[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]

2 Reviews

01) M! , February 1999, Vol. 5, No. 1, p. 39:

Meteors and Meteorites: An Historic Archive, CD-ROM by Eric Hutton,
US$20/£12.

I have always felt that anyone who does not appreciate the history of
meteoritics is likely to fall into the same traps as their predecessors.
I often receive mail - especially e-mail - from people who regard
meteoritical phenomena as some great unsolved mystery. Yet a little
research would demonstrate that there are few true mysteries in
meteoritics, and many of the "explanations" the writers offer have been
suggested before (often on several occasions). Of course, it could be
that accessing historical documents can be difficult, but with Erie
Hutton's Meteors and Meteorites that particular job should prove easier
in the future.
The author has collected together 60 major historical articles on
meteors and meteorites, together with numerous reports, and published
them on a CD-ROM in HTML format. The authors include Barnard, Denning,
Alexander Herschel, Pickering and Russell, to name but a few, and cover
mainly the period from the late 19th century through to the early years
of the 1900s, though there are some earlier reports.
Readers may be surprised at Hutton's choice of format - after all,
illustrations did not play a major role in scientific publishing in
those days and so do not call for a web browser's image handling
capabilities. However, as the author points out, converting scanned
pages to ASCII text can cause problems. Mathematical formulae do not
easily convert, and every word has to be read and checked to avoid
transcription errors.
The articles on the CD-ROM can be roughly separated into seven
categories - people, photography, shower reports, fireballs, catalogues,
history and specific meteorites - but, not surprisingly, there is some
degree of overlap. The indexing is adequate, but I did find it difficult
at times to get to the section I wanted to be in. Perhaps the author
could look at ways of introducing a floating icon bar to ease
navigation? Being able to jump to the chapters from a book's contents
page would also be useful.
Virtually every article will not only inform the reader, but will also
amuse as we reflect on the developments in meteoritics over the past 100
years or so. And the idea of paying just $8 per pound for a meteorite...
well, those were the days!
Hutton has taken the hard work out of locating historical articles and
his efforts should be welcomed by many. Personally, I certainly look
forward to the second volume which I believe is already in progress.

Phil Bagnall
Northumbria, UK

02) MAPS 34-6, 1999 November, p. 1030:

Meteors and Meteorites: An Historic Archive of Articles, Books and
Catalogues, Vol. I (CD-ROM). Compiled and edited by Eric Hutton, 1998.
Independently produced (www.isu.edu/~martinh, bookman@rmplc.co.uk),
US$20.00/UK£12.

There is an air of experimentation within which this CD-ROM succeeds as
a most interesting compilation of articles, books, and catalogues on the
subject of meteors and meteorites. The aim of this work is to make
available influential and historically important publications, where the
publisher has previously deemed the reprint of originals as
uneconomical. So, it is of some controversy whether selection for
inclusion is appropriate and how volume 1 might suitably precede further
volumes. Simultaneously, as a prototype, this work demonstrates that a
complete archive would be a worthwhile undertaking for anyone with the
motivation; for less than the cost of a typical second-hand article,
over 2,500 pages of information and early photographs are available to
access.
In comparison to the original source, CD-ROM is easier to navigate and
quicker to access. The package is simple to install and to operate.
Usefully, contents can be viewed by author or subject, with each item as
a small chunk within a mass of information; navigation between each
proves easy. Initially, the archive appeals to a wide audience. The
introduction includes a relatively light addition from the British
Astronomical Association advising how best to observe meteors without
falling so stricken with excitement that findings are not recorded. Had
such excitement affected our predecessors, the volume of this archive
would be vastly reduced, being as it is a mass of intriguing first-hand
accounts.
The original texts have been scanned and are viewable on the screen in
their original format. This maintains an authenticity of which an
exquisite example is the extract from The Gentleman's Magazine on a
meteorite find in Dorset, 1738 (incidentally, not listed in the NHM
Catalogue). The recording is almost juxtaposed against overt racism and
reports of smallpox. The other benefit of such reproduction is
confidence of the specialist in referring to the original source as
opposed to a conversion, where errors may have been introduced. In the
one instance where a conversion has been made, R.P. Greg's Catalogue,
little is gained at authenticity's loss; the text is slightly easier to
read.
Unfortunately, there is no search option on this CD-ROM. It is
compulsory to know a fair amount about the subject to be able to
navigate the archive. A specialist researching Topham's meteorite would
know to access Wold Cottage in the A-Z of individual finds; one with
less prior knowledge would struggle. So, this rich source is certainly
no feast for the amateur.

Colin Pillinger and Gemma Bessant
Planetary Sciences Research Institute
The Open University Milton Keynes, United Kingdom

----------
Archives located at:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/list_best.html

For help, FAQ's and sub. info. visit:
http://www.meteoritecentral.com/mailing_list.html
----------