Quote:
Originally Posted by vivaldirules
I love the uploads section and wanted to contribute some titles that I'm particularly interested in reading. I have 18 that I've been preparing to convert and upload here. I've been reading Harry T's tutorial, have installed BD, and I've looked at what other people have been doing for indexing, TOC, fonts, cover art, etc. Today, I stumbled on ManyBooks.net and found 16 of the titles available there for free and in more formats than I could count. I know we just hit the 2000 mark a few weeks ago here but they have nearly 20,000. I'm guessing that site grew up after the MR uploads started. Still, can you tell me why it is beneficial to continue to build a separate set of files here? Is it for reasons of special formatting, correction of errors, or something else? If so, I will be more selective in choosing titles for conversion. I'm hoping I'm not asking a sensitive question. If so, just say so and I'll upload the files anyway (when I'm done).  |
Manybooks existed and offered Sony format books long before MR started their upload section. In fact, Manybooks has served to inspire some of us to create our own versions of the books.
Manybooks uses an automated translation program that I feel leaves a lot to be desired. They are not bad; but, they could be a lot better. I think what we have produced at MR is a lot better. At a minimum they are hand crafted by people that care about the book being converted. Many of the items are fixed from the original texts to provide a better reading environment. These may be simple things like correcting the chapter titles and headers or creating an omnibus edition. Other times they involve rewriting entire sections to correct translator's censoring of language and action.
Manybooks takes the raw text of Project Gutenberg or Distributed Proofreaders and simply converts it to the multiple formats it distributes. Many times we have found them using a file that has not been completely proofed and is still full of typos and other errors. This is not the norm but it has happened enough times to make me think twice before downloading one of their books.
If given the choice (and I do have the choice) I would rather enjoy one of Harry's Tom Swift Omnibus editions than the single books from Manybooks. I love to read the Voltaire Patricia has posted with the original passages restored from the crazed censorship of the Victorian translator who thought that they knew what is best for me. Some of the books at MR are not available at Manybooks such as my own contribution of Augustine's
City of God.
Sometimes you will even find multiple versions of the same book in the same format at MR that is also available at Manybooks. Each of us have our own style of book construction and some people favor one person's way over that of another.
So please contribute your books. Many will thank you.