Caryls Job in Contemporary Type - Not as impossible as we think.

[davejonescue]

Hello all. After realizing today that EEBO-TCP transcribed 8 out of the 12 volumes of Caryls Job, and that we are in the process of eventually correcting a majority of the grammatical mistakes within it, I am just throwing this idea out here to see if it takes. The volumes that EEBO-TCP didnt transcribe are 4,6,8,9. The total page count for those combined is 3,063 pages. If there are 9 other people on here, who would like to commit to a 16 month, or 78 week plan, to each type only 4 pages per week, we could have the entire 3,068 transcribed in a year and a half. The text already in EEBO-TCP is extremely clean for what it is. Now, I cannot promise that it will get published, but what will happen is we can set this typed out, 8,000+ page commentary at publishers feet, by putting it in the public domain; and it may just be too irresistible for someone to refuse. Now, many of us may not have the bookoo bucks to hire a typist, but, many of us may have the 30 minutes or an hour or so a week to type 4 pages. I am not concerned if someone takes over this project, but what I can do is break up the remaining volumes into 10 parts, give 9 people their parts (as I volunteer to be one of the typists) and we can create an email, or see if we can create a forum here to keep track of progress. This would be a momentous work. And being in the public domain, even in PDF, EPUB form would be a blessing because these were originally sermons, and can be read as such. But, if in the public domain, it also gives E-Sword, theWord, Accordance, and Logos the opportunity to incorporate it in their engines if they desire at no real cost to them. And, it would also allow anybody to publish it which would keep cost competitive. If this idea sinks, it sinks, and I will see if I can pay someone to type those 3,000 pages out. But we really can make this happen with just a little patience, and 4 pages a week. If the Lord wills, 16 months will come and go; wouldnt it be awesome to have this work in regular type at the end of it? Just a thought, but maybe we can make it happen?

 

[greenbaggins]

It is possible for a lot of the set. However, some of the sidebar comments are so faded it is difficult to make it out. There would be hundreds of such problems. It is all very well to try to do a project like this (and Caryl is certainly a worthy such project). However, for publishing to happen, a LOT of extra work would be needed, looking up all of Caryl's sources and making sure they are accurate, etc.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I agree with Lane, and with a photo reprint out there that could easily come out again, this seems like a risky publisher effort. If someone wants to risk it, let them count the cost (huge). It is 12 volumes. Rutherford's works are a huge investment decade long project at RHB and this would be half as huge by volume. So, sure, shoot for the goal to get it complete for your app, but don't expect this of itself will entice a publisher.

 

[davejonescue]

I agree with Lane, and with a photo reprint out there that could easily come out again, this seems like a risky publisher effort. If someone wants to risk it, let them count the cost (huge). It is 12 volumes. Rutherford's works are a huge investment decade long project at RHB and this would be half as huge by volume. So, sure, shoot for the goal to get it complete for your app, but don't expect this of itself will entice a publisher.

I see your point, but if I am not mistaken, wasnt the 12 volumes already published using a copy of the facsimiles? And it seems most of those sold (though I am not sure about that.) So if this were retyped, even with the blemishes of the facsimiles, what is really to say it wouldnt meet or exceed the former? What I really think it is, and I can see why, nobody wanted to type out 8,000+ pages, I know I sure as heck dont. But EEBO-TCP has already typed out 5,000 of them. Considering that, and, I could be mistaken here, that this wasnt produced as a commentary, but as a collection of sermons, it isnt as critical as a work as some others, though much more voluminous as many out there. As far as publishing goes; or a publisher picking it up, it would be nothing to produce the PDF's in 6x9 "publish ready" so people at the least could go to a print on demand using the PDF's. But I think it wise not to make it more than it is. The only complaint I have seen about this commentary, even with the smudged facsimiles is that it is in the old type. The good thing is, 3,000 pages isnt the end of the world. And actually there is a plasma place opening up in my small town soon. Might have to wait till it opens and take the $200-$300 a month donating, and just pay someone to type it out over the course of 6 months to a year. We will have to wait and see. But I can totally see why others would pass on the project. Just kind of tossing it out here and seeing if anybody was interested. I think sometimes we forget that the power of teamwork is incredibly valuable; and things that seem impossible for a single individual, can seem realistic for a few committed people. God Bless.

 

[NaphtaliPress]

I see your point, but if I am not mistaken, wasnt the 12 volumes already published using a copy of the facsimiles? And it seems most of those sold (though I am not sure about that.) So if this were retyped, even with the blemishes of the facsimiles, what is really to say it wouldnt meet or exceed the former? What I really think it is, and I can see why, nobody wanted to type out 8,000+ pages, I know I sure as heck dont. But EEBO-TCP has already typed out 5,000 of them. Considering that, and, I could be mistaken here, that this wasnt produced as a commentary, but as a collection of sermons, it isnt as critical as a work as some others, though much more voluminous as many out there. As far as publishing goes; or a publisher picking it up, it would be nothing to produce the PDF's in 6x9 "publish ready" so people at the least could go to a print on demand using the PDF's. But I think it wise not to make it more than it is. The only complaint I have seen about this commentary, even with the smudged facsimiles is that it is in the old type. The good thing is, 3,000 pages isnt the end of the world. And actually there is a plasma place opening up in my small town soon. Might have to wait till it opens and take the $200-$300 a month donating, and just pay someone to type it out over the course of 6 months to a year. We will have to wait and see. But I can totally see why others would pass on the project. Just kind of tossing it out here and seeing if anybody was interested. I think sometimes we forget that the power of teamwork is incredibly valuable; and things that seem impossible for a single individual, can seem realistic for a few committed people. God Bless.

I won't belabor it since you grant some of the difficulty, but regarding print on demand; both the pb and hb I get from Lulu, and I assume they are equal to others, falls apart. Folks will opt for the facsimile which is well bound and presents well over volumes that simply don't have a shelf life (unless you never read them!).

 

[davejonescue]

I won't belabor it since you grant some of the difficulty, but regarding print on demand; both the pb and hb I get from Lulu, and I assume they are equal to others, falls apart. Folks will opt for the facsimile which is well bound and presents well over volumes that simply don't have a shelf life (unless you never read them!).

And that is really the beauty of it in my eyes, to see a need, fill that need, put it in the public domain, and let people do with they see fit. Physical book publishing is only one aspect of the text being converted into contemporary type; the other is the use within Bible Software programs such as E-Sword, Blue Letter Bible, theWord, Logos, and Accordance. Also the viability of these being made into searchable PDF's and Epubs. There is also a very real application, given the current text-to-speech increase in technology, of one day soon, being able to easily convert these text sermons into audio, that sounds like an actual voice, so that you have an audio series on Job; but that tech still needs to improve a bit. And its OK that we dont see this equally as an opportunity. I just see it so close to completion, that it just needs an extra little push to get it there. Thank you for the constructive criticism though, duly noted.