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Project JV2005

From: Norm Wolcott <nwolcott~at~kreative.net>
Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 18:47:10 -0400
To: "JV Forum" <jvf~at~math.technion.ac.il>
Cc: "Norm Wolcott" <nwolcott~at~post.harvard.edu>

Project JV2005 is still alive. The project is to re-create some of the Voyages Extraordinarines in the original format, and also to make available public domain texts in English of as many volumes as possible.
    
  A. The first problem is to find out how many VE there are. These Voyages were published in a size 28cm x 18cm, I believe a size M. Margot refers to as "in 4", usually with a red cover. There is an entry under Potpourri on this site for VE, but unfortunately the site has been removed. Thus far I have located 4 Voyages as follows:
    a. 20000 Leagues, rather foxed, but maybe can fix up with photoshop.
    b. Mysterious Island, fairly good copy
    c. Five Weeks in a balloon with Voyage to Centre of the Earth, good copy
    d. La Maison a Vapeur (Giant Raft?)
    e. Tribulations of a Chinaman plus Revolt of the Bounty
    f. Adventures of three English and Three Russians in Australia. This has a green cover.

There may be others in the 28cm format. Those with knowledge please provide. I know there is an 80 Days in this format. This size is desired to make better copies of the pictures, although some of the English translations have better paper for the illustrations.

   B. Fonts If anyone has access to the program "Fontographer" it may be possible to re-create the font with which the VE were printed. If not we will have to do with Times Roman.

   C. Format. The original idea was to prepare the texts using SGML. Unfortunately SGML is a little understood and complicated process, and viewers or as they are called "formatters" are few and not widely available. With the availability of XML comes the possibility of making a universally available text in the original format of the Voyages. . IE5 supports XML and no doubt Netscape soon will also. There is still the question of "style sheets" which is not fully resolved, but this can be entered later and will not affect the XML text.

   D. Other English texts. These are not so readily available as most in public libraries have been discarded, or else are early valuable editions not available for scanning. I do have a copy of 5 weeks in a balloon, but it is foxed and there is bleed in the text so it does not OCR well. I have located a copy of the 1911 Horne edition, looks like it would OCR better, need advice from those with the JV Encyclopaedia if this is the same Xlation. I have also found Castle in the Carpathians, 1894. Also Lighthouse at the End of the World, 1924 xlator C Metcalfe, unfortunately not out of copyright as of the new law. Need advice in this area as to which texts might be available and the best public domain one.

   E..Collaboration. Again collaboration with these interested is welcome. Will try to get Project Gutenberg interested as they are into the OCR business.
Received on Mon 19 Apr 1999 - 01:51:20 IDT

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