Trying to make your way through the fabulous The Name of the Rose and getting caught up on references to old Church doctrine? Do you need a translation of Anna Comnena's The Alexiad after reading Anna of Byzantium? Then you might like to check out...
The Internet Medieval Sourcebook
The site is hosted by Fordham University and is touted as the place to get free primary source documents from the middle ages (low and high) from varying perspectives. I was recommended it a couple years ago when I took several courses on medieval history and needed quick reference access to major documents. I wouldn't say it's "light reading," but if you really need to get the bottom of what really happened at the Council of Trent, then you can find it quickly, easily, and gratis right here. Basically, if you're a research geek like me, you'll love it. Either that, or this is old news for you and you already have the site bookmarked.
The great thing about the Sourcebook is that it's a good survey of all the pivotal documents and it's easy to find everything. The site is a bit "old school" in it's design, but since it's worth is in the richness of its content, and it's easily navigable, I didn't find that a hindrance at all.
Showing posts with label web site review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label web site review. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Web Spotlight Wednesday: Entertainment Style
Continuing with the Jane Austen craze, I was perusing other people's accomplishments on the Everything Austen link page, and was delighted to read about Fuzzy Cricket's discovery. If, like me, the idea of coffee and a book to read is something like heaven for you, then I think you'll like this, too:
Dominic West reads the first Darcy proposal scene aloud, while you take a coffee break and enjoy.
It is put on by Carte Noire, a coffee company, and you may recall Dominic West from his roles as the creepy guy in 300, the Italian professor in Mona Lisa Smile, and star of HBO's The Wire. Basically, this is a good-looking British guy reading Jane Austen while you drink coffee... in other words, possibly the perfect website. If you look around, there is also Greg Wise, who played Willoughby in the Ang Lee version of Sense & Sensibility reading from that book.
I... have no more words, really. What a cute little marketing site!
Dominic West reads the first Darcy proposal scene aloud, while you take a coffee break and enjoy.
It is put on by Carte Noire, a coffee company, and you may recall Dominic West from his roles as the creepy guy in 300, the Italian professor in Mona Lisa Smile, and star of HBO's The Wire. Basically, this is a good-looking British guy reading Jane Austen while you drink coffee... in other words, possibly the perfect website. If you look around, there is also Greg Wise, who played Willoughby in the Ang Lee version of Sense & Sensibility reading from that book.
I... have no more words, really. What a cute little marketing site!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Web Spotlight Wednesday: The Republic of Pemberley
In honor of the first day of Stephanie’s Everything Austen Reading Challenge, I will be profiling “The Republic of Pemberley,” one of the best sites on the web for Jane Austen information and discussion!
The wealth of this site is the discussion forum. Jane Austen fans of every knowledge level frequent the boards and ask questions, read along together, and rave over the different novels. I like how there is an individual board for each of the six big novels, too.
Basically, I wish I had known about this site back when I was doing a paper on Pride & Prejudice in my senior year of high school; The Republic of Pemberley has all sorts of academic help (the forum is for general discussion, not homework answers) in its easy-to-understand site guide on the front page of the site. Their Jane Austen Information Page is a compilation of etexts of the novels as well as biographical and critical information regarding Austen and her era. I’m going to jump in here and add, though, that at least all six of the big novels should be available for free from Google and for the Sony eReader because they are no longer within copyright.
And of course, what kind of site would it be without a good gift shop? The Pemberley Shoppe has plenty of Café Press items featuring quotes and images either directly from or inspired by Austen.
The wealth of this site is the discussion forum. Jane Austen fans of every knowledge level frequent the boards and ask questions, read along together, and rave over the different novels. I like how there is an individual board for each of the six big novels, too.
Basically, I wish I had known about this site back when I was doing a paper on Pride & Prejudice in my senior year of high school; The Republic of Pemberley has all sorts of academic help (the forum is for general discussion, not homework answers) in its easy-to-understand site guide on the front page of the site. Their Jane Austen Information Page is a compilation of etexts of the novels as well as biographical and critical information regarding Austen and her era. I’m going to jump in here and add, though, that at least all six of the big novels should be available for free from Google and for the Sony eReader because they are no longer within copyright.
And of course, what kind of site would it be without a good gift shop? The Pemberley Shoppe has plenty of Café Press items featuring quotes and images either directly from or inspired by Austen.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Web Spotlight Wednesday: The Historical Novel Society
When I’m not reviewing books (or when I’m reading a lengthier tome), I will be hosting historical news, film reviews, and bits and pieces that strike the fancy. Today I’ll be reviewing the Historical Novel Society’s web page.
Mission Statement: “promotes all aspects of historical fiction. We provide:
* Support and opportunities for new writers,
* Information for students, booksellers, and librarians,
* A community for authors, readers, agents, and publishers.”
My Review: The site does exactly what it sets out to do through a variety of easy-to-find venues. The flagship of the society appears to be their magazine, which aims to review as many historical fiction novels as possible (they claim to review all that are made known to them; approximately 800 a year!). What more could we, as historical fiction fans, ask for in a website?
They also maintain a subscription-only biannual magazine that publishes more news, interviews, and new fiction, and if I ever get off my butt I’ll get a subscription and review that here, too.
Like the books we love, the site lacks for a little color and illustration, but it more than makes up for it in content. This is the most comprehensive site for a database of all new fiction, though it is daunting to think about reading through all those titles without a clue of which ones are any good.
The few reviews that are posted online are critical and well-written, so the true fan may find their El Dorado by subscribing to their magazine and newsletter. They also post an “Editor’s Choice” list on a regular basis to further discern between the myriad of titles.
The site also has a list of member links and news about its authors. I highly recommend checking out this last link; it acts like a veritable who’s who of historical fiction authors, news, and gossip, and is very up to date.
I would have liked a whole archive section on this site. While their titles are archived year by year in their newsletter back to 2003, it would have been nice to see different ways of looking up titles, such as by author or publisher. Similarly, a search engine function would have been much appreciated on this comprehensive site.
Overall, this site provides a wealth of information and inspiration for the historical fiction fan and I encourage you to check it out, add it to your favorites, and hopefully join their society, as I plan to do.
Link to the Historical Novel Review's Table of Contents for Feb 2009
Link to a wrap-up on the annual Historical Novel Society's conference from the blog Reading the Past
Mission Statement: “promotes all aspects of historical fiction. We provide:
* Support and opportunities for new writers,
* Information for students, booksellers, and librarians,
* A community for authors, readers, agents, and publishers.”
My Review: The site does exactly what it sets out to do through a variety of easy-to-find venues. The flagship of the society appears to be their magazine, which aims to review as many historical fiction novels as possible (they claim to review all that are made known to them; approximately 800 a year!). What more could we, as historical fiction fans, ask for in a website?
They also maintain a subscription-only biannual magazine that publishes more news, interviews, and new fiction, and if I ever get off my butt I’ll get a subscription and review that here, too.
Like the books we love, the site lacks for a little color and illustration, but it more than makes up for it in content. This is the most comprehensive site for a database of all new fiction, though it is daunting to think about reading through all those titles without a clue of which ones are any good.
The few reviews that are posted online are critical and well-written, so the true fan may find their El Dorado by subscribing to their magazine and newsletter. They also post an “Editor’s Choice” list on a regular basis to further discern between the myriad of titles.
The site also has a list of member links and news about its authors. I highly recommend checking out this last link; it acts like a veritable who’s who of historical fiction authors, news, and gossip, and is very up to date.
I would have liked a whole archive section on this site. While their titles are archived year by year in their newsletter back to 2003, it would have been nice to see different ways of looking up titles, such as by author or publisher. Similarly, a search engine function would have been much appreciated on this comprehensive site.
Overall, this site provides a wealth of information and inspiration for the historical fiction fan and I encourage you to check it out, add it to your favorites, and hopefully join their society, as I plan to do.
Link to the Historical Novel Review's Table of Contents for Feb 2009
Link to a wrap-up on the annual Historical Novel Society's conference from the blog Reading the Past
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