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AE Bibliography

Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: All Empires Community
Forum Name: AE Administration and Technical Support
Forum Discription: Forum issues and technical questions. (Registration, tech support, etc.)
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URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=26271
Printed Date: 28-Mar-2024 at 09:04
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Topic: AE Bibliography
Posted By: Parnell
Subject: AE Bibliography
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 01:56
I propose AllEmpires creates a new project aimed at generating bibliographies for all major and minor historical topics, so as to help both members of the site and thankful general readers get a good idea of the best books in the field they are interested in. I don't think there would be an awful lot to the project idea, but could be infinitely helpful. What do you think?



Replies:
Posted By: Kevin
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 02:04
Originally posted by Parnell

I propose AllEmpires creates a new project aimed at generating bibliographies for all major and minor historical topics, so as to help both members of the site and thankful general readers get a good idea of the best books in the field they are interested in. I don't think there would be an awful lot to the project idea, but could be infinitely helpful. What do you think?


A strong and good idea, however getting the main site back up should be the number 1 priority,

but a good idea Parnell indeed. 


Posted By: Knights
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 02:16
That is certainly a great idea Parnell - would someone like yourself be interested in taking part in such an initiative? 

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Posted By: Parnell
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 03:09
I could certainly help, though I am far too disorganised to be put in charge of any project whatsoever. If its just a matter of typing a list of books and authors into a webpage then it shouldn't be too difficult. But I wouldn't know where to start with coding and all of that strange internet stuff... 

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Posted By: edgewaters
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 05:11

I think it's a great idea!

I'd have a few recommendations for both primary and secondary sources for Precolumbian subjects, which is something an awful lot of people seem to ask about. 

I wouldn't mind doing a bit of work - taking submissions, sorting the wheat from the chaff, and spitting out a list perhaps - but like Parnell I know little about html coding or webpages, which is how AE seems to publish its articles. But I could take and process content and spit out a text or word file (which someone else could use to create a web page) or even a pdf (that could just be downloaded).

I'd have a really difficult time with sorting the wheat from the chaff when it comes to subjects I'm not familiar with, though. And I'd say that's a necessity if submissions are taken or else the bibliography would end up being filled with New Age crap, fringe revisionism, etc. It would maybe work better if it was split up into subject areas along the lines of the subfora, each with one editor in charge of taking submissions and assembling the list.



Posted By: Knights
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 06:13
Great - so we have at least 2 willing to help out. With the Article Database, there is no html knowledge required. Web CMS allows users to create their own articles without the use of coding, minus a couple of little commands which are explained on the main site. We may be upgrading to a different CMS (content management system), so stay tuned. Either way, it is easy to create articles.

There are different categories on the main site (Ancient Med, Medieval Europe, 20th cent. etc) and each of these could have its own source list/bibliography. This could be done both in online-viewing and PDF format, easily.


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Posted By: edgewaters
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 06:39
What's the process for getting something like that up to the site? Would it get submitted to site admin, webmasters, or editorial staff? 


Posted By: Knights
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 06:45
North and I are still fixing a few loose ends with the main site, after the host transition, so the FCKeditor (which allows you to make an article) is not functioning. When it is back to normal though, anyone can register an account (do you or Parnell have one at present?) and make an article.

I will create a subcategory in each category, called something like "<category name> Bibliography", and that would be the location you'd upload it to. If more than one person is working on a source list from the same category, then each would have to PM their sources to an Editor who would update the Bibliography.


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Posted By: Northman
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 09:54
Good idea guys - lets get it on the tracks.
 
Did you test the FCK-editor Knights?
I think it's working except for the upload function.
 


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Posted By: Knights
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 10:02
When I try to add or edit a page, an error appears in regards to the FCKeditor. The text where the article is (in 'edit page') does not appear. 

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Posted By: Northman
Date Posted: 30-Dec-2008 at 10:20
Yes, I can see there is a problem. I'll see if I can do anything about later today.
"She who must be obeyed" needs my attention right now.
 
 


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Posted By: Aster Thrax Eupator
Date Posted: 31-Dec-2008 at 23:50

This sounds really good! I was going to propose something similar! Obviously, however, they will have to be pretty concise, but it's not hard to isolate the giants in various areas of history. Moreover, I don't want to sound snobbish, but if we see a list that's just full of popular history and junk, then I say we axe it. The only problem is that there are very few people on here who could actually be able to recognise the majority of historians in most of the categories, if any! It's actually very hard to find good bibliographies and reading lists, as those in academic works are too extensive, whilst those in popular works of history don't provide interesting and helpful academic reads. Also, how about a brief synopsis of each work and it's place in the historiography of that category, etc. I suggest that we just concentrate on the historical giants - for example, for Tudor history, I'd say Elton, Dickens, Duffy, Pollard, Guy, Loach, Loades... and for principate Roman history, Mommsen, Syme, Brunt, Gezler, Mackay, Jones...these lists only require a few salient texts to get people started! I'd certainly use this as a reference point - I need to structure my reading in a better way!



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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 01-Jan-2009 at 00:14
I'll contribute in the next couple of weeks on Medieval and some on Post Classical Mid-East.

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Posted By: Knights
Date Posted: 01-Jan-2009 at 07:55
Sounds good, es_bih! Aster - would you be able to help out on Classical Europe, and Ancient Near East/Mesopotamia? 

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Posted By: edgewaters
Date Posted: 01-Jan-2009 at 09:06
Originally posted by Aster Thrax Eupator

This sounds really good! I was going to propose something similar! Obviously, however, they will have to be pretty concise, but it's not hard to isolate the giants in various areas of history. Moreover, I don't want to sound snobbish, but if we see a list that's just full of popular history and junk, then I say we axe it. The only problem is that there are very few people on here who could actually be able to recognise the majority of historians in most of the categories, if any! 

I don't think there's anything snobbish about it - I don't think AE should be endorsing any fringe or controversial materials and the bibliography should remain fairly conservative and conventional. That's not a dismissal of such materials, it's just an absence of endorsement and an attempt to keep the list concise.

University press, and primary sources, tend to be a good rule of thumb I think (although not everything that comes off university press should automatically pass muster). That's mostly what I'm going to use to construct the bibliography for the precolumbian list.

I may throw in a few pieces that didn't come off university press, for instance FAMSI publications and primary sources like Bernal Diaz or the Graenlendinga Saga. 




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