[First Project] W. E. B. Du Bois, The Quest of the Silver Fleece

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Bennett Helm

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Jun 6, 2026, 10:58:30 PM (5 days ago) Jun 6
to Standard Ebooks
I thought I'd give this a shot.


Any advice would be welcome!

Bennett

Alex Cabal

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Jun 7, 2026, 12:04:51 PM (4 days ago) Jun 7
to standar...@googlegroups.com
Great, that one would be a good start.

This book has a dedication and preface, so you'll have to include a half
title page. Otherwise this should be pretty straightforward.

Robin will manage with Weijia reviewing.

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. Please follow
it exactly:

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 assign you a manager and reviewer.

Have fun! :)
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Weijia Cheng

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Jun 7, 2026, 2:38:12 PM (4 days ago) Jun 7
to Standard Ebooks
Ok, noted.

I took a look at your repository and I noticed that there are some issues with your commit structure. For example, modernizing hyphenation and spelling is supposed to be a single editorial commit, but you mixed those changes with non-editorial semantics changes. In general, for your first project, you want to follow the commits outlined in the step-by-step guide closely to make your project easier to review. I also noticed that you included the illustrations, but we don't include decorative illustrations (i.e. illustrations that are not essential to the plot) in our projects.

I suggest that now that you have become more familiar with the toolset, you should start over and follow the step-by-step guide closely to ensure that your work meets our standards. This will ultimately save both you and your review (i.e. me) down the line.

Bennett Helm

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Jun 7, 2026, 5:12:47 PM (4 days ago) Jun 7
to Standard Ebooks
Ok -- I've deleted that repository and started over. The new version is at the same url: https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece

One note on something I found confusing in the step-by-step guide, which I think was behind my doing things out of the order you wanted them in: Step 12 ("Add a List of Illustrations") says to use `se build-loi`, but only after building the manifest and spine first. Those can be found in Step 19, so I jumped down to do that, and then tried to get caught up on other things. That part of the guide should probably be revised.

It would also be good in Step 12 to indicate that you don't include decorative illustrations.

Currently I'm at Step 22 (Proofread), which will probably take a while. But I'm getting two items from `se lint` for "Manual Review", which I'm not understanding how to fix:
  1. |  m-090 │ Manual Review │ dedication.xhtml │ dedication semantic inflection found, but no MARC relator dto (Dedicator).  |
  2. |  m-031 │ Manual Review │ preface.xhtml    │ preface semantic inflection found, but no MARC relator wpr (Writer of preface).  |
Help on that would be appreciated.

Bennett

Alex Cabal

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Jun 10, 2026, 9:48:10 AM (yesterday) Jun 10
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You have to add MARC roles in the metadata for the writer of the preface
and the dedicator, which are usually the author.
https://standardebooks.org/manual/1.8.8/single-page#9.11.8

On 6/7/26 4:12 PM, Bennett Helm wrote:
> Ok -- I've deleted that repository and started over. The new version is
> at the same url: https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece
> <https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece>
>
> One note on something I found confusing in the step-by-step guide, which
> I think was behind my doing things out of the order you wanted them in:
> Step 12 ("Add a List of Illustrations") says to use `se build-loi`, but
> only after building the manifest and spine first. Those can be found in
> Step 19, so I jumped down to do that, and then tried to get caught up on
> other things. That part of the guide should probably be revised.
>
> It would also be good in Step 12 to indicate that you don't include
> decorative illustrations.
>
> Currently I'm at Step 22 (Proofread), which will probably take a while.
> But I'm getting two items from `se lint` for "Manual Review", which I'm
> not understanding how to fix:
>
> 1. |  m-090 │ Manual Review │ dedication.xhtml │ dedication semantic
> inflection found, but no MARC relator dto (Dedicator).  |
> 2. |  m-031 │ Manual Review │ preface.xhtml    │ preface semantic
> inflection found, but no MARC relator wpr (Writer of preface).  |
>
> Help on that would be appreciated.
>
> Bennett
> On Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 2:38:12 PM UTC-4 weij...@bu.edu wrote:
>
> Ok, noted.
>
> I took a look at your repository and I noticed that there are some
> issues with your commit structure. For example, modernizing
> hyphenation and spelling is supposed to be a single editorial
> commit, but you mixed those changes with non-editorial semantics
> changes. In general, for your first project, you want to follow the
> commits outlined in the step-by-step guide <https://
> standardebooks.org/contribute/producing-an-ebook-step-by-
> step> closely to make your project easier to review. I also noticed
> that you included the illustrations, but we don't include decorative
> illustrations (i.e. illustrations that are not essential to the
> plot) in our projects.
>
> I suggest that now that you have become more familiar with the
> toolset, you should start over and follow the step-by-step guide
> closely to ensure that your work meets our standards. This will
> ultimately save both you and your review (i.e. me) down the line.
>
> On Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 12:04:51 PM UTC-4 Alex Cabal wrote:
>
> Great, that one would be a good start.
>
> This book has a dedication and preface, so you'll have to
> include a half
> title page. Otherwise this should be pretty straightforward.
>
> Robin will manage with Weijia reviewing.
>
> 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.
> Please follow
> it exactly:
>
> 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 assign you a manager and reviewer.
>
> Have fun! :)
>
>
> On 6/6/26 8:15 PM, Bennett Helm wrote:
> > I thought I'd give this a shot.
> >
> > Text Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15265 <https://
> www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15265>
> > Scan Source: https://archive.org/details/
> questofsilverfle0000dubo_n0o6 <https://archive.org/details/
> questofsilverfle0000dubo_n0o6>
> > Repository: https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-
> Fleece <https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece>
> >
> > Any advice would be welcome!
> >
> > Bennett
> >
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the
> Google
> > Groups "Standard Ebooks" group.
> > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
> it, 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/de9e8a1d-9557-4979-
> aa15-601dbc3295c9n%40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>
> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/
> de9e8a1d-9557-4979- <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/
> standardebooks/de9e8a1d-9557-4979->
> > aa15-601dbc3295c9n%40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer <http://40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>>.
>
> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
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> <mailto:standardebook...@googlegroups.com>.
> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/
> standardebooks/c295351c-60d6-47af-94d0-778cc38c74f8n%40googlegroups.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/
> c295351c-60d6-47af-94d0-778cc38c74f8n%40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

Weijia Cheng

unread,
Jun 10, 2026, 10:12:49 AM (yesterday) Jun 10
to Standard Ebooks
The new respository looks much better! Please post all future responses in the public thread so that all of the communications are visible.

Robin is your manager so he will be answering any questions you have until you get to the review stage.

Bennett Helm

unread,
Jun 10, 2026, 10:52:20 AM (yesterday) Jun 10
to Standard Ebooks
Got it. I haven't gotten to metadata yet, but that makes sense.

One further question about how you want git commits as I proofread. In my local repository (not yet pushed to github.com), I have these commits:

--------------------------------
commit bc91795be0ad18e28b2d19714ef4a09fb6868316 (HEAD -> main)
Author: Bennett Helm
Date:   Wed Jun 10 09:25:17 2026 -0400

    [Editorial] Correct missing elision

    "Go way" --> "Go ’way"

commit e22447b6e37435c7c63eea07ff67a795c97cb1f2
Author: Bennett Helm
Date:   Wed Jun 10 09:23:44 2026 -0400

    [Editorial] Modernize spelling of "anæmic"

commit 12589000d26c3ad175406f992436ce200353f267
Author: Bennett Helm
Date:   Wed Jun 10 09:21:32 2026 -0400

    [Editorial] Correct mismatched spelling

    There's one instance of "veranda" and multiple instances of "verandah".
    I'm standardizing on the more common spelling, "veranda".
--------------------------------

Is that how the commits should be structured, or should I revise them before I push to github.com? I'm mostly wondering how I should do this as I continue proofreading.

Thanks!

Bennett
On Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 9:48:10 AM UTC-4 Alex Cabal wrote:

Alex Cabal

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Jun 10, 2026, 12:11:34 PM (yesterday) Jun 10
to standar...@googlegroups.com
Yes, that looks good!
> https://standardebooks.org/manual/1.8.8/single-page#9.11.8 <https://
> standardebooks.org/manual/1.8.8/single-page#9.11.8>
> <http://standardebooks.org/contribute/producing-an-ebook-step-by->
> > step> closely to make your project easier to review. I also noticed
> > that you included the illustrations, but we don't include decorative
> > illustrations (i.e. illustrations that are not essential to the
> > plot) in our projects.
> >
> > I suggest that now that you have become more familiar with the
> > toolset, you should start over and follow the step-by-step guide
> > closely to ensure that your work meets our standards. This will
> > ultimately save both you and your review (i.e. me) down the line.
> >
> > On Sunday, June 7, 2026 at 12:04:51 PM UTC-4 Alex Cabal wrote:
> >
> > Great, that one would be a good start.
> >
> > This book has a dedication and preface, so you'll have to
> > include a half
> > title page. Otherwise this should be pretty straightforward.
> >
> > Robin will manage with Weijia reviewing.
> >
> > 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/ <https://standardebooks.org/>
> > standardebooks.org/manual/latest/4-semantics <http://
> standardebooks.org/manual/latest/4-semantics>>
> >
> > https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-high-level- <https://
> standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-high-level->
> > structural-patterns <https://standardebooks.org/manual/latest/7-
> standardebooks.org/manual/latest/8-typography> <https://
> > standardebooks.org/manual/latest/8-typography <http://
> <http://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 assign you a manager and reviewer.
> >
> > Have fun! :)
> >
> >
> > On 6/6/26 8:15 PM, Bennett Helm wrote:
> > > I thought I'd give this a shot.
> > >
> > > Text Source: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15265 <https://
> www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15265> <https://
> > www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/15265 <http://www.gutenberg.org/
> ebooks/15265>>
> > > Scan Source: https://archive.org/details/ <https://archive.org/
> details/>
> > questofsilverfle0000dubo_n0o6 <https://archive.org/details/
> <https://archive.org/details/>
> > questofsilverfle0000dubo_n0o6>
> > > Repository: https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-
> <https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver->
> > Fleece <https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece
> <https://github.com/bwhelm/DuBois-Quest-of-Silver-Fleece>>
> > >
> > > Any advice would be welcome!
> > >
> > > Bennett
> > >
> > > --
> > > You received this message because you are subscribed to the
> > Google
> > > Groups "Standard Ebooks" group.
> > > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from
> > it, send
> > > an email to standardebook...@googlegroups.com
> > > <mailto:standardebook...@googlegroups.com>.
> > > To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/
> <https://groups.google.com/d/>
> > msgid/ <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/>>
> > > standardebooks/de9e8a1d-9557-4979-
> > aa15-601dbc3295c9n%40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>
> <http://40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>>
> > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/ <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/>
> > de9e8a1d-9557-4979- <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> > standardebooks/de9e8a1d-9557-4979->
> > > aa15-601dbc3295c9n%40googlegroups.com <http://40googlegroups.com>?
> > utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer <http://40googlegroups.com
> <http://40googlegroups.com>?
> > utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>>.
> >
> > --
> > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
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> send
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> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/>
> > standardebooks/
> c295351c-60d6-47af-94d0-778cc38c74f8n%40googlegroups.com
> <http://40googlegroups.com>
> > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/ <https://
> groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/>
> > c295351c-60d6-47af-94d0-778cc38c74f8n%40googlegroups.com
> <http://40googlegroups.com>?
> > utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.
>
> --
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