Date: Fri, 24 Dec 2004 10:23:56 -0500
To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>
From: Colleen Cahill <ccah at earthlink.net>
Subject: [WSFA] Re: New mass market pb format
Reply-To: WSFA members <WSFAlist at WSFA.org>

There are several of us who are dubious because the price quoted is $10.00
a book (my apologies to any one I mentioned a lower price to at the WSFA
meeting: bad memory).  This price is only scanning and only if done in
India.  It does not include OCRing, metadata, or anything that would make
the item more display-friendly.

Keith is right in that it duplicates much of Project Gutenburg, which has
been active since 1971 and has over 6000 books online, all carefully proof
read to the original text.  http://promo.net/pg/.  It is a great project
and I am especially happy that it is not just English works.  And Well's
War of the Worlds is in the top 15 downloads this week.  Neat site!

Colleen

At 09:43 AM 12/24/2004, you wrote:
>Interestingly, Keith F. Lynch said:
>
> >Doesn't this duplicate Project Gutenberg?
>
>As far as I can see, this will (if it actually comes off) swamp and
>overwhelm Gutenberg, which seems to rely on the goodwill of members of the
>public to scan and correct or even type in the full text of older works.
>
>I have my suspicions that the good folks at Google have badly
>underestimated the total costs of this project, and that it will turn into
>a hugely embarassing, and potentially disastrous failure.
>
>Really hope I'm wrong about this.
>
>Barry

Colleen R. Cahill
ccah at earthlink.net
Librarian by Profession, Reviewer by Avocation, Reader by Addiction