[First Project] Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown.

[Ara Hacopian]

I'd like to volunteer to convert Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown.

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/792
https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798

[Alex Cabal]

Great, that one would be a good start.

There is a subtitle, so make sure to include that in the metadata.

There is an epigraph and preface as frontmatter, so you will have to add
a half title page.

This transcription looks like it may have removed formatting, so you'll
have to eyeball the page scans to see if there is any formatting, like
italics, that has to be restored.

I also see several footnotes that will have to be converted to endnotes.

Make sure to read the Standard Ebooks Manual of Style before starting,
as you won't know what to fix if you haven't read the standards. In
particular, please closely review the semantics, high level patterns,
and typography sections:

https://standardebooks.org/manual

https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/4-semantics

https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-high-level-structural-patterns

https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/8-typography

The step by step guide will take you from start to finish:

https://standardebooks.org/contribute/producing-an-ebook-step-by-step

This page on common issues in older books may be useful:

https://standardebooks.org/contribute/how-tos/common-issues-when-working-on-public-domain-ebooks

Please email often if you have any questions at all. Our standards are
well-established so there is probably already a standard for formatting
whatever problem you've encountered.

When you're ready, email back with a link to your Github repository so
that I can mark you as having started.

Have fun! :)

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[Ara Hacopian]

I've started a repo here: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland

I've worked my way through a lot of the step by step guide, but haven't yet started the process of going through the page scans or manually proofreading.

[Alex Cabal]

OK, Vince will manage this with Emma reviewing.

On 11/9/25 6:28 PM, Ara Hacopian wrote:
> I've started a repo here: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-
> brown_wieland
>
> I've worked my way through a lot of the step by step guide, but haven't
> yet started the process of going through the page scans or manually
> proofreading.
>
> On Sunday, November 9, 2025 at 11:35:31 PM UTC+1 Alex Cabal wrote:
>
> Great, that one would be a good start.
>
> There is a subtitle, so make sure to include that in the metadata.
>
> There is an epigraph and preface as frontmatter, so you will have to
> add
> a half title page.
>
> This transcription looks like it may have removed formatting, so you'll
> have to eyeball the page scans to see if there is any formatting, like
> italics, that has to be restored.
>
> I also see several footnotes that will have to be converted to
> endnotes.
>
> Make sure to read the Standard Ebooks Manual of Style before starting,
> as you won't know what to fix if you haven't read the standards. In
> particular, please closely review the semantics, high level patterns,
> and typography sections:
>
> https://standardebooks.org/manual <https://standardebooks.org/manual>
>

> https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/4-semantics <https://
> standardebooks.org/manual/latest/4-semantics>
>
> https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-high-level-structural-
> patterns <https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-high-level-
> structural-patterns>
>
> https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/8-typography <https://
> standardebooks.org/manual/latest/8-typography>

>
> The step by step guide will take you from start to finish:
>
> https://standardebooks.org/contribute/producing-an-ebook-step-by-

> step <https://standardebooks.org/contribute/producing-an-ebook-step-
> by-step>

>
> This page on common issues in older books may be useful:
>
> https://standardebooks.org/contribute/how-tos/common-issues-when-

> working-on-public-domain-ebooks <https://standardebooks.org/
> contribute/how-tos/common-issues-when-working-on-public-domain-ebooks>

>
> Please email often if you have any questions at all. Our standards are
> well-established so there is probably already a standard for formatting
> whatever problem you've encountered.
>
> When you're ready, email back with a link to your Github repository so
> that I can mark you as having started.
>
> Have fun! :)
>
>
> On 11/9/25 10:07 AM, Ara Hacopian wrote:
> > I'd like to volunteer to convert Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown.
> >

> > https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/792 <https://www.gutenberg.org/
> ebooks/792>
> > https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-
> the- <https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-
> the->

> > transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798
> >
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> > Groups "Standard Ebooks" group.
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> send
> > an email to standardebook...@googlegroups.com
> > <mailto:standardebook...@googlegroups.com>.
> > To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/

> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> > standardebooks/6a63783d-7128-4199-9f35-
> b77d259b188an%40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>
> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <https://groups.google.com/d/
> msgid/>
> > standardebooks/6a63783d-7128-4199-9f35-
> b77d259b188an%40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>?
> > utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

>
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> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

[Ara Hacopian]

I've finished manually reviewing the original scanned text for formatting restoration.

I've also created two Github issues that contain questions:
https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/issues/3
https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/issues/1

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[Vince Rice]

Please post the questions here on the list.

> On Nov 10, 2025, at 3:57 AM, Ara Hacopian <a...@hacopian.de> wrote:
>
> I've finished manually reviewing the original scanned text for formatting restoration.

[Ara Hacopian]

OK, here are my questions:

---

Issue #1: What is the correct markup for an embedded narrative letter?

Context:
In Wieland, there are letters that appear within the narrative text. These are not standalone structural letters (like in an epistolary novel), but rather letters that characters read within the story.

Example:
Chapter 15 contains a letter from Carwin to Clara Wieland:
https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/ae2eb236424e4fac354c294dffc5d8f2f994cf03/src/epub/text/chapter-15.xhtml#L12-L14

In the original scanned text (https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/167/mode/1up?q=%22To+Clara+Wieland%22), the signature "CARWIN" appears in all caps.

Questions:

1. Should embedded narrative letters use full letter semantic markup?
- Should we use <footer>, epub:type="z3998:sender z3998:signature", etc.?
- Or should embedded letters within narrative prose be treated differently from standalone structural letters?

2. How should all-caps signatures be handled in embedded letters?
- The SE manual shows signatures normalized to standard case (e.g., "Mabel" not "MABEL")
- The z3998:signature semantic applies font-variant: small-caps via CSS
- Should "CARWIN" become:
- <p epub:type="z3998:sender z3998:signature">Carwin.</p> (with semantic markup)
- <p>"Carwin."</p> (normalized without special semantics)
- Something else?

3. Should the letter be wrapped in a semantic container?
- Should the entire quoted letter be wrapped in <blockquote epub:type="z3998:letter"> or similar?
- Or is the quotation mark prefix sufficient to indicate quoted material?

Current Status:
The letter is currently marked up as regular paragraphs with quotation marks, with no special semantic inflection for letter parts.

---

Issue #3: What is the proper styling of 'Hut' / 'hut' in text?

The word 'hut' appears with inconsistent styling throughout the text. In the original scanned text, it appears both in italics and in small caps. We need to review each instance and determine the correct styling according to Standard Ebooks guidelines.

References:

1. chapter-15.xhtml:33 - <em>hut</em> (lowercase, italics)
- Code: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/main/src/epub/text/chapter-15.xhtml#L33
- Scanned text: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/173/mode/1up

2. chapter-22.xhtml:11 - <strong>hut</strong> (lowercase, bold/strong - possibly representing small caps in original)
- Code: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/main/src/epub/text/chapter-22.xhtml#L11
- Scanned text: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/234/mode/1up

3. chapter-26.xhtml:33 - plain "hut" (lowercase, no styling)
- Code: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/main/src/epub/text/chapter-26.xhtml#L33
- Scanned text: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/283/mode/1up

4. chapter-27.xhtml:23 - <i>Hut</i> (capitalized, italics)
- Code: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/main/src/epub/text/chapter-27.xhtml#L23
- Scanned text: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/287/mode/1up

5. chapter-27.xhtml:36 - plain "hut" (lowercase, no styling)
- Code: https://github.com/ahacop/charles-brockden-brown_wieland/blob/main/src/epub/text/chapter-27.xhtml#L36
- Scanned text: https://archive.org/details/bim_eighteenth-century_wieland-or-the-transfor_brown-charles-brockden_1798/page/291/mode/1up

Questions to resolve:
- Should all references use consistent styling?
- If italicized, does it refer to a specific place (the Hut as a proper noun)?
- Should small caps be preserved or converted to another style?
- Compare all instances in scanned source material to determine original intent
- Review Standard Ebooks guidelines for handling emphasis and proper nouns

---

Issue #4: Should words missed by automated spelling modernization be added to a dictionary?

When running the automated Standard Ebooks spelling modernization command, some archaic spellings are not automatically modernized.

Questions:

1. Is there a way to contribute these additions back to the Standard Ebooks tools so others benefit from them?

Context:

While working on this ebook, I noticed certain archaic spellings that weren't caught by the automated tooling. I'm wondering if there's a systematic way to improve the modernization coverage over time.

Reference:

See commit 0e01d671ca03319cb7dcd415bb15577aa04a5292 for examples of words that required manual modernization.

Word pairs manually modernized in that commit:

- apprized → apprised
- atchievements → achievements
- bewray → betray
- choaked → choked
- connexion → connection
- connexions → connections
- detestible → detestable
- ecstacy → ecstasy
- gulph → gulf
- gulphs → gulfs
- inconveniencies → inconveniences
- intreaty → entreaty
- irresistable → irresistible
- recal → recall
- shewed → showed
- staid → stayed

---

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[Vince Rice]

Formatting of letters is covered by SEMoS 7.7, including signatures.

You’ve read (or are reading) the book, so you’re in the best position to answer the questions about hut. If it’s meaning is covered by the dictionary (M-W) definition, then normal case is correct, and others should be changed accordingly in editorial commits.

Several of the words you listed are and were fixed by modernize-spelling, you can see them in the commit (e.g. shewed, connexion).

Others do not occur often enough to warrant being fixed automatically; modernize-spelling can’t fix everything, just the most common things. Alex can decide if anything should be added (intreaty is a possibility).

Staid can’t be automatically corrected because it’s a valid word; modernize-spelling displays a warning that it needs to be checked.

We only change sound-alike spellings; I’m not sure inconveniencies applies. I would think it’s pronounced -sees, not -sehs. That would make it an archaic word rather than spelling, and we don’t replace those. (This one is close, so Alex may choose to allow it.)

When making manual spelling changes, we typically commit them as “[Editorial] old -> new”, i.e. one at a time. However, when there are several, they can be combined in a “[Editorial] Manual spelling changes” commit, but the commit message detail should list each old -> new on a separate line, so it’s easy for someone to see what was changed. The main message should indicate it’s manual changes, though, so it’s clear it’s not the results of modernize-spelling. 

On Nov 10, 2025, at 8:37 AM, Ara Hacopian <a...@hacopian.de> wrote:

OK, here are my questions:

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[Alex Cabal]

On 11/10/25 8:37 AM, Ara Hacopian wrote:
> OK, here are my questions:

> While working on this ebook, I noticed certain archaic spellings that weren't caught by the automated tooling. I'm wondering if there's a systematic way to improve the modernization coverage over time.
>
> Reference:
>
> See commit 0e01d671ca03319cb7dcd415bb15577aa04a5292 for examples of words that required manual modernization.
>
> Word pairs manually modernized in that commit:
>
> - apprized → apprised
> - atchievements → achievements
> - bewray → betray
> - choaked → choked
> - connexion → connection
> - connexions → connections
> - detestible → detestable
> - ecstacy → ecstasy
> - gulph → gulf
> - gulphs → gulfs
> - inconveniencies → inconveniences
> - intreaty → entreaty
> - irresistable → irresistible
> - recal → recall
> - shewed → showed
> - staid → stayed

modernize-spelling already updates many of those in your list. Did you
run it first?

Adding an item to modernize-spelling can be done, but it has to occur
fairly frequently to make it worth it. You can get an idea by
downloading the corpus and grepping through it for the old spelling. If
it occurs more than a few times then you can propose to add it to the tool.

[Ara Hacopian]

Apologies, my earlier email included the wrong list. I did run modernize-spelling, and it handled the items it’s supposed to.

For clarity, these are the words I manually modernized:

- aginst -> against
- apprized -> apprised
- atchievements -> achievements
- choaked -> choked
- cieling -> ceiling
- comprized -> comprised
- crouds, -> crowds
- detestible -> detestable
- disasterous -> disastrous
- ecstacy -> ecstasy
- exstatic -> ecstatic
- falshood -> falsehood
- faulter -> falter
- faultered -> faltered
- faultering -> faltering
- forsaw -> foresaw
- havock -> havoc
- hopelesness, -> hopelessness,
- impowered -> empowered
- incontestibly -> incontestably
- incontroulable -> uncontrollable
- inconveniencies -> inconveniences
- indispensible -> indispensable
- intreaties -> entreaties
- intreaty -> entreaty
- irresistable -> irresistible
- irresistably -> irresistibly
- noctural -> nocturnal
- pacquet -> packet
- paricide -> parricide
- prognosticks -> prognostics
- pryed -> pried
- recal -> recall
- reconcileable -> reconcilable
- rivetted -> riveted
- scite -> site
- shrowded -> shrouded
- shrowding -> shrouding
- stupified -> stupefied
- suspence -> suspense
- transcendant -> transcendent
- undescribable -> indescribable
- unplausible -> implausible
- unshrowded -> unshrouded
- wrapt -> wrapped

I’m not asking for these to be added; I’m sharing the list in case it’s useful. Per Vince’s note, I’ll grep the corpus first going forward, and if any of these show up often enough to justify a rule, I’ll open a proposal.

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[Vince]

Un- vs in- is, like inconveniencies, not a sound-alike change, so the accompanying words should be reverted: inconveniencies, incontroulable, unplausible, and any others I might have missed.

We have “wrapt” all over the corpus, so we normally leave it alone as well.

As previously noted, the below list should be added to the details of the commit message (and the message itself change to indicate it’s manual changes).

[Ara Hacopian]

Vince, thanks for the clarification. I've made the changes (to both the body and the message of the commit).

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[Alex Cabal]

Also note that en-GB and en-US differ in many ways, and if you're used
to one then the other might seem strange and unusual.

Use Google n-gram to see if your change is actually no longer in wide
use in either spelling: https://books.google.com/ngrams/

[Vince]

And all of this is covered in the Step by Step guide, which you should be closely following. See the “Manual spelling changes” section at the end of step 15.