Re: they won't allow you to use facts to embarrass them

James Adcock <[email protected]>
Newsgroups gmane.culture.literature.e-books.gutenberg.volunteers
Message-ID <[email protected]>
>so i accept david's action.  indeed, since jim has admitted
that his version is _different_ than david's, i don't see how
jim's version could replace david's version in any situation.
it would be different if jim's version were the same as #76.


Bizarre in BB's world I "admitted" my version was different - on the
contrary I stated from day one my version was different, that it was
intended to be different to avoid the problem that PG has with not allowing
a submission to "fix" a golden-moldie version, and from day one I said I was
doing a different version because I wanted to demonstrate my
cross-versioning tool, and also that I actually *like* a version of Huck
that has fewer of the overtly racist "Uncle Tom" cartoons in it.  IMHO Mark
Twain (like Stephen Crane "Monster") in the writing is being mostly
ambiguous on the issue of racism, whereas the Uncle Tom cartoons are overt.


>moreover, i have created a clean version of the same edition
that jim used.  so imagine that i am going to submit it to p.g.,
along with the pagescans, to create a better overall package...

 

When I submit a version to PG I personally am saying not "This is Perfect"
but rather "I am done with it, now it's yours."

 

In my opinion the issue of whether or not page images are included are not
is moot - IF I give PG a pointer to the images when I do the copyright
clearance.  In which case if they want the page images but are not willing
to go get them, well, then that is sad.  I have pointed out on this forum
many times why a person submitting a book may not also want to send a
physical copy of the page images to PG.

 

If BB submits a substantially "better" version of the identical edition -
not just a "snowflake" version which says comes with a brown "ye olde aged
paper" background then I would hope that PG would accept the new version and
use it to replace the old "Jim" version.  I would hope that BB would build
on my efforts when doing so as to not totally waste his time and effort -
which BB has done so.  "Better" would have to be a version that runs
substantially better on most reader machines PG "customers" actually read
on, and not just on BB's iPad, for example, and be of similar or smaller
size.

 

IF BB's submission was not substantially overall better I would hope PG
would say "Just send us the errata list please."

 

I would also hope for example that PG would have a consistent policy on this
issue, and not say "Oh we don't replace DP versions because that hurts their
feelings." Or "we don't replace the High-priestess versions because that
hurts *their* feelings."

 

A better solution, IMHO, would be if PG were to allow golden-moldie versions
to be reworked and the 100s of out-right errors in them to be fixed - while
still respecting the transcription choices in the original as much as
possible.  This may not always be possible.  In fact in some cases PG ought
to be actively soliciting people to rework some of the golden-moldies.  And
a lot of the golden-moldies are really stinko editions in the first place,
in which place please dear god find a better edition with better provenance,
replace the stinko version in its entirely silently and retain the old
number, and burn the old bits on a pyre.

 

One had better assume that better versions are coming - god help us if
nothing better than HTML is ever invented for coding books.   And if a
better encoding IS invented then I hope dear please to god that ALL the old
HTML eventually gets thrown away.  Not to imply by any means that I think
either TEI or BB's tilde language represent an improvement in practice over
HTML.

3.  accept it, and overwrite jim's edition with mine, complete
with a new credit-line mentioning "a volunteer", but no name.

 

When I put my name in a credit-line it is to say "I accept responsibility
for this work as it is, good or bad." It is not a claim that my efforts are
perfect. BB in turn enjoys tracking down PG books which have my name on it
and pillorying me for my efforts, simply because I have the affront to say
that I think many of BB's ideas are bad ideas and a waste of time - such as
the idea that everyone is going to follow BB's suggestion of posting page
images next to transcriptions.  I think page images are good idea, mind you,
just not taken to BB's extremes.  But credit-lines is part of being willing
to put my name on my efforts.  It also means that if someone wants to build
on my efforts, replace them, fix them, question them, etc., they need only
contact me.


anyone else is invited to chip in their opinion as well, but i am
especially interested in jim's thoughts.  and, if he makes a post
before thanksgiving, i will consider it in my deliberations about
whether or not, after thanksgiving weekend, i will indeed make
a submission to p.g. of a corrected edition of jim's "huck finn".



Sorry, BB, but I have friends and relatives whose company to enjoy on
Thanksgiving. 

 

If you do submit your "corrected" version to PG, I would be curious to see
or hear their reaction - which might be influenced more by which of the two
of us is - at that particular moment - most 'persona non grata.' ;-)

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