sdb.org June 22, 2014 --The entire Salesian Sources (Fonti
salesiane)
in English translation is now available in a web edition that
will enable the ordinary reader, including one with scholarly
intent, to quickly identify passages or features of interest
and quote the passage with immediate reference to the editio
typica. This is a significant step forward for the scholar or
indeed for anyone who wishes to properly reference this
outstanding collection of primary Salesian texts. But
there is more to come.
(1) The Web
Edition: now complete and ready to use
The image below demonstrates most of the features which make
this web edition
The web-ready edition demonstrates the following features:
- colour-coding of
certain elements which the reader of a web edition can benefit
from knowing: (a) comments made by the translator, coded
brown; (b) terms in use by Don Bosco, and which have direct
relevance to the Salesian charism, coded blue; (c) citations
which can be traced to a source - coded teal, but if they are
biblical quotations they will be coded green; (d) glosses
(explanations or translations) coded olive. Not shown here are
topics or brief summaries of sections and documents, coded
orange.
- page reference to the
editio typica. In the pic above you can note the
greyed 'page: 368'. Every one of the 1317 pages of the
original Italian text have been inserted this way. If they
annoy you, you can remove them by selecting 'Hide page breaks'
in the Toolbox, but if you need to cite a passage in
translation, then it certainly helps, in a web edition, to be
able to make reference to the editio typica in Italian.
- navigation.
The Toolbox is always visible, and enables the user to
immediately go to a quick reference to parts and sections of
the entire text (from which, internally, there are additional
navigation options), or a complete TOC or table of contents
with all 309 documents listed. One can return at any moment to
these navigation aids by choosing quick or full reference from
the Toolbox. (2) Coming up
Behind this web edition lies an XML file. There is an entire
encyclopedia of knowledge contained within the 'narrative'
text of 'Salesian Sources' and XML can make sense of this. We
are working towards an entire 'Personography' of all the
people mentioned in the Sources, and their relationship to Don
Bosco. this is what a tiny part of that 'encyclopedia'
looks like at the moment:
Using the right sort of software (available at no cost) all of
the information about individuals and their relationship to
Don Bosco can be extracted in an instant. It would be
obvious that this then becomes a very powerful tool for
extracting information from 'Sources' that would otherwise be
very difficult to bring together. Expect that this will
be ready within a month. The XML file, already generously
encoded, though not tot he full extent for 'persons' as
indicated above, is already available from the website.
It is St Joseph Cafasso's memorial today/tomorrow, depending
when you read this. Let this be a gift for him!
