[lit-ideas] 9th edition of the EB

  • From: "Lawrence Helm" <lawrencehelm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • To: "Lit-Ideas" <Lit-Ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Mon, 5 Nov 2007 15:05:47 -0800

I received my DVD copy of the 9th Edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica.
It is difficult to know what volume contains a word because the volumes are
only identified by number.  I guessed that "Argentina" might be in volume
one and so went into the volume and did a search.  That took some time and I
learned that it wasn't there.  So I went to volume two.  I discovered that
the search engine was much too slow and it would be better to guess at a
page and then go there.  Eventually I got to the "Argentine Republic."  Then
I tried to copy 20 or 30 lines from the beginning of the article only to
learn that was forbidden.   Copying requires a password, and no password was
provided.  So I wrote to the seller to ask what was going on.  I suspect he
will tell me that it would have cost too much to put a copy and paste
feature in this DVD and that what I got provides me as much capability as a
hard copy.

 

It does allow me to print the pages I want, but the quality isn't great.  I
think, David, that you'll ruin your eyes before you read this edition either
on your computer or by printing out the pages.  

 

I printed out the article on the Argentine Republic.  Here are a few lines:

 

"Including the Indian tribes, who are in almost undisputed possession of
half its territory, the country does not contain half so many inhabitants as
the city of London though it extends over an area as great as all Central
and Western Europe combined; and the fertility of its vast plains, together
with the yet undeveloped wealth of its mineral resources, indicate that it
is well able to sustain as numerous a population as that of the part of
Europe just alluded to.  Its extent in latitude is greater than that of any
other existing country, if we except the comparatively useless foreign
regions of British America and those of the Russian empire, though it only
slightly exceeds that of the comparatively narrow slip of land which forms
the neighboring Republic of Chili.  It is bounded on the W. by Chili; on the
S. by the Strait of Magellan; on the E. by the Atlantic Ocean, the Oriental
Republic, the Empire of Brazil, and the Republic of Paraguay; and on the N.
by the Republic of Bolivia.  The boundary to the W. is formed by the
mountain chain of the Andes.  The southern limit is at present a question in
dispute with the Government of Chili, who claim the entire extent of the
Strait of Magellan; but it is probable the Argentine Government will make
good its claim to the eastern portion.  The broad stream of the Uruguay
below its tributary, the Guarey, or Cuareim, divides it from the Oriental
Republic, except that the small but important island of Martin Garcia, close
to the Oriental shore of the Uruguay at its junction with the Parana,
belongs to the Argentine Republic. . . ."

 

This DVD is not quite as user friendly or as useful as I had hoped, but I'm
sure the seller will ask me what I expected for just $9.99.

 

Lawrence

 

 

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