read plain text. But once it's available +in plain text, it's open to you or anyone else to convert it to other +formats like HTML for further distribution. + +If you are reposting a text, though, please be careful to check that +your posting complies with the conditions spelled out in the header, +especially for copyrighted works. + + + +V.44. I've scanned, edited and proofed my text. How do I find someone + to second-proof it? + +You can post a request on the Volunteers' Board, or on the gutvol-d +Mailing List. You will probably get some offers there. In a difficult +case, you might ask Michael Hart to add it to the "Requests for +Assistance" section of the next Newsletter. + +In general, the best way to handle it is to make a co-operative +proofing project out of it. This is like a miniature version of the +distributed proofreading sites, without the page images. + +There are always people looking for proofing work, but many beginners +take on more than they can handle, and don't finish the job, and this +can be very disappointing if you give the whole thing to one volunteer +who then vanishes without trace. You can minimize the risk of this by +splitting the book into chunks of about 20-30 pages, or one chapter if +that's around the right size, each. Write explicit instructions about +what you want them to do when they spot a suspected error, like fix it +or mark it with an asterisk. (Marking is probably safer with beginners +who don't have the book or an image of the page to refer to.) Give the +first chapter to the first person who responds, the second to the +second, and so on. As you hand out the chapters, let the proofers know +that if they're not returned within three or five days, you'll assume +they've quit. Three days is more than plenty of time for 20 pages. If +someone returns a chapter, you can give them another. If someone +doesn't get back to you within the time set, assume they're not going +to, and recycle that chapter to someone else. No hard feelings, no +problem. This process of "co-operative proofing" ensures that +beginning proofers don't choke on the work, and that one vanishing +volunteer doesn't hold up the whole project. + + + +V.45. I've gone over and over my text. I can't find any more errors, + and I'm sick of looking at it. What should I do now? + +We all know that feeling! Particularly with your first book, you've +probably gone through a patch when you thought you'd never finish--and +when you do, you can't stand the idea of looking at it again. Heh. +Cheer up--the first twenty texts are the worst! :-) And you'll feel a +lot better when you see your text available for everyone to read. + +You have three choices: + +You can send it for posting as it is. [V.46] + +You can put it aside for week or so, and come back to it with fresh +eyes. + +You can ask in any of the standard ways [V.12] for someone else to +second-proof it for you. This has a lot to recommend it; it gets +other sets of eyes looking at the text, it relieves the pressure that +you may feel, it may rekindle your enthusiasm for the text, it allows +you to "meet" other volunteers, and possibly form partnerships for +future PG collaboration. Above all, it gives new proofers a chance to +get their feet wet, and this is good for them, and good for PG. You +are not only contributing a text, you're helping to train and +encourage the next generation of producers. + + + +V.46. Where and how can I send my text for posting? + +As of late 2002, we have a new automated upload procedure using a web +page. This has a lot of good things going for it, because we keep a +record of what's uploaded, you get an e-mailed copy of the notification, +you don't have to fiddle with FTP, and we can make up the header +automatically from the information you enter, which saves time and +prevents keying errors. + +As always, it's better to ZIP your file first, because it'll take +less time to transfer. + +Just go to <http://beryl.ils.unc.edu/cgi-bin/upload>, fill in the +form, specify the file to upload, and hit "Send" at the bottom. + +And you're done! + + +If, for some reason, you can't use this page, there are two backup +options: you can e-mail it, or you can upload it by FTP. Whichever +you use, it is always best to ZIP the file first if you can. + +If you are comfortable with sending files by FTP, this is better than +e-mail, First, you will need a username and password, which you can get +by e-mailing any of the Posting Team. + +If you already know how to use command-line FTP, here's how to do it: + +Log in to beryl.ils.unc.edu using the username and password supplied +and change to the work directory by typing "cd work". Change to binary +mode with the "bin" command and "put" your file. + + Summary instructions: + ftp beryl.ils.unc.edu + login: yourlogin + password: yourpassword + cd work + bin + put yourfile.ext + quit + +Here is a sample session: + + >ftp beryl.ils.unc.edu + Connected to beryl.ils.unc.edu. + 220-Access from unknown@127.0.0.1 logged. + 220 FTP Server + User (beryl.ils.unc.edu:(none)): xxxxxxxx + 331 Password required for xxxxxxxx. + Password: xxxxxxxx + 230 User xxxxxxxx logged in. + ftp> cd work + 250 CWD command successful. + ftp> bin + 200 Type set to I. + ftp> put MYFILE.ZIP + 200 PORT command successful. + 150 Opening BINARY mode data connection for MYFILE.ZIP. + 226 Transfer complete. + ftp: 172313 bytes sent in 17.34Seconds 9.94Kbytes/sec. + ftp> quit + +When you are in the work directory, you will not be able to list +files, but they _do_ exist and they _are_ there. + +When you have uploaded your file, e-mail a note to any or all of the +Posting Team, including your + 1. filename + 2. credits line as you want it on your text + 3. clearance line you received [V.37] + +An ideal note might be: + + Subject: Beryl upload for posting: Hamlet + + I have uploaded to beryl: + Hamlet, by William Shakespeare + + File is: hamlet.zip + + Credits line is: + Produced by John Doe <jdoe@example.com> + + Clearance was given as: + Hamlet William Shakespeare John Doe 05/03/02 ok + + +If you'd rather send it by e-mail, send the e-mail, including the +Credits Line and Clearance Line as in the sample above, to any or all +of the Posting Team, with your text as an attachment. Again, ZIPped +is better, since it avoids certain damage that can happen to a plain +text e-mail along the way. + +Do not add the Project Gutenberg header or footer to your file, +unless we specifically asked you to. If you do add it, we'll just +have to strip it off again, since we add headers automatically +when posting. There are times, perhaps when you're working in +an unusual non-editable format, when we may give you a header +and ask you to add it, but this is rare. + +Please read section "4: Posting" of the FAQ "How does a text get +produced?" [V.16] for more detail about what happens in posting. +Especially, if you want to draw some peculiarities of this text +to the Posting Team's attention, or want feedback on any minor +edits done during posting, you should say so in the e-mail you send. + +_Don't assume that we know anything_ when you send the e-mail. We +don't know what you want us to put on the Credits Line. We don't know +that this is an unusual text, and needs some kind of special +reformatting. We don't know that the text should be split into two +volumes before posting. We don't know that you would really like us to +check it closely before posting. You have to tell us, exactly and +precisely, what you want on the Credits Line. If the text needs some +specific work, you have to tell us exactly what that is. And please do +that in your e-mail, not in the text itself. Remember that we could be +dealing with five or ten other texts at the same time, and even if the +poster you discussed it with two weeks ago is the same one who posts +the book, he may not remember. + + + +V.47. What is the "Credits Line"? + +The Credits line is a line that the Posting Team can insert into +each PG text naming the producer or producers of a particular text. + +You should decide what you want on the credits line of your text; +it's really not up to us. + +Most credits lines are something like: + + Produced by John Doe <jdoe@example.com>. + +If you don't want to be mentioned by name at all, just say, in your +e-mail: + + Please omit the Credits Line for this text. I want to contribute + it anonymously. + +If you do want to be mentioned, please give the exact wording you want +us to use. Some people want their name only; they don't want us to +include their e-mail addresses. Others want to make their e-mail +addresses public so that readers can contact them with comments. +That is entirely up to you, but you do need to tell us. If you do +want to include your e-mail, remember that having it permanently +on the net is a spam-magnet, and we can't effectively remove or change +it later. + +Occasionally, a Credits Line can spill onto more than one line, +for example: + + This text was converted to HTML by Jane Roe <jroe@example.com> + from an original ASCII text scanned by Jack Went + and proofed by Jill Hill + + + +V.48. How soon after I send it will my text be posted? + +First read the "Posting" section of the FAQ "How does a book get +produced?" [V.16] to understand the process. + +You should expect some response within three or four days. We try to +get to all submissions within that time. In most cases, that response +will be simply the official notification that it has been posted. If +there is a query on your text, for example if we can't find the +copyright clearance or if we have trouble converting or correcting +your text, we will probably e-mail you back directly with questions. + +If you don't hear from us within four days, send a follow-up e-mail; +it could be that your original note never got to us, or just fell +through the cracks. + +If your file happens to arrive while one of us is logged in and +working, it could get posted within the hour. Some frequent +contributors who know our habits know just how to time their uploads! + + + +V.49. I found a problem with my posted text. What do I do? + +Most postings go smoothly, but problems can happen. Sometimes, one of +the servers is down. Sometimes a file gets corrupted for some unknown +reason. Sometimes, let's face it, we screw up. + +Usually, one of the indexers will tell us about it, but if you catch +it first, e-mail whoever sent out your notification e-mail and explain +the problem. Don't worry; your original file will be quite safe, since +we keep these long after posting them. + + + +V.50. Someone has e-mailed me about my posted text, pointing out errors. + +Great! + +Since you're the original producer, you're in the best position to +decide whether these are real errors. If they're right about it, tell +the Posting Team and we'll correct the text. + + + +V.51. Someone has e-mailed me about my posted text, thanking me. + +Nice feeling, isn't it? :-) + + + + +About Proofing + + + +V.52. What role does proofing play in Project Gutenberg? + +A very big one! + +Typists' work doesn't usually need many corrections, but +unfortunately, scanners and OCR packages are far from perfect, and +scanned text varies from "almost-right" down to "maybe I should +consider typing instead of scanning". Proofing is the process that +turns a scan into a readable e-text. + +Proofing a typist's work is straightforward; you just read it, and +keep an eye out for mistakes. Typists typically have few mistakes in +their texts, but the errors that they do make tend to be hard to spot. +Proofing OCRed text has its quirks, and you can expect many, many +errors to correct. + +The only thing that all proofers agree on is to differ in their +methods. Some people scan and almost complete the proofing process +within their OCR package, others do no editing at all within their +OCR. Some spell-check first, others spell-check last. Some work +through in one pass, doggedly line by line, others make several light +passes. Some start at the end and work backwards! Some proofers mark +all queries with special characters like asterisks (*) in the text, +most just make all the obvious changes and mark only the dubious ones. +Some people always send their texts out for proofing, others prefer to +do it all themselves. + +So this guide is not prescriptive; this is not the "only way" to do +it. The only rule is that, at the end of the process, your e-text +should be as error-free as you can make it, and should conform to +Gutenberg's editing standards, which are mostly just common sense +guidelines to make readable text. + +The aim of this FAQ is to give you an understanding of what text looks +like when it comes fresh off the scanner, and an overview of the whole +process by which it becomes a publishable e-text. + + + +V.53. What is Distributed Proofing? + +It has always been common for volunteers to share proofing work among +themselves--you take the first five chapters, I'll take the next, and +so on. + +When you're just starting as a PG volunteer, you should go to one of +the Distributed Proofing sites [B.4] and do some work there to get a +grounding in the basics and a feel for whether you would like to +continue working in PG. In distributed proofing, you get a very short +section, as little as a page of text at a time, and usually an image +file of the page as it scanned. You then make the text match the +image. This is a great start, since all you have to do is read, +compare and correct. However, other work also needs to be done, and +will normally be done by the project managers of these sites. The +samples below give you an idea of the whole process, and also some +ideas of what proofing a whole book from start to finish is like. + + + + +V.54. What do I need to proof an e-text? + +You actually need only two things: the e-text itself and a text +editor or word-processor that can handle book-sized files and save +them as text. + +Nearly all word processors and text editors in current use will work. +Volunteers use many common programs, including WordPerfect, Microsoft +Word, WordPad, DOS EDIT, vi, Brief, Crisp, EditPad, MetaPad, emacs, +AbiWord, and the word processors from Open Office abd AppleWorks. And +all of these are in actual use by volunteers today. Since all of them +contain the necessary basic functions, the best program is the one +you're most comfortable with. + +Be cautious with recent, powerful word-processors that "auto-correct" +text, or use "smart quotes" or any other such automatic retyping or +formatting feature, since they can Do Bad Things to your e-text +without your consent! When using any such package, it is best to +switch off any feature that makes changes without asking you. + +Two utilities which may come in useful are a spell-checker and a +version difference checker. These may be built into your word +processor, or you may have them as separate packages. + +A spell-checker is like a chain-saw: a powerful tool, but one to be +used very carefully. It is very easy to say "Yes" to the wrong change, +and make a really bad mess of the text. Spell-checkers have problems +with proper names, foreign words, archaic usages, and dialects. +Incautious use can leave you with a text such as that immortalized +in the + + Owed two a Spell in Chequer. + + Eye half a spell in chequer, + It cane with my Pea Sea. + It plane lee marques four my revue + Miss steaks eye can knot sea. + +Every e-text should pass through a spell-checker at some point, but +the human half of the partnership needs a very light hand on the +confirmations of change! + +A difference checker, such as FC or COMP for MS-DOS, diff for Unix or +ExamDiff <http://www.prestosoft.com/examdiff/examdiff.htm> for +Windows, may also come in handy. A difference checker compares two +versions of the text, and points out the changes. This is important +when you've sent a text out for proofing, and you get it back with +changes. Rather than re-reading the whole text, you can use a +difference checker to highlight the changes so that you can verify +them against the printed text. As a proofer, you can use it to compare +the original text with what you're sending back to ensure that you've +only changed what you meant to change. + + + +V.55. Do I need to have a paper copy of the book I'm proofing? + +No. + +Your job as proofer is to ensure that the e-text you're working on is +readable in itself, and contains no obvious errors. Where you think +there might be an error, but you're not sure, you mark the spot in the +e-text, and let the volunteer who has the paper book look it up. + + + +V.56. What's the difference between "first proof" and "second proof"? + +These are fuzzy terms used to indicate how accurate the e-text is, and +what type of work is needed to improve it. Quite commonly, the same +volunteer who scans the book proofs the whole thing in one or two +passes. Sometimes, given a good scan, the text can be sent out for +"first proof" with little or no preparatory fixing-up. Often, the +scanner makes quite a lot of corrections, then sends the text out for +"second proof". + +A text is ready for first proofing when it's obvious that there are +plenty of errors, but it's possible to figure out, in almost every +case, what the correct text should be without needing to refer to the +book. + +The objective of first proofing is to eliminate all the obvious +errors, so that if you speed-read quickly through the text, you +probably won't notice any. + +Second proofing involves taking a text that has been first-proofed and +correcting all the remaining, more subtle errors. Often, some simple +errors such as incorrect spacing and quotes may be left for second +proofing. Texts that have been typed instead of scanned will always +be of at least second-proof quality. + + + +V.57. What do I do with an e-text sent to me for proofing? + +First, establish reasonable expectations. A typical book takes 10-15 +hours of concentrated effort, and when you first start, you're +climbing a learning curve. For your first session, decide to mark out +a chapter or two--something like 500 to 1,000 lines--and work only on +that. If you get through 1,000 lines in your first sitting, you have +done extremely well! It's a good idea to send this first 1,000 lines +or so back immediately. The volunteer who sent you the e-text will +comment on it, and let you know about any style guidelines you may +have breached or common errors you may have missed. Most beginning +proofers do make mistakes, so don't worry about it--it's easier to +correct these in 1,000 lines than to go back over them in 15,000 +lines! + +You will usually receive the e-text as an attachment to your e-mail. +It's better to send e-texts as attachments than to paste them as text +into the body of the e-mail to make sure that the text isn't changed +by different e-mail clients. It's better to send e-mailed attachments +as ZIP files [R.20], since e-mails sent as text can be damaged along the +way. But whether you receive a TXT file or a ZIP file that you have to +open, you should save the .TXT file to your hard disk and open it with +your editor. + +It may be that the text you see appears double-spaced--every second +line is blank--or that all the text is on one incredibly long line. +This is a familiar effect when moving between a DOS/Windows computer +and a Mac or Unix system, but it can happen between any two editors. +It is caused by the use of different characters to mark the end of a +line. If you have this problem, ask whoever sent you the text to +re-send it, telling them what kind of computer and editor you have. + +Now you make any changes that obviously need to be made, and mark any +places where the text looks wrong, but you're not sure what the right +text should be. You can usually use asterisks (*) to mark these +dubious spots, but you might use other characters if the text already +contains asterisks. When in doubt, mark them all, and let the +volunteer with the text sort them out! + +It is usually best not to make global changes to line lengths by +reformatting lots of paragraphs, since the person who sent you the +e-text may want to use a difference checker when you return it, and +changed line-lengths throughout mean that every line will be +different. + +When working on a long text, or when making a lot of changes, it may +be wise to save several versions of the text with different filenames +at different stages so that if something goes badly wrong, you can +revert to the last good version. This applies especially to saving the +text just before performing a spell-check. + +When you're finished with the e-text, make sure you save it as a plain +text file (.TXT) and send it back by zipping it if you can, and +attaching it to an e-mail. + + + +V.58. What kinds of errors will I have to correct? + +Each text has its own peculiarities, but there are a number of +well-known scanning errors you will be dealing with all the time. + +Punctuation is always a problem. Periods, commas and semi-colons are +often confused, as are colons and semi-colons. There are also usually +a number of extra or missing spaces in the e-text. + +The problem of quotes can assume nightmarish proportions in a text +which contains a lot of dialog, particularly when single and double +quotes are nested. + +The numeral 1, the lower-case letter l, the exclamation mark ! and the +capital I are routinely confused, and often, single or double quotes +may be mistaken for one of these. + +Lower-case m is often mistaken for rn or ni. + +The letters h and b and e and c are commonly mis-read, and these are +probably the hardest of all to catch, since ear/car, eat/cat, he/be, +hear/bear, heard/beard are all common words which no spell-checker +will flag as problems. + +For example: + + " Hello1' caIled jirnmy breczily. 11Anyone home ? " + + There seemed to he no-oneabout. Only tbe eat beard him." + +should read: + + "Hello!" called Jimmy breezily, "Anyone home?" + + There seemed to be no-one about. Only the cat heard him. + +As well as scanner errors, which affect one letter at a time, you have +to keep an eye out for editing mistakes by the volunteer who scanned +the text or by previous proofers. These are typically cases where a +whole line, paragraph or page has been omitted or misplaced. They show +up as sentences that don't make sense, or paragraphs that don't follow +from the previous one. + +This means that you have to keep reading the flow of the text, so that +you can spot context errors as well as typos. + + + +V.59. How long does it take to proof an e-text? + +This depends on how long the e-text is, how clean the text is when you +start, and how thorough you're being, as well as how much time per day +you can give it and how fast you can proof. + +On a first proof, it can take a very long time to get the e-text to a +readable condition if it scanned badly. As a beginner, you would be +unlikely to be given such a difficult text to work with. First proofs +are usually done by the same person who did the scanning, and are only +given out in the context of established scanning/proofing teams. + +You might expect to proof anywhere between 500 and 2,000 lines per +hour during a second proof. A short novel or novella might have as few +as 6,000 or 7,000 lines; War and Peace weighs in at about 54,000 +lines. Most novels run to 10,000 to 15,000 lines. So you might spend +anything between 5 and 30 hours second-proofing a standard book, with +10 to 15 hours being typical. + +For an average novel, a week or two for second proofing is good going. +A month is reasonable. + +Proofing an e-text is a significant amount of work, and you may find +it psychologically more comfortable to take on a chunk at a time--say +1,000 lines per session--and send that proofed section back, rather +than wait until the whole job is done before sending anything back. +This helps to avoid the fairly common case where you keep falling +behind where you expect to be until you dread the thought of getting +back to the text, and finally just abandon it. + +If you find after a while that you just don't want to continue, please +tell the person who sent you the text that you're not going ahead with +it. It's very frustrating for the volunteer who scanned the book, and +who wants to get it posted, to wait for two or three months, only to +have to start all over again with another proofer. + + + +V.60. Are there any special techniques for proofing? + +The classic way to proof is to open the text in your editor or word +processor, and just start reading carefully. + +This method has received a major boost since editors and word +processors have added a feature of showing squiggly red underlines +under words not in their dictionary. While this is very useful, you +still need to read carefully, since not all errors produce misspelled +words. The classic, and very common, example of this is scanning "he" +for "be". These visual spellchecks also commonly do not check words +beginning with capitals. Capitalized words are commonly names not in +the dictionary, and when checking of capitalized words is switched +off, they will not query "Tbe". Other errors that a spellchecker +doesn't look for include missing spaces, mismatched quotes and +misplaced punctuation. For these, you can try gutcheck [P.1]. And of +course, no automatic check will find omitted lines or words. Worse, +spellcheckers will query words not in their dictionary that might be +quite correct, and this can be quite troublesome when dealing with +older texts or dialect. + +Still, if your concentration is up to the job, scrolling through a +text with non-dictionary words underlined in red is a fast and +effective way of giving a text the final once-over. + +Volunteers have also used other techniques for proofing. Some people +can't sit at their screen and read for hours; many people don't want +to. + +Some people just use the good old-fashioned method of printing out the +text to be proofed, and blue-pencilling the mistakes. + +It is becoming fairly common now for people to load the text onto +their PDA, and read it from that. Mistakes found can be bookmarked or +jotted down and fixed when they go back to their PC. + +Getting your computer to read the text aloud is a very effective way of +achieving high accuracy. Modern PCs have audio capabilities built in, +and it is possible to find free or cheap shareware "read-aloud" +text-to-speech packages for just about everything. Some PDAs are also +capable of doing text-to-speech. + +The first time you try text-to-speech, it will probably sound and feel +a little strange, but you will quickly learn to _hear_ errors in +words. This can be very effective, but you should have given the text +at least a light proofing before you begin; it is hard to deal with a +high number of errors using a text-to-speech method. + +When proofing by a speech program, you either set your text-to-speech +program to pronounce all punctuation, or, if that is not possible, you +make a special version of your text to feed it, first doing a global +replace of "," with " comma ", ";" with " semi-colon ", and so on. +Mark a block of 500 to 1,000 lines for reading aloud, and set the +reading speed to whatever is comfortable for you. Then you sit down +with the original book in front of you, and listen. When you hear an +error, mark the place in the text with a light pencil. Stopping the +reading at every error, editing the text and restarting is possible, +but it breaks the flow, and ends up taking longer. When the reading is +done, go to your keyboard and correct the errors found. + + + +V.61. What actually happens during a proof? + +Stage One--The original Scan + +We start with a scanned e-text, in this case a paragraph from The +Odyssey. The paragraph used as an example here has been "enhanced" +with more errors than in the real scanned text, so that you can see +samples of many problems all in one place. + +We begin by looking at the original OCRed text, of which our sample +section reads: + + 1There Periniedes and Eurylochus held the victims, but l + drew my sharp sword from my thigh, and dug a pit, as it were + a cubit in length and breadth, and about it poured a drink- + offering to all the dead, first with mead and thereafter with + sweet wine, and for the third time with water, And 1 sprink- + BOOK XL + ODYSSEY X, 24-56. + 173 + + ODYSS.EY XI, %4-56. 173 + lef white incal thereon, and entreated with many prayers + strengthless beads of the dead, and prornised that on my + return to Ithaea 1 would offer in my halls a barren heifer, + the best 1 had, and fil the pyre with treasure, and apart unto + Teiresias alone sacrifice a black rarn without spot, the fairest + of my flock. But when 1 bad hesought the tribes of the + d with vows and prayers, 1 took the sheep and cut their + s over the trench. and the dark blood flowed forth, + he spirits of the dead that he departed gathered + from out of Erebus. + +It's clear that we should tidy up the page headings and numbers that +have been scanned in with the main text, and that we should separate +the paragraphs and remove the spaces inserted by the scan at the start +of some lines. We also need to restore some of the text that got lost +in the scan. Since there isn't much of it, we just type it in. Having +done this, we get to . . . + + +Stage Two--First pass through the scanned text + +At this point, we have a complete text. All of the words are actually +there, and we have eliminated page breaks and other extraneous +artifacts of proofing. Again, mileage varies: some people like to +preserve page breaks and numbering until much later, to make it easy +to refer back from the e-text to the book. + +Our job in this phase is to fix all of the obvious scanning errors and +double-check that we really do have all the text. Our aim here is to +create an e-text that is ready for First Proof. In fact, since it's +fairly clear what all the words are, this text could be considered +ready for first proof. + + 1There Periniedes and Eurylochus held the victims, but l + drew my sharp sword from my thigh, and dug a pit, as it were + a cubit in length and breadth, and about it poured a drink- + offering to all the dead, first with mead and there after with + sweet wine, and for the third time with water. And 1 sprink- + led white incal thereon, and entreated with many prayers the + strengthless beads of the dead, and prornised that on my + return to Ithaea 1 would offer in my halls a barren heifer, + the best 1 had, and fill the pyre with treasure, and apart unto + Teiresias alone sacrifice a black rarn without spot, the fairest + of my flock. But when 1 bad besought the tribes of the + dead with vows and prayers, 1 took the sheep and cut their + throats over the trench. and the dark blood flowed forth, + and lo, the spirits of the dead that he departed gathered + them from out of Erebus. + +Now we convert those numeral 1s to capital Is and to quotes, where +appropriate, we straighten up the quotes and we deal with other +obvious scanning errors, which brings us to . . . + + +Stage Three--The First Proof + +At this point, we could hand over the text to an experienced proofer +who doesn't have a copy of the book. This would be called a "first +proof". An e-text is at first proof stage when there are still plenty +of errors, but in each case it's pretty obvious what the correct word +is. The excerpt now looks like normal text. + +Unfortunately, in stage two above, we accidentally deleted a line. + + 'There Periniedes and Eurylochus held the victims, but l + drew my sharp sword from my thigh, and dug a pit, as it were + a cubit in length and breadth, and about it poured a drink- + offering to all the dead, first with mead and there after with + sweet wine, and for the third time with water. And I sprink- + led white incal thereon, and entreated with many prayers the + strengthless beads of the dead, and prornised that on my + return to Ithaea I would offer in my halls a barren heifer, + Teiresias alone sacrifice a black rarn without spot, the fairest + of my flock. But when I bad besought the tribes of the + dead with vows and prayers, I took the sheep and cut their + throats over the trench, and the dark blood flowed forth, + and lo, the spirits of the dead that he departed gathered + them from out of Erebus. + + +Stage Four--Corrections from First Proof + +We receive the first proof back from the proofer, and find that it +has been mostly corrected. + +The corrections made were "l/I", "there after/thereafter", +"prornised/promised", "bad/had", and "rarn/ram". + +We have also wrapped the lines--at 60 characters in this case, but it +is commonly as much as 70 characters per line. Sentences which look +wrong, but where it isn't clear what the right text should be, have +been marked with asterisks (*). + + 'There Periniedes and Eurylochus held the victims, but I drew + my sharp sword from my thigh, and dug a pit, as it were a + cubit in length and breadth, and about it poured a + drink-offering to all the dead, first with mead and + thereafter with sweet wine, and for the third time with + water. And I sprinkled white incal * thereon, and entreated + with many prayers the strengthless beads of the dead, and + promised that on my return to Ithaea I would offer in my + halls a barren heifer, * Teiresias alone sacrifice a black + ram without spot, the fairest of my flock. But when I had + besought the tribes of the dead with vows and prayers, I + took the sheep and cut their throats over the trench, and + the dark blood flowed forth, and lo, the spirits of the + dead that he departed gathered them from out of Erebus. + +We look up the text where the first proofer has asterisked it, and +make the corrections. + + +The text is now ready for second proofing. An e-text is ready for +second proofing when you can skim through the text without noticing +that there are errors. + +We can either do a second proof ourselves, or send it out for second +proofing. + +Second proofing involves a very careful reading of the text, looking +for small errors. In some ways, it's much harder than first proofing, +since it's very easy to let your eyes run on auto-pilot and in doing +so, miss subtle errors. + +Having performed the second proof, which caught errors like +"beads/heads", "Ithaea/Ithaca", "Periniedes/Perimedes" and "he/be", +we now have our final e-text. + + 'There Perimedes and Eurylochus held the victims, but I + drew my sharp sword from my thigh, and dug a pit, as it + were a cubit in length and breadth, and about it poured a + drink-offering to all the dead, first with mead and + thereafter with sweet wine, and for the third time with + water. And I sprinkled white meal thereon, and entreated + with many prayers the strengthless heads of the dead, and + promised that on my return to Ithaca I would offer in my + halls a barren heifer, the best I had, and fill the pyre + with treasure, and apart unto Teiresias alone sacrifice a + black ram without spot, the fairest of my flock. But when I + had besought the tribes of the dead with vows and prayers, + I took the sheep and cut their throats over the trench, and + the dark blood flowed forth, and lo, the spirits of the + dead that be departed gathered them from out of Erebus. + +Hooray! At long last we have an e-text to post, which can be +downloaded, read and enjoyed by anyone in the world from now on. + + + + + +About Net searching: + + + +V.62. I've found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but it's not + in the PG archives. Can I just submit it to PG? + +You can submit it, but you can't "just" submit it. + +We wish we could give a permanent home to all the etexts that people +have produced and placed on the Net, but without proof of their +public domain [C.10] status, we can't. + +We need to be able to prove that the eBooks we publish are in the +public domain, so, in order to use one of the many texts that are +just floating around the Net, you need to find a matching paper +edition that we can prove is eligible [V.18]. + +(By the way, please be sure that it isn't already in the PG archive. A +lot of texts circulating on the Net originated at PG, and people quite +often submit them back to us.) + +Before you get into this, you should check whether the text you have +found is likely to be in the public domain in the U.S. A quick way to +verify this is to hit the Library of Congress Catalog site at +<http://catalog.loc.gov> and search for the title or author. If you +find no publications before 1923, then you should probably move on; +the Library of Congress doesn't list every book, and in particular +doesn't list all books published outside the U.S., but, if there isn't +a pre-1923 copy there, it may be difficult to follow up on. If you're +not dissuaded, do a search on the Net for used book shops that might +have pre-1923 copies. + +Sometimes, with a text on the Net, you know who typed it; it's on +someone's website, or the transcriber is named in the text. Sometimes, +the text has just been floating around Usenet or old gopher sites for +years, with no attribution. + +The first thing to remember is that we would like to give credit to +the original transcriber if they want it, and if we can identify them. + +The next thing to consider is that the original transcriber may well +have an eligible copy of the book, and may be able to provide TP&V +[V.25] for it. + +So, if you can locate the original transcriber, it makes sense to +e-mail them, explain what you propose to do, and ask them whether they +can help with copyright clearance and whether they would like to be +credited in the PG edition. Often, you will get no response, or a +response but no prospect of material that will help with clearance, +but sometimes you will get lucky. + +If the transcriber can't help with TP&V, it's up to you to find a +matching paper edition of the same book. This may not be as hard +as it sounds. Libraries can help, and may get editions for you on +interlibrary loan. + +This is an ideal way for students, academics and librarians to +contribute texts to PG, since you probably have access to a good +library with stocks of old books to find matching paper editions. + +If you find a matching paper edition, you then need to compare the +etext you found with the book. Legally, what we're trying to prove +here is that we have done "due diligence"--that we have done our best +to prove that the etext is indeed a copy of a public domain work. + +The minimum "due diligence" we can perform is to compare the first and +last pages of each chapter, (or every 20 pages where the book is not +neatly divided into chapters of about that size). You should list all +of the differences between the book and the etext that you find on +those pages. It is to be expected that there will be some minor +differences of punctuation, spacing and spelling, and even perhaps of +wording. Minor differences are OK, but we do need to list them, to +prove that we did the comparison. When you have your lists, you can +send in the TP&V as normal, accompanied by your lists, for clearance. + +Many texts floating round without attribution, and indeed many with +attribution, could do with a thorough checking, and another option you +have is "comparative retyping", where you go through the whole etext, +proofing it carefully against the cleared paper book, and changing +everything that is different in the etext to match the paper edition. +If you do this, you don't need to produce a list of differences, since +there won't be any by the time you've finished; you can just submit it +as a normal text--_and_ it may well be a lot cleaner! However, if you +do take this path, please do a very thorough job on the proofing and +comparison. + +If the etext you find has been marked up, in HTML for example, you +should remove all HTML for the PG edition, because, even though the +text itself has been proved to be in the public domain, the original +transcribers may hold copyright on the HTML markup, even if you can't +find them. If you do want to make a HTML edition of it for PG, strip out +all of the original markup and then re-add your own markup. + +If you do find the producer and he or she wants to be identified, you +may submit a double credits line like: + +Transcribed by Sally Wright <theoriginaltranscriber@example.com> +Produced for PG by You <you@example.com> + + + +V.63. I've found an eligible text elsewhere on the Net, but it's not + in the PG archives. Why should I submit it to PG? + +The first reason is file safety. + +Yes, we accept that the file is already available to everyone today, +but it may not be safe in the long term. We've seen college students +who put books on their personal site, and then lose that site when +they graduate. We've seen individuals who transcribe several books, +and later lose interest, or move, or die, and the work they've done is +lost. We've seen small projects with a few volunteers who produce and +post books for a few years, but then break up or run out of funds to +maintain their site. We've seen large institutions drop their +collections as part of a cost-cutting exercise. We've even seen +organizations lock public domain works up behind licenses, requiring +users to commit to registration and a "no copying" agreement before +downloading them. + +Whenever a set of etexts is published and distributed by only one +person or organization, there is a danger that their etexts will +disappear from the Net sometime. We want _all_ etexts to be spread as +widely as possible, copied as much as possible, so that no one event +or loss, or whim of a sponsor, can obliterate them. + +We think that the PG collection is, for that reason, the safest place +to put a text for its long-term survival. There are copies of the PG +archives all over the world, on public servers and private CDs. PG +publications are widely converted, collected and read on PDAs. Other +text projects copy works from PG. + +The PG archive is so valuable, yet free and easily portable, that even +if every current PG volunteer vanished overnight, people around the +world would copy and preserve it. Even if PG itself decided to +withdraw all our texts, we couldn't do it, because so many people have +made copies. + +The second reason is legal safety. + +Unlike some other projects and individual efforts, PG retains +documentary proof of the public domain status of its texts. This is +more valuable than it might appear at first glance. + +Publishers often claim a new copyright [C.17] on works that they +republish, and as time goes on, it becomes harder and harder to prove +that a particular book is in the public domain. Walk into your local +bookstore and check out how many works by Shakespeare, Poe, Dickens, +and Twain have copyright notices on them! People who want to translate +these, or create derivative works like screenplays or lyrics or films +must first prove that they are basing their work on a public domain +edition, but the creeping copyright practices of commercial publishers +make that difficult. + +Here's a practical example: we were approached by a film student who +wanted to make a short piece based on characters from James Joyce's +"Ulysses". But before he could do that, he needed to confirm that the +material on which he was basing his movie was in the public domain, +and all the editions he could find were copyrighted. However, because +PG had already established the public domain status of Ulysses, we +could point him to our established PD version, and even tell him where +to find a paper copy published in 1922. Without that evidence, he +could not have made his project. + + + +V.64. I have already scanned or typed a book; it's on my web site. + How can I get it included in the Gutenberg archives? + +Great! We get these a lot, but it's always nice to see another! + +You need to send us the TP&V [V.25] so that we can prove that your +edition is in the public domain. If you don't have the TP&V, you will +need to find a matching paper book with eligible TP&V for us to be able +to use it. + + + +V.65. I have already scanned or typed a book; it's on my web site. + The world can already access it. Why should I add it to the + Gutenberg archives? + +The Project Gutenberg archives are widely copied and searched, and +much safer and more permanent that any individual website can possibly +be. We aim to keep this collection together over not just years, but +centuries. You took the trouble to transcribe this book. We can +relate; that's what _we_ do, as well. We know you want this work to +survive you and your ISP, and we believe we can do that. And it's not +as if you have to take it off your website when we make a copy; you're +just using your candle to light another! + +If you want to let readers know that your site has other related +material, you can put that information in the Credits Line [V.47]. +Taking a real-world example, you could ask us to add this to the +Credits line for a C. M. Yonge text: + +A web page for Charlotte M. Yonge will be found at www.menorot.com/cmyonge.htm + + + +V.66. I have already scanned or typed a book, but it's not in plain text + format. Can I submit it to PG? + +Yes, of course. We'll be happy to discuss format options with you, and +we're quite experienced in converting between multiple formats and +deciding which formats work best and will have the longest life. All +you need is to get us a copy of your TP&V [V.25]. + + + +About author-submitted eBooks: + + + +V.67. I've written a book. Will PG publish it? + +Maybe. + +PG gets submissions from young people, for example, who just want to +get a story they wrote published in PG. We wish them well with their +writing, but that's not really why we're here. + +If you are a published author, or perhaps an academic who wants to put +a textbook into the archives, it's quite likely that we will publish +it. + + + +V.68. I have translated a classic book from one language to another. + Will PG publish my translation? + +Yes, if we can. + +The book that you translated needs to be in the public domain, and we +will need the same proof of eligibility that we would use if you were +contributing the book in its original language. + +For example, if you were translating Hesse's Siddhartha (published +pre-1923 in German, but no pre-1923 English translation available), we +would need to copyright clear [V.25] the original German edition from +which you worked--it needs to be a pre-1923 or otherwise public domain +edition. (We actually did this one, thanks to the hard work and +scholarship of some volunteers.) + + + +V.69. OK, this is one of the cases where PG will publish it. + What do I do next? + +You need to decide about copyright issues. Do you want to release your +work to the public domain, or do you want to retain copyright? If you +want to retain copyright, what terms do you want to release it under? +The next few questions deal with those issues. + +Having decided that you want PG to publish it, and decided what +restrictions (if any) you want to place on further distribution, you +just need to write the appropriate letter and send the text to us. +[V.46] + + + +V.70. I hold the copyright on a book. Can I release it to the public domain? + +You can. All you need to do is put a statement into the released +version of the text saying that you have. + +If you want to release it into the public domain and distribute it +through Project Gutenberg, you should send us a letter to that effect. + + To: Michael S. Hart + Founder, Project Gutenberg + 405 West Elm Street + Urbana IL, 61801-3231, USA + + Dear Project Gutenberg: + + I am the sole copyright holder for the book, "Wallaby Happiness." It + gives me pleasure to release this work into the public domain, and I + invite Project Gutenberg to publish this public domain edition. + + Sincerely, + + Gregory B. Newby + +Once you have released it into the public domain, neither we nor +anyone else needs your permission to publish it, but for us to be sure +that it _is_ a public domain version, we do need a signed letter. + + + +V.71. I hold the copyright on a book. Do I have to release the book + into the public domain for Project Gutenberg to publish it? + +Absolutely not! For example, many contributors of copyrighted material +want to share it with the world, but do not want it commercially +republished by other companies. + +You can grant Project Gutenberg perpetual, non-exclusive, world-wide +rights to distribute your book on a royalty-free basis by sending a +letter to Michael Hart. Your letter may be brief, but must be signed, +and must include the name of the book and the assertion that you are +the copyright holder or the agent for the copyright holder. + +If you want some related information, like a link to your website, +included in the text, we will be happy to oblige. + +Once we have posted a text, many people will copy it. We have no +effective mechanism for "recalling" texts that we have posted, so +please be sure, before you commit to this, that you intend to follow +through with it, because there is no way to change your mind later. + +Here is a sample letter, including the address to send it to: + + + To: Michael S. Hart + Founder, Project Gutenberg + 405 West Elm Street + Urbana IL, 61801-3231, USA + + Dear Project Gutenberg: + + I am the sole copyright holder for the book, "Wallaby Happiness." It + gives me pleasure to grant Project Gutenberg perpetual, worldwide, + non-exclusive rights to distribute this book in electronic form + through Project Gutenberg Web sites, CDs or other current and future + formats. No royalties are due for these rights. + + Sincerely, + + Gregory B. Newby + + + +V.72. I hold the copyright on a book, and would like Project Gutenberg + to publish it. Can I choose what rights to assign? + +For PG to be in a position to copy it, we do need perpetual, +worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free rights to distribute the book +in electronic form. What rights you choose to assign to readers after +that is a decision for you to make. + +The Creative Commons site <http://www.creativecommons.org> may give +you some ideas of what practical use you can make of your copyright to +see that the work is used in the ways you intended. + + + + + +About what goes into the texts: + + + +V.73. Why does PG format texts the way it does? + +PG texts are formatted as plain ASCII, with 60-70 characters per line, +with a hard return [CR/LF] at end of line, and some people ask "Why do +it _this_ way? You could omit the hard returns and let the reader's word +processor or Reader software wrap the lines. You could use "8-bit" +accented characters for non-English characters." "You could use ' - ' +instead of '--' for an em-dash." And so on, through a different choice +we could make for every formatting feature. And the answer, of course, +is that we _could_ do it differently, and sometimes we do, but mostly we +keep to one consistent style. + +We'll be discussing each of the formatting decisions below, not only +giving the summary PG answer, but also discussing the plusses and +minuses of each, and the possible options. + +Like any question beginning "Why does/doesn't PG . . . ?", the answer +is "Because that's what the volunteers and readers want!". These +conventions have been worked out over the years, largely by Michael +Hart, our founder and chief volunteer, in conjunction with all of us +volunteers, as the result of feedback from readers. + +We are guided throughout by the principle that we want to produce +texts in the simplest format that will adequately express the content. +Quoting Michael Hart (1994): + +Etext as developed and distributed by Project Gutenberg since 1971 was +never intended to be a copy of a paper or a parchment [remember, first +Project Gutenberg Etext was typed in from parchment replicas of the US +Declaration of Independence]. + +The major purposes of Project Gutenberg have always been: + + 1. to encourage the creation and distribution of electronic texts for + the general audience. + + 2. to provide these Etexts in a manner available to everyone in terms + of price and accessibility [i.e. no special hardware or software], + and no price tag attached to the Etexts themselves. + + 3. to make the Etexts as readily usable as possible, with no forms or + other paperwork required, and as easily readable to the human eyes + as to computer programs, and in fact, more readable than paper. + +There is sometimes a conflict between "simplest format" and +"adequately express the content"; further, different people have +different views on what is "simple" or "adequate". You, the producer +of the text, have spent the time and effort to make the eBook +available to the world, you have thought more about it than anyone +else, and we respect your informed judgment. However, please make +sure that your judgment _has_ been informed, by studying the +precedents and reasons behind our guidelines. + +Where a simple, standard PG-ASCII layout does not, in your view, +"adequately express the content", you should think of making your text +in another open format, perhaps HTML or XML or TeX, that allows you to +use more characters, more formatting options, and images. We are +always happy to accept these kinds of files. In these cases, you +should also provide a standard PG-ASCII version, even if you feel it +is unacceptably degraded, for those who cannot use your preferred +format. + +Just ten years ago, presentation as plain ASCII was not only a +universal standard, it was effectively the only way that most people +could view the books. The first version of the HTML specification had +been drafted, but was unknown among the general public. XML did not +exist. SGML was (as it still is) the province of specialists. +Specialized eBook readers and PDAs had not yet appeared. + +In 2002, plain vanilla ASCII is still readable everywhere, but people +also want to convert our texts into other formats for more convenient +loading on readers and web sites. We therefore have to keep in mind that +our works will be processed by automatic conversion programs, none of +which is perfect, and we have evolved some "defensive formatting" +practices, which, while retaining the universality of plain text, also +supply clues to automatic converters about how they should treat the +layout. These do help to keep converters from making at least the worst +mistakes. The most significant "defensive formatting" practices are +indenting unwrappable text like quotations, and using _underscores_ +rather than CAPITALS for italics. Different volunteers have different +priorities: at one extreme, some people want to make the best plain text +they can, giving no weight to conversion issues; at the other, some +people emphasize the cues that will allow automatic reformatters to +convert the texts well, even if that causes some ugliness in the plain +text. Most of us operate somewhere between, making the choices we feel +are best depending on the context. Getting a text on-line is the +important thing; which choices you make in doing so is a matter of +detail. + + + + + +About the characters you use: + + + +V.74. What characters can I use? + +a) You should use plain ASCII for straight English texts. + +b) When producing a text partly or completely in a language that + requires accents, you should use the appropriate ISO-8859 character + set for the language, and specify which you are using, and also + provide a 7-bit plain ASCII version with the accents stripped. + +c) When producing a text in a language that doesn't use one of the + ISO-8859 character sets, you should use the encoding most commonly + used for that language. [e.g. Chinese--Big 5] + +d) When producing a text containing more characters than can be found + in any one of the ISO-8859 character sets, you should use Unicode. + +You should use plain ASCII wherever possible--that is, the letters and +numbers and punctuation available on a standard U.S. keyboard, without +accented letters. The immediate and major exception to this is when you +are typing a text written in a language like French or German that +requires accents. + +There is a problem with using non-ASCII characters. They do not +display consistently on all computers; in fact, they do not even +display consistently on the same computer! On my computer, for +example, what looks like an e-acute in this editor just shows as a +black box in another editor, or even using a different font in the +same editor. And this is by no means confined to some theoretical +minority; we have to deal with it all the time when posting texts. + +Further, standards are changing: ten years ago, the character set +Codepage 850 [MS-DOS] was very common; now it's rare except in some +texts that have survived those ten years. + +We want to preserve these texts over _centuries_, not just decades, +and at the moment there is no single clear standard that we can use +across all texts. Unicode may perhaps be a future standard, but, right +now, it's not something that people use every day, and it's not +supported by a lot of common software. + +ASCII, while limited, is supported by almost all computers everywhere, +so we make a point of always supplying an ASCII version where +possible, even if the ASCII version is degraded when compared to the +8-bit original. When we get a text in, say, German, we post two +versions of it--one with accents and one without. + + + +V.75. What is ASCII? + +Don't get scared by the computer jargon; ASCII (pronounced ASS-key) is +just a name for the set of unaccented letters, numbers and other +symbols on a standard U.S. keyboard. + +ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a set of +common characters, including just about everything that you can type +in on an English-language keyboard. It includes the letters A-Z, a-z, +space, numbers, punctuation and some basic symbols. Every character in +this document is an ASCII character, and each character is identified +with a number from 0 through 127 internally in the computer. + +Just about every computer in the world can show ASCII characters +correctly, which makes it ideal for PG's purpose of providing texts +that can be read by anyone, anywhere, but ASCII does not include +accented characters, Greek letters, Arabic script and other +non-English characters, which causes some problems when we produce +texts that need non-ASCII characters. + + + +V.76. So what is ISO-8859? What is Codepage 437? What is Codepage 1252? + What is MacRoman? + +Today's computers mostly work on the basis of dealing with one "byte" at +a time. A byte is a unit of storage than can contain any number from 0 +through 255--256 values in all. It's very convenient for computers to +associate one character with each of these numbers, so that we can have +up to 256 "letters" viewable from the values stored in one byte. The +first 128 values, zero through 127, are defined by ASCII--so, for +example, in ASCII, the number 65 represents a capital "A", 97 represents +a lowercase "a", 49 stands for the digit "1", 45 for the hyphen "-", +and so on. + +ASCII doesn't define characters for the values 128 through 255, and in +early days computer manufacturers used these values to hold non-ASCII +characters like accented letters and box-drawing lines. Of course, 128 +wasn't nearly enough values to hold all of the characters that people +needed to use for different languages, so they made the character sets +switchable, so that a PC in France could use a different set of +accented letters from a PC in Poland. Microsoft's version of this was +called Codepages. Each Codepage held a different set of non-ASCII +characters. Codepage 437, and later Codepage 850, were commonly used +for English and some major Western European languages on MS-DOS. + +MacRoman was Apple's first codepage, containing most of the accented +letters in Latin-derived languages, and MacRoman is still in common +use on Apple Macs today. + +Later, the International Standards Organization ISO got around to +looking at the problem, and defined ISO-8859-1, ISO-8859-2 and so on, +as the standards for different language groups. These sets all define +the characters 160 through 255 as accented letters and other symbols, +and define the 32 characters from 128 through 159 as control characters. + +Since Microsoft Windows has no use for the control characters 128 +through 159, Windows fonts commonly use Codepage 1252, which has ASCII +in the first 128 characters, ISO-8859-1 in characters 160 through 255, +and other symbols in the characters 128 through 159. Just to make an +already chaotic system worse, all characters can be defined differently +in different fonts! + +Of course, most of these codepages are incompatible with each other. +For example, the byte value 232 shows as a lower-case "e" with a grave +accent in ISO-8859-1 and CP1252, a capital letter "E" with diaeresis +in MacRoman, a Latin capital letter "Thorn" in CP850, a Cyrillic +lower-case "Sha" in ISO-8859-5, a Greek capital letter "Phi" in CP437, +and so on. So if you view a text intended for one of these character +sets with a program that assumes a different character set, you see +gibberish. + +The good news, for mostly-English texts at least, is that ISO-8859-1, +Codepage 1252 and Unicode agree on the numerical values of the accented +characters and symbols to be represented by the values 160 through 255. +And everybody accepts ASCII--a pure ASCII file is valid ISO-8859-anything, +valid Codepage-anything, and valid Unicode UTF-8. + +For more detail about the mappings between Unicode and other formats, +you can view Unicode<-->ISO-8859 mappings at + ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/ISO8859/ +Unicode<-->Windows mappings at + ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/MICSFT/ +and Unicode<-->Apple mappings at + ftp://ftp.unicode.org/Public/MAPPINGS/VENDORS/APPLE/ + +If you're not confused enough by now, please read the excellent guide +to the whole "alphabet soup" problem at <http://czyborra.com>. + + + +V.77. What is Unicode? + +Recognizing that no single set of 256 characters can hold all of the +symbols necessary for true multi-lingual texts, ISO 10646 was created. +This defined the Universal Character Set (UCS) using 31 bits, which +has the potential for a staggering _2 billion_ characters. + +The Unicode Consortium is a group of computer industry companies +who agree the Unicode standard. Unicode accepts the ISO 10646 +standards, and adds some restrictions and implementation processes. +It plans for a modest million or so characters; however, this is +enough for all living and extinct languages, and imaginable future +ones too. + +Using 4 bytes for each character is wasteful, though, when most +characters need only one or two, and there are programming problems +with implementing 4-byte characters, so Unicode provides Transformation +Formats (UTF) which allow the characters to be encoded using fewer +bytes where possible. UTF-8 and UTF-16 are common. + +UTF-8, which is the most practical of these from the PG point of view, +allows ASCII to be encoded normally, and usually uses two or three bytes +for other non-ASCII characters. + +Because of the extra work needed to support this extra space, and the +fact that most people work mostly in one or maybe two languages, Unicode +is being adopted only slowly, and most computer programs in 2002 do not +fully support it. But when you need to mix Arabic, Greek, Ogham and +Sanskrit in one text, it's the only possible answer! + +For more about this, go straight to the source at <http://www.unicode.org>. + + + +V.78. What is Big-5? + +Big 5 is an encoding of a set of 13,000+ traditional Chinese +characters. + + + +V.79. What are "8-bit" and "7-bit" texts? + +For practical purposes, 7-bit texts are plain ASCII; 8-bit texts +have accented letters. + +This comes from computer jargon. You can represent the 128 characters +of ASCII using 7 bits--binary digits--but to represent the 256 +characters needed for the various codepages and ISO-8859 standards, +like accented letters, you need 8 bits. Hence, we call a text that +uses non-ASCII characters in a character set like Codepage 850 or +ISO-8859-1 an "8-bit" text. + +When we post a text as both 8-bit and 7-bit, as we do when ASCII is +not enough to render the text acceptably, we name the file with an +"8" or a "7" at the start. So, for example, Crime and Punishment by +Dostoevsky is named 8crmp10 for the 8-bit version with accents, and +7crmp10 for the 7-bit version without accents. + +See also FAQ [R.35]: "What do the filenames of the texts mean?" + + + +V.80. I have an English text with some quotations from a language that + needs accents--what should I do about the accents? + +If stripping the accents would unacceptably degrade the book, then +submit two versions, one "8-bit" with the accents included and one +"7-bit" plain ASCII, and we will post both. + +This is a hard choice. What constitutes "unacceptable degradation"? + +Clearly this is a decision that all of us in PG have to make. It's a +very common problem, and different people have different views. For +that matter, different print publishers have different views; you will +see the words "debris", "facade" and "cafe" printed with and without +accents in different books, and even in different editions of the same +book. + +We don't want to post two versions when we don't have to. It doubles +the posting work, doubles the disk space needed, potentially confuses +downloaders, doubles the maintenance when we need to correct the text. +On the other hand, we don't want to degrade the text. + +There is no clear line, no definitive answer to what level of +degradation is acceptable. Most producers feel that there is no point +in making a separate version when dealing only with a few foreign +words thrown in among the English, but when, for example, some +significant dialog between the characters is in French or Spanish, +it's harder to say that stripping the accents is acceptable. You, the +producer, need to decide this on a case-by-case basis. If you're not +sure, discuss it with one of the Directors of Production or one of the +Posting Team. + +If you have made the text with accents, you can choose to make your own +7-bit version and send it to us, or just send the 8-bit version and +we'll make the 7-bit version from it. Some people prefer to make their +own 7-bit editions; some don't. Whether you use a Microsoft Codepage, +one of the ISO standards or MacRoman doesn't matter--we can convert any +of them for you. + + + +V.81. I have some Greek quotations in my book. How can I handle them? + +There is no way to show Greek letters in ASCII. You have three +options: + +You can just replace the Greek words with [Greek] to indicate to the +reader that you have omitted it. + +You can "transliterate" the Greek to ASCII. Greek letters do have a +correspondence to plain "Latin" letters--for example, the Greek letter +"delta" can be represented by the letter "d". There is a simple PG +guide to transliteration at <http://www.promo.net/pg/vol/greek.html>. +This practice has had a long and honorable history: words like +"amphora" and "hubris", for example, are straight transliteration from +the Greek. This is usually the best option. + +If there is enough Greek to warrant it, and no other accented +characters, you may be able to use the ISO-8859-7 character set, and +submit both 7-bit and 8-bit versions [V.79]. ISO-8859-7 is for modern +rather than classical Greek, but, if necessary, you will surely be able +to express the Greek fully in Unicode. However accurate your Greek, +that still leaves the issue of what to do with the 7-bit ASCII +version, where transliteration is probably still your best bet. + + + +V.82. I want to produce a book in a language like Spanish or French + with accented characters. What should I do? + +Use the appropriate ISO-8859 Character set [V.76] for your +8-bit version. + + + + +About the formatting of a text file: + + + +This section of the FAQ goes into great detail about all kinds of +formatting questions. However, looked at from a higher level, the only +real issue is that we want to render texts clearly, with formatting +that reflects the original, so that readers of the plain text format +can read them easily, and people converting them to other formats can +do so reliably. When you come across a case that is not covered by the +detailed guidelines below, keep this ultimate aim in mind, and make +the best decision you can. Don't get hung up for hours or days over a +question of formatting--if you want advice, look at how other people +have handled the same situation in previous texts, or ask other +volunteers for their ideas. + + + +V.83. How long should I make my lines of text? + +For normal prose, such as you find in a novel, your lines should +mostly be 60 to 70 characters long, not shorter than 55, not longer +than 75 except where it can't be helped. Never, ever longer than 80, +except where you're trying to render a non-text structure, like a +family tree. + +For poetry, make the text look as much like the book as possible. This +also applies to some plays where the lines are clearly intended to be +broken at specific points, whether blank verse or not. + + + +V.84. Why should I break lines at all? Why not make the text as one + line per paragraph, and let the reader wrap it? + +We could either use 70-character lines and let readers unwrap them if +they want to, or use infinite-length lines and let readers wrap them +if they want to. We choose to wrap the lines so that they are readable +on even the simplest of text editors and viewers. + + + +V.85. Why use a CR/LF at end of line? + +CR/LF can lead to double-spacing, notably on Mac and Unix, but at +least there _is_ a CR in there for Mac users, and there _is_ an LF +for *nix users. + +If you don't know or care what this is about, please skip blithely on. + +There are three differing standards for how to represent the end of a +line of text. In brief, Apple Macs use the CR character. Unix and its +variants use the LF character. Microsoft systems, from MS-DOS through +Windows, use both together. + +If you want the history behind these: + +CR stands for Carriage Return, and comes from the old typewriter / +teletype idea of a command to move the print head from the right of +the page back to the left when it reaches the end; + +LF stands for Line Feed, and comes from the old typewriter / teletype +idea of a command to move the print head down a line; + +CR/LF together indicate moving down a line and back to the left of the +page. + +The history is not relevant to today's computers in principle, but in +practice they all use one of these legacy conventions, and there's +nothing we can do about it but pick one. + + + +V.86. One space or two at the end of a sentence? + +Whichever you prefer, but if using two spaces, please use them only at +the end of a sentence, not after abbreviations like "Dr." and "per +cent.", and not after non-sentence-ending punctuation like the +question-mark in the sentence: "Must you go? when the night is yet so +black!" + +Many people have strong views on either side of the "one space or +two?" question, and we're not about to try and argue with them. Use +whichever is most natural for you. + +However, if using two, you take responsibility for deciding where the +sentence ends. You can't just place two spaces after every period, +question-mark and exclamation mark, since periods are also used for +abbreviations end ellipses, and question-marks and exclamation-marks +don't always end sentences. + + + +V.87. How do I indicate paragraphs? + +Just leave a blank line before each paragraph. + + + +V.88. Should I indent the start of every paragraph? + +No. + +Printers do this when publishing paper books because they do not leave +blank lines in the text, but there is no need for indenting in our +eBooks. + + + +V.89. Are there any places where I should indent text? + +Yes. You should always make poetry look like the original, and that +may mean indenting some lines, for example: + + I was a child and she was a child, + In a kingdom by the sea; + But we loved with a love that was more than love-- + I and my Annabel Lee; + +Even when poetry doesn't have indented lines, it is a good idea to +indent quotations embedded in prose. Remember, others will be +converting your text later--to HTML, to PDA reader formats, to formats +that don't even exist yet--and much of this conversion will be done +automatically, by computer programs. It is very hard for a program to +know when it can and can't re-wrap lines to fit a screen size unless +it has a clear signal that _this_ line should not be wrapped. This is +one of the biggest problems with auto-converting PG texts. + +Just about all formatting programs "know" that lines that are indented +shouldn't be wrapped, so by indenting lines just a space or two, you +can prevent + + I think that I shall never see + A poem lovely as a tree. + +from turning into + +I think that I shall never see A poem lovely as a tree. + +in some future reader's eBook. + +You don't really need to do this in texts where the whole book is +poetry or blank verse, since these will probably be recognized as +whole books that shouldn't be rewrapped, but when there are a few +lines of quotation amid an acre of straight prose, a few spaces will +be a life-saver. Even in the original plain text version, the extra +spaces serve to set the quotation off from the main text. + +You shouldn't get carried away and indent things 20 spaces for this +reason, though. Anything up to four spaces is reasonable; more is +excessive. If you're indenting many short verses in this way, keep +your number of spaces for indentation consistent throughout the book. + +There are some other times when you may judge it best to indent, where +text is indented in the paper book, like newspaper headlines or +pictures of handwritten notes. + + + +V.90. Can I use tabs (the TAB key) to indent? + +No. + +The problem with tab characters is that they act differently in +different applications. Typically a tab will move the text to the next +tab stop, which might be four spaces on your PC, but 20, or none, on +someone else's. The effects are unpredictable. + + + +V.91. How should I treat dashes (hyphens) between words? + +In typography, there are four standard types of dashes: the hyphen, the +en-dash, the em-dash, and the three-em-dash. + +Originally, printers called these the "em-dash" because it was the +same width as the capital letter M in whichever font they were using, +the "en-dash" because it was the same width as the capital letter N, +and the "three-em-dash" because it was as long as three capital Ms. + +The hyphen is used for hyphenated words, like "en-dash" itself, or +"to-day" or "drawing-room". For this, you just press the single dash +or hyphen key on your keyboard. + +In typography, the en-dash is a little longer than the hyphen, and is +typically used for duration, where you could substitute the word "to". +For example, if you were printing "1830-1874", or "9:00-5:30", you would +use an en-dash instead of a hyphen. The en-dash is also sometimes used +as hyphenation between words that are already hyphenated, for example, +"bed-room-sitting-room" might use an en-dash as its central dash to +emphasize that it is a different type of separator from the plain hyphens +before "room". However, there is no ASCII character for an en-dash, and +we use the hyphen in these cases. (HTML and some character sets do provide +separate entities for en-dash and em-dash.) + +The em-dash is shown in print as a longer dash, and for PG purposes, you +should render it as two hyphens with no spaces around them. + +You use the em-dash as a kind of parenthesis--as I am doing here--or +to indicate a break in thought or subject within a sentence. There is +no ASCII equivalent of the em-dash; there is no key on your keyboard +that you can press to get one. For PG texts, we represent the em-dash +as two dashes with no space between or around them--like this. + +The em-dash can also be used at the end of a sentence or speech to +indicate that the speaker stopped or trailed off. For example: + + "When I saw you with Emily, I thought you were-- I thought she was--" + +In a case like this, there may be a space following the em-dash, and +the context may demand that there _should_ be a space following the +em-dash, not because of the em-dash as such, but to make the break +between the statements or sentences clear. + +These two hyphens represent _one_ character, so you should never break +them at line end, with one hyphen at the end of the first line and the +other at the start of the second. If you have an em-dash near line +end, you can break the line either before or after the em-dash, but +never in the middle. + +The fourth type of dash, the three-em-dash, is used to represent a +missing word, or an undetermined number of missing letters. You +will often see it in a sentence like: + + Dr. P------ was known for his honesty. + + or + + Dr. ------ was known for his honesty. + +where there is a convention that the character's name has been +redacted. Logically, we should represent the three-em-dash as six +dashes, but you may reduce that to four. Whichever you choose, do use +it consistently in the text you're producing. + +Unlike the em-dash, you should leave a space in such cases wherever a +space would have been before the letters were replaced by dashes. + +Here's a summary table of the dashes: + + Name ASCII Used for + + Hyphen - Hyphenated Words + En-dash - Durations, like "3:00-5:30" + Em-dash -- Break in sentence or parenthetical comment + Three-em-dash ------ Indicating a word that was edited out. + + + + +V.92. How should I treat dashes replacing letters? + +If the dashes obviously represent individual letters, use the same +number of hyphens. Otherwise, you can use a three-em-dash (see above: +6 or 4 hyphens) in such places. + +A common convention when a character in a novel is using bad language, +or when reference is given to a character whose full name is not being +used, is to replace the letters with dashes. For example, + + "That D---l, Mr. C------s will regret his hasty actions!" + +In this case, it is clear that "D---l" is meant to represent "Devil" +and that there is a character whose name begins with "C" and ends in +"s" whose name is not spelled out in full. Where the book makes it +clear how many letters are represented by hyphens, just use that number +of hyphens. + +Where the number of letters omitted is not clear, you can decide how +long you want to make your extended dash. Typographers often use the +"three-em-dash" for this, so called because it is as wide as three +capital Ms. Logically, since we represent an em-dash by two hyphens, we +might represent a three-em-dash as six, but if you feel that six +hyphens is too long, you can choose a shorter length, like four, but if +you do, keep it consistent within your text: + + It was in the town of S----, walking on M---- Street, that + Sowerby came upon Dr. T---- taking the morning air. + + + +V.93. What about hyphens at end of line? + +Remove the hyphens from single words that were wrapped by the printer +at line-end on the paper copy. Where two words are joined with a +hyphen, you can leave the hyphen at end of the text line. + +Books are usually printed with words broken at end of line to make the +right side of the text perfectly even. You should remove all such +hyphens. For example, in the sentence: + + Mary's mouth tightened as she saw the marks on the car- + pet, and her hands balled into fists. + +you should remove the hyphen from "carpet". + +Words which are strung together and hyphenated by the author pose a +different question. It is perfectly OK from the point of view of a +reader of the plain text version for such a hyphen to occur at end of +line, for example: + + Now that the guns were silent, convoys brought badly- + needed medical supplies and food. + +However, be aware that if somebody later rewraps the text for use in a +different format like HTML, it is possible that they will introduce a +space where it should not be: + + Now that the guns were silent, convoys brought badly- needed + medical supplies and food. + +so there is still a small disadvantage to having a hyphen at line-end. + +Sometimes it's not entirely clear whether the hyphen is there because +it has to be, or just because it happens to fall at the end of the +line: + + Daisy rushed to the door, but there were no letters for her to- + day, and she retreated sadly. + +Sometimes "today" is written as "to-day", especially in older works. +So which is this? Should we remove the hyphen or not? In this case, +the best thing to do is search the rest of the text for the same word, +and see whether it is consistently hyphenated or not in other places. + + + +V.94. What should I do with italics? + +There are three different ways volunteers currently render italics: +like THIS, like _this_ and like /this/. Pick one, and use it +consistently in your text. + +There are really two questions here: "How should I render italics?" +and "When should I render italics?" + +The original PG standard for italics was to render emphasis italics as +CAPITALS, using underscores for an italicized _I_, and do nothing for +non-emphasis italics like foreign words and names of ships, and this +is still the most common usage. For reading a plain-text file in a +plain text editor, it is still arguably the most reader-friendly usage +as well. + +It has two drawbacks: + +1. if you do want to preserve italics for non-emphasis words, you may + end up with a very ugly text where there are too many capitals. + +2. it is impossible to convert CAPITALS reliably back into italics, + since the original text might have had a capital letter, or even been + all capitals in the first place. This is especially true of automatic + conversion for people who want to read PG texts on eBook readers. + +To overcome these problems, many volunteers now use _underscores_ or +/slants/ to render italics. These allow you to preserve all italics +without creating an ugly plain-text, and to remove the ambiguity of +CAPITALS. Underscores are more popular than slants, but some people +feel that underscores should properly be reserved for underlined text. +Since printers tend to avoid underlines, however, there aren't many +books where this causes a real conflict. + + + +V.95. Yes, but I have a long passage of my book in italics! I can't + really CAPITALIZE or _otherwise_ /mark/ all that text, can I? + +No, you really can't. On the other hand, if the author intended that +section to stand out, you don't want to ignore that information and +withhold it from future readers. + +What you _can_ do is format it differently from the rest of the text. +For example, if you're averaging a 68-character line throughout normal +paragraphs, you could reasonably use shorter lines, like 58 +characters, for the italicized section. Going a step further, you +could shorten the lines and indent them a space or two as well. This +will give a clear signal to future readers and converters that this +section is to be treated specially. + + + +V.96. Should I capitalize the first word in each chapter? + +No. + +Capitalization of the first word is often used in printed material to +emphasize the break at the start of a section or chapter on the paper, +but it is not necessary in an eBook, and leads to the same kind of +ambiguity as does the capitalization of italics, and for far less +reason. + +If you feel you really _must_ capitalize the first word, we probably +won't stop you, but if so, please do it consistently throughout the +book, not just in one or two places, so that a future reader can be +certain that these capitalized words were a chapter-head convention, +and not otherwise intended for emphasis. + + + +V.97. What is a Transcriber's Note? When should I add one? + +A Transcriber's Note is a small section you can add to a text you +produce to give the reader some information about changes you made to +the book when rendering it into text. + +A Transcriber's Note is not the same as a footnote--a footnote is part +of the text you have transcribed; a Transcriber's Note is a note that +_you_ add to the text, explaining something _you_ have done or +omitted. If there is a Transcriber's Note, it may be at the top or the +end of the text, and it should be clearly marked so that a reader +cannot confuse it with the main text or an introduction. + +The main thing is to ensure that a reader cannot confuse text that you +have added with text that was in the original book. + +Transcriber's Notes are rarely needed, but if, for example, you found +misprints in the text, or things that might look like misprints even +though they're not, you may note them here, if it seems relevant. If +there is an image in the book that is important to the content, you +may describe it in a note. If there was unusual typography that you +had to represent in some uncommon way, you might well explain that +here. + +You don't need to add a Transcriber's Note just for common conversions +like italics, and you should not use such a note to add your own +comments or views about the text or the author. It's just there to let +the reader know what decision you have made about rendering the text. + +Here are some examples of Transcribers' Notes: + +Transcriber's Note: + +The irregular inclusion or omission of commas between repeated words +("well, well"; "there there", etc.) in this etext is reproduced +faithfully from the 1914 edition . . . + + +Transcriber's Note: + +Inserted music notation is represented like [MUSIC--2 bars, melody] or +[MUSIC--4-part, 8 bars] + + +[Transcriber's Note: This letter was handwritten in the original.] + +Transcriber's Note: + +The spelling "Freindship" is thus in the original book. + + +Transcriber's Note: Some words which appear to be typos are printed +thus in the original book. A list of these possible misprints follows: + + +If there is an image that is important to the content you may describe +it at the point in the text where it appears, for example: + +[Transcriber's Note: Here there is a map of three islands just West of +and parallel to a coastline running SW to NE, with a big X marked on +the North of the middle island. A spur of land extends from the +mainland, sheltering the islands from the north-east.] + +Transcriber's Notes that apply to the whole text should be placed at +the start or end of the text--your choice. Notes that pertain to a +specific point in the text, like the map example above, should be +placed at the point where in the text where they are relevant, but not +interrupting a paragraph except where it cannot be avoided. + + + +V.98. Should I keep page numbers in the e-text? + +No. But there are exceptional cases . . . + +In general, the page numbers of the original book are irrelevant when +making a reader's edition for PG; they are annoying and intrusive for +anyone trying to read it, and if you did keep them, they would +probably be removed by anyone converting it. Get rid of them! + +But there are a few books where page numbers are appropriate. +Non-fiction books that use page numbers as internal cross-references +are the prime example; if, on page 204, the text reads + +"Our studies of plants (see pp. 141-145) show that this is true." + +and this kind of cross-reference is frequent throughout the text, +then it is probably best to keep the page numbers, since it is +otherwise very difficult to honor the author's intent. + +In the more common case where cross-references exist, but are not +frequent, and not essential to the text, you have several choices: +leave the cross-references in, meaningless though the page numbers +are, remove the cross-references, change the cross-references to +something relevant (like "Start of Chapter 12" instead of "pages +141-145"), or, if you can make it work in context, insert references +in the text for the cross-references to point to, like [Reference: +Plants] and then reformat the cross-reference like "Our studies of +plants (see [Reference: Plants]) show that this is true." + +There are a few other cases, where the text you create is likely to be +the subject of study or reference, in which it may also be desirable +to retain page numbering. + +When there are pages at the end of the book with notes referring to page +numbers, the simplest answer is to change the page number references to +chapter numbers, and add a quote from the page referred to if it's not +already in the book's end-notes. That way, a reader can search for the +phrase. + + + + +V.99. In the exceptional cases where I keep page numbers, how should + I format them? + +Within brackets of your choice, with one space either side, simply +added to the text at the exact point of the page break. Unless there +is some [142] special reason, you shouldn't insert a line break or new +paragraph when indicating a page number; just insert it in the text, +as I did with "142" above. + +You should use whichever of round brackets, (143) square brackets, +[144] or curly brackets {145} is not used (or least used) within the +main text itself, and then use it consistently. Try to make sure that +your page numbers cannot be confused with anything else. + +Don't run your[146]page[147]numbers right up against words with spaces +omitted; this just makes the text hard to read. Use spaces before and +after. + +Where the page break is at the start of a chapter or headed section, +you can put it on a line of its own, for example: + +[148] + + CHAPTER XI. PLANTS + + +Where a paragraph begins on a new page, you should put the page number +at the start of the paragraph, as: + +[149] With the extinction of the dinosaurs . . . + + + + +V.100. Should I keep Tables of Contents? + +Yes, but just keep the contents themselves, and not the page numbers +for each chapter or section, except where you have kept the page +numbers in the whole text. When you have removed the page numbers from +the book, it doesn't make much sense to leave them in the TOC. + +Here, for example, is a typical TOC. In the original text, each chapter +had a page number beside it: + +THE DUKE'S CHILDREN + +CONTENTS + + 1 When the Duchess was Dead + 2 Lady Mary Palliser + 3 Francis Oliphant Tregear + 4 It is Impossible + 5 Major Tifto + 6 Conservative Convictions + 8 He is a Gentleman + 9 'In Media Res' + 10 Why not like Romeo if I Feel like Romeo? + 11 Cruel + 12 At Richmond + +Note that I have indented the lines here, to give a sign to automatic +converters that these lines should not be wrapped into one paragraph. + + + +V.101. Should I keep Indexes and Glossaries? + +If you are working from a pre-1923 publication, then yes. + +If you are working from a modern reprint, you must be careful not to +take any of the text that might have been added by the modern +publisher. If you have any doubt about whether the index or glossary +was part of the original printing, you should leave it out. Often with +reprints, under your Clearance Line [V.37], you may see an instruction +not to use indexes. In such cases, or if there is any doubt at all, +don't. + + + +V.102. How do I handle a break from one scene to another, where the + book uses blank lines, or a row of asterisks? + +Use a blank line, followed by a line of 3 or 5 spaced asterisks or +dashes, followed by another blank line. + +In a printed book, where the point of view switches from one character +to another, or some other break in the narrative is made without a new +chapter or headed section, the publisher will often denote the break +just by a couple of blank lines. This gives the reader a cue to notice +that the point of view has switched, and avoids confusion. + +However, a printed book cannot be edited or changed, while an eBook +will be edited and converted over its lifetime, and it is likely that +if you denote this break just by a couple of blank lines, as in the +book, your break may be lost. For example, in automated conversion to +a PDA reader format, it is common to merge multiple blank lines into +one. + +In making a PG e-text, you _may_ indicate this break by a couple of +additional blank lines, but, if your text is later converted into +another format such as HTML, the extra blank lines may get lost in the +editing or rendering. Or the person doing the conversion may simply +think that the extra blank line was a mistake, and remove it. To guard +against this, you should add an unambiguous visual break such as a +line of spaced asterisks: + + * * * * * + +The exact layout of your break is not really important, and you can +use whatever format you prefer. Blank line followed by five spaced +asterisks followed by another blank. Or you could use two blank lines, +and dashes instead of asterisks. Just make sure that future readers +can be in no doubt that you intended to indicate a break that was +really in the original printed text. + + + +V.103. How should I treat footnotes? + +In a printed text, the most common treatment for footnotes is to put +them at the end of the page to which they refer. Sometimes, editors +gather them all at the end of the book. Footnotes are a real +formatting problem for an eBook without defined physical pages; there +is no agreement between readers about which is the best way to render +them. + +There are three basic ways of rendering footnotes in an e-text: + +You can insert them right into the text, in brackets, at the point in +the paragraph where they occur, with or without an indication that +they were originally footnotes. This is only reasonable in a text with +very short footnotes. + +You can insert them after the paragraph to which they refer, either +contiguous with the paragraph or as a new "paragraph" of their own, as +I am doing with this one. If the text contains any footnotes longer +than a line, [1] you should not try to just append them to the +paragraph; you should make a new "paragraph" of them, with a blank +line before and after. + +[1] Some footnotes can go on not only for several lines, but for +several pages! + +You can gather all footnotes at the end of the e-text, or to the end +of the chapter to which they refer. + +Of these three, gathering all footnotes to the end of the chapter or +the end of the whole text is probably the friendliest option, since it +preserves the original intention of allowing the reader to continue +reading the main text without interruption. However, it may involve +some renumbering and general note-keeping on your part, and may not be +needed where there are only a few short footnotes. You can see an +ideal example of this kind of footnote marking in our edition of +Darwin's "The Voyage of the Beagle", file vbgle10.txt from 1997, Etext +number 944, which you can get from: +<ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext97/vbgle10.txt> + + + +V.104. My book leaves a space before punctuation like semicolons, + question marks, exclamation marks and quotes. Should I do + the same? + +No. + +If you look closely at these "spaces", you will see that they are not +as wide as a normal space--they tend to be half to three-quarters as +wide. These don't actually represent spaces as such; they were just a +convention used by typesetters to make the text feel less cramped, and +they did not express any specific intent on the part of the author. + +OCR software tends to see them as full spaces, and one of the jobs you +typically have to do when editing a text that has been OCRed is to +remove them. + +In some texts, this also happens following an opening quote, so your +OCR might read a sentence as: + + " Hello ! How are you to-day ? " + +which you should correct to: + + "Hello! How are you to-day?" + +Samples of this can be seen in the images used for the FAQ +"Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed text?" [S.17] + + + +V.105. My book leaves a space in the middle of contracted words like + "do n't", "we 'll" and "he 's". Should I do the same? + +Unlike the pseudo-spaces before punctuation, these really were +intended as spaces indicating the break between words--that is, where +we would nowadays contract two words into one, the author or editor +has made the contraction, but left them as two separate words. + +Since this effect was intended, it is usual to leave the spaces in. +Some people who really do n't like this style of spelling do remove +them, but generally volunteers want to preserve the text as printed. + + + +V.106. How should I handle tables? + +Just line up the information neatly in columns. If you use a +non-proportional font [W.5] you will be able to do this reliably. You +can also use the dash character "-" , the underscore "_" and the pipe +character "|" to make borders if you really need to, but it's usually +better to omit them. It is, though, often good to indent your table a +little, to set it off from the main text, and to avoid the danger of +having it automatically wrapped by some converter later. For example, +from "The Albert N'Yanza, Great Basin of the Nile" by Sir Samuel White +Baker: + + +TABLE No. 1. + +Table for Increased Reading of Thermometer, using 0 degrees 80 as the +Result of Observations for its Error. + + Month. 1861. 1862. 1863. 1864. 1865. + January. . . -- 0'143 0'314 0'487 0'659 + February . . -- '157 '328 '501 '673 + March . . . 0'000 '172 '344 '516 '688 + April . . . '014 '186 '358 '530 '702 + May . . . . '028 '200 '372 '544 '716 + June . . . . '043 '214 '387 '559 '730 + July . . . . '057 '228 '401 '573 '744 + August . . . '071 '243 '415 '587 '758 + September. . '086 '257 '430 '602 '772 + October . . '100 '271 '444 '616 '786 + November . . '114 '285 '458 '630 0'800 + December . . 0'129 0'300 0'473 0'645 -- + + + + +V.107. How should I format letters or journal entries? + +Make them look like they are in the printed book. If the signature is +indented in the book, indent it in the letter. For example: + + "Sir, + No consideration would induce me to + change my resolve in this matter, but I am + willing to engage your services as my agent + for a fee of 100 pounds. + "H. Middleton" + +When a letter appears in the middle of lots of prose, using shorter +lines for the letter is an effective way of making the letter stand +out, without resorting to indenting the whole thing. + +When the book is largely composed of letters or entries, as happens in +an epistolary novel or the publication of somebody's letters or +journal, you might reasonably leave two or three (but whichever you +choose, keep it consistent throughout the book!) blank lines between +entries to give the reader a visual cue that the next is not just a +new paragraph, but a new entry, for example: + + 10 pm.--I have visited him again and found him sitting in a corner + brooding. When I came in he threw himself on his knees before me and + implored me to let him have a cat, that his salvation depended upon + it. + + I was firm, however, and told him that he could not have it, whereupon + he went without a word, and sat down, gnawing his fingers, in the + corner where I had found him. I shall see him in the morning early. + + + 20 July.--Visited Renfield very early, before attendant went his + rounds. Found him up and humming a tune. He was spreading out his + sugar, which he had saved, in the window, and was manifestly beginning + his fly catching again, and beginning it cheerfully and with a good + grace. + + I looked around for his birds, and not seeing them, asked him where + they were. He replied, without turning round, that they had all flown + away. There were a few feathers about the room and on his pillow a + drop of blood. I said nothing, but went and told the keeper to report + to me if there were anything odd about him during the day. + + + 11 am.--The attendant has just been to see me to say that Renfield has + been very sick and has disgorged a whole lot of feathers. "My belief + is, doctor," he said, "that he has eaten his birds, and that he just + took and ate them raw!" + + + 11 pm.--I gave Renfield a strong opiate tonight, enough to make even + him sleep, and took away his pocketbook to look at it. The thought + that has been buzzing about my brain lately is complete, and the + theory proved. + + +This is different from the case mentioned in the FAQ [V.102] "How do I +handle a break from one scene to another, where the book uses blank +lines, or a row of asterisks?". In that case, we added a row of +asterisks because future reformatting or conversion could cause +confusion about the scene break that was explicitly signalled by the +blank lines on paper. In this case, each new letter or journal entry +cannot be mistaken by a careful reader, so we don't need asterisks or +dashes to signal that; we're just adding a bit of extra space to make +it more readable. + + + +V.108. What can I do with the British pound sign? + +The British pound sign cannot be expressed in ASCII, but is very +common in the works of English novelists. It evolved as a stylized +version of the letter L (from the Latin "Librii"), and it's entirely +appropriate to represent it as such, either like: + + The horse cost L8 12s. 6d. + + or + + The horse cost 8l. 12s. 6d. + +This works particularly well where an amount is expressed in pounds, +shillings and pence (Librii, soldarii, denarii). + +Where there is a simple number of pounds, you may prefer just to use +the word: + + She was a handsome widow with 500 pounds a year. + + + +V.109. What can I do with the degree symbol? + +Just type out the word "degrees" or the abbreviation "deg."--for +example: + +By the time we reached Cairo it was 115 degrees in the shade. + +Geographical degrees are more awkward, but should be handled the same +way: + +It was at 30 deg. 15' E, 14 deg. 45' N. + + +In general, any symbol can be represented in words. + + + +V.110. How should I handle . . . ellipses? + +Just as I did above . . . and here! Leave one space before and after +each dot. Do not break an ellipsis over the end of a line. In +principle, an ellipsis is one symbol, like an em-dash, and should not +be broken at line end. + +A special case arises when an ellipsis follows a sentence instead of +being in the middle. . . . In this case, put the period after the last +letter of the sentence, as you normally would, then follow the usual +format for ellipses. You end up with four dots, with spaces everywhere +except before the first. + + + +V.111. How should I handle chapter and section headings? + +For a standard novel, you can choose either four blank lines before +the chapter heading and two lines after, or three lines before and one +line after, but whichever you use, do try to keep it consistent +throughout. + +Normally, you should move chapter headings to the left rather than try +to imitate the centering that is used in some books. + + + +V.112. My book has advertisements at the end. Should I keep them? + +Most people seem to think "no", and "no" is the safe choice, but +opinions vary. + +The typical arguments are: "The ads are not part of the author's +intent, so you should remove them." vs. "They give a flavor of the +original book, so you should keep them". This latter is particularly +cogent when the ads are for other books by the same author. + +Decide which of these statements best fits your own views in the case +you're looking at; after that, it's up to you! + + + +V.113. Can I keep Lists of Illustrations, even when producing a + plain text file? + +Yes. As in the case of the Table of Contents, there is no point in +including page numbers when your text doesn't have them, but the list +of illustrations itself may go in. + + + +V.114. Can I include the captions of Illustrations, even when producing + a plain text file? + +Yes. + +You can format them as short paragraphs of their own, in brackets, +with the word Illustration: followed by the caption, something like: + +[Frontispiece: A Flash of Light] + +or + +[Illustration: Goldsmith at Trinity College] + +Don't interrupt a paragraph to insert one, unless the reader really +needs to know that the original illustration was in the middle of the +paragraph; place the note between paragraphs instead. + + + +V.115. Can I include images with my text file? + +Yes, as I have done with the zipped version of the plain-text format +of this FAQ, but in general it makes much more sense, if you want to +include images, to make a HTML version of the book and include them +there, where they are anchored into the text in a predictable way, and +leave them out of the text version. But there are exceptional cases, +such as this--I included images with this plain-text FAQ because I +wanted you to be able to experiment with them using your own OCR +package. + +If you do include images with plain text, they will be included with +the ZIP file, but not downloadable separately with the plain text +file; for example, if your file gets named abcde10.txt, and you +include images pic1.gif, pic2.gif and pic3.gif, then abcde10.zip will +include all four files, but only abcde10.zip and abcde10.txt will be +posted, so the images will be available only within the zip file, so, +even if you are including images, don't assume that the reader will be +able to see them. + +If you do include images with plain text, be sure to mention them by +filename in a note at the appropriate places in the text file; +otherwise readers may not even realize they're there. For example: + +[Illustration: Goldsmith at Trinity College--see goldtrin.gif] + +If you do include images with a text file, don't make them too big. +Readers downloading zip files of plain text expect them to be +relatively small; don't burden them with huge downloads they don't +want. Use the same kind of rules and processing that you would for +a HTML file, or better still, include the images only with the HTML +version. + + + +About formatting poetry: + + + +V.116. I'm producing a book of poetry. How should I format it? + +Make it look like the original. + +The only formatting change that you might consider is to limit the +amount of centering. Often, in a poetry book, the title of a poem may +be centered, when the body of the verse isn't. This can work on paper, +particularly when the page is narrow, but "centering" the title on a +70-column line can mean that the title ends up far to the right of the +body of the poem, which looks untidy. And even if you center the title +correctly over the body of _this_ poem, the next poem may have longer +lines, and so _its_ title may not have the same center as the first +poem, and the title of one will be off-center with the title of the +next! + +If you have this kind of formatting in your book, you should consider +moving all of the poem titles to the left margin rather than try to +keep compensating for different line centers. It's more consistent, +and easier to read, if you just left-align all titles. To see a +not-quite-successful attempt at centering the titles over the poems, +take a look at the Poems of Emily Dickinson, available from +<ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext00/1mlyd10a.txt> + +In that case, it would have been better to left-align the numbers and +titles. Centering isn't really an effective formatting choice in etexts. + + + +V.117. I'm producing a novel with some short quotations from poems. + How should I format them? + +As nearly as possible like they look in the book, with the exception +that you should indent the whole verse anywhere between 1 and 4 spaces +from the left. This is to give a signal to automatic conversion +programs that these lines should not be wrapped. + +For an example of a novel with many differently formatted quotations +embedded, see the "a" version of Clotel, file clotl10a.txt, Etext +number 2046, from the year 2000, which you can find at +<ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext00/clotl10a.txt> + +Some of these quotations touch the left-hand column; today, we would +think it better to insert at least one space before every line. + + + +About formatting plays: + + + +V.118. How should I format Act and Scene headings? + +Pretty much like chapter headings. You can use 4 blank lines between +acts, and 3 blank likes between scenes, or 3 between acts and 2 +between scenes. If your book has "END OF ACT/SCENE" footers, leave +them in the etext. + +You may center act/scene headers and footers if they are centered in +the book, but it's usually best to left-align them, for the same +reasons it's usually best to left-align poem titles in poetry. + + + +V.119. How should I format stage directions? + +Generally, in brackets. + +In printed texts, it is common to show stage directions as italics +inside brackets. You don't have the option of italics in plain text, +and you shouldn't need to use _underscores_ or /slants/, and certainly +not CAPITALS, to indicate italics for stage directions. Normal text +within the brackets is all you need. It will be immediately clear to a +reader that bracketed text consists of stage directions. + +[Square brackets] are most common for stage directions, but (round) or +{curly} brackets will work too, if there's a reason why they are +preferable in the case of your text. Just make sure that you use the +same kind of brackets consistently and only for stage +directions--don't use round brackets for stage directions if +characters' speeches also contain text in round brackets. + +Some printed plays follow the convention of not closing brackets when +the direction is at the end of a speech or scene. For example: +[Exeunt. + +Where the book doesn't close the bracket in a case like this, you +shouldn't either. + + + +V.120. How should I format blank verse? + +Just like normal verse in poetry. Make it look like the printed book. +Left-align it, and make one line of etext the same length as one line +of print. + +Sometimes in blank verse, a speech may start mid-line, and the print +reflects that by leaving a space on the left, and starting mid-way. In +a case like that, do the same in the etext. + + + + +About some typical formatting issues: + + + +V.121. Sample 1: Typical formatting issues of a novel. + +Look at the image novel.tif. It shows a page of a novel, with several +typical formatting decisions to be made. + +We note that there is no end-quote on the first paragraph, but that's +OK, since the second paragraph is a continuation by the same speaker, +so the first paragraph doesn't need a closequote. There is also an +italicized "I", which will end up with underscores, but there is +nothing else to give us any difficulty. + +In the second paragraph, we have an ellipsis, an italicized French +word with an accented letter, the British pound symbol, and an +italicized "Here". + +The ellipsis is simple. + +Let's assume we're making this into a 7-bit text, so we're going to +convert the non-ASCII character a-circumflex and the pound sign. The +a-circumflex just goes to an "a", but we have several choices we can +make about the pound sign. + +The italicized "Here" is clearly for emphasis, so we will mark that +up. The word "flaneur" is italicized because it is not English, but +possibly also for emphasis . . . if the sentence had read "The Major +is a _fool_", with the word "fool" italicized, it would clearly be +emphasis. As it stands, we don't know whether emphasis is intended. +This doesn't matter if we are just using _underscores_ or /slants/ to +render italics, but if we use CAPITALS, we're going to have to impose +our best guess on one side or the other. + +The third paragraph shows some vaguely familiar squiggles--Greek +letters! We hit the PG transliteration guide at +<https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/greek.html> and spell it out . . . +rough-breathing upsilon = hu; beta = b; rho = r; iota = i; final +sigma = s. So the Greek word transliterates as "hubris". Since +hubris is a familiar word, we don't need to make a fuss about it, +though we may _italicize_ it. + +We then have a note, which we will format a little differently from +the main text to help it stand out, and a new chapter heading. + +We should certainly indent the second line of the Byron quotation to +preserve its original form, but we have the option whether or not to +indent the first line a little to signal to any future automatic +converter that this is not to be rewrapped. + +In the first paragraph of the new chapter, we need to get rid of the +hyphenation of "Wentworth" at line-end and fix the two em-dashes. + +In the second paragraph of the new chapter, we have a long dash +between "d" and "l", clearly meant to denote "devil", so we will fill +it in with three dashes, and we see a three-em-dash after "Lord H", so +we can use six, or possibly four, dashes for that. + +Finally, we have a table, a list of money values against names. + +Depending on the standards we've chosen to use throughout the book, we +could render these details in a variety of ways. For illustration, +here are two acceptable possibilities: + + + +"I shall go down to Wokingham", said Middleton, "a few days +before the election, and the Major will stay here. I +understand that there will be no other candidate, and _I_ +shall take the seat. + +"The Major is a . . . _flaneur_. He has no interest beyond +his own advancement. I can buy him for a hundred pounds. +_Here_ is his answer." + +Wallace wondered at the _hubris_ of his friend, and +examined the note Middleton thrust upon him. + +"Sir, + No consideration would induce me to +change my resolve in this matter, but I am +willing to engage your services as my agent +for a fee of 100 pounds. + H. Middleton" + + + +CHAPTER XV + +THE ELECTION + + Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure; + Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure. + ---- BYRON + +On hearing of Middleton's visit, Mr. Wentworth began his +preparations. Meeting with Thomas Lake and Riley at the +back of the tap-room of The Bull--where the landlord saw +to it that they remained undisturbed--he laid out their +plan of campaign. + +"That d---l Middleton shall not have the seat," he raved, +"not for Lord H------; no, nor for a hundred Lords! We +shall see to it that every man's hand is turned against +him when he arrives." + +Lake unfolded a paper from his vest-pocket and smoothed it +on the table. "Here are the expenses we should undertake." + Doran L13 10s. + Titwell L 8 7s. 6d. + St. Charles L25 + + + + * * * * * + + + +"I shall go down to Wokingham", said Middleton, "a few days +before the election, and the Major will stay here. I +understand that there will be no other candidate, and _I_ +shall take the seat. + +"The Major is a . . . flaneur. He has no interest beyond +his own advancement. I can buy him for L100. HERE is his +answer." + +Wallace wondered at the hubris of his friend, and examined +the note Middleton thrust upon him. + +"Sir, + No consideration would induce me to change my resolve +in this matter, but I am willing to engage your services as +my agent for a fee of L100. + H. Middleton" + + + + +CHAPTER XV + +THE ELECTION + + +Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure; + Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure. + ---- Byron + +On hearing of Middleton's visit, Mr. Wentworth began his +preparations. Meeting with Thomas Lake and Riley at the +back of the tap-room of The Bull--where the landlord saw +to it that they remained undisturbed--he laid out their +plan of campaign. + +"That d---l Middleton shall not have the seat," he raved, +"not for Lord H----; no, nor for a hundred Lords! We +shall see to it that every man's hand is turned against +him when he arrives." + +Lake unfolded a paper from his vest-pocket and smoothed it +on the table. "Here are the expenses we should undertake." + Doran 13l. 10s. + Titwell 8l. 7s. 6d. + St. Charles 25l. + + + +V.122. Sample 2: Typical formatting issues of non-fiction + +While non-fiction is not in principle any more difficult to format +than fiction, many non-fiction books have lots of features like +illustrations, tables, section sub-headings and footnotes, that +require some extra work on the part of the producer. If the +illustrations are essential, you should consider adding a HTML format +file to allow you to present them. + +See the page image nonfic.tif. This presents many formatting changes: +the centered title will go to the left; the italicized chapter +contents will become regular text, and the em-dashes will become "--"; +the degree symbol needs to be replaced with ASCII "deg.", and of +course we need to render the table readably. After all that, we have +to deal with the footnote. + +Here is a reasonable rendering of this page: + + +CHAPTER XI + +STRAIT OF MAGELLAN.--CLIMATE OF THE SOUTHERN COASTS + +Strait of Magellan--Port Famine--Ascent of Mount Tarn-- +Forests--Edible Fungus--Zoology--Great Sea-weed-- +Leave Tierra del Fuego--Climate--Fruit-trees and +Productions of the Southern Coasts--Height of Snow-line +on the Cordillera--Descent of Glaciers to the Sea-- +Icebergs formed--Transportal of Boulders--Climate +and Productions of the Antarctic Islands--Preservation +of Frozen Carcasses--Recapitulation. + + +An equable climate, evidently due to the large area of sea compared +with the land, seems to extend over the greater part of the +southern hemisphere; and, as a consequence, the vegetation partakes +of a semi-tropical character. Tree-ferns thrive luxuriantly in Van +Diemen's Land (lat. 45 degrees), and I measured one trunk no less +than six feet in circumference. An arborescent fern was found by +Forster in New Zealand in 46 degrees, where orchideous plants are +parasitical on the trees. In the Auckland Islands, ferns, according +to Dr. Dieffenbach [82] have trunks so thick and high that they may +be almost called tree-ferns; and in these islands, and even as far +south as lat. 55 degrees. in the Macquarrie Islands, parrots +abound. + +On the Height of the Snow-line, and on the Descent of +the Glaciers in South America. +[For the detailed authorities for the following table, +I must refer to the former edition:] + + Height in feet +Latitude of Snow-line Observer +---------------------------------------------------------------- +Equatorial region; mean result 15,748 Humboldt. +Bolivia, lat. 16 to 18 deg. S. 17,000 Pentland. +Central Chile, lat. 33 deg. S. 14,500 - 15,000 Gillies, and + the Author. +Chiloe, lat. 41 to 43 deg. S. 6,000 Officers of the + Beagle and the + Author. +Tierra del Fuego, 54 deg. S. 3,500 - 4,000 King. + + +In Eyre's Sound, in the latitude of Paris, there are immense +glaciers, and yet the loftiest neighbouring mountain is only 6200 +feet high. Some of the icebergs were loaded with blocks of no +inconsiderable size, of granite and other rocks, different from the +clay-slate of the surrounding mountains. The glacier furthest from +the pole, surveyed during the voyages of the Adventure and Beagle, +is in lat. 46 degrees 50 minutes, in the Gulf of Penas. It is 15 +miles long, and in one part 7 broad and descends to the sea-coast. +But even a few miles northward of this glacier, in Laguna de San +Rafael, some Spanish missionaries encountered "many icebergs, some +great, some small, and others middle-sized," in a narrow arm of the +sea, on the 22nd of the month corresponding with our June, and in a +latitude corresponding with that of the Lake of Geneva! + + +In this case, I made some decisions. I made the lines in the contents +at the top a bit shorter than usual, to help them stand out. I decided +to use the full word "degrees" rather than "deg." where I could, but +not in the table, where I shortened the entries as much as possible +while preserving the sense. Since I was using the full word "degrees", +I decided to go the whole hog and use the word "minutes" for the +minutes symbol as well, (though the minutes symbol, a single quote, is +in the ASCII set) since it seemed to make the text more readable than +using the word degrees with the minutes symbol. I also made a choice +about the table layout. + +You might prefer different choices in some of these cases, and, as in +our example of fiction above, there was more than one way to do it. +However, this is a reasonable rendering. + +What happened to the footnote? and how did it become [82] rather than +the [1] of the original? In this case, I decided to put all footnotes +at the end of the whole text, and renumber them accordingly. So the +footnote on this page became number 82 in the overall text, and down +at the end of the whole text, I would put: + +[82] See the German Translation of this Journal; and for +the other facts, Mr. Brown's Appendix to Flinders's Voyage. + + +I could also have transcribed this as: + +. . . +Forster in New Zealand in 46 degrees, where orchideous plants are +parasitical on the trees. In the Auckland Islands, ferns, according +to Dr. Dieffenbach [*] have trunks so thick and high that they may +be almost called tree-ferns; and in these islands, and even as far +south as lat. 55 degrees. in the Macquarrie Islands, parrots +abound. + +[*] See the German Translation of this Journal; and for +the other facts, Mr. Brown's Appendix to Flinders's Voyage. + +if I chose to put each footnote with its own paragraph. + + + +V.123. Sample 3: Typical formatting issues of poetry + +Poetry is easy to format: just be sure to use a non-proportional font, +and make it look as much like the text as possible. To avoid +ragged-looking centering, left-align titles. + +In a whole book of poetry, there is no need to leave an indentation +before every line; unlike a verse lost in fields of prose, there is +little danger that someone will wrap it by mistake. + +Look at the image poetry.tif. On this page, we have an enlarged first +letter to start each poem, and capitals following--we can remove all +that. The titles are centered, so we will move them left. + +There are line-numbers at every fifth line, and these are common in +poetry, especially where footnotes reference lines. We will keep these +out on the right-hand margin. + +The third poem obviously intends the centering of its last lines +in each verse as a feature, so we will keep that as best we can. + +The resulting etext looks like: + + + +Mistress Mary + +Mistress Mary, quite contrary, + How does your garden grow? +With cockle-shells, and silver bells, + And pretty maids all in a row. + + + +Ozymandias. + +I met a traveller from an antique land +Who said: Two vast and trunkless legs of stone +Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, +Half sunk, a shattered visage lies, whose frown, +And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, 5 +Tell that its sculptor well those passions read +Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, +The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed: +And on the pedestal these words appear: +'My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: 10 +Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!' +Nothing beside remains. Round the decay +Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare +The lone and level sands stretch far away. + +NOTE: + 9 these words appear: in some editions : this legend clear. + + + +The Rosary. + +The hours I spent with thee, dear heart, + Are as a string of pearls to me; +I count them over, every one apart, + My rosary. + +Each hour a pearl, each pearl a prayer, 5 + To still a heart in absence wrung; +I tell each bead unto the end--and there + A cross is hung. + +Oh, memories that bless--and burn! + Oh, barren gain--and bitter loss! 10 +I kiss each bead, and strive at last to learn + To kiss the cross, + Sweetheart, + To kiss the cross. + + + +V.124. Sample 4: Typical formatting issues of plays + +Look at the image play.tif. Stage directions are indicated by italics +and square brackets. We don't have to do much special work with +this--lose the italics, but keep the square brackets. The setting for +scene I, act II is also italicized, but without square brackets. If we +wanted to emphasize this, we could use shorter lines or add square +brackets, but it probably isn't necessary here. We're using 4 blank +lines between acts and 3 between scenes, so we mark these accordingly. +We leave one blank line between speeches. And following these simple +conventions, we get: + + +JACK. There's a sensible, intellectual girl! the only girl I ever +cared for in my life. [ALGERNON is laughing immoderately.] What on +earth are you so amused at? + +ALGERNON. Oh, I'm a little anxious about poor Bunbury, that is all. + +JACK. If you don't take care, your friend Bunbury will get you into +a serious scrape some day. + +ALGERNON. I love scrapes. They are the only things that are never +serious. + +JACK. Oh, that's nonsense, Algy. You never talk anything but +nonsense. + +ALGERNON. Nobody ever does. + +[JACK looks indignantly at him, and leaves the room. ALGERNON lights +a cigarette, reads his shirt-cuff, and smiles.] + +END OF THE FIRST ACT + + + + +SECOND ACT + + + +SCENE I + +Garden at the Manor House. A flight of grey stone steps leads up to +the house. The garden, an old-fashioned one, full of roses. Time of +year, July. Basket chairs, and a table covered with books, are set +under a large yew-tree. + +[MISS PRISM discovered seated at the table. CECILY is at the back +watering flowers.] + +MISS PRISM. [Calling.] Cecily, Cecily! Surely such a utilitarian +occupation as the watering of flowers is rather Moulton's duty than +yours? Especially at a moment when intellectual pleasures await you. +Your German grammar is on the table. Pray open it at page fifteen. +We will repeat yesterday's lesson. + + + + +About problems with the printed books: + + + +V.125. I found some distasteful or offensive passages in a book I'm + producing. Should I omit them? + +Please don't. Readers understand that books are works of their time +and place, reflecting the opinions and prejudices of the people who +wrote them, and the people they observed. We shouldn't try to pretend +those prejudices out of existence. It may be, in a century or two, +that our descendants are repulsed by _our_ prejudices. + +It is perfectly normal, for all kinds of reasons, not to want to +produce a particular book, but producing one while deliberately +removing passages is censorship, and is unfair to our readers. + +If you find it too disturbing to handle the content, you can of course +abandon the book, or pass it along to some other volunteer. + + + +V.126. Some paragraphs in my book, where a character is speaking, + have quotes at the start, but not at the end. Should I close + those quotes? + +Probably not. + +When one character is making a speech that spans more than one +paragraph, it is usual _not_ to close the quotes until the +speech is finished. This avoids confusion about whether the next +paragraph is the same speaker or another--once a character has +started speaking, there are no closequotes until the speech is +finished. However, there are openquotes at the _start_ of each +new paragraph during the speech. This makes the quotes unbalanced, +but it isn't a misprint; it's deliberate. + +If this is not the case, if the same character is not continuing +the speech in the next paragraph, then you may have found a typo +in the book. [R.26] + + + +V.127. The spelling in my book is British English (colour, centre). + Should I change these to American spellings? + +No. + +Stay true to the edition you have. And this applies the other way, as +well: if you have an American edition of a work by an English author, +please leave the spelling as it is. + + + +V.128. I'm nearly sure that some words in my printed book are typos. + Should I change them? + +The first thing to be aware of is that typos in books are not as rare +as most people think. You may never have noticed typos in your normal +reading, but under the kind of scrutiny that a book gets while being +produced for PG, they often do become noticeable. It's quite common to +find anything up to ten typos in a book. + +Before you decide it's a typo, though, check that the same word +doesn't occur elsewhere in the book with the same spelling. Often, the +words or spelling used by pre-20th Century authors may just not be +familiar to you. + +When you find something that you believe to be a typo, you have four +options: pretend you didn't see it :-), change the typo and add a +transcriber's note [V.97], change the typo without a transcriber's +note, or leave the typo as it is and add a transcriber's note. If you +are adding a note, do it at the top or bottom of the file; don't try +to work it into the text, and don't use the [sic] convention, since +the reader won't know whether the [sic] was added by you or an earlier +publisher. + +In general, it's safest to leave the typo in place and add a note at +the end of the file, listing the words you believe to be typos; that +is the least contaminating and intrusive method. When adding the note, +you don't need to leave a mark in the main text. You can just say +something like: + +[Transcriber's Note: "haw" near the end of chapter 15 appears to be a +misprint for "hawk".] + +The danger in making changes is that you may be wrong, and we really +don't want to corrupt the text. This is particularly so in some old +books where archaic usages, now obsolete, may look downright wrong to +modern eyes. Sometimes, though, a typo is just so blindingly obvious +that it warrants immediate replacement. Even in these cases, +conscientious people will sometimes add a note, something like: + +[Transcriber's Note: in chapter 12, I have changed "he stood on the +tock", to "he stood on the rock".] + + + +V.129. Having investigated what looks like a typo, I find it isn't. + Do I need to do anything? + +Often in PG work, you come across an odd word or usage. Might be a +typo; might not. You check it out, and find that it is +deliberate--perhaps a word from local dialect that just happens to +resemble a different word, perhaps the author is using an odd word or +spelling to make a point with the language. Especially if it's an +isolated incident, and especially if it's not obvious, you can add a +transcriber's note to the end noting that the word is thus in your +edition, and that it is probably right. This may prevent some +well-intentioned converter from changing it. + +It's rare that you will need to do this; you may encounter such a case +only once in a hundred PG books, but it is an option. + + + +V.130. Aarrgh! Some pages are missing! Do I have to abandon the book? + +No. It happens more often than you might think, and we're quite used +to dealing with it. + +Finish the book, and ask other volunteers to help by finding another +copy of the book to fill in the missing section. For something like +this, you can try asking on [V.12] the WebBoard, or gutvol-d, or ask +Michael Hart to put a note in the Newsletter asking for assistance. We +can post the book incomplete, and put a Transcriber's Note [V.97] in +the header asking any future reader who has a copy to fill in the gap. + + + +V.131. Some words are spelled inconsistently in my book (e.g. sometimes + "surprise", sometimes "surprize"). Should I make them consistent? + +No. + +English spelling didn't really standardize until the start of the +20th Century (and even then it fractured; e.g. "standardize" vs. +"standardise") and the further back you go, the more inconsistent it +becomes. Shakespeare, for example, signed his own name with several +different spellings. + +Where your printed edition genuinely uses alternate spellings of the +same word, you should preserve them. + + + + + +Word Processor FAQ + +W.1. What's the difference between an editor and a word processor? + +An editor shows you the characters you type, exactly as you type them. +It puts new-line characters in when you hit the Enter key, and only +when you hit the Enter key. Its ultimate aim is to give you exact +control of plain text. EDIT in DOS, Notepad in Windows, vi and +emacs in *nix, Tex-Edit Plus and BBEdit Lite in Mac, are all editors. + +A word processor, in addition to entering the characters, also lets +you change the font, the size of individual words, and whether they +are italic or bold. It doesn't generally want individual line-ends put +in on each line; it just rewraps the text as you change it. Its +ultimate aim is to print your document on paper with full formatting +facilities. WordPerfect for MS-DOS and Windows, MS-Word for Windows +and Mac, AbiWord for Windows and Linux, and Nisus Writer for Mac are +all word processors. + + + +W.2. Should I use an editor or a word processor? + +For dealing with plain text, which is what PG is about, you might expect +a text editor to have the edge, since the formatting features of word +processors can get in the way of making a clean text. + +However, if you use a word processor, and you ignore all of the layout +and formatting that have to do with fonts and paper, it will work +equally well. There are a few common problems associated with Word +Processors mentioned below. + + + +W.3. Which editor or word processor should I use? + +The one you like best! + +Any of them will do the job. Even the most primitive editors of 1971 +will do the job. The most feature-bloated word processor of tomorrow +will do the job. No editor or word processor affects in the slightest +the "quality" of the text produced. + +For PG purposes, therefore, the only difference between them all is +how easy you find them to use, and what facilities they have for +helping you--and those are decisions that only you can make. + +If you already have a favorite editor or word processor, stick to it. +If you don't, there's a huge selection available for you to consider, +on any type of computer. + +Sometimes, using a word processor, you may encounter some problems +in saving your book as plain text. You have to figure out how to get +it right just once, and then use that same method thereafter. If +you have problems with this, ask other volunteers or one of the +Posting Team for help. + + + +W.4. How can I make my word processor easier to work with for plain text? + +First, switch off _everything_ called "Smart ------" or "Automatic". +Modern word processors commonly offer lots of typical typing +support features--"Smart Quotes", "Auto Correct", automatically +capitalizing the first word in each sentence, anything like that. By +all means, leave on any informative highlighting of misspelled words +or other errors that it offers, but switch off any feature that +changes what you type without asking you. Older books contain text +that doesn't sit comfortably with modern rules, and we don't want your +word processor deciding what Chaucer really wrote! + +Now, choose a non-proportional font, and apply it to the whole +document. It's important to work in a non-proportional font, because +you may have to line words up underneath each other and it is not +possible to do this consistently in non-proportional fonts like Times +or Arial. + +If you work in Courier, size 10, 11 or 12, and your word processor is +set for a normal page size, about 7 inches across excluding margins, +then what you see in your WP is a pretty good approximation to how the +text will look in PG plain text format. One formula, suggested by John +Mamoun in the Volunteers' Voices section, is to Select All the text, +choose Courier New font, 10 point size, and set the margins at 5.5 +inches, then Save As "Text with layout". + + + +W.5. What is the difference between proportional and non-proportional + fonts? + +A non-proportional, or "monospaced", or "typewriter" font, is one where +all of the letters take up exactly the same amount of space on screen: +a capital "W", a lower-case "i" and a space are all equally wide. The +Courier family of fonts is commonly used for this. + +A proportional font is one where each letter takes up just the amount +of space it needs, so that a capital "W" is much wider than a small +"i". + +Unfortunately, the different sizes of the letters in different +proportional fonts means that it's not possible to line up letters +consistently: a "W" may be equivalent to three "i"s in one +proportional font, and to four "i"s in another. This means, for +example, that it is not possible to use a proportional font to format +plain text tables or poetry correctly--lining up the spaces and words +using one proportional font will cause it to look skewed using +another. + +You should always look at PG texts in a non-proportional font, even if +you prefer to work mostly using a proportional font, because readers +and automatic converter programs will assume that you meant to your +text to be viewed using a non-proportional font. + + +W.6. I can't get words in a table or poem to line up under each other. + +You are using a proportional font. You should always use a +non-proportional font like Courier for PG work. Change the font +of the entire document to Courier and try again. + + + +About using Microsoft Word: + + + +PG volunteers use many different word-processors, but Microsoft Word +is the one we hear most queries and problems about. + + +W.7. I've edited my book in Word--how do I save it as plain text? + +First, make sure that all text is using Courier or Courier New +and is at the same point size (usually 10-12). Move your right +margin so that you see roughly the right number of characters +per line (usually 65-70). Then choose File / Save As and then +choose the format "Text Only with Line Breaks". Save your file with +the extension ".txt" to distinguish it from your Word format file. + +After saving, open your text file using Notepad or some other simple +text editor and look at the results. You should see a typical PG +layout of the text--lines up to 70 characters long, a blank line +between paragraphs and no indentation at the start of each paragraph. +If so, you're done. + + + +W.8. Quotes look wrong when I save a Word document as plain text. + +You may have left "Smart Quotes" on in Word options. This tells Word +to use left- and right-slanted quote marks at the beginning and end of +a quote instead of the plain ASCII straight quotes. When you save a +document that contains these angled quotes as plain text, they come +out as non-ASCII characters that look wrong on most editors and +viewers. The solution is to turn off Smart Quotes in Word and/or +replace the ones it has already created. + + + +W.9. Dashes look wrong when I save a Word document as plain text. + +When Word recognizes an em-dash as such, it may try to use a special +character for it. This may appear as a black square, an empty box, +or a funny accented letter when you Save As text and look at it in +a different editor. + +You can usually do a Find and Replace on this character either in Word +or in another editor after Saving As text to change it to two dashes. + +For those interested, the "funny character" is character 151 (97H), +and is specific to Codepage 1252 [V.76]. + + + +W.10. I saved my Word document as HTML, but the HTML looks terrible. + +Yes. Word is not unique in having this problem, but HTML saved from +Word is the case we hear most about. Microsoft themselves offer a free +plug-in to Word that saves the file in "Compact HTML", which is a bit +better. You can fix it by hand, or you can use Tidy +<http://tidy.sourceforge.net>, a handy utility, which will do some +clean-up on the HTML. If you're working with HTML, you really need a +copy of Tidy anyway, because it's such a great way to do a check on +the correctness of your HTML. + +Tidy is also embedded in some Windows GUI tools, like Tidy-GUI, +HTML-Kit and NoteTab. + + + + + +Scanning FAQ + +S.1. What is a scanner? + +A scanner is a machine that makes an image, a picture of the page that +is fed to it, and sends that image to your computer. It only makes an +image, like a camera does; it doesn't turn that image into text. + + + +S.2. What types of scanners are there? + +The most common type of scanner, the kind you're likely to find in +your local computer store, is a flatbed scanner. It has a glass bed +usually a bit bigger than Letter paper size (or A4 if you live in +Europe! :-) and most of the common models are optimized for typical +office correspondence. One of these may cost anything from under $100 +to $400, depending on its features, or you can pick them up cheaper +second-hand. You use this by placing the paper or book face-down flat +onto the glass, and scanning from there. This is the kind of scanner +most commonly used by PG volunteers. + +Some stores will call sheetfed scanners a different category. These are +flatbed scanners with Automatic Document Feed (ADF), but they are +fundamentally the same machine, and the ADF sheetfeeder unit may often +be bought as an accessory to the flatbed scanner. Recently, a few +sheetfed scanners have appeared that are very small, without a full +flatbed, just a narrow strip that the paper rolls through. Avoid these +for PG work; you often need to be able to scan the book flat. + +Hand scanners, as their name implies, are much smaller, and typically +very cheap, or even thrown in free. You use these by holding them in +your hand and running them along the text like a brush. These are +really not intended for PG work; you need a very steady hand movement +to get them to scan a page of text into a readable image, and they +shouldn't be considered as an option for a 400-page book--scanning and +OCR is tough enough without that! + +You can think of production scanners as industrial-strength flatbed +scanners. The basic mechanisms are the same, but a production scanner +will certainly have ADF (sheetfeeder), more features and speed, and be +rated for very high volume scanning. Production scanners are used by +publishers, businesses with high-volume paper processing needs, and +print shops. This last is useful, because you may be able to get some +scanning done by a print shop. It can't hurt to ask. If you're thinking +about buying one of these babies (and who among us hasn't? :-), be sure +you have $2000 or more to spend. + +Drum scanners are mostly used by publishers for professional, +high-quality artwork. The paper is placed on the surface of a drum +that rotates past a fixed scanning head. The drum can be very large. +Because the sensors don't have to move, the electronics and optics can +be of higher quality, and produce very accurate, high-definition +images. They are exactly what you would want for making professional +quality scans of old movie posters, but they're expensive, and not +very useful for scanning War and Peace to OCR. + +Planetary scanners are a different breed to all the others. They are +really not scanners at all, but a very high-end digital camera on a +stand. You place the book face-up with the pages open, with the camera +looking straight down on it. It takes a picture, and passes it on to +the connected computer. Planetary scanners are ideal for old, fragile, +valuable books that can't be exposed to the stress of normal scanning. +They typically come supplied with specialized software, sometimes even +their own dedicated computer, and they are very, very +expensive--$20,000+. + + + +S.3. Which scanner should I get? + +For most people, the answer is simple. Unless you have a lot of money +and are sure you will be scanning a lot of books, you should get a +normal, consumer-or-office type flatbed scanner, with or without an +ADF sheetfeeder. + +Having decided that, you're faced with the question of which scanner +to buy. More good news! The market in scanners is very competitive, +and there are many top-line vendors all watching each others' features +like hawks, eager to deliver the highest-spec machine they can. There +are only a couple of critical factors in this decision--most of it is +about getting the best buy. + +For PG work, you really _need_ an optical resolution no less than 300 +by 300 dpi (dots per inch), and 600 by 600 is very desirable. +Obviously, more is better, but it would be very rare to need more than +600 dpi for PG work. Pay no attention to the "interpolated" or +"enhanced" resolution, where the software "guesses" what dots should +fill in the gaps--you're only interested in the optical resolution. +The good news is that it's very difficult to find modern scanners with +a maximum optical resolution of less than 600 dpi, but if you're +buying second-hand, you should check this out first. + +You will also _need_ a scanning surface on the glass big enough to +place your book with two facing pages flat. Again, the good news is +that it's very hard to find a flatbed whose scanning surface is too +small for PG work, since these scanners tend to be designed to handle +office paper, which is about the right size. Most flatbed scanners +have scanning surfaces of about 8.5" by 11.5", and this is standard +for PG work. If you're working on books with very large pages, you may +need to resign yourself to scanning one page at a time, but buying a +scanner with a big flatbed for these rare occasions will be much more +expensive. + +You must make sure that you get a scanner that will connect correctly +to your computer. There are currently (mid-2002) three main types of +connections commonly available: SCSI, USB, and parallel. + +SCSI (Small Computer Systems Interface) is the highest-quality option, +but it means that you need a SCSI card in your computer, and be +willing to figure out how to install it. If you're already a SCSI +enthusiast, you don't need to read further; if you're not, I suggest +you avoid it unless you enjoy tinkering. Production scanners mostly +require SCSI. + +Parallel-port connections used to be common, as a cheaper, easier +alternative to SCSI. Since the introduction of USB they have become +rarer, but you will still see them for sale second-hand. These plug +into your printer port, and don't require any further engineering skills. + +Most new scanners hook up using a USB (Universal Serial Bus) +interface, which is a no-muss, no-fuss "plug-in and go" option, but be +sure, if you have an old PC, that it actually has a USB port and that +your operating system supports it; some older Windows PCs and Macs may +not. If your PC doesn't support USB, you should probably look at +Parallel-port scanners. + +By the time you read this FAQ, FireWire and USB 2.0 interfaces may +also be common. For your purposes, these are like more advanced +versions of USB. Just make sure that your computer has the right +support to match the scanner. + +If you're buying second-hand--and used scanners can be very +cheap--make absolutely sure that you're getting the original software +that came with the scanner, and that that software will work with your +current operating system on your PC. + +Having ensured that your choice of scanners passes these tests, you're +now free to indulge your tastes for any extras you like. Color is +nice, but rarely used, since we mostly transcribe older books that +have no color printing. Higher resolutions are comforting to have, +both since you may occasionally find them useful and because it shows +that the optics are of higher quality than you actually need for your +PG scans. + +If you are nervous about your choice of scanner, or how easy it is to +get one working, feel free to contact other PG volunteers for their +opinions, as described in the FAQ "How do PG volunteers communicate?" +[V.12]. + + + +S.4. What is ADF? + +ADF stands for Automatic Document Feed, and it's just a jargon term +for a sheetfeeder, where you put in a stack of pages to be scanned and +go away while that's happening instead of putting in each page +manually. + + + +S.5. Should I get ADF? + +That depends. Yes, ADF is a great idea, and can be a huge work-saver, +and if you have the cash to spend, it may well be worth it. But ADF +has a dirty little secret: like any other gizmo with moving parts, it +occasionally jams. The sheetfeeders built into these low-cost machines +are aimed at handling typical office paper straight from the laser +printer--large, smooth, good quality, with perfectly-cut, +perfectly-aligned edges. In your PG work, you will be dealing with +hundred-year-old pages of various thicknesses and textures, usually +much smaller than the sheetfeeder was designed to work with. And you +will have to have cut the pages, and may leave ragged edges in doing +so. + +Under these conditions, you may find that paper often jams in your +sheetfeeder, and it defeats the purpose if you have to stand over the +scanner while it works, or if you end up having to lift the cover and +use your scanner as an ordinary flatbed, or, worse, if your paper gets +scrunched up as if a dog had been playing with it. + +And of course, in order to feed the pages through, you will have to +cut them out of the book, destroying it. (It may be possible, with the +help of a bookbinder, to have the pages professionally cut, and later +re-bound.) + +With ADF, you probably won't actually scan much faster than scanning +flat, but you won't have to keep turning over the pages during that +time. + +So when you're making that choice, think carefully. If money isn't a +problem, or you do expect to be working with cut sheets, then go ahead +and get a sheetfeeder--it's great when it works! But don't be +disappointed when it doesn't work all the time. + + + +S.6. What's a "TWAIN driver" and why do I need one? + +A TWAIN driver (see <http://www.twain.org>) is a piece of software +that installs onto your Windows PC or Mac and controls your scanner +from there. With any modern scanner, there will be a TWAIN driver +included in its software package. Once installed, you shouldn't have +to think about it again, or even know it's there. + +A modern OCR package will usually find your TWAIN driver and use it to +control the scanner. This is very handy. There may also be a small +scanning package with your TWAIN driver, which will provide a screen +where you can make fine adjustments to scanner settings, and start +scans. You probably won't _need_ this, since your OCR package will +probably do it for you, but it may be useful for semi-manual control +of the scanner. + +Unix-based systems like Linux use SANE <http://www.mostang.com/sane/> +rather than TWAIN drivers. + + + +S.7. How do I scan a book? + +This depends on whether you have cut the pages out, or whether you are +working with an intact book. + +If you have cut the pages out, and you have an ADF, then you will +obviously feed them through that. + +If you don't have an ADF, there usually isn't much point in cutting +the pages. Most modern OCR will recognize a "dual-page" or "two-up" +scan, and, if yours does, then that's normally the best option. +Scanning the uncut book, open and flat, is the most common scanning +method used in PG. + +Take the book and place it open, flat on the scanner glass. To fit +both pages on the glass, you may need to position it lengthways, at 90 +degrees to its natural angle. Most OCR software will recognize that +the image has been rotated through a right-angle, and will correct it +when it reads the text. + +A common problem with scanning an opened book is "guttering", which +happens when the spine of the book is not pressed flat enough, and the +inside of each page, where it meets the spine, is curved against the +glass. There's more about this, and an example, scan3, in the FAQ +[S.17] "Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed text?". To avoid +guttering, make sure that the spine is held down throughout the scan. +(Some people put a weight on the spine to hold the spine down on each +scan; others just press their hand against it.) + +Another common problem is light scattering, when too much light gets +into the scanner. The scanner head detects light, and you want the +only internal light source to be from the scanner itself, not ambient +room light or sunlight. Scanners have covers, that are intended to be +closed while scanning, for a controlled light level, but when you're +scanning a book held open and flat, you can't close the cover fully. +In a bad case, this can lead to a condition of the scan like +overexposure of film and you can see an example in scan4 of the FAQ +[S.17] "Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed text?". If this +happens, just make sure that your room is dim while you scan--don't +have a ray of bright sunlight bouncing around the inside of the +scanner! + +Occasionally, when scanning cut pages with very thin paper, you may +get a shadow of the text on the other side showing through. If this +happens, you can try covering the inside of the scanner lid, which is +normally white, with a piece of black paper. + +Many modern OCR packages will control the scanner automatically, and +you may be able to set your OCR so that it does an automatic timed +scan every, say, 30 seconds. This is a great timesaver, since you +don't have to go back and forth between the scanner and the screen. +Just set your timer, hold down the book for the scan, take the book +up, turn the page, put it down again, and wait for the next scan to +start. Set the timer for whatever interval you are comfortable with. +Highly recommended, if your OCR or scanning package can do it. + +By default, most scanners will always scan the entire area of the +flatbed, but usually, your book will occupy only about half of it. +Look for a setting on your OCR or scanning package which allows you to +reduce the area that the head scans. Just scan enough to get the image +of your pages. This makes the time for each scan and subsequent OCR +recognition shorter, and in a really good case can cut your total +scanning and OCR time in half. + +Scanning all pages together is usually fastest, but you may prefer +to scan each double-page, then correct it in your OCR package's +editor, then scan the next. This is a more leisurely approach favored +by some volunteers. + + + +S.8. My book won't open flat enough for a good scan, and I don't + want to cut the pages. + +Well, then, you have a difficult choice to make, but you do still have +several options: + +You can accept a poor-quality scan, and spend a lot of time fixing up +the guttering on the margins. + +You can bite the bullet, and cut the pages. + +You can type the book, or find a typist who will work on it for you. + +You can find a print shop or bookbinder who will cut the pages +professionally, and re-bind the book when you're done. You may even +replace it with a fresh new binding that will give the book a new +lease of life. + +Take your choice. + +Most books will open flat enough for an adequate scan, though you may +have to put stress on the spine to do it. + +If you have a really precious book, and you can't find a typist, you +might consider the options of a digital camera [S.11] or finding +someone with a planetary scanner [S.2] to scan it for you. + +Michael Hart said: "I would give up every book I own, including my +first edition of the OED, my Civil War edition of the Merriam +Webster's Unabridged, etc., etc., etc., so everyone could use it any +time they wanted rather than that only I or my friends could use it +. . . and obviously _I_ could use it too." + +Fortunately, it rarely comes to that. + + + +S.9. How long does it take to scan a book? + +Putting the book flat on the glass means that you scan two pages at a +time. A reasonable modern scanner will scan the area of two typical +pages at 400dpi in anywhere from 20 to 40 seconds--let's call it 30 +seconds for two pages. That's four pages a minute, or 240 pages an +hour. You could reasonably get through a 400 page book in two hours, +even allowing for an occasional break or glitch. + +Of course, you should also allow time for scanning a few trial pages +with different settings before you start, to decide which settings to +use. Ten minutes spent here can save you hours of proofreading time. + +There are two big tips that can save you a lot of scanning time: + +If your OCR or scanner control package has a timer setting, that +automatically keeps scanning without user intervention, you can forget +about the screen and just keep turning the pages as needed. + +You should set your scanner just to scan the area the book covers on +the glass. By default, your software will probably scan the full area +of the glass, and usually, your book won't need that. By scanning only +what you need, you may typically save anything from 20% to 70% of the +time taken to scan the full area. If your book is small enough to open +flat _across_ the scanner instead of "down" the side, 400 pages an +hour is not out of the question with this trick. + + + +S.10. What scanner settings are best? + +For a given book, scanner, PC and OCR software, there must be some +"ideal" scanner settings, but if you change any of these components, +the ideal scanner settings will change with them. Some OCR packages +recognize greyscale better than black and white; some don't like +greyscale at all. Some books have small print needing higher +resolution; some are speckled so that higher resolution leads to +more errors. + +Obviously, the best settings also depend on the individual book, +and some books will require you to get downright creative with +the settings, but most PG books are scanned in Black and White +or greyscale, somewhere between 300dpi and 600dpi. + +This decision is a trade-off between speed and accuracy, and an +illustration of the difference between principle and practice. In +principle, a true-color, 9600dpi scan is a much better rendering of +the page than a B&W 400dpi scan. In practice, all that extra +information doesn't usually help the OCR make better distinctions +between letters, and the larger and more detailed the scan, the longer +it takes to make the scan, the more disk space the image file takes, +and the more processing time and memory the OCR package needs to +recognize it. + +A further paradox emerges when considering higher vs. lower +resolutions: depending on the paper and ink quality, you may see +_more_ errors start to appear on very high resolution scans. These are +caused by small imperfections in the paper or ink spots that show up +on the high-res scan, and that the OCR tries to interpret as letters +or punctuation. + +So, in summary, bigger is better, but only up to a point. + +Brightness is a setting often neglected, that can make quite a big +difference to your results. Look at the scanned image: if you see lots +of dark patches, make your scan lighter; if your letters appear thin +and faded, make your scan darker. + +See the FAQ [S.17] "Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed +text?" for some typical scans and results. + + + +S.11. Can I use a digital camera in place of a scanner? + +Digital cameras are getting better resolution all the time, and some +volunteers have experimented with making a kind of home-made planetary +scanner from a digital camera and a stand. So far, the results don't +quite match a dedicated scanner, but as digital cameras improve, this +may become a common option. One problem, which planetary scanners use +specialized software to correct, is that the natural curve of the +pages near the middle of the book tends to give a foreshortened aspect +to the letters there, which can cause problems for OCR software, like +guttering. + +Whatever the current problems, the prospect of using digital cameras +is exciting, because it will mean that non-typists will be able to +produce old books borrowed from libraries without worrying about scan +quality vs. damage to the spine. + + + +S.12. What is OCR? + +OCR stands for Optical Character Recognition. This is very important +software that looks at the picture of the page that your scanner has +supplied, and turns it into text. + +When the scanner delivers the image of the page, that image is only a +picture. You can't, for example, search for text in it, or edit the +text to add a blank line. Your editor or word processor can't work +with it. The OCR program does the job of "reading" and "typing" the +image for you. OCR packages call this "reading" or "recognizing". + + + +S.13. What differences are there between OCR packages? + +One word: huge. All OCR packages do the same job, but they do it in +different ways, with different features, and with different levels of +accuracy. OCR can save you a lot of time, or cost you a lot of time. +It's really worth putting some effort into making sure you get the +right OCR package, and, once you have it, into understanding how to +use it. It'll save you time in the long run. + + + +S.14. How accurate should OCR be? + +OCR packages commonly say that they are "99%+" accurate, or something +like that. Let's analyze what that actually means: say there are 1,000 +characters (letters) on each page, then with 99.9% accuracy, you would +expect to have to make 1 correction per page. With 99% accuracy, that +would be up to 10 corrections per page. And in a 400-page book, this +all adds up. + +But there's a "Your Mileage May Vary" clause built into that. +Typically, the manufacturers test their OCR on fresh, laser-printed or +press-printed copy with perfect scans, and this is fair, since they +are aiming their products primarily at businesses that process these +kinds of materials. _You_ are not dealing with fresh print; you're +dealing with old books, yellowed, spotted, marked, imperfectly printed +in the first place, and possibly using unfamiliar fonts. And it's +unlikely that you will have the patience to get a perfect scan on +every page. The result is that the accuracy of OCR for typical PG work +doesn't match the accuracy on images of perfect, fresh paper. + +Apart from the scan quality, OCR also has to contend with different +fonts and sizes for the letters. + +However, if you're getting more than 10 errors per page, you should +look at some examples of OCR in the FAQ [S.17] "Why am I getting a +lot of mistakes in my OCRed text?". + + + +S.15. Which OCR package should I get? + +The accuracy of OCR software has improved enormously in the last few +years, and OCR technology looks likely to keep improving even faster +than software in general. Further, there is competition in this area, +and products leapfrog each other with new versions regularly. The +brands most commonly mentioned by PG volunteers (mid-2002) are +Abbyy, OmniPage and TextBridge [P.1], and trial versions of all three +have been available for download over the Web, and may still be when +you read this. [Warning: these are big downloads--40MB or more.] + +Most common OCR packages will offer two main working options: to scan +a page and view/edit the resulting text on the spot before saving, and +to scan a whole batch of pages together and view/edit them all later. +Some people like to fix up one page at a time; others prefer to get +all of the OCR work done at once, then get the whole text into their +editor. Most OCR software will cater for both, and if this is +important to you, you should check that the OCR you're buying supports +the way you want to work. + +If you intend to work in a language other than English, make sure that +the OCR you buy supports the characters in your language. + +Some OCR software has a "training" or "learning" mode. Using this +mode, it scans and "reads" or "recognizes" a page, then you correct +that page, and the OCR "learns" from its mistakes and tries to do +better on the letters it misread when it recognizes the next page. +If you're dealing with a very rare font, this can make a difference +to your OCR quality, but modern OCR packages come with enough inbuilt +font knowledge for most languages, and you probably won't need this. + +If possible, try a couple of OCR packages before you decide. If you +want opinions on specific versions, contact other PG volunteers and +ask for their opinions, as described in the FAQ "How do PG volunteers +communicate?" [V.12]. + + + +S.16. What types of mistakes do OCR packages typically make? + +Each text has its own peculiarities, but there are a number of +well-known scanning errors you will be dealing with all the time. + +Punctuation is always a problem. Periods, commas and semi-colons are +often confused, as are colons and semi-colons. There are also usually +a number of extra or missing spaces in the e-text. + +The problem of quotes can assume nightmarish proportions in a text +which contains a lot of dialog, particularly when single and double +quotes are nested. + +The numeral 1, the lower-case letter l, the exclamation mark ! and the +capital I are routinely confused, and often, single or double quotes +may be mistaken for one of these. + +Lower-case m is often mistaken for rn or ni. + +The letters h and b and e and c are commonly mis-read, and these are +probably the hardest of all to catch, since ear/car, eat/cat, he/be, +hear/bear, heard/beard are all common words which no spell-checker +will flag as problems. + +For example: + + " Hello1' caIled jirnmy breczily. 11Anyone home ? " + + There seemed to he no-oneabout. Only tbe eat beard him." + +should read: + + "Hello!" called Jimmy breezily, "Anyone home?" + + There seemed to be no-one about. Only the cat heard him. + + + +S.17. Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my OCRed text? + +If you're new to OCR, you may have come with the idea that OCR is +almost perfect, and just makes a few mistakes now and then. No. It's +slightly amazing that OCR works at all, and when it does, it isn't +perfect. + +You might reasonably expect to average anything up to 10 errors per +page for typical PG work; if you're seeing more, then there is a +problem with + + a) your printed book + b) your scan, or + c) your OCR package + +Problems with the printed book fall into three categories: bad +printing, age, and unusual fonts. Bad printing consists of problems +like too much or too little ink on the press at the time the book was +printed, and irregularities in the print where the metal type was +damaged. Age causes yellowing--even browning--of the paper, and faded +print. Unusual fonts may be hard for OCR to recognize, and very +tightly-spaced print may make adjacent letters seem to touch, which +confuses OCR software. + +There are many ways for you to have problems with your scan. +Obviously, if your scanner is defective or the glass is dirty, you +will notice it immediately, but there are many mistakes you can make +that will result in a poor-quality image, and cause later problems for +your OCR. + +You may not be able to control the quality of the paper you have to +work with, but there is a lot you can do about the quality of your +scan. + +The two mistakes that people inexperienced with scanners most commonly +make are not holding the spine down firmly enough to get a flat image +of the paper, and not setting the brightness correctly, or letting too +much light get in. In your early scans, watch out for these problems. + +First, if you haven't already, read the FAQ "How do I scan a book?" +[S.7] and check that you're following the basic recommendations there. + +Now let's look at some samples, and see the kinds of problems you +might encounter. + +A disclaimer about these samples: specific OCR packages are named, but +you should _not_ take these as a fair and comprehensive comparative +review of the software. The object of this exercise is to show typical +scanning conditions and problems, and the resulting OCR output. OCR +packages have quite a range of variance within themselves, may work +better on some texts than others, may improve with "training" or +different settings, and I have even seen the same OCR package produce +different text from the same image with the same settings! Further, +since OCR quality is improving rapidly, and packages leapfrog each other +in quality, the next version of a particular brand may be vastly better +than any of the software mentioned here. Of particular interest in this +context is the leap in quality between OmniPage 10 and OmniPage 11. + + + * * * * * + +Scan 1--A perfect Scan + +Scan1 is as near to a perfect scan as you can expect in PG work. It +comes from "The Founder of New France" by Charles W. Colby. It is only +a 300 dpi image, but given the quality of the print and of the scan, +300dpi is all we need. Ironically, it comes from Gardner Buchanan, who +complains about the age and infirmity of his scanner in his +description of how he produces a text. The moral is that you don't +have to have the latest equipment to get good results! + +The actual scan is in the image file scan1-3.tif + +It doesn't really need any comment, and all of the packages except +gocr rendered it perfectly. Note the fake "space" before the +semicolon--if you look closely at the image, you will see why the OCR +packages mistook it for a full space, as discussed in the FAQ [V.104] +"My book leaves a space before punctuation like semicolons, question +marks, exclamation marks and quotes. Should I do the same?" + + Champlain was now definitely committed to + the task of gaining for France a foothold in + North America. This was to be his steady + purpose, whether fortune frowned or smiled. + At times circumstances seemed favourable ; + at other times they were most disheartening. + Hence, if we are to understand his life and + character, we must consider, however briefly, + the conditions under which he worked. + + +gocr 0.3.6 converted this as: + + Champtain was now definitely committed to + the task of gaining for France a foothotd in + _orth America. This was to be his steady + purpose, whether fortune frowned or smiled. + At times circumstances seemed favourable ., + at other times they were most disheartening. + _ence, if we are to understand his life and + character, we must consider, however brieRy, + the conditions under which he worked. + + + * * * * * + +Scan 2--A Typical Scan + +Scan2 is a paragraph from Baroness Orczy's "Castles in the Air". +Notice the ink-splotch above the capital "I" in the first line, which +will give our OCR some problems. The page is also unevenly inked +elsewhere, and I have scanned it with the brightness level a bit too +high. + +I have made two separate scans, one at 300dpi and one at 400dpi, both +Black and White, named scan2-3.tif and scan2-4.tif respectively. The +page was cleanly cut, and carefully placed straight onto the scanner +glass with the cover down. The original print is somewhere between the +size of Times New Roman 10 and 11, with capital letters about 2.2 +millimeters high, but better and more clearly spaced. These scans are +fairly typical for PG work. Because of the relatively large letters, +and the reasonable scan, there isn't much difference between the text +produced from the 300 dpi scan and the 400 dpi scan. + +I actually cut this book to get the pages out so that I could feed it +through my ADF, but the paper is so thick and textured that it sticks +together, and jams when feeding through. The thick, absorbent paper, +combined with the uneven inking, means that, no matter how good the +scan, any OCR has to contend with the irregular edges of letters, +which are clearly visible even at 300dpi. + +Here is the output for these scans from some OCR software packages. I +changed just one thing: Abbyy recognized the em-dashes as such, and +output them as a special character in Codepage 1252 for em-dashes, +which isn't available in ASCII, so I converted that to the PG standard +2 dashes. + + + + +Abbyy FineReader 6: + + Yes, indeed, I was on the track of M. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain %vas + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs--a goodly sum in those days, Sir--was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + Yes, indeed, Twas on the track of M. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs--a goodly sum in those days, Sir--was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + +gocr 0.3.6: + + __e_, indeed, f___as on_the track of h_. hristide Fournier, + 3nd of one of the most im__ant hau1s of enem)_ goods + ___hich had e__er been made in France. h?ot onl3_ that. I + had a1so before me one of the most brUtish crimînat_s it + h__4 e___er been m31 misfortune to co_me acro__3. A bu113_, a + tiend oí cruelt__. In very truth m3_ fertiIe brain ___as + s_e_1_::_g __-ith planS for e__entua113_ _ay:ng that abominab1e + ru_iin b.__ t1_e hee1s . hanginig __ou1d be a n_erciful pun- + i;__,i__gnt íor such a miscreanf. yes, in_i__ee3, fj_1e thou3and + francî-a b_ood13_ sum in those days, _ir-_vas practica1l3_ + + a3_ured me. _ut o___er and above n_ere lucre there was + the certaint_v that in a few_ da3_s' ti_e I shou1d see the + lib_ht of gratitude shininb_ out of a pair _f _usLtrous btue + e3_e3_, and a ___inning smi1e chasing a__ay the Ioo_ of + _ear and of sorrow from the s__eetest iace T had Seen fof + man)_ a day. + + Yes, indeed, f___as on the track of h__. Ariseide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hau1s _f enemy goods + ___hich had ever been made in France. NoEUR on1y that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish crimina1s it + h_ad ever been my misfo__tune to come acros__. A bu11y, a + fiend of crue1ty. _n very truth my fertib brain _vas + seeî3_:i_g __ith plans for e__entua11p 1aying _at abom_in_ ab1e + ru_an by the heels. hanging _____ou1d _ a merciful pun- + iï_h_ment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thou__and + f_ancs-a b_ood1y sum in those days, _ir-_vas practica1ly + a3îured me. But over and above mere _ucre th.ere was + th_e certainty that in a few days' ti_e _ shou1d see the + 1i__t of gratjtude shining out of a pair o_, _userous b1ue + b . + e__es, and a __inning smi1e chasing away the l_k of + _,ear and of sorrow from the s___,eetest face _ _ad _.een _o_ + many a day. . . + + +Recognita Standard 3.2.7AK: + + ~'es, indeed, ~w-as on the track of ltT. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + "=hich had ever been made in France. ~Tot only that. I + ha~i also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully-, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertiIe brain was + s; ething w-ith plans for eventually iaying that abominable + ruffian by the heels : hanging ~-ould be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. ires, indeed, five thousand + franes-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + as~ured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + thP certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous btue + ey·es, and a winning smile chasing away the hk of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + Yes, indeed, l~was on the track of h~i. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + w~hich had ever been made in France. lVot only that. I + had also before mP one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come acrass. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for ez~entually laying that abomin_ able + ruffian by the heels : hanging ~~.-ould be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + f:ancs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should~ see the + Iight of gratitude shining out of a pair of iEustrous blue + eyes, and a w inning smile chasing away the Iook of + fear and of sorrow from the s"-eetest face ~ had seen ~'or + rr~any a day. + + +OmniPage Pro 10: + + Yes, indeed, twas on the track of 11T. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + ha(i also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + Yes, indeed, fwas on the track of h-I. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + +OmniPage Pro 11: + + Yes, indeed, twas on the track of AT. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + + Yes, indeed, fwas on the track of h-I. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. + +Textbridge Millennium Pro: + + Yes, indeed, rwas on the track of M. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + hail also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + many a day. - - - + + Yes, indeed, f was on the track of M. Aristide Fournier, + and of one of the most important hauls of enemy goods + which had ever been made in France. Not only that. I + had also before me one of the most brutish criminals it + had ever been my misfortune to come across. A bully, a + fiend of cruelty. In very truth my fertile brain was + seething with plans for eventually laying that abominable + ruffian by the heels: hanging would be a merciful pun- + ishment for such a miscreant. Yes, indeed, five thousand + francs-a goodly sum in those days, Sir-was practically + assured me. But over and above mere lucre there was + the certainty that in a few days' time I should see the + light of gratitude shining out of a pair of lustrous blue + eyes, and a winning smile chasing away the look of + fear and of sorrow from the sweetest face I had seen for + manyaday. - + + + * * * * * + +Scan 3--Guttering and Smaller Print + +Scan3 is a paragraph from "The Egoist" by George Meredith. It was +scanned in a dim room, with the scanner cover open and the book held +open, flat against the scanner glass. However, the spine was not +pressed firmly enough against the glass, and as a result you can see +that the words on the left-hand edge (which were near the spine) +appear to be slanted, a bit distorted, and not well lit. This problem +is familiar to people who scan for PG--everybody gets distracted +sometimes, and fails to keep enough pressure on the spine. As you see +from the results below, it caused problems for all of the OCR packages +on the words affected. If you find this kind of "guttering" regularly +in your own scans, where the characters near the spine are not being +recognized correctly by your OCR, you need to make sure that your book +is down as flat as possible before making a scan. Because of the +smaller size and the guttering problem, the 400dpi scan made for +better quality text in this case. + +Here's the output from the sample OCR: + + +Abbyy FineReader 6: + + NEITHER Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table, + n Middleton talked with Miss Dale on classical matters, + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + uncdified audience might really suppose, upon seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + \Villoughby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + soltlo her business while he was in the humour to lose her. + He hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + him, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended hia + nrido. + + NEITHER Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Bale on classical matters, + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + unedified audience might really suppose, upon seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + "VVilloughby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + settle her business while he was in the humour to lose her. + He hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + him, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pride. + + +gocr 0.3.6: + + __,,,____,_ Cl,_I._c nor Vernon a__e_Ped _t tl_le _id_da_ tab1e_ + _, _ii_(__etoiI f,,_lk(;cl with _MiSs _ale _U_1d_ abS8iG_l I_i_t_t_l.__ + i,_i,;,_ .,, _(_u_-i,L_t_ii.e(l 6iiLIblt 6'7_V. ill_ _ C 'll . tf e__Ul__b rU_l + gt(),ii_, tu _fj(),I(, ,_uruSS.,__ T__ Illl_ g UlOUUt_lU o_ _ 8O .t _' t_ail + u,,_,_ifj(;il ;,_i((ic,IGG l_i_' lt re_ y 8UE)_OB_'_ U_Oll 8eelll6 lttr + _,__i. t_ic (li__icu1ty, SIIe t1_d iluI_e 8ol_eth_ng_ fo_ be_.Self. _i__ + _ji___()_i___lIl)y w,,s prui_il of heT_ and k__eTefope an_iouS to + _(_(.__u l___i. i)i__, ii,ess wIlile he Wa8 in the hU_ouT to luse Iier_ + j__ l_()_)(_(l t() tiiIish it b_ ShOOtiltg a WOTd o__ t_O &t Verno_ + _o__(),__ (li,_iIci._ Cl__T_'S _eti_tio_ tO be Set fTee_.Te1ea8ecl fro_ + )ii))),, lIL_Ll v_b__uely f_.ighteUe eVen _OTe kba_ lt OfEe_ded hi_ + pi_i..(l_u- . _ , , --.___ _ _,- - -__- + + + ________ Cl__i.a nop Vernon appeared &t t'h_e _id_day t__le_ + D_. _id(lle_oi_ t_lked with Miss _ale ,on _ _Ssi__l __i tt_r_'_ + iij_e _ 6ood-n___tLi_.ed 6iai_t 6_i_ing & Ghild the ___np _'_.on_ + _tune to _tone aGro_S a braWlin( __ inOU__taiß _foPd_ So t2_at a__ + u__p,(_ified ___idiei_Ge _ni62it real y 8uppO.8e_ upon _seeii_6 l_e_ + o______ the difhculty_ she had done _o_neth_n6 fop ber_elf_ _i_ + _viljoli____k)y w__s proud of heT, and the_efo_e an_iouS to + ___.tle li__i. i)u__inesS Whike he W_S î_ the hum'ou_ to_ lose her_ + __e l_op(_d to finish it by 8hooting a wopd o_ tWo ak Verno__ _ + _eforR_ _(in_icr_ Clara's petition to _ Set _free, releaSed fro_ + )ii__, h_d va6uely frigbte_ed eve_ _ore tban it o_e_ded hiD + pi.icle. -. - - - - - ' + + +Recognita Standard 3.2.7AK: + + ~rFr~rrmx Clara nor Vernon apneared at the mid-da~'table. + Dr. bLidrlleton talkc;d wi.th Miss Dale vn elassieal matters, + like a ~n~a-mZtured giant gi.ving a child th© jucnp frvm + stonc to stone across a brawling mounta,in ford, so that au + uiicilificd .ruciicucc mil;·ht really suppasc, upon seeixig hor + ·n~er thc ciillicul.ty, she had clouo something for herself. Sir + ~Villcm;;lrlry wvs proua of her, and therefors angiaus to + sct.tla lrur tn~sincss while he was in the humoar to lose her. + lle lu,hcot to iinish it by shooting a word ar two at Vernon + bol'ore ~linncr. Clara's petition to bo set froe, released £rom + JGGnt., hvd vagucly frighteued even more than it offended hia + ri~le. + p + + NEITfi~R Clara nor Vernon appeareci at the xnid-day table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Dalo on classics,l rnatters', + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jtimp from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + unedified audience might really suppose, upon ~ seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + yillon ;hby was proud of her, and therefore anxiotis to + scttle luer business while he w~as in the hurxiour to lose her: + He hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + jcLm, had vaguely frighteued even more than it offended his + pride. + + +OmniPage Pro 10: + + NF r~rn,Px Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-dap table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Dale on classical matter, + like .t good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + uneVified audience might really suppose, upon seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + jV;llo,r;;lrl>y was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + set.tlo lror Uusiness while he was in the humour to lose her. + Ile. lropcol to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + bol'ore dinner. Clara's petition to beset free, released from + )zinc, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pride. + + NEITHER Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Bale on classical matters', + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + unedified audience might really suppose, upon ~ seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + yillou ;hby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + settle her business while he was in the humour to lose her. + He hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clam's petition to be set free, released from + him, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pride. + + +OmniPage Pro 11: + + NF f,rnMR Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Dale on classical matters, + like .t good-natared giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + une(lifie(l audience might really suppose, upon seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + jVillon;hl)y was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + setale leer business while he was in the humour to lose her. + lle hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + bofore dinner. Clara's petition to beset free, released from + )lint, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pride. + -.2 ..1_ - ____ + + NEITHER Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table. + Dr. Middleton talked with Miss Dale on classical matters', + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + unedified audience might really suppose, upon,seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + Willoughby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + settle her business while he was in the huniour to lose her. + Il"e hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + hint, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pride. - - + + +TextBridge Millennium Pro: + + NErr'!'~~ Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid.day table. + pr. ~1id(lIeto11 talked with Miss Dale on classical matters, + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that au + ~1edifi~ tLU(llCIlCC might really suppose, upon seeing her + over the (hjiheulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + wiflouighby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + settle her business while he was in the humour to lose her. + lie ho1)ed to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + him, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + prú~t~. + + NEITHER Clara nor Vernon appeared at the mid-day table. + Pr. Middleton talked with Miss Dale on classical matters, + like a good-natured giant giving a child the jump from + stone to stone across a brawling mountain ford, so that an + une(lified audience might really suppose, upon - seeing her + over the difficulty, she had done something for herself. Sir + Willoughby was proud of her, and therefore anxious to + settle hier l)uSifleSS while he was in the humour to lose her. + lie hoped to finish it by shooting a word or two at Vernon + before dinner. Clara's petition to be set free, released from + hirn~, had vaguely frightened even more than it offended his + pri(le. + + + * * * * * + +Scan 4--A Really Bad Case! + +Scan4 is a paragraph from Pope's translation of Homer's "Odyssey". +This is a very, very tough one. It was obviously a cheap printing to +begin with, using thin, poor-quality paper in a page size of 6" by +4.5", with capital letters about 1.5 mm high, a little bigger than +Times New Roman size 8. Text this small really needs a +higher-resolution scan. The book was falling apart when I got it, the +ink was fading and flaking, and there was no point in even thinking +about trying to scan it flat, so I cut the pages. To add an extra +challenge, I scanned the sample with the cover open in a medium-lit +room for the 300 and 400dpi scans, but closed the cover for the 600dpi +to show the best quality I could possibly get. (I was pleased to note +that Abbyy, while recognizing the page in the 300dpi and 400dpi +images, flashed up a suggestion that I should lower the brightness of +the scan.) + +This particular book was one I sporadically tried to produce, without +success, on an older scanner and a bundled OCR program over a period +of two years, back in 98/99. Eventually, in 2000, it was the first +book processed through Charles Franks' Distributed Proofreaders site. +The initial text produced by the OCR was very poor, but the human +volunteers made up for it! Thanks, guys! Today, just two years later, +with a better scanner and better OCR, I could have done it myself, as +you will see from the best of the results of the 600dpi scans. That's +how much things have improved recently. + +A separate point to note here is that you can see the "three-quarter +space" effect before the exclamation mark and semi-colon that was +discussed in [V.104]. + +The results of the OCR are: + +Abbyy FineReader 6: + + " Ah me ! on what inhospitable coast, + On Tvh.it new region is Ulysses toss'd ; + Possess'd by wild barbarians fierce in arms ; + Or men. whose bosom tender pity warms ? + What sounds are these that gather from the shores ? + The voice of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd Pryads of the shady wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voir-e? but issuing1 from the shades, + AVhv cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + " Ah me ! on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is Ulysses toss'd ; + Possess'd by wild barbarians fierce in arms ; + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warms '? + "What sounds are these that gather from the shores ? + The voice of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd Dryads of the shady wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? but issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + " Ah me ! on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is Ulysses toss'd ; + Possess'd by wild barbarians fierce in arms ; + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warms ? + "What sounds are these that gather from the shores ? + The voice of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd*Dryads of the slrady wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? but issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + +gocr 0.3.6: + + [The 300 and 400 dpi scans produced nothing recognizable. + The result of the 600 dpi scan is below.] + + + '' _hh i_3e ! o_1 ___l_at_ i__l__sl__ it_nble CoaSt_ + On ___l_,__ _)e_v i_e_io__ i__ ___ _._____ses toss'd ; + _(3s3gs3_d l3.__ ___iiíi l3_3__b___i_c_i3_ fie_Ce in il__S- _ + Or i11pn, __-i)c3se l_osonl te_1de_ _it____ __ai_n3__ ? + ___l_at __o__i1ds Qre tlipse tliat g__tl_p_r fE_oi33 the shoTes ? + '_ilie __oi__e of i)____ E1)l3l3s tl3nT 1i_n__nt the s__l__inn bo_Ye_5_ + 3'l_e fni___i____ir'd _____-ads of' il_e sli__d__ i___oOd _ + Op az(_pe da_____litc__s of _tlie sil __?r t1ood ; + Or l___i31_nn ___)i___? l3__t i3____ii_6 fi_oi11 tlie __hiade__ _ + __'!3.__ _ea___e _ s_rai__li.t to l_ar_i1- i_--li__t so_nd- in__ad_S___'' + + + +Recognita Standard 3.2.7AK: + + .: lh nt"'. on w-hat inlu,;y:t, I,:e co;;~t, + On ~cli^t ne~- re~ion i.. 1= 1-.-:.:e~ tm:'d ; + Possea'd 1n- wil~l L;,rba~:c, .~ fierce in arm~ ; + Or u.~u. w-Ln.e bossum tender pit~- warna'? + ~l-u:lt .<,:~;;::;3s are tll~ce that ~atl:er from the shnre~ ? + 'I'l.e -;;o'.re :,; nwtthil: tW ,t l:aa;nt the s~-l:c 1llJOR'er5, + 'lhe :a,:~-h ~;r'd~It.wa~i~ ot' tl:e ~Il;;dv vood; + Or az.lre dau~~l.ts~: oY tl:c ·:iv-~~r floo;:3 ; + C?r humnn ~-<:i: e'? l,~:tt i~~; from tl:c· ~had~~, + 11-lts- cea~e I ctrai rlit to learn ~s-l:, t socud incades %" + + + " ~h me ! ou "-Mat iuMospita~le coast, + On ~i-lmt ne~c reyion is L 1~-~ses to~s'd ; + Pos:e;s'd 1"~ w-iMl lrvrbaria:ns fiet~ce in arms ; + Or m~ n, "-hose hosom tender pit~- warm5 ? + ~~~hat ~ounds are tlmse tMat ~;atMer from t:he shores ? + ~t'I~e ~-oi~~e of n~-Inhhs t.hat liaunt the s~-l~~a n howers + . + Tlie fair-hnir'd D~ vads ot tl:e shad~- "-ood ; + Or aznre dau~liters of tMe sil~-~r fiood ; + Or lmman ~-oi:~e'? but iauin~ frotn the shades, a + lVly cea.~e I straibht to learn "-Mat souud in~ad°s?" + + + " Ah me ! on what inhospitable coast + On ~~-hat new r e~ion is L;1 ~-sses toss'd ~ + , + Possess'd 1J~- "-ilil I:OII'uai'la ils fierce in arms_ · + Or men, whose hosom tender pit~l ~varn~s ? + ~'G'l~at somnds are these tliat ~atl~er from the shores ? + ~I'Iie v oice of n~-mpl~S that ~munt the sy Ivan bowers, + Tlie fair -hair'd D~~~-ads of tl~e slmdy wood ; + Or azure daylltcrs of tlle silver flood ; + Or lm:nan voice? uut issL~ing from the shades, + ~~'lm cea~e I strai~ht to Iearn ~~-lmt so~nd inv ades ?" + + +OmniPage Pro 10: + + ,. _lh in- ' on "-hat inh-slit al.:e coast, + On "M.^t new reion is 1=1;-a:e~ to-s'd ; + P"::e:~'d hw "ild Larba.:an~ fierce in arms ; + Or inn. "-hnse bo.,om tender pity warms + What <m-,n ds are thFSe that gather from the shores? + '1-l.e vo_,e o2 u~vnhit: thm hn,,-,nt The sylvan bowers, + The is ;r-ha;r'd h.-;-ads of the liz-Ay iNood + Or azure dau_ht;- of tl:c o=1 cr flooj ; + Or hnnmn wire? l,11t i--rii:g from the shadP3, + Al-ly cease I straiAlit to learn what sound invades?" + + 'Wh me ! on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is L fusses toss'd ; + Possess'd br wild barbaric ns fierce in arms ; + Or men, whose bosom tender pith- warms + AN-hat sounds are these that gather from the shores ? + The voice of nymphs that Haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd IWvads of the shady -wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? bat iauina from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + " Ah me! on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is Ll ysses toss'd ; + Possess'd bv -wild barbarians fierce in arms ; + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warnis ? + AVlia± sounds are these that gatller from the shores + The voice of nYI11pliS that haunt the -sylvan bowers, + The fair -hair'd D.-yads of the shady wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? lout issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + +OmniPage Pro 11: + + .` lh in-' on what inhospital,le co-st, + On xclznt near region is t 1:-sse~ toss'(: ; + Possess'd bY Mild barbarians fierce in aims ; + Or inn. whose boson tender pity warms + What <m-,n ds are tlipse that gather from the shores ? + '_I-I.e 1-o=,- of nv:npii? that haunt the sylvan bowers, + She ra;r-ha;r'd 1):, ads of the shad- wood ; + Or az.ire dau_lit~- of tl:e silo-:-r flood ; + Or human voice? l,,tt i?snina from the shadpq, + Al-lry cease I straiAit to learn shat sound invades?" + + + ''' :Ah me ! on what inhospitable coast, + On iyhat new region is Ulysses toss'd ; + Possess'd br wild barbarimis fierce in arms ; + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warms + AN-hat sounds are tliese that gather from the shores ? + The voice of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd D~ yads of the shady -wood + ; + Or azure dau.L-hters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? but issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + + " Ah me! on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is Ulysses toss'd ; + Possess'd by -wild barbarians fierce in arms ; + Or n1en, whose bosom tender pity warnis ? + AVliat sounds are these that gather from the shores + The voice of nyniplis that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd Dryads of the shady Wood ; + Or azure daughters of the silver flood ; + Or human voice? but issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straight to learn what sound invades?" + + +TextBridge Millennium Pro: + + no on what inhe~ptaEie coast, + On what new realun is hivs,e' to5sd + ,s~s Ä-~d liv wild lie il)~m.ihI fir see in al-rn~ + Or u~,-n. w'linse bo,uuiu tender pity warnls + Wl at ~ are t1ie~e that ~atler from the shores ? + 'n.e a oro of imvntpirs tint he~nt the sad van bowers, + 'flie tah'-ha~r'd D~vahs ct the shady wood + 1)1' az Ire dauul~t ~ of tl,e shvr flood + Or liunian vi i 'I ? h'tt is- eng from the shades, + \VIiv cea-~e I straight to learn w hat sound invades 1" + + + Ah me on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is U vases toss'd + Possess'd by wild barbarians fierce in arms + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warms ~ + What sounds are these that gather from the shores? + The voi'e of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-baird Prvads of tl~e shady wood + Or azure daughters of the silver flood + Or human vuiae? but issuing fi'om the shades, + Why cease I straigl~t to learn what sound invades?" + + + Ah me on what inhospitable coast, + On what new region is Ulysses toss'd + Possess'd by wild barbarians fierce in arms + Or men, whose bosom tender pity warms? + What sounds are these that gather from the shores? + rfhe voice of nymphs that haunt the sylvan bowers, + The fair-hair'd Dtyads of the shady wood; + Or azure daughters of 'the silver flood + Or human voice? but issuing from the shades, + Why cease I straigl~t to learn what sOund invades?" + + + +What can we conclude from this? + +Small mistakes in scanning, like letting too much light in, getting +your scanner settings wrong for the page, or not pressing the paper +flat enough, can make a major difference to the final quality of the +text that you will have to correct. + +Sometimes, no matter what you do with your scanner, problems with the +paper or the print will make it difficult for your OCR package to give +good output. + +Generally, bigger is better within the range 300dpi-600dpi, but you +only need higher resolution with more difficult material. + +Different OCR packages will produce widely differing texts from the +same images. Given a really good image, most OCR software will work +acceptably, but when you have lower quality material to work with, the +gap between OCR packages shows clearly. + + + +S.18. I got an OCR package bundled with my scanner. Is it good enough + to use? + +That depends on how well your package performs on the actual scans +that you do, and how much you value your time vs. money. Most scanners +are bundled with OCR software, but these OCR packages are often older +or "brain-damaged" versions, with their functionality deliberately +lowered. It's unlikely that you'll get a current-version, +top-of-the-line OCR package thrown in for free. + +You may have to pay extra for better OCR, but it means that you spend +less time making corrections. The question is how much better you want +your OCR to be. + +Save the images from the FAQ "Why am I getting a lot of mistakes in my +OCRed text?" [S.17] and try processing them with the OCR you have. +Compare the quality of the text produced with the quality of the +samples. This should give you some idea of how your OCR compares to +others. + +Try a few pages from your book with your OCR. How many mistakes do you +see on each page? Do you find that acceptable? + + + +S.19. I want to include some images with a HTML version. How should I + scan them? + +We don't often see color prints in our books, but if you do have one, +then scan it in color. Otherwise, try both greyscale and B&W, and see +which gives you the best image. + +It's usually better to scan images in a higher resolution than you're +going to use, and then use an image manipulation package to reduce +them [H.10] to a size appropriate for your HTML file. An initial scan +at 600dpi is often good. Image manipulation programs will also allow +you to "clean up" the pictures, by increasing contrast, despeckling, +or other filtering. + + + +S.20. I want to include some images with a HTML version. What type of + image should I use? + +GIF, JPEG and PNG images are supported by current browsers, and you +should stick with those unless you have a specific reason not to. + +GIF and PNG tend to be more efficient--provide better quality at a +given file size--for simple line-drawings; JPEG is usually better for +photographic images. + + + +S.21. Will PG store scanned page images of my book? + +No. Or, at least, not yet. + +The idea has been kicked around a bit. There's no question of +replacing etexts with page images, but many volunteers who have +already scanned the book anyway like the idea of saving page images as +well--for general information, and as a means of checking future +correction suggestions against the original. Some volunteers already +keep their page images, stored for possible future use. + +Working some back-of-the-napkin figures: a page of text might take up +1KB of space on a computer as plain text or HTML or XML. The same page +might take 70KB if stored as a black-and-white image, of just enough +quality to serve as a reliable guide to making corrections. Pages with +pictures, or stored with enough resolution to allow some future +researcher to write a paper on the changing shape of serifs in the +18th and 19th centuries, would start at around 350KB per page, and go +up from there. + +A 300 page book thus becomes + + about 300KB as plain text (and around 150K zipped) + about 20,000KB as minimal-quality images + about 100,000KB as high-quality images + +and with the images, we won't save much space on the zipping, because +they're already compressed. + +On a normal "56K" modem, getting about 4KB / second, it would take: + + 75 seconds to download the text file (40 for the Zip) + 80 minutes to download the minimal images + over 5 hours to download the high-res images. + +Someday, the disk and bandwidth capacities that we will take for +granted will be such that uploading images, when we have them, will be +quite natural, just for the few people who will want them. But we're +not quite there yet. + +Late flash! As of late 2002, the Internet Archive is providing space +to volunteers for storing page images. To see the images, and find +out more, go to <http://texts01.archive.org/gutenberg-images/> + + + + + +HTML FAQ + +H.1. Can I submit a HTML version of my text? + +Yes. + + + +H.2. Why should I make a HTML version? + +Well, you can make one just because you want to, but on some texts +there is special reason to. + +If you want to preserve the pictures that accompany the text, making a +HTML version means that you can specify where and how those images +appear. + +If there is particular meaningful information in the layout of the +text that can't be expressed in ASCII, like special characters or +complex tables or fonts, HTML may offer an open format alternative. + + + +H.3. Can I submit a HTML version without a plain ASCII version? + +You can submit it, but the Posting Team will then consider whether +we should also make an ASCII, or perhaps ISO-8859 or Unicode version +of it. We really do want our texts to be viewable by everybody, under +every circumstances, and we do not want to start posting texts that +are in any way inaccessible to anyone. + +See also the FAQ [G.17] "Why is PG so set on using Plain Vanilla +ASCII?" + + + +H.4. What are the PG rules for HTML texts? + +1. The only absolute rule is that the HTML should be valid according +to one of the W3C HTML standards. + +You can verify that your HTML is valid at the W3C's HTML Validator at +<http://validator.w3.org/> + +For a more convenient and friendly, though less official, check of the +correctness of your HTML, you should use Dave Raggett's Tidy program +at <http://tidy.sourceforge.net>, which not only points out any +messiness in your HTML code, but also has some neat modes to clean it +up and standardize the formatting. + +After that, we have some requirements and recommendations. Compliance +with the requirements might be waived if there is a really good reason +to make an exception in this case. + + +2. Requirement: File names and extensions + +If you want your text to work within 8.3 filename conventions, you may +use .htm as the extension for your HTML files; otherwise, use .html as +the extension. If you are working to 8.3 conventions, all of your +images as well as your HTML files should have 8.3-compliant filenames. + +All file names and extensions should be in lower-case throughout. Yes, +we know this is not strictly necessary, but we don't want to have to +correct every file that comes with "image.gif" referenced in the HTML +accompanied by a file IMAGE.GIF. + + +3. Requirement: HTML and plain-text + +Project Gutenberg does publish well-formatted, standards compliant +HTML. However, we insist that a plain text version be available for +all HTML documents we publish (even if images or formatting are +absent), except when ASCII can't reasonably be used at all, for +example with Arabic, or mathematical texts. + + +4. Requirement: Archive format for posting + +If the HTML book contains more than one file (including images), create +a ZIP (preferable) or TAR archive containing all of the files in the +book. The ZIP file may, if you wish, unzip to a subdirectory named for +the book. For example, a book called 'The Humour of Mark Twain' might +unzip in a directory called 'mthumor'. Make sure directory names +contain only alphabetic and numeric characters, no spaces, and are 8 +characters or less, even if you're not sticking to 8.3 conventions for +filenames. + + +5. Recommendation: Simplicity + +Make your HTML as simple as possible. HTML is an evolving standard, +and one that may be completely obsolete in the long term. Use of +advanced features may just mean that your version will be obsolete or +unreadable that much faster. + + +6. Recommendation: Images + +Images included with your HTML should be in a format that Web browsers +can read: GIF, JPEG or PNG. Images should be edited for high quality +in a reasonably small file size. Make the best decision you can +concerning the image size and placement in the text. Every image +included must be linked into (referenced by) the HTML. + + +7. Recommendation: Line lengths + +If it is reasonable to do so, try to wrap paragraphs of text at around +the normal PG margin of 70 characters. Ideally, your HTML should be as +near as possible identical to your text version except for the HTML +tags and entities. People who open your HTML won't all be using +browsers, people will need to make corrections, not all editors can +handle very long lines, and even with editors that can handle long +lines, it's easier to work with short lines. + + +Apart from these rules and recommendations, we also have a rule about +the PG header, but that will normally be handled by the Posting +Team. Where your HTML is all in one file, the header text will be +inserted within PRE tags in that file. Where the HTML is split into +multiple pages, the header will be put into a separate file named +index.htm or index.html, and will link to the first page of your HTML. + + + +H.5. Can I use Javascript or other scripting languages in my HTML? + +No. + +We don't want our readers to have to worry about any potential for +malicious or just plain buggy code. + + + +H.6. Should I make my HTML edition all on one page, or split it into + multiple linked pages? + +For a typical novel, one page or HTML file is appropriate, but when +that single HTML file gets up around 2 megabytes in size, it may be +worth considering a split because of the difficulty of loading it in +some browsers. + +In some other cases, where the content requires different styles on +different pages, or different pages need different character sets, or +the page, with images, just gets too heavy, you may need to split the +HTML even if the HTML itself isn't technically too big. + +When we post a HTML eBook containing multiple files, whether they +contain text or images, we post them only in zipped format, so if you +don't have images, and want your text to be directly accessible, you +should stick to one file where possible. + + + +H.7. How can I check that I haven't made mistakes in coding my HTML? + +There are two kinds of mistakes you can make in coding HTML: +you can produce invalid HTML, or you can produce HTML that +doesn't do what you want. + +Checking for invalid HTML is straightforward. The W3C site +<http://validator.w3.org> will formally validate your file +and point out any mistakes, and this is the official standard. +However, it is not always convenient to use, especially when +you're in a cycle of fix-and-retest. For this, you should try +the program Tidy <http://tidy.sourceforge.net>, which runs +on your computer, tells you about errors, and has other useful +functions as well. Tidy is available for just about every +operating system, and there are several Windows utilities that +include Tidy. The links on the main Tidy page will lead you +to the right version for you. Tidy is fast and friendly, +compared to validation over the web, but it is not the last +word. The W3C Validator may find formal errors, such as +DOCTYPE mismatches with HTML tags or entitles, that Tidy +may not. The best solution is to complete your HTML tests +using Tidy, and then, when Tidy finds nothing further to +gripe about, submit it to <http://validator.w3.org> for the +official seal of approval. Please run these checks before +submitting your HTML; we can generally fix it for you, but +it may take us a lot of work. + +Producing HTML that actually does what you want is equally +important. If you've converted the eBook from text, you may +have created inconsistencies, or closed an italics tag in the +wrong place, or used the wrong tag at some points. The only way +to check this is by reading through the HTML in a browser. + + +H.8. Can I submit a HTML or other format of somebody else's text? + +Maybe. + +This question has several complications. First, you must +understand that it is quite possible, even likely, that your +HTML file will eventually be overwritten by better information. + +The value of a HTML file, as opposed to a plain text file, +lies in its ability to capture elements of the original that +have been lost in the plain text. A plain text file, using +extended character sets like ISO-8859 [V.76] or Unicode [V.77] +and _underscores_ for italics, can capture all of the author's +intent in almost all cases. Sometimes, images and other important +features of the original cannot be captured in plain text alone, +but can be captured in HTML, or other markup. + +When Michael Hart stopped posting books, in September 2001, we +had HTML formats of about 1.6% of all our eBooks. At the end of +2002, that has risen to nearly 11% of all our eBooks. If you +have a clearable copy of an existing posted book, with extra +features not included in the original plain text, we would +encourage you to make a new edition, or version, or format, +correcting any errors in the original, and adding any new +information not included there. + +If, on the other hand, you just want to make a "blind format +change"--making your best guess at what the HTML, or other format, +layout should be for a book you've never seen, based on the original +producer's work--your best bet is to get in touch with the original +producer, and ask whether they can supply more material for you to +work with. Otherwise, you are at best just rearranging information +rather than contributing something new. + +A blind format conversion can be done in anything from 2 minutes +[R.33] to an hour. It just doesn't make sense for us to keep posting +these files when they contain nothing new, and especially when two +people may want to convert the same text. It is likely that, at some +time in the next couple of years, we will start on a large-scale +conversion project, to add some form of markup to all of the existing +text files for ease of serving, and having a mish-mash of existing +markup styles to deal with at that point won't help either. + + + +H.9. How big can the images be in a HTML file? + +The images should be as big as necessary, and no bigger. + +Sorry, but there is no clear number to give here. Web page designers +sweat blood to save an extra 20K on a page; so should you. If you're +an experienced HTML maker, you know this stuff; if you're not, take it +as a guideline that you should generally aim to keep your images in +the 30K to 50K size range, with occasional forays into 70-80K +territory. That's generally big enough for a clear picture, unless +you're reproducing fine artwork. + + + + +H.10. The images I've scanned are too big for inclusion in HTML. + What can I do about it? + +This is a common problem, where images from the book occupy a full or +half page. Your images should be of an appropriate size for +downloading, and 2 megabytes of high-quality scan per image is not +really an appropriate size for most PG texts! + +You should reduce the size, and maybe the quality, of the original +scan for simple viewing purposes. There is lots of image-manipulation +software to do this. For Windows, you might look at the freeware +Irfanview, and for both *nix and Windows there is ImageMagick [P.1]. +Look for the words "resize" and "resample" in the Help. + +Apart from simple converters, which do enough for this purpose, you +can also manipulate the images in full imaging creation and editing +packages like Paint Shop Pro, Adobe Photoshop and The Gimp [P.1]. + +Different image encoding methods can make a huge difference to the +filesize. Any of the packages mentioned above can encode images as +GIF, JPEG or PNG, and, particularly for black and white line drawings, +these can encode to very different sizes. So, for example, a 60K JPEG +may save as a 30K GIF, because the GIF encoding works better for that +particular image. Try your images out, and see what works. + +When manipulating images, always work from your original. Don't +convert your original to a JPEG, and then shrink that and convert it +to a GIF. Depending on the format, images may lose definition as they +are converted (search for "lossy compression" in your favorite search +engine to find out more about this), and they certainly lose +definition as they are resized, and you end up with the "imperfect +copy of an imperfect copy of an . . ." effect. When you're +experimenting, take your original, resize and Save As GIF, then go +back to your original, resize and Save As JPG, and so on. + +You can also use an image optimizer. These are specialist software +programs that try to make image files smaller without sacrificing +resolution or detail. + + + +H.11. Can I include decorative images I've made or found? + +No. + +Please include only the images you got from the book. If you want to +make an edition of the book for your own web site, you can of course +use whatever you like there, but for PG purposes, we want the book, +the whole book, and nothing but the book. + + + +H.12. How can I make a plain text version from a HTML file? + +You can edit out the HTML by hand, of course, but there are several +easier ways to convert. + +You can view the HTML in a browser, Select All text, and just Copy and +Paste into your editor. This is easiest, but doesn't handle formatting +like tables very well. + +You can use the Lynx [P.1] browser to convert your text with the command + lynx -dump myfile.html > myfile.txt + +Bruce Guthrie's HTMSTRIP for MS-DOS [P.1] is very configurable. + +<http://www.w3.org/Tools/html2things.html> has a list of other HTML to +plain text converters. + + + +H.13. How can I make a HTML version from my plain text file? + +This is not a course in HTML, but, for most books, you don't really +need a course in HTML. Making a HTML format of most books is very +easy, and doesn't take long, once you have mastered basic HTML. Let's +assume you have your completed PG plain text file ready, and walk +through the steps commonly needed to make a HTML version. We'll do +this by successive approximation, doing the major things first, and +then dealing more and more with the detail. + +There are lots of specialized HTML editors out there, but you don't +actually need any of them. The same editor that you used to create +your text will also create your HTML. HTML is just text, with two +types of special instructions added: tags and entities. + +A _tag_ is an instruction to the browser, usually to display something +with specific rules. Tags are shown within angled brackets: for +example, <p> is the instruction to start a new paragraph. + +An _entity_ is a named special character that might not be available +in your character set. Entities are shown starting with an ampersand +"&" and ending with a semi-colon ";" : for example, — is the +representation of an em-dash. + +I'm marking up a made-up short text as I write these steps, loosely +based on the sample page from question [V.121]. You can see the +changes made at each stage by looking at the files + + htmstep0.txt (text before starting) + htmstep1.htm (after adding the HTML header and footer) + htmstep2.htm (after adding paragraph marks) + htmstep3.htm (after marking main headings) + htmstep4.htm (after adding special line breaks and indents) + htmstep5.htm (after adding italics and bold) + htmstep6.htm (after adding accents and non-ASCII characters) + htmstep7.htm (after adding an image) + htmstep8.htm (showing some extra techniques) + +Before you start, make sure that you can see these files both +in your browser and in your editor. In your editor, you should +see the HTML codes; in your browser, you should see the text +as it is intended to be viewed. + + +Note for people who already know HTML: yes, this example omits +lots of possible ways to do things, and lots of refinements. You +already know how to do what you want to do--skip onwards, and +give the beginners room to learn in peace! :-) + + + +Step 1. Add the HTML header and footer information + +Add the following lines at the top of your text file: + +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> +<html> +<head> +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of My Book, by A. N. Author</title> +</head> +<body> + +Let's explain these one by one: + +<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> + + says that your file is HTML 4.01 Transitional, which is the + latest version, allowing the widest range of tags and entities. + + +<html> + + denotes the start of the HTML + + +<head> + + denotes the start of the HTML header information. + + +<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=ISO-8859-1"> + + says that the characters are text, using ISO-8859-1 encoding. + If you need to use a different character set, you should change + ISO-8859-1 to whatever you intend to use. ISO-8859-1 is good for + lots of PG books in English that use French or German words. + + +<title>The Project Gutenberg eBook of My Book, by A. N. Author</title> + + You should obviously change this to the actual title and author + you're producing. The + + +</head> + + denotes the end of the HTML header information and + + +<body> + + denotes the start of the actual text itself - the body of the book. + + +At the very end of the file, you should append these two lines + +</body> +</html> + + these denote the end of the body of the book, + and the end of the HTML. + +At this point, you actually have a valid HTML file! OK, if you view it +with a browser, it doesn't look anything like the way it's supposed to, +but it _is_ HTML. Save it with a name like MYFILE1.HTM or STEP1.HTM and +get a copy of Tidy for your DOS, Unix, Mac or Windows system from +<http://tidy.sourceforge.net>. Run Tidy on your file, telling it just +to look for errors (tidy -e if running from a command-line; if you're +using a GUI version, there should me a menu option or tickbox for +showing errors only). Tidy should tell you that there are no errors. +Yay! + +If it does say that there are errors, deal with them now, before you +continue. Make sure, at each step, that you have cleaned up any +errors; it's a lot easier now than later. Also, when you've finished +each step, save your file with a number in its name, so that if you +run into problems later and get confused, you can, at worst, drop +back to the correct version at the end of the previous step. + +The most likely error you might have at this point relates to the +characters "<", ">", or "&". These are the characters used by HTML +to indicate tags and entities. If these characters are used in the +text of your file, (and ampersand is likely to be), you should +replace them with entities, so that HTML will know that they are +to be displayed as characters, not interpreted as commands. + +Replace & with & + < with < + > with > + +There is an example of this in the file htmstep1.htm + + + +Step 2. Add paragraph marks. + +For novels and general prose, paragraphs are the main logical and +display unit. Paragraphs are marked in HTML with the sign <p> at +the start, and </p> at the end. You don't actually need the </p> +at the end, but adding these is a good habit to get into. You do, +very much, need the <p> at the start. + +The line-lengths within a <p> </p> pair are irrelevant; the browser +in which the text is viewed will ignore extra spaces and line-ends, +and will wrap text to fit the screen. This is bad for poetry and +tables, but we will discuss those later. For this step, all you +need to know is that you can leave your text exactly as it is, +and just add the paragraph marks. + +Put a <p> at the start of the line before the first letter of every +paragraph, and a </p> just after the last letter or punctuation of +every paragraph. If you can do macros in your editor, this will +just take a minute; otherwise, it may be rather boring, but at +least it is simple. For this step, put the paragraph marks around +_everything_ that has a blank line after it, even poetry or chapter +titles. We'll come back and change that later. + +Now save your text as something like MYFILE2.HTM or STEP2.HTM. +Again, run Tidy to check for errors, and fix them before continuing. + +If you now look at the file htmstep2.htm in your browser, you will +see that it is starting to take shape. Look at it in your editor, +and you will see the paragraph marks. + + + +Step 3. Add marks for headings. + +We want to indicate to the reader that certain lines are for chapter +or other headings. HTML provides the tags <h1>, <h2>, and so on for +this. <h1> is for the biggest heading, and usually, you will reserve +this for the title, and use <h2> for chapter headings. If you find +these too big, you could choose <h2> for main headings, and <h3> +for chapters. Whenever you use one of these header tags, you must +close it with its equivalent end tag. So a chapter heading might +look like: + +<h2>Chapter XI</h2> + +Since there won't be many headers, and most headers are only on one +line, this is usually not hard. Look at the file htmstep3.htm to +see how our sample is improving, and if you're working along with +me, don't forget to save your file under a new name and check it. + +In our example, we have marked some lines with paragraph marks +where we now want to put headings, so we will change those <p>s +into <h2>s, since we don't need or want to mark a line as both. + + + +Step 4. Line up verse, tables of contents, and other lists. + +The HTML tag <br> tells the browser to force a line break without +starting a new paragraph. We use this when we don't want text all +wrapped together, but not separated with blank lines either, for +example in verse and tables of contents. + +In our sample, we add the <br> tag to the end of each line in the +table of contents and the end of each line of the verse. If we were +working on a whole book of poetry, the same principle would apply, +but we'd be using the <br> tag a lot more. + +Where we want to indent a line of poetry, we can use " " at +the start of the line. Normally, however many spaces you leave +between words, HTML condenses them to one space, so normal +indentation doesn't work. But the "non-breaking space" entity will +cause the browser to show one space for each character, so that +you can indent as much as you need. + +The file htmstep4.htm shows the effect: this is now an entirely +readable HTML text! + + + +Step 5. Add back in italics and bold. + +The HTML tag <i> tells the browser to start displaying italics, +and the </i> tells it to stop. Similarly, the <b> tag tells it +to display bold, and </b> marks the end of the bold text. See +htmstep5.htm for the changes. + + + +Step 6. Restore accents and special characters. + +Since we declared our HTML file to use ISO-8859-1 back at the start, +we can use any of the common accented characters for Western European +languages, but we may also use HTML entities. For example, for the +"a circumflex" in "flaneur", we can use either the ISO-8859 character +directly, or the HTML entity name "â" or number "â". + +There is a trade-off between characters and entities: entities do not +limit you to any particular character set, but characters are directly +readable when looking at the HTML source. + +Within entitles, there is also a trade-off between entity names and +numbers: older browsers may not recognize some of the entity names, but +the entities do make the text work in multiple character sets. Which you +choose is entirely up to you, but it's best to be consistent; if you +like entities, use them everywhere. Entities can be represented by their +names--for example, —--or by their number, derived from their +ISO-10646 (see Unicode) number--for example, —. + +There are other special character entities you may choose, to replace +the ASCII equivalents in the main text. Here are some of the common +ones: + +We've already seen + + & & ampersand replaces "&" + < < less than replaces "<" + > > greater than replaces ">" +   space replaces a space when you want to indent + +and these are also very useful for many PG texts: + + — — em-dash replaces "--" + ° ° degree replaces "deg." or "degrees" + £ £ British pound replaces "L" or "l" or "pounds" + +There are many others. <http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/sgml/entities.html> +has a fuller list. Please note that you don't _have_ to use these +entities in your HTML; if you're happy with the text reading +"500 pounds", there is no need to make that "£500". + +I've made a couple of entity changes in htmstep6.htm. + + + +Step 7. Link Images into the text. + +First, you need to have your image ready. You should already have +resized your image to the size you want it to be viewed at. You +should also have saved it as a GIF, JPG, or PNG image, since those +are the formats most supported by current browsers. + +If your image is named front.gif, and it is a picture of the +frontispiece of the book, you should add the line + +<img src="front.gif" alt="Frontispiece"> + +to your HTML at the place where you want it displayed. + +The "alt" text gives a label to the image, and is displayed if +the image can't be shown, or in the case of a browser for +visually impaired people. + +You don't _have_ to add images with your HTML file, unless you +want to. In many older books, there are no images at all to +be added. + +My final HTML text is now in htmstep7.htm. You need to have +the image front.gif in the same directory in order to see it. +When your HTML text is posted, the images will be zipped with +it, so that future readers can see them. + + + +Step 8. Over to you! + +This is enough to make a reasonable HTML format of most PG +texts, but it doesn't begin to cover everything that can be +done in HTML. If you've gone this far, I recommend the W3C's +tutorials: + +<http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/> + + and + +<http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/Advanced.html> + +which cover the ground we've just crossed, and go a bit further. + +Here are a few more things you might want to know, but don't go +nuts adding tags just because you can! Use them only when you +really need them. The file htmstep8.htm shows some of these +techniques. Personally, I think that this is a bit overdone, +and I prefer the effect of htmstep7, with left-aligned +chapter headings, but that's a matter of taste. + +Once you're used to the basic HTML needed for most PG eBooks, +you'll probably be able to convert one in under an hour. + + +How do I force more space between specific paragraphs? + +Insert a blank paragraph like this: <p> </p> or +use an extra <br> tag. + + +How do I make text, or image, or headings centered? + +Put the <center> and </center> tags around what you want centered, +like: + <center><h2>Chapter 12</h2></center> + + +How do I make some text bigger or smaller? + +Put the <big> and </big>, or <small> and </small> tags around it. + + +How do I lay out tabular information? + +The simplest way to do it is with the <PRE> and </PRE> tags. +These will cause whatever is within them to be displayed as +plain text, just as it was in the original, so that spaces +separate the entries just as they did in the text version. +You can also use this for poetry, though you usually won't +need to. It's not entirely satisfactory, but it will work. + +Making a full HTML table requires you to use the <table>, +<tr> (table row), and <td> (table detail) tags, among others, +and a full exposition of tables is beyond the scope of this FAQ. + +Briefly, you start a table with the <table> tag. + <table> + + </table> + +For each row you want in the table, you open and close a table +row <tr> tag, like: + + <table> + <tr> + </tr> + + <tr> + </tr> + </table> + +and then for each cell within a row, you specify a <td> tag and +the contents of that cell: + + <table> + <tr> + <td>This is the Top Left cell</td> + <td>This is the Top Right cell</td> + </tr> + <tr> + <td>This is the Bottom Left cell</td> + <td>This is the Bottom Right cell</td> + </tr> + </table> + + +This only scratches the surface of tables. However, there are many +guides available on the Web, and they're easy to find, once you +know which tags you're looking for. A brief discussion of tables +is provided by the W3C as part of the HTML 4.01 spec at +<http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/struct/tables.html#h-11.5> and +the tutorial at <http://www.w3.org/MarkUp/Guide/Advanced.html> +also shows how to make HTML tables. + + + +Step 9. Some common problems + +When you're just starting to code HTML, it may seem that errors are +coming at you from all sides. Tidy may spew out a stream of complaints +that you don't recognize or understand. If it's any consolation, this +is normal! + +Just take the error list one line at a time, starting at the top. +Often, one actual mistake, like not closing a tag, may cause many +errors, since an unclosed tag can cause many subsequent tags to +be reported as errors. + +Common errors include: + +1. Simple typos in tags, like <h2Chapter 3</h2> instead of + <h2>Chapter 3</h2> +2. Unclosed tags, like forgetting to add the </h2> in the + sample above, or forgetting the slash in the closing + tag so that you type <i>italics<i> instead of + <i>italics</i>. +3. Not nesting tags correctly. Get used to thinking of tags + as brackets; the first one opened should be the last one + closed. For example, you should type: + <center><p>This is centered.</p></center> + instead of + <p><center>This is centered.</p></center> + +One option for making a HTML version is to use GutenMark +<http://www.sandroid.com/GutenMark/> to create the basic HTML +straight from your text, and then edit the resulting HTML to +add the features you want. If you're having a lot of problems +with your main conversion, this is worth a try. + + + + + + + + + +Programs and programmers FAQ + +P.1. What useful programs are available for Project Gutenberg work? + +These suggestions came largely from a poll of volunteers in June, +2002. The programs listed are a summary of the programs we actually +use. There are many other programs out there that can do the same +jobs, so don't limit your search just to these. + +1. OCR + + Abbyy <http://www.abbyy.com> + OmniPage <http://www.omnipage.com> + TextBridge <http://www.textbridge.com> + +These are the three main commercial packages that volunteers bought +specifically for the purpose. In a few cases, people had got older +versions of these bundled with their scanners. + + + Clara OCR <http://www.claraocr.org/> + Gocr <http://jocr.sourceforge.net> + +These are Free Software packages. Some people who responded to the +survey had tried them, but nobody had actually used them to produce a +text. + + + DocMorph -- a free, web-based OCR <http://docmorph.nlm.nih.gov/docmorph/> + +This one is interesting--you can just submit your image through a web +page, and the service will return OCRed text. However, the process of +submission, waiting for your text, and then cutting and pasting into +your document is slow. + + +Other volunteers use various OCR software that came bundled with their +scanner. + + + +2. Editing + +The main answers, given by more than one person, were: + + AbiWord <http://www.abiword.org> + emacs + Microsoft Word + vi + Windows WordPad + Word Perfect + + +Other editors mentioned included: + + Crisp for Windows <http://www.crisp.demon.co.uk/> + EditPad <http://www.editpadpro.com> + Editplus for Windows <http://editplus.com/> + Foxpro 2.6 for DOS + Metapad <http://www.liquidninja.com/metapad/> + Windows Notepad + +Programs recommended by Apple Macintosh users included: + + AppleWorks + BBEdit Lite <http://www.barebones.com/products/bbedit_lite.html> + Microsoft Word + Nisus Writer <http://www.nisus.com/> + Text-Edit Plus <http://hometown.aol.com/tombb> + TextSpresso <http://www.taylor-design.com/textspresso/> + Add/Strip <ftp://mirrors.aol.com/pub/info-mac/_Text_Processing/> + + + +3. Checking and proofing + +For spelling, most people just use the spellchecker built into their +editor or word-processor. The *nix users running emacs or vi tended to +use variants of the standard Unix spell command, such as ispell or +aspell. Mac users have the free spelling checker Excalibur, available +from <http://www.eg.bucknell.edu/~excalibr/excalibur.html>. + +Gutcheck <http://gutcheck.sourceforge.net> was used for format checking, +and a few people had written some checking procedures of their own. + + + +4. Working with HTML + +In the survey, most volunteers preferred to handcraft their HTML using +their normal editor. Those using a word processor edited the HTML as +text, rather than composing a word processor file and then Saving As +HTML. There was remarkable unanimity on this. + +Specific HTML editors that were mentioned for occasional use were: + + Adobe PageMill (no longer available) + Mozilla Composer <http://www.mozilla.org> + HTMLKit <http://www.chami.com/html-kit/> + HTMLPad <http://www.intermania.com/htmlpad/> + + +However, not all HTML work is about editing, and the following +packages were honorably mentioned for other functions. Especially +important is Tidy, which is pretty much necessary for all but the +most experienced people for quick HTML checking. +<http://tidy.sourceforge.net> has the original, and links to +versions of Tidy for Windows (Tidy-GUI) and just about all other +platforms. + + GutenMark: + Converts Project Gutenberg texts to HTML and TeX. + <http://www.sandroid.com/GutenMark/> + + HTMSTRIP by Bruce Guthrie: + MS-DOS. Converts HTML to text + <http://users.erols.com/waynesof/bruce.htm> + + Lynx (lynx --dump): + Converts HTML to text + <http://www.lynx.org> + + Dave Raggett's HTML Tidy: + Checks HTML for correctness, reformats and fixes + <http://tidy.sourceforge.net> + + W3C html2txt (web-based): + Converts HTML to plain text. + <http://cgi.w3.org/cgi-bin/html2txt> + + W3C Validator (web-based): + The Last Word on the correctness of HTML. + <http://validator.w3.org> + + wget: + A very neat utility for getting web pages + <http://www.wget.org/> + + + +5. Working with images. + +There are two main applications of images in PG--images to be used +within texts, like illustrations in HTML, and the management of page +images for scanning. These packages are used by volunteers variously +for both of those purposes. Their typical use within PG is indicated. +"Advanced image processing" packages will permit you to edit and +restore damaged images, but for PG work, we mostly just need to +manage, convert, resize and crop them. + + ACDSEE for Windows + For image reviewing + <http://www.acdsystems.com> + + Adobe Photoshop + For advanced image processing + <http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html> + + ImageMagick for *nix, Mac and Windows + Resizing and format conversion + <http://www.imagemagick.org/> + + Irfanview for Windows + Image viewing, conversion, cropping and resizing + <http://www.irfanview.com> + + The Gimp + For advanced image processing + <http://www.gimp.org/> + + Picture Publisher + For advanced image processing + <http://www.micrografx.com/mgxproducts/picturepublisher.asp> + + VuePrint Pro + For viewing images + <http://www.hamrick.com/> + + Proofreaders' Toolkit (PRTK) + For splitting batches of image files into individual pages + <http://robertrowe.dns2go.com/> + + + +P.2. What programs could I write to help with PG work? + +Look at the programs listed above in [P.1]. Can you write a better +version of any of them? Improving OCR and editors constitutes a +major challenge, unless you're a world-class expert, but checking +and reformatting texts is an area not addressed by large scale +programs, and you might contribute there. + + + + + +Formats FAQ + +F.1. What formats does Project Gutenberg publish? + +In principle, there's no format that we won't publish, but, in +practice, we prefer formats that are open and editable. + +An open format is one whose structure is publicly defined and +documented, and not burdened with patent or trade secret or +copy-protection (a.k.a. "DRM") restrictions. Anyone can write a +reader or creator for an open format, and in 500 years' time, anyone +interested will still be able to write a program to display the file. +Closed formats, by contrast, will almost certainly be unreadable in +just a few decades, when the companies now promoting them disappear, +or lose interest, or decide to stop supporting them because they +want to sell a replacement. + +Being able to edit the file is also important. We make corrections to +our editions constantly, and it is important to us that we should be +able to update our files easily. If adding one word to a sentence +involves a complete re-marking of the whole text and a complete +rebuild of the file, we have to ask ourselves whether this format is +really necessary for this text. Further, the people who re-use our +texts should also be allowed to copy and reformat them freely, and +non-editable formats restrict their ability to do this in various ways. + + + +F.2. What is, and how do I make or use: + +[Note: Character sets and formats are both listed here. Character sets +refer to the characters you can use; formats describe how those +characters are put together. For non-text formats such as music files, +there is no exact equivalent to a character set.] + + + +ASCII (Character Set) + +ASCII (American Standard Code for Information Interchange) is a set of +common characters, including just about everything that you can type +in on an English-language keyboard. It includes the letters A-Z, a-z, +space, numbers, punctuation and some basic symbols. Every character in +this document is an ASCII character, and each character is identified +with a number from 0 through 127 internally in the computer. + +You can view or edit ASCII text using just about every text editor or +viewer in the world. + + + +Big-5 (Character Set) + +Big-5 is a set of 13,494 traditional Chinese characters. You will need +to use an editor or viewer that supports the character set. + + + +Codepage 437, 850, 1252, etc. (Character Sets) + +These codepages are Microsoft-specific character sets which allow the +display of accented characters and other symbols. To view a text that +uses one of these, you will have to use a Microsoft application that +supports them. Many of the fonts supplied with Word for Windows will +display and edit CP-1252 correctly. For Codepages 437 and 850, you may +have to open a Command Prompt and use a DOS editor like EDIT. A search +form <http://www.microsoft.com> should bring up information about the +codepage you're interested in, or you can read the excellent overview +at <http://czyborra.com/charsets/codepages.html>. For Unix users, iconv +and recode provide translation facilities from one character set to +another, and support many or all of the MS codepages. + + + +DVI + +DVI stands for DeVice Independent, and is commonly used to store text +and instructions for displaying it involving complex mathematical +symbols and expressions, though it can be used for any content. Given +a DVI file, you need a viewer to render it on the specific device +you're using. Specifically, DVI is used as the standard output format +for TeX, discussed below. + + + +HTML/HTM (Format) + +HyperText Markup Language defines the standard format of web pages. +You should be able to view these with any web browser, and edit them +with any text editor or a specialized HTML editor. <http://w3.org> is +the definitive reference. + + + +ISO-8859/ISO-Latin (Character Sets) + +ISO-8859 is a series of character sets used to represent the accented +characters most commonly used in European languages. There's +ISO-8859-1, ISO-8859-2, and so on. ISO-Latin is just another name for +the same thing. You can read the overview at +<http://czyborra.com/charsets/iso8859.html> + + + +LIT (Format for PDA-based eBooks) + +This is a proprietary, closed format for files that can be displayed +only by the Microsoft Reader. Search <http://www.microsoft.com> for +more information. It is not possible to edit or correct files in this +format; it is not possible to export files from this format; they have +to be made in another format and converted. + + + +MacRoman (Character Set) + +MacRoman is an 8-bit Apple Mac-specific character set which allows the +display of accented characters and other symbols. To view a text that +uses MacRoman, you will have to use an application that supports it, +and there are few outside the Apple fold. However, iconv and recode +are programs that convert between many character sets, and MacRoman +is supported by both. + + + +MID/MIDI (Format for music) + +Musical Instrument Digital Interface is a music description language, +encompassing not only file formats but definitions of interfaces. A +MIDI file contains instructions for sending messages to a musical +instrument to recreate the sounds. <http://www.midi.org/> has much more +on this. + + + +MP3 (Format for any audio file) + +MPEG-1, Level 3, was defined by the Moving Pictures Expert Group as a +means for encoding sounds. Many, many MP3 players exist for all +platforms, and can be found easily with a Net search. The official +home page of the MPEG is <http://mpeg.telecomitalialab.com/> and copies +of the specification can be purchased from the ISO at +<http://www.iso.ch> + + + +MPEG/MPG (Format for moving pictures) + +The Moving Pictures Expert Group have released a series of formats for +encoding video and audio. MPEG (pronounced EM-peg) formats are +published and widely used. The official home page of the MPEG is +<http://mpeg.telecomitalialab.com/> but you will find information about +MPEG formats, and software to play MPEG files, all over the Net. You +can also purchase specifications through <http://www.iso.ch> + + + +MUS (Format for music) + +MUS from Coda Music <http://www.codamusic.com/> is a proprietary, +closed format for editing and replaying sheet music. However, we do +post music files in this format because of its many features. We hope +to be able to post these also in more open standards at some point in +the future, but at the moment, there is no open format with similar +capabilities. You can find out more about this at +<http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/music/music_helpex.html#what-software> + + + +PDB (Format for PDA-based eBooks) + +The Palm Data Base format can actually be used for purposes other +than eBooks, and there are many possible variants of formats for +Palm-based readers all using the extension PDB on PCs, and they're +not all entirely compatible. Some of them are proprietary, and it +may not be possible to edit them directly, or export files from +these formats; they have to be made in another format and converted. +Some can be converted back to text. The most common, though, is the +"Palm-DOC" format, which is an open format and can be edited on the +Palm itself. + + + +PDF (Format for eBooks) + +Portable Document Format is a format for storing texts, containing any +fonts or graphics. It is copyrighted by Adobe, <http://www.adobe.com> +but is well and publicly documented. It is sometimes referred to as a +kind of compiled Postscript (see PS below). It is viewable using the +Adobe Acrobat Reader. It is not possible to edit files in this format. + + + +PRC (Format for PDA-based eBooks) + +This is a proprietary format for files that can be displayed only by +the MobiPocket Reader. See <http://www.mobipocket.com> for more +information. It is not possible to edit or correct files in this +format; it is not possible to export files from this format; they have +to be made in another format and converted. + + + +PS (Format for text and graphics) + +Postscript is technically a programming language, not just a format. +It has conditional statements, procedures and program flow control. +However, it is commonly referred to as a format. Adobe +<http://www.adobe.com> holds copyright on the Postscript specifications +(there have been three "levels" published) but Postscript is well and +publicly documented and has wide support, not only in printing, but in +screen display as well. Apart from Adobe's official version, you can +also render Postscript files with Ghostscript, a Free Software +package. Postscript can be edited directly, but any complex editing +may present difficulties. + + + +RTF (Format for text) + +Rich Text Format was originally a Microsoft specification, but it is +an open format that is used by many word processors to exchange text +and format information in an application-independent way. Nearly all +current word processors will read and edit an RTF file, and, like +HTML, it can also be edited as plain text. + + + +TXT + +TXT is a generic extension used for any plain text file, regardless of +the character set. Thus, while most of our .TXT files contain ASCII, +some contain ISO-8859 or Big-5 or Unicode. + + + +TeX (Format for typesetting, printing and viewing) + +TeX (pronounced "tech"--the "X" is actually the Greek letter chi) is a +public domain format created by Donald Knuth for typesetting, though +it can also be used for normal printing and viewing. TeX consists +mostly of the plain text, with instructions for how it is to be +displayed. This is compiled into DVI format (see above) which can be +rendered onto any device, like a printer or screen, by a program that +is aware of the device's capabilities. The Comprehensive TeX Archive +Network <http://www.ctan.org/> is the best place to start looking for +TeX-related programs for your platform. + + + +Unicode/UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32 (Character Set) + +Unicode is intended to be a single character set that can handle all +of the characters in all of the languages that ever were, or ever will +be. It accords with the ISO-10646 standard for the characters, but, in +addition, imposes rules of implementation. UTF-8, UTF-16, UTF-32 and +their variants are ways of expressing Unicode using different rules +for transforming bytes into characters. Unicode is steadily gaining +ground, with at least some support in every major operating system, +but we're nowhere near the point where everyone can just open a text +based on Unicode and read and edit it. Check <http://www.unicode.org> +for more. + + + +XML (Format for . . . well, just about anything :-) + +eXtensible Markup Language looks a bit like HTML, but whereas tags +such as <p> have a standard meaning in HTML, XML allows anyone to +define their own set of tags and meanings using a Document Type +Definition (DTD) file. Add a CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) file to +that, and you have the ability to display the text according to +predefined rules. In principle, this seems to make it ideal for the +storage and processing of etexts, since a suitable DTD and CSS, +together with the right programs, should make it possible to produce +any format of eBook automatically from an XML original. Some PG +volunteers have looked at, and are looking at, ways to convert the +entire archive using a satisfactory DTD; however, meantime we aren't +actually producing much XML, since most volunteers aren't working with +it, and nobody wants to start producing many XML texts until we have +agreed on a DTD. <http://www.w3.org/XML/> is the definitive source +for more information about XML. + + + + +Volunteers' Voices + +In this section, we asked volunteers to talk about their practical +experiences with Project Gutenberg, how they joined, why they give +up their hours to work for Free Etexts, how they get down to the +nitty-gritty of producing texts. + +Some people chose an interview format for their responses, with +pre-set questions; others just wrote. + + + + + +Amy Zelmer + +I stumbled across Project Gutenberg a couple of years ago--can't +remember just what I was looking for on the web but the idea of PG +intrigued me. I was also looking for something to get me reading +materials which I wouldn't ordinarily read, so didn't particularly +want to find a book in which I was interested--and the whole process +of finding a book, finding out if it was already "in progress" and +then checking out copyright clearance seemed just a little daunting +from what I was able to gather from the info on the web. + +Furthermore, I live in a small regional city in Australia, so the +possibilities of finding something in either the local library or in a +second-hand bookshop was next to nil. + +Fortunately I also found Sue Asscher's name and figured that I'd ask a +fellow Aussie how to get started. Sue seems to have an inexhaustible +stock of books waiting to be entered -- and got me started on Thomas +Huxley's "Essays and Lectures". I've now done five other books and am +currently working on Darwin's "The Power of Movement in Plants"--quite +a variety, but it's at least met my goal of reading something +different. + +Fortunately Sue was also patient about answering my beginner's +questions about formatting dilemmas and has been able to co-ordinate +other aspects of the process, like getting scans of diagrams and final +proof-reading. That means all I have to do is put in the text. + +I'm a reasonably good typist -- and the practice with PG is certainly +improving both my speed and accuracy! (That's meant as a word of +encouragement to others.) I generally type for about 20 minutes at a +time, then take a break; both my concentration and desire to prevent +RSI (repetitive strain injury or occupational overuse syndrome) mean +that it's better to do shorter sessions more frequently than to carry +on for too long a time. I generally use Microsoft Word 2001 for +Macintosh for the first entry and spell check, then save the material +in "text only" and do a final read through, removing page numbers and +correcting errors which the spell-checker missed as I go. + +I've also done some data input for another ebook collection. However, +they separate the text and send out small batches of pages to many +volunteers. I find that rather frustrating since it's impossible to +see how your piece fits until the whole thing is finally posted. + +I've done some scanning, OCR and proof-reading of material, but +generally find the close proof-reading which is required very +frustrating. To each his own method. + + + +Ben Crowder + +I've been a book lover ever since the day I learned to read. +Several years ago I discovered Project Gutenberg while surfing the +net and was delighted to find so many good books freely available. +I downloaded all the etexts I was interested in and read quite a few +of them. After a few years, I decided to get more involved, so I +started proofing with Distributed Proofreaders. I liked that a lot +-- I was a newspaper editor in high school for two years -- but I +felt an itch to try to produce etexts on my own. I didn't have a +scanner, however, so the only solution I could see at the time was +to find a book and start typing it in by hand. I'm a relatively +fast typist and I figured it wouldn't take that long. + +So, I went to my university library, found a pre-1923 edition of +G.K. Chesterton's _The Ball and the Cross_ (Chesterton is one of my +favorite writers), and began typing. It took much longer than I +expected -- certainly over 30 hours, perhaps even close to 50. When +I finished, I came across a page on the PG site that mentioned there +should be two spaces between sentences. I looked at the etext I'd +just typed in and realized in horror that I'd used single spaces the +whole way through. :) [1] I had been *sure* that PG used single spaces, +convinced that I'd read it in one of the PG docs, which had taken a +little while to get used to since I normally use two spaces. But +all the PG etexts I checked had two spaces between sentences, so I +began the monotonous task of adding an extra space between each +sentence (and being very careful not to add spaces in where they +shouldn't be). Several hours later the book was finally done. I'd +gotten copyright clearance before I started, so I soon submitted it +and within a few days I saw those lovely words in my inbox, "Posted +(#5265, Chesterton)". + +[1] Ben was right both times: people have posted advocating + both one space and two. Either would have been accepted!--jt + +Since then, I've been addicted to producing etexts. Languages +interest me greatly, so I found an Old Icelandic primer that someone +had scanned in, OCRed the images using DocMorph (it didn't take as +long as I thought it would, and the output was decent enough to work +with), and realized I would have a problem entering in the foreign +characters (o's with hooks underneath, etc.). Thank heavens for +Unicode. Vim (my editor of choice) has fairly good Unicode support +and it didn't take long to make a list of the Unicode codes for the +Icelandic characters. + +As noted, I use Vim for all my editing. I can rewrap lines to 65 +characters by typing "gq", I can use regular expressions for search +and replaces (*very* handy), I can edit in Unicode when I need to, +and I can speed things up greatly by making keyboard mappings for +repetitive tasks. (On one text I was working on, I had to add a +blank line between each paragraph. Each was numbered, but the blank +lines had somehow been taken out before I got the text, so I started +going through and adding them in by hand. The file was 30,000 lines +long, however, and I quickly realized it would take a *long* time. +I then noted which keys I was pressing to add the blank line between +each paragraph, mapped them to <F9>, and held the key down while Vim +zipped through the rest of the file. It sped it up by a factor of +over a hundred.) + +My university library is well-stocked and has lots of old books, so +I usually rely on it when I need to get TP&V's for texts I'm not +typing in myself. I still don't have a scanner, so I either find +already-existing texts on the Internet and reformat them for Project +Gutenberg (after getting permission, of course), or find page images +on the net and OCR them myself, or type the books in by hand. +Typing in by hand takes a long time and so I prefer the first two +methods. + +Volunteering with Project Gutenberg has been extremely satisfying. +The people are wonderful to work with, the work is fun, and it feels +very good to know that one is making a difference in the world. + + + + +Col Choat + +How I got started + +People sometimes ask me how I got started in preparing etexts for +Project Gutenberg, and while they probably ARE interested in my story +often they are really more interested in finding out whether it is +something that they might want to get involved with. Jim Tinsley, a +colleague at PG, recently prepared a "questionnaire" as a way of +stimulating existing volunteers to document their PG experiences. +Answering the questionnaire seems as good a way as any to answer the +question, "how did you get started". + + +HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT PG? + +I think it was probably from a newspaper or a computer magazine. I +can't really recall, now. + + +WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CONTACT LIKE. + +Initially, I visited the site to search for books I was interested in, +to see if they had been posted at PG. That was quite a straightforward +process. I downloaded a few texts and either read them at my computer +or, occasionally, printed them out to read later. + +When I became interested in volunteering, I visited the site to get +some information about how to go about it. I found it a bit daunting, +really. There was a lot of information but it was difficult for me to +get it sorted out in my mind. There were copyright issues, editing +rules, and procedures for lodging etexts. There was a question and +answer page and some background and information for those wanting to +subscribe to the PG mailing lists. In the end, I just sent an e-mail to +Michael Hart, whose e-mail address was listed on the site, and said +"what can I do?" I notice that volunteers still sometimes do that. + + +WHAT WAS THE FIRST PG JOB YOU DID? HOW DID IT GO? + +I decided to prepare an etext from a book I had in my home library, +titled "UNDER THE NORTHERN LIGHTS". It is a series of short stories +about the Canadian North by Alan Sullivan. I had a small "hand" +scanner at home, which I hadn't used much before. I didn't know any +better, so I would scan in about ten pages and save them as "tif" +files. Then I would use the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) +software supplied with the scanner to convert the image to text for +subsequent editing. I recently purchased an A4 scanner with +state-of-the-art OCR software and I can't believe how I persevered +with that hand scanner for so long. + +I tried to apply the editing rules outlined on the PG site, though +they weren't as prescriptive as I would have liked. I wanted +certainty, as I felt that I didn't know enough to apply own editing +rules. I didn't have a good text editor, either, so I probably made +the job more difficult than it needed to be. More about the "tools of +the trade" later, though. + +When I submitted the title pages of the book to PG for copyright +clearance it was rejected because the book was published in 1926. I +don't know what I was thinking about when I chose it. It must have +just LOOKED old enough. I had scanned and proofed about half of it, so +I just abandoned it and looked for something else. Interestingly, +Australians and residents in other countries with similar copyright +laws, can now read it as it is in the public domain in Australia and +is now on the Project Gutenberg of Australia site. I was able to +finish it and post it at PG, after all. + + +HOW DID YOU DEVELOP YOUR PG EXPERIENCE FROM THERE? + +I think that one of the most valuable things I did was to join the +volunteer discussion group. I found that I didn't need to take part, +but could just take note of all the different issues raised by other +volunteers. Some days there was no activity by the group, but then a +hot topic would be raised (e.g. whether some books, such as Mein Kampf +by Adolf Hitler, should not be accepted by PG, even if eligible) and +there would be plenty of comments. I realised also that I could ask +for help on specific questions regarding preparation of texts and +receive prompt informative answers. Once, when I thought that I was +sending to ONE of the members of the group an e-mail with a large +attachment, I was quickly made aware that EVERYONE had received it. +Some weren't amused, but I am a quick learner--I didn't do it again. + +Subscribing to the weekly newsletter is also worthwhile. There is a +link on the main page of the PG web site to allow people to subscribe +to the mailing list and discussion group. I also found a few people +who I began to e-mail privately, outside the discussion group. That +helped a lot, too. Perhaps there is merit in instigating a mentor +scheme, whereby a new volunteer can refer to another more experienced +one for help, guidance and encouragement. I would be interested in +taking part in that. + + +CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE FIRST TEXT YOU PRODUCED. + +As I mentioned earlier, my first attempt was abortive (initially, at +least). However, as I had realised that there was not much Australian +content on PG, I decided to go in that direction. Then I found that +there were many eligible Australian titles already on the internet, +mostly in HTML format. These can only be read using a web browser, so +I decided that it would be worthwhile to download them, convert them +to text files, compare them with a book of the same title which was +eligible for PG copyright approval, and then have them posted at PG. I +had learned my lesson, so from then on I always got the approval +BEFORE I started work on the conversion. + +I prepared a number of etexts using this method and quickly increased +the amount of Australian content at PG. However, I still wanted to +create an etext from a book. My sister had given me, as a gift, +"Australia's Greatest Books" by Geoffrey Dutton, which reviewed +approximately one hundred books and I decided to work my way through +them. I had already converted a number from HTML, as outlined above, +so the first on the list to be scanned turned out to be the journal of +Charles Sturt who explored south-eastern Australia between 1828 and +1831. I was quite pleased with myself when the two volumes were +finally posted at PG. + + +WHY DO YOU SPEND YOUR HOURS CONTRIBUTING TO PG? + +The simple answer is "because it is FUN". It is easy to make up +justifications, but since there is no necessity to do it, it must be +because I enjoy it. I get a sense of achievement that the work I do +will be "out there" for a long time. We haven't begun to realise where +technology will lead us. The books I prepare will be able to be read +by people anywhere on earth, and even beyond, by astronauts travelling +to Mars. "Send up THE ODYSSEY will you Scottie, I have always meant to +read it." + +I have had some unexpected pleasures, too. I have "met" some +wonderfully generous and interesting people and I have read some +wonderful books that I would not have taken the trouble to read if I +weren't preparing them for PG. + + +DO YOU SPECIALISE IN ANY PARTICULAR KIND OF WORK, OR TEXTS? + +I started out thinking that I would stick to books with an Australian +flavour. But I can't help myself. If I see something that I am +interested in, and it is already on the internet, but not at PG, I +have to do it. I have submitted etexts of James Joyce's "Ulysses", and +works by D. H. Lawrence, and Norman Douglas. I also have a long list +of books I would like to scan in myself, not all of which are about +Australia--one day. + + +WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT MAKING A PG ETEXT? + +I think I have covered that already. I like the sense of achievement, +the fun of reading the book, and the thought that it will be available +to many people who would not otherwise have access to it, possibly in +a form which has not yet been invented. + + +WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE ABOUT MAKING A PG ETEXT? + +Sometimes the going is not easy. Occasionally I get impatient with the +length of time it is taking and sometimes I get bored with the subject +matter. I recently purchased a new scanner with excellent OCR +software, which converts the page image to text, and that has given me +a new lease of life because less proofing is required. I sometimes +remind myself that I don't have to do it, then I find that I want to +anyway. + + +WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR ELIGIBLE BOOKS + +Local libraries have a surprising amount of eligible material. The +main difficulty is finding books with a publication date of 1922 or +earlier, for PG in the US anyway. I have found a number of "facsimile" +editions which are direct reprints of the original, and these are +acceptable. I also look around second-hand bookshops. I recently found +a battered copy of "A short history of Australia" published in about +1910, and bought it for $A1.50. For books eligible for posting at the +PG Australian site, cheap paperbacks are readily available. I am +working on one now, and have ripped all the pages out of it to make it +easier to scan. It only cost a few dollars. There are also a number of +sites on the internet which list second-hand books for sale. + + +DO YOU TYPE OR SCAN? WHAT SCANNER/OCR/EDITOR/WORD PROCESSOR DO YOU +PREFER? + +This section might as well cover all of the "tools of the trade". I +have noticed that volunteers have many favourite tools, and from what +I can make out most will do the job. The list below covers what _I_ +have settled on. I should note that I work in the Windows environment, +and tools are readily available for all the things I need to do. + +Scanner + +I recently purchased a Canon A4 flatbed scanner without a document +feeder for under $A200. It has a hinged lid for scanning books and +comes bundled with image enhancing software and OCR software for +converting image to text. + +OCR (Optical Character Recognition) Software + +'Omnipage Version 9' came bundled with the scanner. I find that I +don't need any of the other software which came with the +scanner--Omnipage does it all for me. I can scan, proof, spellcheck +and save the output to a text file with very little effort. + +Editor + +I use Editplus which is available as shareware on the internet. It +enables me to read in the file produced by the Omnipage OCR software +and reformat it to a line length suitable for PG texts (about 70 +characters). It also allows one to display guide lines vertically on +the page to help with checking for "long" lines. I have loaded James +Joyce's "Ulysses" into Editplus and it handled it, so I presume that +it will handle files of any size. As with everything one wants to do +at PG, there is always someone more than willing to help with problems +encountered, just by posing questions to the volunteer discussion. + +FTP (File Transfer Protocol) Software + +Some volunteers e-mail their submissions to PG as an attachment to an +e-mail. However, it is also possible to place them at the PG site for +processing, using FTP. Microsoft Windows Explorer has an FTP facility +which can handle this and that suits me. I know that there are many +others and SmartFTP is an excellent freeware product for those who +need Windows-based FTP software. + +Other Tools + +I use Microsoft Word to convert HTML files to text files. Firstly, I +cut and paste the html document into word, then I convert any italics +to upper case, since italics are not supported in plain text files; +then I save the document as a text file. Then I use Editplus, +mentioned above, to reformat the line length. Sometimes it is +necessary to add an extra "carriage return" at the end of each +paragraph, to comply with the preferred style for PG texts. This can +be done from within Word or Editplus by replacing characters. New +volunteers may need to ask for information about this process. + + +HOW DO YOU CHECK YOUR TEXT? ANY SPECIAL TOOLS? SPELLCHECKER? DO YOU +PRINT IT OUT AND READ IT? PUT IT ON YOUR PDA AND READ IT? HAVE A VOICE +SYNTHESIS PROGRAM READ IT ALOUD TO YOUR FROM YOUR PC? + +I have tried a few different methods. I don't have a notebook computer +or etext reader so I must either read it on a PC or print it out. +There is a spellchecker with Editplus, which allows one to add new +words, so I use that to begin with. I also use GUTCHECK, a program +developed by Jim Tinsley, which picks up many errors. One would need +to contact him via PG, if one wanted a copy. I travel by train to +work, so I often make a printout and read that for the final proof, or +co-opt my wife if it is something I can interest her in. I have a +checklist, which I have developed over time, that I use to ensure that +I have covered all that I need to--but then I AM one for lists. + + +DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS 'N' TRICKS OR SPECIAL ROUTINES YOU GO THROUGH +WHEN PREPARING A TEXT? + +I think I have covered most of my methods already. I sometimes find +that "dashes" within sentences need attention. I like to show them as +"--" so I try to be consistent and not let them slip through as " - ". +I think we at PG could get together a more or less prescriptive list +of editing rules for new volunteers to follow. Once they gained +experience they could change them if they wanted to. I do like to +place an end marker ("THE END") at the end of my progressing work, so +that I don't inadvertently lose any of it and I make several rotating +backups of the file I am working on. I have "lost" computer files once +or twice over the years and don't want to get that sick feeling in my +stomach EVER again. + +As I said earlier, I do have a checklist, and it could help if PG +(that includes me, as PG is "us") provided a downloadable list of +things which need to be done to get an etext posted e.g. copyright +approval, scanning, editing, proofing, placing relevant information at +the beginning of the etext, etc. All the information is there already, +it just needs bringing together into one document. + + +HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO MAKE A TEXT? + +Obviously it depends on the number of pages, efficiency of the scanner +and the number of hours one puts in. The two volumes of Sturt +mentioned above probably took me six months, but I was doing many +other things in the meantime. To scan in and edit, say, "The Prophet" +by Kahlil Gibran would only take a fraction of that time as it is +quite thin and easy to read. If one were concerned about getting an +idea of the time it would take to complete an etext, I would suggest +that he/she do a little casual proofing at the "Distributed +Proofreaders" site first, to get an idea of what is involved. + + +DO YOU WORK ALONE, OR DO YOU SHARE THE WORK OF EACH TEXT? DOES ANYONE +REGULARLY HELP YOU PROOF THE TEXT? + +I generally work alone, however my wife will proof sometimes. She has +become interested in the book that I am working on at present and is +waiting for me to supply her with more pages. When I was getting +started, a new volunteer agreed to proof something for me (she +approached me) but then she never did any of it and didn't even e-mail +me to advise that she had changed her mind. Editing and proofing is +not for everybody and one needs to find out if one likes doing it. +However, courtesy costs nothing. + + +DO YOU DO SOME PG WORK REGULARLY, OR DRIFT IN AND OUT AS OPPORTUNITY +PERMITS, OR WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT. + +All of the above at different times. I am not an avid television +watcher and would rather do some "work" (or should I say "pleasure") +for PG much of the time. + + +HOW MANY DIFFERENT KINDS OF WORK, OR DIFFERENT BOOKS, HAVE YOU DONE? + +Because I have converted many books from work already on the internet, +I have covered quite a range, though I haven't actually scanned and +proofed too many books. Those that I have done have been Australian +historical works. But I have rounded up books on philosophy, +aboriginal legends, and several novels. Since many internet sites come +and go, I am interested in "grabbing" etexts and posting them at PG in +case the site disappears from the internet. It has become a pastime in +itself. I recently discovered "South Wind" by Norman Douglas, a book +which caused quite a sensation when it was first published because it +portrayed a bohemian lifestyle. Ironically, I used to have the book in +my home library, but dispensed with it when I needed space. Now it is +at PG and I can get it whenever I want it. + + +WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT THE PG PROCESS? + +The democratic, helpful, friendly approach of all the people involved +is one of the things I like best. I have "met" so many wonderful +people, without having to "live" with them, if you know what I mean. +Not long after I started associating with PG, Michael Hart posted an +e-mail to the volunteer discussion group, advising of the death of a +long-time volunteer. It seemed like she had been one of the "family". + +One really needs to be indifferent to praise and the prospect of +reward to start volunteering for PG. There is certainly no money in +it. However, one quickly finds that there is a community of people out +there with a common interest, and with the same outlook and the same +interest in doing a job well, without tangible reward. There is no +lack of praise though, and one soon finds that one is not indifferent +to it. + + +WHAT DO YOU DISLIKE ABOUT THE PG PROCESS? + +There isn't much that I don't like. Nothing worth mentioning, anyway. + + +IS THERE ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO SEE PG DOING DIFFERENTLY? + +There are a few things, however since I don't know all the reasons for +some things being done the way they are, and because everything is +done by volunteers anyway, I wouldn't like to canvass them here. To +have produced nearly 5,000 etexts over more than 30 years is testament +to the fact that most things are being done "right". + + +IF ONE OF YOUR FRIENDS APPROACHED YOU TO ASK ADVICE ABOUT HOW TO GET +STARTED CONTRIBUTING TO PG, WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM? + +I would spend some time with him/her and work through some of the +issues. I know that I would have benefited from that approach. I would +gradually introduce her(him) to the different issues which need to be +addressed and find out exactly what her expectations were, and try to +help her in fulfilling them. + + +WHAT WOULD YOU EXPECT PG TO BE LIKE IN FIVE YEARS? TEN YEARS? + +Much the same as it is now, I hope. After all, the goal will continue +to be to provide "fine literature digitally re-published". Though I +expect that, like other organisations, it will continue to evolve in +response to new challenges and opportunities. Ten years ago, who would +have thought that there would be 5,000 etexts posted; that there would +be volunteers operating an online proofreading site; and that there +would be a volunteer writing free software to read PG etexts? The +rapid growth of PG over the last few years will present many +challenges for the future. + +Writing of etext readers, I am reminded that I recently joked to a +volunteer that I wanted him to write software for reading etexts, +whereby a hologram would appear on the inside of my eyelids so that I +could read etexts with my eyes closed. Who knows, it might be +possible. However, whatever advances in technology occur over the next +ten years, one thing is certain: the work of all the volunteers to +date will ensure that there is an amazing library of ebooks available +covering creative works by some of the greatest minds who have ever +lived. Future readers of PG ebooks will have been given a wonderful +gift by the many volunteers who have contributed to PG over the +decades. + + + +Project Gutenberg of Australia + +On the wall in a colleague's office was pinned a piece of paper on +which was written a quotation. I don't recall now what it was and the +colleague has been gone for some time and has taken the paper with +him. However under the quotation the author was acknowledged as +"Prince Machiavelli". I had a vague idea that the quote actually came +from "The Prince" by Nicolo Machiavelli, and wondered how I could +satisfy my curiosity. Then I remembered reading about Project +Gutenberg and decided to see if the book was posted on the PG site, +though I didn't really expect that it would be. Needless to say, the +etext WAS there and I was able to download it and read it in its +entirety, due to the time spent by John Bickers and Bonnie Sala (their +names appear at the beginning of the etext) in preparing it for PG. +Interestingly, there were other works by Machiavelli there, which I +hope to get back to one day. + +Later, when I e-mailed PG and expressed an interest in volunteering I +was, because I said that I was Australian, referred to Sue Asscher, +the Australian Production Director for PG. Sue asked me to proofread +"A Vindication of the Rights of Women" by Mary Wollstonecraft. Also, +about this time, a journalist had contacted Sue with regard to a story +being prepared for PG. He wanted to contact some volunteers to ask why +they were interested in PG. Sue referred the journalist to me, with my +permission of course, and one of his first questions was "Is there +much Australian content on PG?" After I had checked the PG etext list +I could only reply "not much". + +So I decided to start creating etexts by Australian authors, for PG. +Sue Asscher pointed out that there were many eligible Australian works +already in the public domain as etexts, so I started rounding up +etexts and matching them with books which had been published before +1923, so that they could be posted at PG. Then I started creating +etexts myself, for works I could not find already on the internet. My +sister had given me, many years ago, a book by Geoffrey Dutton titled +"Australia's Greatest Books", so I decided to start working my way +through the eligible titles from the list of about one hundred books +reviewed by Dutton. I had already found a number of them on the +internet and some were already at PG. But there were still a "few" to +be done. There still ARE a few to be done, if anyone is interested in +helping. + +Then Sue Asscher again had a hand in setting the direction I would +take by asking me to proof an etext of "Animal Farm" by George Orwell, +whose work had recently entered the public domain in Australia. We +didn't know where we would post it, as it is not in the public domain +in the US, but I agreed to proof it as I had read it many years ago +and enjoyed it. + +About this time, I also decided to make up a personal web site. Being +a software developer, people were always asking me about the internet +and web sites, in the mistaken belief that I knew ALL about computers. +I decided to get an idea of how web page design and web site +management worked by creating a site that listed all of the +"Australian" content at PG. When I couldn't find anywhere to put the +Orwell, which I had recently proofed, I decided to create a page on my +site for etexts in the public domain in Australia, so that Australians +and internet users in other countries with similar copyright laws, +could read and/or download them. + +Michael Hart, the founder of PG, was quick to interest me in creating +an "official" PG site in Australia. After registering a business +name, getting a domain name and finding a sponsor to host the site, +Project Gutenberg of Australia was up and running. + +It all happened very quickly, and as with many things which happen in +one's life, it all seems to have come about by serendipity. Even the +site's motto "A treasure-trove of literature" was stumbled upon by +chance when I looked up, in connection with another unrelated matter, +the word "treasure-trove" in a dictionary, to ascertain if the word +was hyphenated. Imagine my surprise to find treasure-trove defined as +"treasure found hidden with no evidence of ownership". That EXACTLY +defined the literature found on PG. + +My own association with PG resulted from the culmination of a +life-long interest in books and literature and an equally strong +interest in computers. Every volunteer brings his/her own particular +interests and skills to PG and that, together with the democratic +approach taken by the small executive team, is what makes PG the +strong, co-operative organisation that it is. My interests and skills, +and a generous dose of serendipity, led to the creation of Project +Gutenberg of Australia. + + + + + +Dagny + +I discovered Project Gutenberg in 1996 and immediately wanted to help +because I love books and wanted everyone to have access to all the +wonderful books that, even today with Internet searching, are +difficult to find or very expensive when you do locate them. + +I began by proofing a few works but what I really wanted to do was +share my Balzac collection with other fans. I discovered Balzac in the +1970s and recall my frustrations in trying to find more than a dozen +stories of the over one hundred Balzac wrote. It was over a decade +before my husband discovered a complete set at a used bookstore while +on vacation. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky. + +With the first few stories I typed for Project Gutenberg I worried +about everything: should I correct a type-setting error, leave it, +footnote it, etc. This took a long time and involved a lot of +correspondence. Now, my idea is to make the text as readable as +possible. For me that means correcting type-setting errors I notice. +Others prefer to leave them intact. In the end, I don't believe the +readers care. I have found them generally to be very grateful to have +found some treasure they had been seeking. In some cases of an +author's more obscure works, they didn't even know the book existed, +a rare find indeed for them. + +It is so satisfying to receive an e-mail from someone thanking you for +all your hard work. Most readers don't take the time to write but true +fans often do and they make it all worthwhile. I have even met people +in this way that went on to become a Project Gutenberg volunteer +themselves because they wanted to give something back to the Project +from which they had received so many pleasurable hours. + + + + + +Gardner Buchanan + +SOURCE MATERIAL + +First of all, there is the issue of what texts I choose to do. For me, +this is fairly simple. I'm a bit of a small-time book collector +already, and have a personal theme: "Canadian English Literature" and +"Canadian English-Language History". I have no trouble whatsoever in +coming up with submissible editions of works that fit this theme +somehow. Nevertheless there are specific authors and works that I'm +not having luck with, so I'm still making the rounds of the used book +shops regularly and picking up all sorts of stuff. + +Eligible volumes have typically cost me $10.00-$150.00 for a +collectable edition, or $0.50-$15.00 for a recent paperback edition or +garage-sale item. I paid $0.50 for a eligible, but not very +collectible copy of Glengary School Days by Ralph Connor at a garage +sale. As it turns out someone has beaten me to it--it has been in the +collection since 2001. Sometimes if I'm contemplating picking up a +more expensive book that I don't already have a personal interest in, +I'll go back and double-check The Online Books page to see if someone +has already submitted the book. + +Another way I obtain texts is from the Early Canadiana Online archive. +They host page images of quite a large collection of old books written +in or about Canada, or written by Canadians. The page images are +reasonably well suited to OCR. + +I tend to produce E-texts two different ways. One way is to submit +page images to Charles Franks who runs Distributed Proofers and let +him worry about bulk-OCR'ing. I then manage the distributed proofing, +which is a fairly low-effort business. The other way is to scan, OCR +and proof all by myself. I'm currently averaging two of my own +projects to every Distributed Proofer one. + + +SCANNING AND OCR + +I have an very slow parallel-port scanner, a UMAX Astra 2000P. It +sucks mightily. I'd rate it a 2 out of 5, if it wasn't acting +up--creating a black bar across the page, part way along--so I have to +scan books a certain way around to avoid having the bar land in the +text. As it sits now, it's in 0.5-1 territory. It is glacially slow at +the best of times, and due to being a parallel port model, locks up my +whole computer during the scan. + +Nevertheless, it is completely adequate to my needs for PG work. I've +scanned more than a dozen books on it, and it's done yeoman +service--despite its warts. Scanners like this one can be picked up +used for $30, and are worth the money. + +The way I work when I'm producing a book myself, is scanning and +proofing page by page. I do the scans two-pages-up, then OCR, proof +and copy the pages to a working document, before going on to scan the +next pair of pages. + +My scanner came with two OCR "packages": Omnipage something-or-other +which I was never able to install, and Recognita Standard 3.2.7. I use +Recognita, and for 300dpi scans I do, it is adequately fast and +accurate. It is a no-frills package, and DOES make many mistakes, but +it is entirely useable for my purposes. I rate it 2 of 5. + +I've used the Abbyy FineReader 5.0 try & buy. This is a magnificent +OCR system. It handles huge batches and is fast and astoundingly +accurate. I rate it 5 out of 5. Unfortunately it costs about $million +to patriate a web-bought item into Canada, and while priced at a very +reasonable US$100.00, would cost me about CAN$600 after exchange-rate, +brokerage fees, shipping, more fees, taxes, +service charges and more taxes (on the fees). + +I could buy Omnipage off-the-shelf here, but frankly if I can't get +Abbyy, I'll stick with Recognita. + +As I scan each page, I paste it into Windows-95 Wordpad. Sometimes I +also do some proofing in Wordpad, but mainly I proof, fix quotes, +M-dashes and paragraph breaks in the OCR program before copying to +Wordpad. I like to keep the page boundaries intact, and I mark them in +my Wordpad document like this: + + : + : +kjdk ldjd ll;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ljd llllkj klj dklj + +page 354 + +kjdk ldjd lll;;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ldd lll;;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ldjd ll;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ljd llllkj klj dklj + +page 355 + +kjdk ldd lll;;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ldjd ll;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ldd lll;;llkj dklj dklj +kjdk ljd llllkj klj dklj + : + : + +At this point I also fix-up hyphenated words that straddle +page-boundaries. I note paragraphs that start in a new page and mark +them with <p>, and I note indented or block-quoted sections and mark +these with <in>..</in>. This helps when I go back to format it since I +can easily see where the special cases are. + +Wordpad handles large documents reasonably well and will grok UNIX +files (ie: <LF> only, not <CR><LF>). For this it rates 3. + + + +PROOFING AND FORMATTING + +When the whole text is assembled, whether by myself or by Distributed +Proofers, I use about the same process for formatting and final +proofing. + +I use MS-Word 95 to do a spellcheck. This I rate 3 out of 5. I do a +select-all, and language appropriately - for me, usually UK rather +than American English. I wish I had a Canadian English dictionary for +Word 95, but have not needed one badly enough to actually look. Word +has a pretty good spell checker and the custom dictionaries are easy +to muck around with. I use a custom dictionary for any big project - I +have one for Chronicles of Canada, and different one for all the John +Richardson books I've done. + +At this point in my personal process, I abandon Windows and go over to +FreeBSD. + +I use vi (rated 9 out of 5) to do a number of hacks. I search for and +fix up hyphenations that were broken (peer- less) and such like. I +also search for and fix some OCR special case errors like 'you'->'yon' +and 'be'->'he'. This latter sometimes requires a while, just to step +through all the be and he's to see if they're right. + +Still in vi, I next use some incantations to run the UNIX 'fmt' +command on each paragraph to get it reformatted. I use: + + fmt -55 60 + +Fmt gets a 3 out-of 5 for what I need it for. It double spaces after +sentences, which--although it is probably the right thing to do--is +not the PG convention (for me at least). It also adds a space when +joining lines with an M-dash. I go back and fix both of these using +vi. I take into account the <in></in> tags and manually format +accordingly at this point. + +As I reformat, I give the text it's final proofing. I'll have the +original text in-hand at this point, and will use the page markers +(remember them) to figure out where I am. As I reformat, I delete the +page markers and other markup. When I'm finished this step, the book +is almost done. + +Next, I use Gutcheck 0.2 (5 of 5, for intended purpose - way to go +Jim!) to check for all the things it checks for. At this point I +usually get something like 50 hits, of which 30 are real. I'm then +back in vi, and fix up all those problems. Finally, I'm done. + +As I go along, I tend to keep various versions of the document. I'm at +version 27 of 'The Imperialist' right now. Each scanning editing, +spell checking or whatever type of session gets a new version: +imperialist_12.txt, imperialist_13.txt,... At various times I might +find it useful to use 'wc', 'grep' and 'diff' to figure out what is +going on, where a word appears or whether I deleted something I didn't +mean to. + + +HARVESTING PAGE IMAGES + +I mentioned above that I sometimes work from page images that I obtain +from the web. There are several archives around that hold eligible +materials as page images that you can easily download and OCR. I +personally have worked mainly with the Early Canadiana Online archive. + +After a bit of poking around with the web interface to this +collection, I have been able to work out how the individual pages are +numbered and organized. I have written some shell scripts that I can +use to fetch all the pages of a volume and convert them from GIF to +TIFF format. Harvesting a 200 page book takes a few hours. + +Once I have all the pages, I have to do some work with an image editor +to get them ready for OCR. I use Corel PhotoPaint 7 to crop each image +to just the text area and to remove the black bands at the sides due +to the spine or whatever. The page images are often made from +microfiche, and dust marks are common as well. These I can sometimes +edit out with PhotoPaint. + +Because some of the page images, or certain sections thereof, can be +completely unreadable, I often find myself either tracking down a +modern edition or visiting a local university library to find a copy +of the book to look up a few paragraphs or passages that are not +readable in the images. Even having to do this, I find that the +capture of images from the archive is still a big time saver, and +allows me access to an edition that would otherwise be totally +inaccessible. + +Having gathered the images and prepared them for OCR, I next submit +them to Charles at Distributed Proofers, or handle them myself, using +the same process as if I were scanning them. + + +DISTRIBUTED PROOFERS + +I've done several books using Charles Franks' most excellent +Distributed Proofers web application. I tend to choose DP when I don't +have the personal time to read and proof a volume myself, or when the +poor quality of the text defies the ability of my (not very good) OCR +package. + +When scanning for DP, I still scan images two-up. I then have a +collection of shell scripts that cut the page images in half to +produce single-page TIFF files. I then use a manual procedure with +Corel PhotoPaint 7 - if required - to fix up skewed pages or ones with +black margins. For the most part, page images that I scan myself are +registered exactly enough in my scan area that the page images don't +need to be edited. + +Page images that I've harvested from a web archive do have to be fixed +up before they can be used by DP. + +Charles, I believe, prefers that as a project manager I would deal +with my own OCR. He has, however, been kind enough to run several +batches of page images through his OCR setup for me to good effect. I +believe he uses Abbyy Finereader, and my procedure for submitting +pages to Charles is to run a subset of the pages I intent to send him +through a demo copy of Finereader to make sure that the results are +vaguely acceptable. If everything looks good, off it goes. + +When the project has run its course with DP, I download the completed +text and proceed to format and re-proof it, for the most part, as if +I'd scanned and OCR'd it myself. + + + + + +Jim Tinsley + +How I (eventually) got started. + +Five years ago, I was the most clueless newbie ever to try +volunteering for PG. If you're feeling lost about how to help PG, you +can be sure that you're not alone! And if I can write PG's first +complete FAQ after my bad start, you can surely do better! :-) + +Back in 1997, the web site existed, but there were no FAQs, no +Volunteers' Board, no gutvol-d, no Distributed Proofing sites. I +started by making a donation and e-mailing Michael, suggesting that I +could help out with small jobs, or programming. I didn't get any, and +I had no idea what, if anything, I could usefully do by myself. + +I looked up the in-progress list at the time, and e-mailed a few +people who were listed as working on books, offering to help. None of +them were still working on the books. (We no longer show people's +e-mail addresses on the InProg list.) I still had no idea how to get +eligible books, no scanner, and no idea how to approach producing an +etext. + +I subscribed to the monthly Newsletter, and just read it for a year. +In a "Project Gutenberg Needs YOU" edition, Dianne Bean, the U.S. +Director of Production at the time, was given as a contact. I +e-mailed her, and finally things started happening. + +She sent me a short piece to second-proof, and explained that I should +just fix whatever needed fixing. I returned it, and she introduced me +to Bill Brewer, who was, at the time, scanning Wisters like they were +going out of style. He and I formed a scanning/proofing team for a +while. + + +How I began producing, and my problems with scanning and OCR. + +I had some ideas for books I wanted to produce, but I couldn't find +them locally, so I turned to the Internet, and discovered how easy it +is to find and buy used books on-line. + +I bought a HP flatbed scanner. It came with freebie OCR software-- +"PrecisionScan"--with images and OCR all in the same interface. + +I scanned my first book, which fortunately had large, clear text, and +the OCR made a reasonable job of it, according to my standards at the +time, which were that getting any text at all without typing was a +form of magic :-) + +I now know that I could have made a better job of it if I had pressed +the spine down hard, either closed the top to keep out ambient light +or darkened the room, and made each scan a bit more exact. I'm much +better at flatbed scanning now. + +My PrecisionScan software _did_ recognize two facing pages, and dealt +with them correctly, though IIRC it put some garbage characters +between the pages that I had to remove by hand. + +It did require a lot of editing, though, and recently I've gone back +over my original text and found lots of mistakes. Partly because of +the scan, partly because of my inexperience. + +Throughout the editing, I kept having to make formatting decisions in +a vacuum, reinventing wheels and applying rules from a HowTo. Now, +having read and formatted and proofed and produced so many texts, I +just _know_ how to format a text without thinking, and just reading or +even skimming a few texts before producing my own would have given me +a lot of background and saved a lot of time. I had proofed several +books, but never thought to look closely at formatting decisions. + +That text took me a month of working most evenings, and a lot of +sticktoitiveness. I can really appreciate the effort that a volunteer +has to put in to produce their first text by casting my mind back to +that month. I think it's the not-quite-knowing-what-you're-doing +that's the worst part. I remember being soooo relieved when I sent it +off for second proofing. + +The guy who took it for second proofing didn't get back to me for a +month, and then said that he wasn't going to do it. This was +disappointing. I sent it to another guy for proofing. He came back +after a few weeks asking some questions. I answered them. After a few +more weeks, I followed up with another e-mail. No answer. A few weeks +after that, I gave up, and just submitted the file for posting. + +The next book I produced didn't have such nice, clear, large type, and +the scan was what I would today call abysmal. I'd guess that I retyped +a quarter of the book. The less said about that one, the better. + +My third book just _would not_ OCR sensibly. The print was very small +and faint, and the OCR produced gibberish. Even with my low standards, +I couldn't kid myself that this was working. I tried 400dpi, 600dpi. +No dice. I might get 10 complete words on a page. + +It was at this point that I bought TextBridge. I really had no idea +about the difference between the freebie OCR programs they give away +with scanners and a genuine commercial product, but I was trying in +desperation to get _something_ different that would read this image. + +Textbridge was an eye-opener for me. It still didn't make a good job +of the bad images, but it made a decent shot at maybe half of them, +and having bought it, I tried it on the two books I had worked so hard +at before--it gave hugely improved results. The book that had only +been about 75% OCRed became 100%, but with some errors. I cursed the +time I had wasted making up for the deficiencies of my freebie +package. + +Since then, I've kept upgrading my TextBridge (I think I started on +version 8, now on Millennium) and bought OmniPage and Abbyy as well. I +mostly use Abbyy 6 now. + +Last time I looked, there were downloadable trials of Abbyy, +TextBridge, and OmniPage. Big downloads though. + +Last year, I got a new Epson Perfection 1640 scanner to replace my old +HP Scanjet. I never had any complaint about the Scanjet itself--it +served me well--but the new Epson is faster, has higher resolution, +and ADF. + +Even better, I now know how to scan. I know how to process 200+ pages +an hour while scanning the book flat, two pages at a time. I know how +to adjust the settings to scan only the area covered by the book. I +try different settings for each new book to see what works. + +So much for scanning and OCR. I was a _very_ slow learner in this +area. + + +How I prepare a text now. + +I was never quite so bad on the proofing end of things. As an editor, +I use Brief in DOS and Crisp (a Brief clone) on Windows. (I mostly use +vi on *nix, but I do very little-to-no PG work on *nix apart from an +occasional scripting thing that I can do in one line of Perl, but +would be annoying on MS). + +Now, I'm all for tolerance and equality and respect for the faiths of +other people, :-) but I gotta say that for someone who has used a +powerful editor, editing with Word or any standard Windows editor is +like scratching your nose with a rake. + +When I first get the text off the OCR, I have many pages with breaks +between them, and usually no line-spacing between paragraphs, but each +paragraph indented. + +I whip out Crisp, and run a macro to search and destroy all +page-breaks and page-numbers and blank lines between, and then another +to put line breaks between paragraphs and unindent them. Since I watch +this process carefully to avoid messing up quotations, it takes me +maybe 15 minutes. + +Now I have a basically formatted text. The line-lengths are usually +too short, and there are hyphenated words at line-ends that I will +need to rejoin, and some that I need _not_ to rejoin. Another macro +fixes up the hyphenation. At each hyphen, I just decide whether to +rejoin or not. Say 20 minutes, max. Then I rewrap. Another 15 minutes. + +So in maybe an hour I have a proofable text, and the really nice part +about it is that I've had a flying tour of the text three times, so +I've already noticed any peculiarities. + +If I've noticed any unusual features like letters or poems that need +special treatment, I do it at this point. + +To prepare the text for proofing, I just flick through it in Crisp +with spellquery on, in US or UK English as needed. This puts a red +line under queried words, just as Word does. I spend maybe 5 or 10 +seconds per 50-line screenful. I don't expect to catch them all; this +is just a quick pass to thin 'em out. I may also catch some formatting +issues, but I'm not looking for them. + +Now I proofread. + +I've tried lots of ways of proofreading. Often it's just sitting at +the screen. Sometimes I print out the texts or parts of it, and mark +errata with a pen. Occasionally, I get the computer to read the text +to me, and I follow along in the book, noting any errors. (This is +good when you want very high accuracy - do a replace of ":" with +"colon", "," with "comma" and so forth before you start the reader.) +Recently, I've tried reading the text on a PDA, and bookmarking the +problems. + +Whatever way I do it, it takes time. I'm better at it now than I was, +but I still tend to miss things like he/be. + +Some people swear by particular fonts for proofreading, saying that +font X shows "1"/"l" differences more clearly than font Y. I just use +Arial or Verdana for printouts and Courier or Fixedsys on screen; the +special fonts don't seem to make a difference to me. + +So I've finished proofing and made my corrections. Now I leave it sit +for a few days. I need to get my mind off it, so that I won't miss the +same errors I missed before. + +When I come back to it, I'm looking at what software people would call +a Release Candidate, and something changes in my head . . . I'm +thinking of it in a different mode, not as a work-in-progress, but as +a potential finished project. This makes me much more critical, and +less willing to accept mistakes. + +Usually there are dash-problems to fix up (emdashes as " - " instead +of "--") and other minor stuff like that. I do global searches for +" -" and "- " and "...". + +I do a quick skim though it, sampling paragraphs here and there as a +test of its quality. I make any formatting adjustments like chapter +line spacing or indenting letters that I might notice. + +Then I run gutcheck. Gutcheck is a little program I wrote / write / +will-write over the years that complains about common problems in a PG +text . . . bad line-lengths, common typos, numbers within words (like +the "1" in "wor1d") unbalanced quotations, spaced or unspaced +punctuation, non-ASCII characters. I fix the problems that Gutcheck +points out. + +Again, I switch spellquery on in Crisp, and skim through, more slowly +than the first time. This time, I'm looking for _anything_ that +shouldn't be in a PG text. + +I run gutcheck again, just to be sure. + +And off it goes! + + +The Posting Team + +For a couple of years, I churned out a text regularly every two months, +spending about 40 hours on each, and took on some occasional proofing, +but after I became moderator of the Volunteers' Board, people started +referring texts to me for checking or reformatting. This took up more +and more of my available PG time, and my own production slowed +accordingly. + +It was in response to these requests that I wrote gutcheck, which +embodies all the standard non-spelling checks I would run on a file. +Gutcheck allowed me to spend less time on each text, but still feel +reasonably sure that there was nothing glaringly wrong with it. + +When Michael formed the Posting Team last year, I volunteered, and it +was a natural progression for me, since I was already used to doing a +lot of last-minute work on texts. + +I found posting to be disorienting and confusing at first; people +bombard you with half-scraps of information about books to be posted; +some texts need serious work; some texts haven't been cleared, and +need to be referred back; some people want special treatment for +their texts, which may conflict either with my views or with PG +precedents, or both; there are lots of questions. But like every +other new job, it just takes time to learn the ropes. + +The actual process of posting now takes very little time: I can go +through the necessary steps in 3-5 minutes. But posters are the last +line of defense against errors, and even the most careful volunteers +make them (and yes, we do too!). It takes a minimum of 15 minutes to +run standard checks on a perfectly clean file, and it can take several +hours to fix up a file that needs help. On average, it takes me about +an hour to do my reasonable best for every text submitted. + +Apart from posting proper, there are a lot of queries to be answered, +many of which I hope I've dealt with in this FAQ, "special cases" +that eat as much time as I'm willing to give them, corrections to be +made to existing texts, and interminable debates about whether PG +should do _this_ or _that_. + +Now that the learning curve is past, the problem with posting is +that it generates a lot of e-mail and discussion, and eats a lot +of time, and is a 7-day-a-week commitment. Having posted over a +thousand texts, I'm now particularly interested in ways to improve +text quality. + + + + + +John Mamoun + +How to create an e-text efficiently or automatically is an interesting +logistical problem. Here is my procedure, which I recently used to +make an e-text in about a week, with maybe 6 man-hours of work on my +part: + +I take the book, and use an x-acto blade to cut out all of the pages. +I then feed the pages into an HP 4C scanner with an automatic document +feeder accessory attachment that I got from e-bay for $200. I feed it +up to 50 pages at a time, and it automatically scans them in. + +I work the scanner using software called scan2000, from +www.informatik.com (30-day shareware trial period, $50 to register). +This program automatically works with the scanner to save each image +as a CCITT4 standard format TIFF file. Most importantly, it +automatically numbers each page, starting with an initial value you +specify (typically 001.tif) and increasing the number of the file name +by an increment you specify (typically by 2 pages, since you scan +double sided pages; you scan the evens first, then flip the pages over +and scan the odds, but you want the page numbers in order, right?). So +the scanner outputs, say, 001.tif, 003.tif, 004.tif, etc., then you +flip the pages over and re-feed them into the scanner; the even pages +are saved as 002.tif, 004.tif, etc., after you tell the program to +begin the first of the even page files with 002.tif. + +So now I have a bunch of consecutively numbered CCITT4 TIFF files. At +this point, I could use a freeware program called cc42 (search for it +at www.pdfzone.com) to combine all of the sequentially numbered CCITT4 +TIF files into a single PDF file with the pages in order. + +Or, if making e-texts, not PDF files, I OCR the pages and save them as +corresponding pages like 001.txt, 002.txt, etc. I also use Paint Shop +Pro (shareware 30 day trial) to batch-convert the tiff files into GIF +file format. I can then upload the GIF files and the correspondingly +numbered text files to the Distributed Proofreaders page +(http://texts01.archive.org/dp/) to have them rapidly proofread by +numerous proofreaders, who finish the task at a rate of 50-100 pages a +day per book, very roughly speaking. When done, I then download the +text files as a single text file combining all of the files. The +upload function on the DP site is tedious, requiring one to upload +each file one-by-one, but I spoke to the webmaster recently, and he +said there are, with special arrangements, ways to FTP them or even +e-mail them to him on CD. + +Now, hard returns. It was once a grave problem to fix hard returns so +that the text outputted to 65 characters per line. Then I got a +freeware program called Clipcase at www.shareware.com. With Clipcase, +you select a body of text (about 20 pages or so; any more, and the +program crashes) in your word processor, copy the text to the +clipboard, then load up Clipcase, paste the text into the Clipcase +window, the process the text. + +When this happens, all of the hard carriage returns within the text +are eliminated, EXCEPT for returns between paragraphs. Then, you +select the text, copy it, and paste it into any word processor to +process it. I use Microsoft Word. After pasting all of the text into +it, I select all of the text, choose Courier New font, 10 point size, +and set the margins at 5.5 inches. With this setup, when the text is +saved as "Text with layout," the resultant text is 65 characters per +line, every line. Setting hard returns is automatic. + +Then I spell-check the text, and also skim through it to look for +typos and "categories" of errors to tend to occur repeatedly within +the text. One common error is having a single dash instead of two +dashes, for example: + +He lingered-slowly. +as opposed to: He lingered--slowly. + +Another common error is a space between a period, exclamation mark or +other punctuation mark, and the letter that came before it, such as: + +Hey ! +instead of Hey! + +or " Hey, " +instead of "Hey," + +I then use the "Find/Replace" command within Microsoft Word to +efficiently get rid of these. For example, I might tell it to look for +^w", where ^w means "a white space" and " is a quote. This looks for +white spaces before quotes. "^w looks for white spaces after quotes. +^w! means a white space before an exclamation mark. I can also have it +look for "any letter"-"any letter," so that it finds single dashes +between letters, and then I can decide if I want to replace these with +double dashes. By using these kinds of find/replace tricks, it becomes +easier to remove typos. + +When done, I save as "text with line breaks" and it is done. + +That's basically my procedure. 1 week turnaround time and 6 man-hours +on my part for a 190k text file... + + + + + +Ken Reeder + +The Story of My Life (as pertains to PG) by Ken Reeder +June, 2002 + +I am currently finishing up my fourth etext, with two more etexts in +process, another seven books sitting on the shelf waiting, and a lot +of additional books that I would like to do when those are done. + +Sixteen months ago I was blissfully unaware of PG and of the world of +online books. A couple of things seemed to come together to lead to my +involvement with PG. I spent some time helping one of my sons, for a +school project, in an unsuccessful search for an online English +translation of Pliny's Historia Naturalis. About a year before that I +had been tinkering, for no particular reason, with trying to type one +of my favorite older sci-fi books into a text file. And I had been +thinking, occasionally over the course of a few years, about a series +of books to which I was avidly devoted when I was about twelve or +fourteen years old, which was widely available then but is relatively +scarce now. It was a web search on the name of that author, Joseph +Altsheler, which happened to lead me to some couple-year-old messages +on the PG volunteers' bulletin board. + +I poked around the PG web site a little and thought, hey, I think I +could be interested in this. Only a few months before I had, for no +particular reason, picked up a clearance-model parallel flatbed +scanner (for which I paid $36, including shipping). The scanner +package included some OCR software, so I already had the basics needed +to scan a book to produce an etext. + +So I rummaged around on the PG web site a good bit more, and lurked on +the volunteers' board, and figured out that I could find the books +that I wanted on Ebay or ABEbooks, and bought a couple of books for +$10 or $15 each. I scanned a chapter or two and tried out the OCR, +which worked very well. (The OCR software that came with my scanner is +TextBridge Pro, which it turns out is one of the more highly-regarded +OCR packages, so I was just lucky in that respect because I had no +clue. I could see that the OCR software was clearly much better than +some DOS software that I had used at work about 15 years ago.) + +What appealed to me was that, firstly, it seemed like this was a +worthwhile thing to do, with a big plus being that you can do the work +from your own home, in your pajamas if you want, in whatever time you +can spare. And I thought that, being a detail-oriented +software-developer geek kind of guy, that I would kind of enjoy it and +also be pretty good at it - actually, I've always had an aptitude for +proof-reading. + +So I went ahead and mailed in a couple TP&V for copyright clearance, +and set out to actually produce my first etext, a 348-page book which +I completed in about 10 weeks, start to finish. + +For a book with nice clear, good-sized print, I figure that it +averages out to about 7 or 8 minutes per page to go through my +complete production process. Some of the books that I am working on, +with smaller or less-perfect print (and/or other complications) take a +little (or a lot) longer. + +I feel that I've got my process pretty well set by now. I've put +together several little home-made utility programs, written in FoxPro, +which assist me. (I've put in some effort to try to adapt some of +these for possible use by others, but the problems are that it takes a +lot more work to polish software to the point that I feel comfortable +letting somebody else pound on it, and the scope of what I think the +software ought to do gets bigger every time I work on it, and it's not +nearly as enjoyable - for somebody who develops software at work every +day - as producing etexts.) + +My complete production process, with rough time breakdown, is as +follows: + +1. Scan the book, 2 pages at a time, about 1 minute per scan (30 + seconds per page). (I do not cut the pages out of the book, I + just lay it flat on the scanner and press down on the spine.) + +2. Run the BMP file through TextBridge Pro, about 30 seconds per + page. (Again, when working with clear, good-sized print.) I + save the output as text with no line breaks. + +3. Run a little FoxPro utility that I wrote that massages and + formats the file a little bit. + +4. Do my first-pass proof-read, about 2 minutes per page, combining + the pages into chapters. + +5. Run another little FoxPro utility, which checks for some things + that I might have missed during proof-reading. + +6. Use MS Word to perform a spelling and grammar check, another 30 + to 60 seconds per page. + +7. Run another little FoxPro utility (number 3), which inserts line + breaks, then run another one (number 4) which does some more + exception-checking. + +8. Do my second-pass proof-read, about 2 minutes per page. + +9. Combine the chapters into one big file. Run a couple more little + FoxPro utilities (numbers 5 and 6) which do some final formatting, + checking and analysis. + +10. Send the file to Jim Tinsley, who will graciously run it through + his GUTCHECK program which scans for a lot of common errors. + +11. Call it an etext and send it in for posting. + +My primary goal is to produce a quality etext - I don't particularly +care about trying to speed things up. I mean, I don't want to +needlessly waste a lot of time, but I look at this as a hobby and I +enjoy working on it, so I don't get out my stop watch to see if I can +get 20 pages done faster today than yesterday. (When I go out running, +then I'm concerned about whether I'm faster today than yesterday.) I +generally put in maybe 5 hours a week on PG - actually, it's often +easier for me to fit in some PG work on weekday evenings than on the +weekend. And it is definitely gratifying when the etext is done and +not only does it get posted on PG, but then links and copies pop up in +different places like the "Online Books Page", and DMOZ.org, and +Blackmask.com and Bookshare.org. + +I have not encountered any real stumbling blocks so far. There were a +few things that took some time to figure out. For example, when my +first etext was ready, I was pretty sure that it was expected that I +would put the PG header on myself, but I looked all over the web site +and could not find a "master" copy. (Actually, I think the master, +such as it was/is, is available on Lyris, but I was not subscribing to +Lyris then.) So I just pulled the header from a very-recently posted +etext, but then after I sent the etext in it was posted with a +different header anyway. (Nowadays, my understanding is that the PG +"staff" prefers to put the header on.) I also spent some time +researching 8-bit code pages, but I expect that the new big-FAQ will +provide easy access to all the answers that I had to hunt down then. +There's a lot of good information buried in past messages on the +volunteers' board, but no good way to search out information on a +particular topic. + +So far I've been able to fill all my book needs without spending much +money. I find my books through ABEbooks, or from Ebay, plus I've +gotten a few at Ohio Book Store downtown on Main Street. I've rarely +paid as much as $20 for a book, even including shipping. There's one +book that I've purchased (but not yet started work on) which costs +$1000 or more for the original edition, but which is also available in +paperback reprints for about $10. There are some other books in my +future plans which look like they will be more expensive, but we'll +worry about that when the time comes. + +My wife still cannot understand why I spend my time scanning books, +whereas my kids (and, I guess, most other people I know) seem to think +it's a little eccentric but basically acceptable behavior. Personally, +I definitely enjoy producing etexts and hope to keep doing so for a +long time. My thanks to Michael Hart, Jim Tinsley, Greg Newby, and +untold others who devote so much effort to nurture the project and +grease the skids for the rest of us. Long live Project Gutenberg. + + + + + +Lynn Hill + +I have been involved with PG since 1994, when I first began reading +texts on-line during slow times at the office where I worked. (I once +got into trouble with a co-worker when she found me "processing" +Little Women instead of the week's payroll report.) I was surprised to +find, even then, such a wide variety of material in the PG archives. I +found myself re-reading favorite books from my childhood, and +delighting in finding "new" ones--Little Lord Fauntleroy, The Secret +Garden, Heidi, the Oz stories. They were not at all like the sugary +old films I had seen on television. They were funny, heartwarming, and +utterly charming. After some years as a reader of the texts, I found +myself thinking, "I'd like to try this." + +When I first checked out the web page for volunteers, I felt +overwhelmed. There were all sorts of FAQ's, but when I read them, I +was baffled by all the information about file types, fonts, and other +details. I didn't even know where to get books, let alone what to do +about jagged rights edges or indented lines. It was frustrating -- I +had all this enthusiasm but didn't know where to apply it. I dawdled +for some months, then came back and turned to the PG Volunteers' +message board for help. + +Help came from many sources. I found someone who needed a file +proofread, so I offered to read it. This worked out well, and I even +found a couple of typos in it. I proofed some more files for this +person, and then some for other people on the board. + +After a while, I was ready to try a whole book -- and from Dianne Bean +came my first PG book, "The Golden Slipper" by Anna Katharine Green. +When I opened the box, a stale smell floated out, and then I found a +chunky book with the ugliest green cover I've ever seen on anything. +The date was 1915, and the book was starting to crumble all around the +edges. My first reaction was "Who would ever want to read this???" But +since I had promised to do it, I dutifully started scanning and +reading as I went along. The book was a collection of mystery/suspense +stories about a teenage crime-stopper named Violet Strange. (I always +felt as if Scooby Doo and his friends might turn up at any moment.) As +I read, I began to like Violet, and to notice how different her world +seemed from ours. By the time I reached the end of the book, I felt +proud of myself for "saving" some good stories for the future, and +ready to try another book. + +My suggestion to new PG'ers is to jump in and not be shy about +volunteering. PG is a big group of great people who care, but they do +not know you are out there until you say something. Once you speak up, +they will do anything short of triple backflips to help you. + +There are many ways new folks can join in, from scavenging old books +at yard sales all the way up to proofing files or scanning and typing +in whole books. When you send in your first copy of title page and +verso, be patient -- it takes time for your copyright research to be +done. This is a great time to do proofing on-line at one of the +distributed proofreading web sites. + +I get my books from library sales, yard sales, friends I met on the PG +Volunteer board, and even from elderly neighbors who wanted to lend me +favorite books they have saved. When you want old books, tell +everybody you know. They may come up with a lot of eligible books you +wouldn't have expected. + +When you find an old book, my second piece of advice is not to be too +hasty in deciding whether you want to read it or not. Old books are +dated, naturally, but they can show you things about life in the past +which you can't pick up from an A&E documentary. I am especially +interested in the way women and children are portrayed in these old +books--every woman is not necessarily a lady, and every child is not a +sweet little angel. (If you haven't read Little Lord Fauntleroy, you +are missing a lot of laughs.) These insights and ideas can keep you +going through a lot of long dark winter evenings, and they're handy to +think over when you hit the occasional dull chapter or scene. + +My hardest text to do was See America First, by Orville Heistand. The +author invites readers to join him on a trip from Ohio to +Massachusetts, in which he visits several landmarks and historical +sites and entertains you all the way with obscure poetry, proverbs, +and little moral lectures about each rock and robin he encounters. I +told my husband, Chris, that the author's (literally) rambling style +was driving me crazy. Chris proofread some chapters for me, then +commented, "Boy, you never see anybody these days have such a fun time +going nowhere!" + +By now, I've done nine complete texts, and have boxes of other books +to do. I have found that children's books are my favorites, but I will +try anything if it is clear enough to read. I don't work on PG every +day, or even every week if I get too busy with other things, but I +keep coming back. I find PG projects to be very relaxing, a way to use +my computer and writing/proofing skills, and also a refreshing change +from my daily work. It's also a great excuse and motivation to read +lots of books! + + + + + +Sandra Laythorpe + +HOW I STARTED AS A GUTENBERG VOLUNTEER + +I first learned about Project Gutenberg from a Computer magazine, so I +searched for it on the Internet, and found all these classic books I +had wanted to read for years, and they were free! At that time, I read +a paperback copy of The Heir of Redclyffe by Charlotte M Yonge. I +thought it was a wonderful book - indeed I still think it is the best +novel to come out of the nineteenth century. After reading the 'How +To' files on the Gutenberg site, I thought maybe I could produce Miss +Yonge's books with the equipment I had. I wrote to Michael Hart and +asked him, and got a very positive reply and lots of information from +him. + +I jumped in the deep end! I bought a very old copy of The Heir of +Redclyffe, sent the photocopies of the title pages to Michael, and sat +down at the computer, learned to use my OCR facilities, and got on +with it, learning by my mistakes. The Instruction files told me most +of what I needed to know, and Michael gave me an introduction to David +Price, an experienced Gutenberger, who would be able to help me. He +has been invaluable in explaining things; I don't think I could have +produced my first attempt without his guiding hand. + +I buy my books off the Internet, or from local dealers. Most of Miss +Yonge's work is still available from second-hand bookshops, and I am +happily living in a location where they are not too scarce. I have +Gutenberg colleagues, now, helping with CMY, and I post books to them +snail-mail, if they can't buy them in their own countries. + + +THIS IS HOW _I_ DO IT. + +I use PrimaPage OCR program; it was on the disc which came with my +Primax Colorado Direct scanner, and I do the work on my PC. Before I +start, I open my scanner program, and adjust the settings to take +black and white photos, and the brightness to about minus 35 or 40. +This is crucial, as I won't even be able to _see_ the page until I get +it right. When I first began, it took many adjustments to get it +right. There should be as few mistakes as possible on the OCR result. +If the photograph is too light, the OCR reads words wrongly. If the +photograph is too dark, there are shadows which create black patches +on the pages. If I can't get rid of these black patches, I have to +tear the pages out of the book and do them one at a time. Important: +don't buy first editions! + +I use the scanner to take a photograph of two pages. The photograph +appears on the screen. Then I close the photograph, which my computer +calls 'untitl1'. Next I open my OCR program, and search for file +'untitl1', and open that. Then I ask the program to clean it, and then +I click onto the button that 'reads' the photograph and converts in +from pixels into letters = Optical Character Recognition! + +When I get the OCR result (which takes only a few seconds), I save the +'read' text file into my own documents, numbering the file the same as +the number of the page of the book. I have created a folder called +'Gutenberg', and I save it in there in a text-only format. So I go to +my Gutenberg folder, open this new file, and visually correct the +mistakes. I save the finished page, create a Chapter 1 file, and save +it and subsequent pages that I have prepared, to build up the whole +book. After I have proofed the OCR result, I paste the finished text +into a Microsoft Word document, setting the font at Courier New size +10. This sets the lines at the right length for Gutenberg. When I have +finished the whole book in Word, I save it as text-with-line-breaks, +to get the final text file, which I send to be posted on the Gutenberg +site. I proof my work two or three times, depending on the quality of +the OCR result, and do a final spelling check with MS Word. I don't +ask other people to proof my texts, because Miss Yonge's +idiosyncrasies are liable to get edited out, unless the proofer has +the book to hand. + +It took me 6 months to prepare my first text, The Heir of Redclyffe, +but I can do 10 pages an hour now. + +In my Gutenberg folder, I have other useful files for reference, +mostly downloaded Gutenberg Instructions files. So if I need to find +something out, I can look in these files--it is much easier than +searching on the Internet. If I need to know something I can't find in +these files, I may ask a question on the Volunteers WWW Board, +although I try not to, because the answers are nearly always in the +files. + +I try to process 2 sheets of 16 octavo pages a day, taking about 3 or +4 hours. I do my housework & gardening in the morning, then settle +down to an afternoon's happy Gutenberging :-). + + +WHY DO I GUTENBERG? + +When I became semi-retired, I wanted to do some voluntary work on the +Internet. Coincidentally I began reading the works of Charlotte M +Yonge, and discovered that most of her works are out of print now. I +felt that they deserved a much wider audience, so I decided that my +voluntary job would be to do just that. Miss Yonge lived in a village +only a couple of miles away from me, so I had a local interest, too. +On my web page, http://www.menorot.com/cmyonge.htm, you will find out +a little about her, and Otterbourne, the village she lived in all her +life, and find links to other web sites about her. + +I discovered the Charlotte M Yonge Fellowship http://www.cmyf.org.uk/ +and am now in contact with other people who appreciate her work, +including academics who write clever things about her. Her books are +about families, their interactions with each other, and how they, in +Christian terms, grow in grace. I don't think there is another writer +who can write so well about families. She was a Tractarian, a +Christian who, in the nineteenth century, believed that people could +be influenced for good by what they read. For this reason, 20th +century people found her characters too moralistic, and her prose too +turgid. I think her novels are delightful, her characters lovable, and +her prose is minutely descriptive. It was said about her that she was +'able to make goodness exciting'. This is a rare talent, perhaps only +found in other Christian writers like John Bunyan or Charles Kingsley. + +Through the Gutenberg site, Miss Yonge's works are more easily +available than ever. She originally wrote for upper and middle class +young women. Even though I live a century and a half later, I can +recognise her characters in their 'descendants' who live around me, +but I sometimes wonder what Chinese, African, or even modern American +readers think of her, their own backgrounds so different from the +English Victorians. + +I enjoy making Gutenberg texts, the work is simple, once you know how +to. I would prefer, however, to see them presented in HTML. The modern +ebooks all need to be in HTML format to present nicely on their tiny +pages. I believe Gutenberg is going to publish HTML files, I would +like to learn how to do it. Eventually, I think Gutenberg files will +be available in a format that will work on all PCs, handhelds, palms, +and ebooks;--but I don't know what that format is yet, I don't think +standards have even been worked out among the ebook publishers. + +Finally, yes, I do find mistakes in my published texts. When I have +finished all 200+ of Miss Yonge's books, I am going to go through them +all for the second time, and remove the mistakes. So, my work is cut +out for many years to come. . . . + + + + + +Suzanne Shell + +Over the past several years, I visited the Project Gutenberg +website occasionally, looked at what was involved in making a +significant contribution to the effort, and left after downloading a +few books--PG was a project that would need to wait until I +retired. + +In the summer and fall of 2002, I was doing research on e-books +(sources, devices, costs) for my library, and ran across Distributed +Proofreaders. I discovered Blackmask.com at about this time, and +also followed a link from there to Distributed Proofreaders. +Serendipity! After backing away a few times, I took the plunge and +registered on November 5, then began proofing. The +however-many-pages-I-wanted-to-proof commitment was just right for +letting me get a feel for the process, and to start me thinking of +the ways I could exploit all this free labor to get the books _I_ +wanted into PG. + +I was feeling quite virtuous about proofing my 10-20 pages per +day, when I visited the site on November 8, and NONE of the books I +was working on were available. Also there was this perfectly absurd +number listed for number of proofers having proofed at least one +page (it had roughly quadrupled). I KNEW the site had been hacked. +Actually the site had been slash dotted. The DP discussion forums +were so active, it was hard to find time to read all the messages, +questions, suggestions, and complaints; these rapidly led to new +documentation and more detailed proofing guidelines. Books moved +through the site so rapidly that they brought out the "hard stuff" +from the bottom of the to-do stack, and were STILL desperate for +content. I was a relative "veteran" after just a few days, and +helped out a little by answering questions, but I was still a +beginner. I had some PG dreams that DP could make reality, but I +needed to learn the ropes first. + +Some of my ambitions revolved around professional goals--there +are some public domain titles, which, if available in electronic +form, would be extremely useful to my library's patrons. There are +also some standard reference books and indexes--Granger's Index to +Poetry is one example--that have pre-1923 editions that could still +be important resources. In order to learn what I needed to know +about providing content, though, I decided to start with something +less overwhelming (wanting to read it on my e-book reader was just a +coincidence). I went to my bookshelves and pulled out my P. G. +Wodehouse reprints. I downloaded and read the scanning and +submitting FAQ from the DP site, requested and received clearance +for the first book (_Uneasy Money_) in late December, and got to +work mastering my scanner. I tried Omnipage Pro first, but decided +that ABBYY Finereader Pro did a significantly better job of the OCR. +I offered to be a "behind the scenes" manager for the book while it +worked its way through the site, but was made an official "Project +Manager" instead. Although the first frenzy following the slash dot +invasion had calmed down, DP was still feeling a need for more +content and more hands to manage projects. + +On January 5, _Uneasy Money_ started proofing; it went through 2 +rounds of proofing in less than 20 hours. I felt a like a hick +marveling at a traffic light changing colors, but I sat at my PC and +watched the page count go down. By this time, I had also scanned and +OCR'd a couple more Wodehouse reprints and a short book of poetry. I +was hooked! Juliet Sutherland and the other admins had recruited +some experienced DP'ers to help train new post-processors in the job +of preparing final PG texts. I was handed over to one of them. After +several projects, I "graduated" and was given permission to upload +my own projects. My intent was to do 3 or 4 projects a month, no +more than I could handle post-processing by myself. I planned to +process an occasional reference book in addition to all the +Wodehouse I could get my hands on. So much for plans... + +One ongoing concern of many Distributed Proofreaders was how to +train new volunteers in the DP style of proofreading. (It is +somewhat idiosyncratic because of the distributed nature of the +process.) We were still coping with the aftereffects of the massive +influx of slash dotters--quantity benefited, but quality suffered. +Super7, one of the highest volume proofreaders, suggested setting +aside a project without complex formatting for "Beginners" and +asking that the second round proofers (all of whom should be +veterans) send feedback and encouragement to the newcomers. This was +tried successfully, and with a couple of variations. Since I had +been planning to start running a variety of genre fiction through +the site, I then volunteered to manage these as beginners' projects +for as long as the supply held out. All of a sudden, starting in +February 2003, the amount of time I needed to spend locating, +scanning, OCR'ing and managing books increased drastically, and the +amount of time I could devote to post-processing decreased. Luckily, +"veterans" stepped in to answer newcomers' questions, and to serve +as "Mentors" in the second round of proofing. Recently, others have +provided "beginners' projects", to help keep up with the demand of a +steadily increasing flow of new volunteers. These projects are also +useful for helping new post-processors learn the job. + +I still have some ambitious projects planned; Granger's _Index to +Poetry_, the unabridged edition of _The Golden Bough_, Curtis' _The +North American Indian_, and the _Book Review Digest_ (volumes for +1905-1921). A couple of volumes are already waiting to be proofed, +others are waiting to be scanned on the PG tabloid scanner. But, in +the meantime, there are 23 new Wodehouse books in PG thanks to +Distributed Proofreaders, not to mention such remnants of early 20th +century popular culture as _The Sheik_. + +I believe that a major accomplishment of Distributed Proofreaders +has been the creation of way to provide on-the-job training for PG +volunteers. Steady improvement in the quantity and quality of +training techniques and documentation, enhancements to the +user-friendliness of the site, and ready access to the collective +experience and advice of a wide range of volunteers in the Forums +have resulted in a growing core of active and experienced volunteers +in all the facets of e-book production. I'm sure that I could not +have progressed from a total newbie to a regular PG contributor +within a 5-month period without this support structure. Regular +communication and collaboration with book-lovers from around the +world has enriched my life. The fact that it is easier to get leave +from my job than from DP, is perhaps beside the point... + + + + + +Tony Adam + +How did you learn about PG? + +It's been so long, I don't really remember! I probably read about it +on a library listserv (I'm a librarian), and since making old texts +accessible has always been a concern of mine, I jumped right in. + + +What was your first contact like? + +Great! Mike Hart has always been easy to deal with via e-mail, +although we've never talked. He and the "crew du jour" directed +me to the FAQ and I took it from there. + + +What was the first PG job you did? How did it go? + +My first job might have been Henry James' _Turn of the Screw_ (I +just found a note from September 1993 on copyright clearance for it). +Since in a former incarnation I was editorial assistant for the _Henry +James Review_, I thought that would be a good start. I've always typed +the files (I'm a fast typist), and I think we had few problems along +the way. + + +How did you develop your PG experience from there? + +Helter-skelter, much like my reading habits. I work at a historically +black university, so getting 19th C African-American works posted is a +central concern. I've done _Clotelle_ (the first A-A American novel) +and the autobiography of Henry O. Flipper, the West Point cadet, and +I'm always looking for something new in that area. Somewhere along the +way I got sidetracked into essays by Whittier and other U.S. poets, +and I've collaborated on early American historical documents and Sir +Walter Scott with a fellow PGer up in Ohio and Chinese documents with +another contact in Japan. A couple of years ago, I saw that someone in +San Francisco needed help with the Shakespeare Apocrypha, and that has +occupied my time on and off since. It's always something! + + +Can you tell us about the first text you produced? + +I think it was _The Turn of the Screw_, which was +a good starting point--not too long, a good read, etc. Just plugging +away at the text a few pages a day made the process go quickly. + + +Why do you spend your hours contributing to PG? + +I love the idea of making all of this print knowledge available to +anyone anywhere. Working in a library that has suffered budget +problems over the years opened my eyes to the need for acquisition of +as much free stuff as possible for our students and faculty. Besides, +in a perverse way, it's fun! + + +Do you specialize in any particular kind of work? of texts? + +I've probably focused more on plays, historical documents, and +19th C U.S. works than anything else. + + +What do you like about making a PG text? + +Having a project come to fruition--finally seeing an almost forgotten +text come to life again. + + +What do you dislike about making a PG text? + +The work can be tedious at times, depending on the author. But +sometimes you have to plow through to get something significant +processed. For example, we probably should have more philosophers +represented, but what a horrible thing it would be to scan Kant! + + +Where do you get your eligible books? + +Mostly from my library's collection, although I finally purchased my +own copy of the Shakespeare Apocrypha (it's very hard to find, which +makes it very suitable for posting). I've interlibrary loaned some +items, but that's also been unusual. + + +Do you type or scan? What Scanner / OCR / Editor / WP do you prefer? + +I still type everything--it's easier when working with a play, I've +discovered. But I'm purchasing a scanner in the very near future and +will do more with that. + +How do you check your text? Any special tools? spellchecker? Do you +print it out and read it? Put it on your PDA and read it? Have a voice +synthesis program read it aloud to you from your PC? + +I usually run it through the spellchecker, although depending on the +work, I read it line by line a second time. + +Do you have any tips'n'tricks or special routines you go through when +preparing a text? + +The best thing to do is put yourself on a schedule--do a set amount of +pages every day, and you'll be surprised how quickly you get to the +end. I also make a pencil mark in the book at a stopping point and +even read back a paragraph to double check what I last entered. + + +How long does it take you to make a text? + +Depends on my work schedule, other assignments, time of year, etc. A +play might take a couple of weeks, but a Walter Scott novel could take +six months. I think my record is probably one day for an essay, but +that's unusual. + +Do you work alone, or do you share the work of each text? Does anyone +regularly help you proof the text? + +I've worked alone and on teams, depending on the text. No one +regularly helps to proof the text, but occasionally someone else does. + +Do you do some PG work regularly, or drift in and out as opportunity +permits, or when you feel like it? + +I consider myself a regular, as time permits. In other words, I +haven't dropped out of the picture, but sometimes I might not enter +anything for up to a month. + + +How many different kinds of work, or different books, have you done? + +Not sure how many different books I've done, but it's been a wide +variety: James' and Scott's novels, Whittier's essays, a whole +collection of early American documents (mostly New Netherlands), +Shakespeare (accepted canon and the apocryphal works), some odd works +(_The Psychology of Beauty_ comes to mind)--the list goes on and on. +I've even forgotten that I've done some titles! + + +What do you like about the PG process? + +That it's open-ended--if I think I have something that should be +posted, I don't have to jump through hoops and ladders to get +permission (other than copyright clearance). + + +What do you dislike about the PG process? + +Can't think of anything offhand. + + +Is there anything you'd like to see PG doing differently? + +I know it's a bone of contention, but we probably need to explore +moving away from ASCII. + +If one of your friends approached you to ask advice about how to get +started contributing to PG, what would you tell them? + +Start with something fun, that's close to your heart, and keep +plugging away a little bit at a time. + + +What do you expect Project Gutenberg to be like in 5 years? 10 years? + +We'll probably be a whole lot bigger (texts and personnel), with a +different look to the texts. Maybe we'll even have more audio versions +of texts, using some of the new software that's coming out. + + + + +Tonya Allen + +I discovered Project Gutenberg in about 1997. After several years of +enjoying PG's texts, in June of 2002 I decided it was time to start +contributing. Via the PG web site I learned that the easiest way to +do this would be to help out with proofreading via Charles Franks' +Distributed Proofreaders web site. The day I signed on I proofed +nine whole pages of a children's book called _Curly and Floppy +Twistytail_ and felt very proud to be contributing. + +At that time, there were probably only about 40 active volunteers +on the site each day. Often I proofed an entire book almost all by +myself over the course of a week or so. Things moved at a leisurely +pace; guidelines were few and simple; and I had fun reading old +books and discovering new authors. + +After a few months a request was made for volunteers to post-process +texts in French. I volunteered to help with this, and that was how I +became a post-processor (PPer). Shortly afterwards, the web page +listing texts available for post-processing and sign-out was +unveiled. I remember several times checking and being disappointed +because there was nothing currently available (hard to imagine now +when there are always at least 40 texts waiting). + +One day in November, I picked out a likely-looking text from the +proofing page, and settled down for an hour of reading. As I recall, +it was _The Greek View of Life_, a sizeable text of which only a few +pages had been proofed so far, and which I thought would last for +several days at least. At about that time, someone emailed me to say +that DP had been "/.ed." "What does that mean?" I replied. I soon +found out. + +I had been proofing away peacefully for awhile when suddenly instead +of the next page, I got a page about twenty pages further on. The +same thing happened again and again, and suddenly all the pages were +gone; the whole text had been completed. DP had indeed been +slashdotted. + +Since then, a lot of amazing things have happened. The number of +active volunteers per day has increased almost 1000%. The number of +texts that go through the site has increased exponentially. All +kinds of proofing and processing tools have been developed. I now +spend most of my time checking texts that others have PPed, and +submitting them to PG, at an average rate of one to four per +day--quite a leap from nine pages of _Curly and Floppy Twistytail_. +And I'm looking forward to everything that lies ahead as DP +continues to evolve. + + + + + +Walter Debeuf + +Quite by chance I became aware of PG when I was surfing and looking +for interesting sites. I vaguely knew the name because I had heard of +the Project a long time ago. After reading the "History and Philosophy +of PG", I immediately became wildly enthusiastic about it. This was +what I had been looking for for years, a meaningful use of my PC, and +because I am a fervent lover of good literature, I didn't hesitate to +contact the founders of the Project. I made a suggestion that I should +work on French and Dutch e-texts. The very same day I received an +answer from PG in which they told me they were very pleased with my +contribution but that I had to keep in mind that all books must be +free of copyright and published before 1923. + +This wasn't so great. . . . After I browsed in the "Help And FAQ" of +the PG site, I read that I didn't have to worry about all that, +because they are willing to do all the clearance! + +On my own bookshelf I found an old book of Jules Renard, "Poil de +Carotte". It seemed old enough to me, but I couldn't find any +copyright notations. So, I mailed to Mr Hart all the information I +found on the title page and the verso, and asked him what he thought +about it. The next day I received his answer, he wrote: "We still have +to prove this edition was pre-1923, so I am forwarding to our +authority on such copyright research." This authority is Ms. Dianne +Bean who mailed me a few days later very pleasantly that I could start +typing, because the copyright issues had been resolved. She asked me +to send a "TP&V" (a photocopy of the title page and verso) of the book +to Mr. Hart, because they need that for legal reasons. + +But something wasn't very clear to me concerning the format I had to +use. In the "FAQ" they spoke about "plain vanilla ASCII", something I +never had heard about in my life! In "How to Volunteer, PG Volunteers' +Board" Mr. Jim Tinsley answered all kind of questions about all kinds +of problems people have when they start volunteering. So I did the +same and sent him my question. I received an extensive answer about +all kind of formats in the "ISO 8859 Alphabet Soup" and he recommended +me to use "Codepage 1252" which is very common in Windows. Here are +the addresses which Jim sent to me: + +"If you are interested in the differences, I recommend the excellent +web page + +http://czyborra.com/charsets/codepages.html + +in the excellent reference site http://czyborra.com" + +I chose a French book, first because I had it already on my bookshelf, +and secondly because I wanted to perfect my knowledge of the French +language and typing seemed the right way to do it. When copying an +author's text, you are very close to it. You also have to pay full +attention to the spelling of the words. Gradually you come under the +spell of the story and you forget that you are typing . . . +Nevertheless, it is hard work, especially when it is not your native +language, and therefore you shouldn't try to rush it. At first I +started with two or three pages a day, which means that you would need +about two months typing for an average book. But good typists can do +it more quickly. + +I can only applaud the aim of PG, to put books available on the net as +much as possible and without cost, for every one in the whole world. I +love to co-operate with it. + +In the meantime there are thousands and thousands of books in the +PG-collection, and that makes it a little difficult to find other +examples which are free of copyright, because they must be from before +1923. Since I've got the "PG-bug" it's a challenge for me to find +suitable copies, and I look for them high and low. I can buy a few +books for a song and I take them home as a trophy, looking forward to +the work which is waiting for me . . . + +In libraries you can find old publications which you can find nowhere +else. + +It's amazing how fascinating old books can be and how much you can +learn from them. For the moment I'm working on "Pecheur d'Islande" by +Pierre Loti, in which I get acquainted with an old tradition of +fishermen, very interesting. Without PG I would probably never have +read this. There must be still a lot of little treasures in some old +and dusty attics, waiting to be born again by the magic touch of a +PG-volunteer. + +If you do it, no compensation or payment is waiting, but . . . doing +something disinterested and unselfish gives you a good feeling. + + + + +Bookmarks: + +B.1. Project Gutenberg: + + +Home Page and Search <https://www.gutenberg.org/> +Contact Information <https://www.gutenberg.org/contactinfo.html> +Donations <https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html> +List of FTP sites <https://www.gutenberg.org/list.html> +Web Browse to texts <http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/> + +Mailing Lists <https://www.gutenberg.org/subs.html> +Volunteers' Board <https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/wwwboard/> +Copyright Rules <https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/pd.html> +Books In Progress <http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html> +(The InProg List) + +Greek Transliteration <https://www.gutenberg.org/vol/greek.html> + +Music <http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/music/music_helpex.html#what-software> + +GUTINDEX.ALL <ftp://ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/GUTINDEX.ALL> +(Complete list of posted eBooks) + + + +B.2. Distributed Proofing Sites: + +Charles Franks <https://www.pgdp.net/> +JC Byers <http://www.wollamshram.ca/1001/index.htm> +Dewayne Cushman <http://www.metalbox.net/dcushman/pgroot.htm> + + + +B.3. Other On-Line eBook Pages: + +The On-Line Books Page <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/> + /In Progress List <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/in-progress.html> +Internet Public Library <http://www.ipl.org/> + + + +B.4. Lists of Suggested Books to Transcribe: + +PG Books In Progress <http://www.dprice48.freeserve.co.uk/GutIP.html> +On-Line Requested List <http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/in-progress.html#requests> +Steve Harris' "To-do"s <http://www.steveharris.net/PGList.htm> + + + +B.5. Finding Paper Books On-Line: + +Advanced Book Exchange <http://www.abebooks.com> +Alibris <http://www.alibris.com> +Trussel BookSearch <http://www.trussel.com/f_books.htm> +Library of Congress Catalog <http://catalog.loc.gov> + + + +B.6. Character Sets + +Overviews <http://czyborra.com> + <http://www.cs.tut.fi/~jkorpela/chars/index.html> +ISO-8859 <http://czyborra.com/charsets/iso8859.html> +Microsoft & Other Codepages <http://czyborra.com/charsets/codepages.html> +Unicode <http://www.unicode.org> + + + + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE PROJECT GUTENBERG FAQ 2002 *** + +This file should be named 9109.txt or 9109.zip + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance +of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. +Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, +even years after the official publication date. + +Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til +midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. +The official release date of all Project Gutenberg eBooks is at +Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A +preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment +and editing by those who wish to do so. + +Most people start at our Web sites at: +https://gutenberg.org or +http://promo.net/pg + +These Web sites include award-winning information about Project +Gutenberg, including how to donate, how to help produce our new +eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!). + + +Those of you who want to download any eBook before announcement +can get to them as follows, and just download by date. This is +also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the +indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an +announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter. + +http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or +ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03 + +Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90 + +Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, +as it appears in our Newsletters. + + +Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) + +We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The +time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours +to get any eBook selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright +searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. Our +projected audience is one hundred million readers. If the value +per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 +million dollars per hour in 2002 as we release over 100 new text +files per month: 1240 more eBooks in 2001 for a total of 4000+ +We are already on our way to trying for 2000 more eBooks in 2002 +If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total +will reach over half a trillion eBooks given away by year's end. + +The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away 1 Trillion eBooks! +This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, +which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users. + +Here is the briefest record of our progress (* means estimated): + +eBooks Year Month + + 1 1971 July + 10 1991 January + 100 1994 January + 1000 1997 August + 1500 1998 October + 2000 1999 December + 2500 2000 December + 3000 2001 November + 4000 2001 October/November + 6000 2002 December* + 9000 2003 November* +10000 2004 January* + + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created +to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +As of February, 2002, contributions are being solicited from people +and organizations in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, +Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, +Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, +Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New +Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, +Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South +Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West +Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. + +We have filed in all 50 states now, but these are the only ones +that have responded. + +As the requirements for other states are met, additions to this list +will be made and fund raising will begin in the additional states. +Please feel free to ask to check the status of your state. + +In answer to various questions we have received on this: + +We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork to legally +request donations in all 50 states. If your state is not listed and +you would like to know if we have added it since the list you have, +just ask. + +While we cannot solicit donations from people in states where we are +not yet registered, we know of no prohibition against accepting +donations from donors in these states who approach us with an offer to +donate. + +International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about +how to make them tax-deductible, or even if they CAN be made +deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are +ways. + +Donations by check or money order may be sent to: + +Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +PMB 113 +1739 University Ave. +Oxford, MS 38655-4109 + +Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment +method other than by check or money order. + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by +the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN +[Employee Identification Number] 64-622154. Donations are +tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fund-raising +requirements for other states are met, additions to this list will be +made and fund-raising will begin in the additional states. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +You can get up to date donation information online at: + +https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html + + +*** + +If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, +you can always email directly to: + +Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com> + +Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message. + +We would prefer to send you information by email. + + +**The Legal Small Print** + + +(Three Pages) + +***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS**START*** +Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers. +They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with +your copy of this eBook, even if you got it for free from +someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our +fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement +disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how +you may distribute copies of this eBook if you want to. + +*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS EBOOK +By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm +eBook, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept +this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive +a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this eBook by +sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person +you got it from. If you received this eBook on a physical +medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request. + +ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM EBOOKS +This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBooks, +is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart +through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). +Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright +on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and +distribute it in the United States without permission and +without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth +below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this eBook +under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark. + +Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market +any commercial products without permission. + +To create these eBooks, the Project expends considerable +efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain +works. Despite these efforts, the Project's eBooks and any +medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other +things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other +intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged +disk or other eBook medium, a computer virus, or computer +codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. + +LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES +But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, +[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may +receive this eBook from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook) disclaims +all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including +legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR +UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, +INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE +OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE +POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. + +If you discover a Defect in this eBook within 90 days of +receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) +you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that +time to the person you received it from. If you received it +on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and +such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement +copy. If you received it electronically, such person may +choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to +receive it electronically. + +THIS EBOOK IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS +TO THE EBOOK OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT +LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A +PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or +the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the +above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you +may have other legal rights. + +INDEMNITY +You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, +and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated +with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm +texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including +legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the +following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this eBook, +[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the eBook, +or [3] any Defect. + +DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm" +You may distribute copies of this eBook electronically, or by +disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this +"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, +or: + +[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this + requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the + eBook or this "small print!" statement. You may however, + if you wish, distribute this eBook in machine readable + binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, + including any form resulting from conversion by word + processing or hypertext software, but only so long as + *EITHER*: + + [*] The eBook, when displayed, is clearly readable, and + does *not* contain characters other than those + intended by the author of the work, although tilde + (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may + be used to convey punctuation intended by the + author, and additional characters may be used to + indicate hypertext links; OR + + [*] The eBook may be readily converted by the reader at + no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent + form by the program that displays the eBook (as is + the case, for instance, with most word processors); + OR + + [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at + no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the + eBook in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC + or other equivalent proprietary form). + +[2] Honor the eBook refund and replacement provisions of this + "Small Print!" statement. + +[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the + gross profits you derive calculated using the method you + already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" + the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were + legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent + periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to + let us know your plans and to work out the details. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of +public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed +in machine readable form. + +The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, +public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses. +Money should be paid to the: +"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or +software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at: +hart@pobox.com + +[Portions of this eBook's header and trailer may be reprinted only +when distributed free of all fees. Copyright (C) 2001, 2002 by +Michael S. Hart. Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be +used in any sales of Project Gutenberg eBooks or other materials be +they hardware or software or any other related product without +express permission.] + +*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END* + + diff --git a/9109.zip b/9109.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..46593b6 --- /dev/null +++ b/9109.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..3545163 --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #9109 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/9109) diff --git a/pgf2002.zip b/pgf2002.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..f1f53a0 --- /dev/null +++ b/pgf2002.zip |