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Re: "F. P. Walter" translation -- not new

From: Walter J Miller <wjm2~at~nyu.edu>
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 2009 11:41:29 -0500
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~gilead.org.il>

To set the record straight, Rick, and other Vernians. I agree that Rick's 1991 version was better for Gutenberg to have in place of Mercier Lewis. I still felt uncomfortable, and expressed this discomfort to Rick, about whether this was fair to our USNIP publishers. Actually, I believe our standard contract specified that we would publish no competing work. It's a weird moral dilemma, and I saw no way out. I think it's too strong to say the Gutenberg arrangement was made with my "agreement." I simply did not protest. I suppose that's a form of agreement, but I have never felt it was a strong endorsement and wish we had never been forced into such a compromise. I repeat, I'm glad Gutenberg was disengaged from the "sempiternal" Mercier Lewis, but...but...Happy Holidays anyhow! Cheers! Walt

_____________________
Walter James Miller
Professor Emeritus of English
Liberal Studies Program, NYU
686 Rugby Road
Brooklyn, NY 11230
(718) 859-4371

----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Walter~at~comcast.net" <rick1walter~at~comcast.net>
Date: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 10:54 am
Subject: "F. P. Walter" translation -- not new
To: Jules Verne Forum <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>


> To set the record straight:
>
> The "F. P. Walter" translation privately issued by Evertype isn't new
> -- I
> completed it in 1991 but never published it -- so it preceded the 1993
> Naval
> Institute edition on which I collaborated with Walter James Miller.
>
> In 1999, with WJM's agreement, I donated this unpublished 1991 text to
>
> Project Gutenberg, simply to make a more complete version available in
> place
> of the sempiternal Mercier Lewis. It has long been accessible at PJ as
> well
> at Zvi Har El's online library.
>
> I signed this unpublished version "F. P. Walter" to distinguish it
> from my
> other, copyrighted translating work -- the latter I always sign with
> my full
> name.
>
> All the best,
>
> "Rick in Albuquerque"
>
> Frederick Paul Walter
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Craig Weatherhill" <craig~at~agantavas.org>
> To: "Jules Verne Forum" <jvf~at~Gilead.org.il>
> Sent: Wednesday, December 16, 2009 3:49 AM
> Subject: Re: Jules Verne audio narrated by Michael Pritchard
>
>
> > Addendum to my last. The new Walter translation improves upon that
> he
> > did with W.J. Miller in 1993 and published by the United States
> Naval
> > Institute. The best thing about the 1993 edition is the amount of
> > footnotes, most of which point out where previous translators went
> wrong
> > and, in many cases, vindicating Verne's grasp of science. Verne
> had
> > previously been hammered by people such as T.L. Thomas for
> scientific
> > gaffes which were actually the fault of Mercier and others. They
> had it
> > wrong; Verne had it right (which made Thomas look rather silly).
> >
> > Craig
> >
> >
> > On 16 Kev 2009, at 10:02, wbutcher wrote:
> >
> >> It's a highly abridged and distorted version of Twenty Thousand Leagues
> >> under the Seas, apparently derived from the one "translated" by Lewis
> >> Mercier -- to be avoided like the plague!
> >>
> >> Cordially,
> >>
> >> Bill
> >> http://www.ibiblio.org/julesverne/
> >> 1A, Kai Kuk Shue Ha, Luk Keng, North District, NT, HONG KONG
> >>
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il [mailto:owner-jvf~at~Gilead.org.il] On
> Behalf
> >> Of
> >> Donna Knight
> >> Sent: 16 December 2009 04:42
> >> To: jvf~at~Gilead.org.il
> >> Subject: Re: Jules Verne audio narrated by Michael Pritchard
> >>
> >> I am an librarian who was posed with a question about 20000 Leagues
>
> >> Under
> >> the Sea:
> >> What translation of 20000 Leagues Under the Sea is used in the
> >> Unabridged
> >> Tantor Audio version read by Michael Prichard?
> >> I would be grateful if you could answer this question for me.
> >> Sincerely
> >> Donna Knight
> >> Dacula Branch
> >> Gwinnett County Public Library
> >>
> >>
> >> "Dance like no one is watching. Sing like no one is listening. Love
> like
> >> you've never been hurt and live like it's heaven on Earth."
> >> - Mark Twain
> >>
> >
> > --
> > Craig Weatherhill
> >
>
Received on Wed 16 Dec 2009 - 18:41:37 IST

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