Speaking digitally (fwd)

[Allen Thrasher]

Indology listers,

I was having lunch with a friend in commercial scholarly publishing 
yesterday and he told me he was trying to get a grant for developing 
hypertext software for presenting texts with apparatus criticus and 
commentary on the Web.  It seemed to me that this would be especially 
pertinent for Indian texts, where the 4th level of commentary down can be 
not only illuminative of the higher levels but an important 'original' 
(scare quotes) work in philosophy, theology, etc.  He had no objection to 
my throwing the idea out for others to pursue as well.  This morning I 
find an announcement on a listserve on Charles Sander Peirce about a text 
mounted with apparatus criticus, of Leibniz.


Allen W. Thrasher

Senior Reference Librarian
Southern Asia Section
Library of Congress
Washington, DC 20540-4774
tel. 202-707-5600
fax  202-707-1724
Email: athr at loc.gov




---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 1995 08:07:40 -0600
From: NATHAN HOUSER <NHOUSER at INDYCMS.IUPUI.EDU>
To: Multiple recipients of list <peirce-l at unicorn.acs.ttu.edu>
Subject: Speaking digitally

On the subject of digital texts, some of you might be interested in
taking a look at what is purported to be the first-ever critical
edition made for the Net.  It's a short text by Leibniz that was
edited and prepared for the Web in Trieste, Italy.  The Web address is"

     http://www.znort.it/suiseth/drole/drole.html

This is the sort of electronic edition we are aiming at for the Peirce
texts.  Dick Miller (U. of Missouri-Rolla) will be in Indianapolis next
term to help us set up some procedures for electronic publishing.
Actually we have been planning for an on-line edition for over two
years but have not found funding for it.  As you will see, if you
look at the Leibniz text, the editing process for on-line critical
texts is basically identical with the process for print editions, so
what is really involved in putting a critical edition on-line is
a new kind of publication operation.  Previously we have depended on
Indiana University press to produce our books after we completed the
editing process.  Now we have to find some way to support the parallel
production of a Web product along the lines of the Leibniz Web
edition--which will take money the federal government isn't likely to
provide under the present Congress.  Apparently our appeal will have
to be to the private sector.  Funding ideas will be gladly received.

Nathan Houser
Peirce Edition Project