"Old Chemistry Textbooks online": A reality? (fwd)

["Daniel L. MacIsaac" <danmac@physics.purdue.edu>]

BILL PALMER
> From <@QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA:owner-hpsst-l@QUCDN.QUEENSU.CA> Sun Jun 23 18:14:54 1996
Message-Id: <199606232315.SAA28948@bohr.physics.purdue.edu>
Date: Mon, 24 Jun 1996 08:43:14 +0800
Reply-To: BILL PALMER <PALMER_WP@UNCL04.NTU.EDU.AU>
Sender: History and Philosophy of Science and Science Teaching
              <HPSST-L@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>
From: BILL PALMER <PALMER_WP@UNCL04.NTU.EDU.AU>
Organization: Faculty of Education
Subject:      "Old Chemistry Textbooks online": A reality?
X-To:         hpsst-l@qucdn.queensu.ca
To: Multiple recipients of list HPSST-L <HPSST-L@QUCDN.QueensU.CA>

 "Old Chemistry Textbooks online": A reality?

This is a repeat of a message that I sent to Chemed-L and to CHMINF-L some
days ago, as I anticipate it will reach a different audience and may also
be of interest to hpsst-l members.It is also a second attempt to send to
this list, that returned the last message.

On Sat, 25 May 1996 I wrote to CHEMED-L about  "Old Chemistry Textbooks
online". One paragraph was as follows:

> Secondly it is to encourage some public-spirited
> individuals or companies to put such materials online,
> though I acknowledge it would be a 'labour of love'.

I also wrote to the correspondence pages of the new online chemical
journal "The Chemical Educator". I had various answers from people on
Chemed-L both on the listserver and privately expressing a variety of
interests and I have tried to answer those points.

The editor of "The Chemical Educator", Clifford LeMaster, wrote to me a
little while ago to say that:

> The Chemical Educator would like to sponsor the digitization of selected
> antique chemistry texts.

I was really delighted to hear this. He further said that:
> To begin this project, my idea is to arrange for 10-12 texts to be
digitised over
> a period of a year and publish them in the Chemical Educator Library.
> This library would be open to public - free of charge.

The project could be carried out because:

> Springer-Verlag of New York will
> work closely with the IBM research group that has devolved specialised
> digital cameras and handing techniques that produce superb reproductions
> while protecting these delicate books.

Again this was excellent and gives real hope that a number of classic old
chemistry texts might be put online for the benefit of all.  Clifford
LeMaster asked me to form a committee to suggest books and in order to do
this I will write to a number of appropriate interest groups.

It seemed to me that such a committee would have two functions
(i) To select criteria by which books might be chosen
(ii) To make a list of books in order of priority that might be put online

I am aware that people could get fairly enthusiastic about their
particular choice being on the list. I think any one interested in the
project should have a knowledge of old textbooks plus an awareness that
there is currently so little available, that almost any selection of
chemistry textbooks would vastly improve the current situation. (So none
of us should be too partisan).

I would suggest that interested persons, who wold like to be part of such
a committee, send their names to me privately.

In addition anyone with a particular choice of a chemistry textbook they
would wish to see online could put that suggestion either privately to me
or on the list. I look foreward to your input.

I sincerely hope that we are able to take action that will result in
having 10-12 or more chemistry textbooks online in the not too distant
future. I will try to keep list-members informed of
events.

Regards

Bill Palmer