Quote:
Originally Posted by ahi
What and how many other titles have you scanned? Anything prior to 1900?
I am in the early stages of undertaking similar efforts for at least 2 titles, with the ultimate aim of publishing the results as dead-tree books and also as free eBooks.
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Actually, scanning is but a first step. I have achieved extremely good output scans for old books with the help of a free program called Kromsator. My scans are typically bw 600 dpi with the complete removal of page texture, background, and any artifacts. The letters even if enlarged to fill the screen look great.
However, I am more interested in formatted proofread text. My goal is to digitize in this fashion the Century Dictionary (there is a scan already available but as I said I am interested in actual text). I have started with the first volume. I have also found a more recent large dictionary, whose copyright my research shows has not been renewed and lapsed. I am keeping the name of the dictionary to myself for now. It is scanned, OCRed, and now in the process of being proofed.
Possibly, to avoid the whole issue, I may take my results and start working on a derivative work without releasing the public domain version.
I cannot have a huge catalog of works. It's going to be a couple of serious large scale projects. Alternatively, I can branch out into a scan-to-order business. Say, you have a book or materials (grand mother's diary) that is not covered by copyright or copyright belongs to you and you retain me to make a perfect digital copy.
Or again starting a non-profit for old works that have societal value (think the Century Dictionary for the United States).
It is hard to compete when quantity, and not quality, is important. For example, there is a whole industry of litigation scanning companies (typically off-shore). All they need is legible copies on screen for low level associates to stare at all day, they don't worry about niceties.