Even if you have a printed copy of the book, you might find it useful to have a PDF copy as well:
- You can use the PDF version to print out selected pages (or the whole book), with room for notes.
- You can read the fables and notes together, using two copies of the PDF in two different windows.
- You can search the PDF for words and phrases.
- You can use a PDF viewer (such as GoodReader) to read the book on your iPad or iPhone.
What’s the catch? Free copies? There is no catch: my goal in creating this book is to reach as many readers as I can. So, I am glad to be able to share copies of the book with anyone who wants one. Teachers: please encourage your students to get their own free PDF copy of the book!
Thank you, Oklahoma! I earn my living as an instructor at the University of Oklahoma, which allows me to devote my summers to Aesop and the Latin fables. So, if you are enjoying a free PDF copy of this book, you can thank President David Boren of the University of Oklahoma and the College of Arts & Sciences Online Course Program.
If you have suggestions or comments about how I can make this website more useful to you in your exploration of the fables, please let me know!
Thank you, Laura Gibbs. You are very generous!
ReplyDeletegratias multas tibi agimus omnes!
ReplyDeleteThanks, everybody, for your comments! If you have suggestions about how to make the book and/or the PDF and/or this website more useful to you in your exploration of the fables, please let me know! :-)
ReplyDeleteGratias tibi ago, Dominus benedicat te!
ReplyDeleteOne thing that might improve the use (and circulation) of this already wonderful and generous collection, might be to attach an explicit license to the free version of the text. This would make it clearer under what terms this text is freely circulated. (Even though you have already made clear that the Latin texts are in the public domain, this would make it easier, for example, for a researcher to copy the texts into a database for linguistic and statistical processing.)
ReplyDeleteFor instance, look at the various licenses available under Creative Commons. Since you're also selling print versions of this book, you might want to specify a non-commercial license.
Either way, this free download is already a great example to scholars everywhere.
Thanks for your comment, Gabriel - that is something I pondered a lot before doing this. Since the text is definitely NOT for scholarly purposes, I don't see it being used for a database (I edited the texts with teachers and students in mind - although it would be great if some serious digitization efforts went on based on the same original sources that I used) - and with Creative Commons licenses, I think I would have a hard time retracting the license if I did find a publisher who wants to publish this book under terms that we would negotiate to our mutual satisfaction (for example, I would insist absolutely on my right to give away the PDF copy of the text-only book, even if I agreed to give exclusive book printing rights to a publisher who would agree, say, to undertake the expense of adding illustrations to the printed text, hint hint to any publishers out there!!!). I'm ambivalent about that at this point, but I didn't want to overpromise something that I wasn't sure I could stick to over the long run!
ReplyDeleteAha, Gabriel, I see you are Gabriel from AWBG - fantastic! That blog is such an amazing resource. Would it be appropriate to announce the Mille Fabulae there...? It's not a book for scholars exactly - but it could have good scholarly repercussions. At least, that is my hope! :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you. Merci.
ReplyDeleteSandra from France
gratias ago
ReplyDeletemille gratias tibi!
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot! I am a college student and really lOVE those fables. They are full of wisdom!
ReplyDeleteThank you Laura - I fancy myself your greatest fan but I am well aware there are many of us. Thank you again. Scott Utley LA CA USA
ReplyDeleteIt is always so nice to hear from you, Scott! I keep chugging away here - the world of GoogleBooks just has me completely enraptured with all the projects I would like to do! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi, in my blog you will find more than 600 latin language links. visit it and tell me your opinion.
ReplyDeleteHi, Laura, just wanted to say thank you :)
ReplyDelete