Today is the day that the Eusebius book must be completed and sent to typesetting. Up early and on with it!
First I’ve reread the contract with the Sources Chretiennes and made sure I acknowledge them in the proper way on the title page and reverse.
Next I’ve applied for a block of 10 ISBN’s from the Nielsen Agency, here in the UK. I’ve decided on “Chieftain Publishing”.
And I’ve also emailed a friend who runs an online shoe-selling business to ask for recommendations for a commercial website designer – I’m not going to attempt it myself, when money rests on it.
UPDATE, 10:39. Deep into it now, dealing with all the little notes scattered throughout the text where I marked (with “qqq”) that I needed to come back and deal with some cross-reference. I’ve also converted a cross-reference table to the PG and Mai editions into Word format and am updating it with Cramer references. Finding the odd bit of sloppy work by some hired editorial people, unfortunately, as well; trouble is that checking they did it is as much work as doing it myself again. Trudge trudge trudge…
UPDATE, 11:38. Most of those notes dealt with, the cross-references added. The only “qqq”s are in files like indexes and so on that need populating. It’s been a slog but worth it.
Bad news in the Latin materials; I originally intended to footnote each page in the CSEL text that we printed. That’s probably 2 days work, and we haven’t got the time. Indeed if I was ever to do it, it would already have been done. Too late now. Just do without.
Time for some lunch. After that, process in the last batch of translator changes, then print the whole lot off and sit down with a coke and read it all!
UPDATE, 13:37. All the “qqq”s done, and some sort of minimal index of the main biblical passages created. I’ve also tracked down all the uses of theotokos in the text and highlighted them with a note. It is, after all, highly unlikely that Eusebius used in 300 AD this battle-cry of the 5th century, so it suggests interpolation. Both the ecloge and the fragments have it, which suggests that the addition was made early on. Now to process in the translator’s comments.
UPDATE, 15:54. All the translator’s comments processed, and a bit of to- and fro- over a couple of them. Now printing it all off; or trying to! The Greek text (which I got from Claudio Zamagni and the SC) is all over the place; paper size wrong, paper tray set to manual, varying margin sizes. Fixed it all now, but it all cost time. Still printing…
UPDATE, 16:13. All printed, and a pile of paper an inch and a half thick on the side. Now to read through it all…
UPDATE, 17:53. I’m getting a definite impression that some professional copy editing would be a good idea.
UPDATE, 19:00. Enough! My eyeballs are giving out. The manuscript is complete. It just needs some professional copy editing by someone NOT so far involved. Then it can be typeset. So I am contacting people who might be willing to do that. Let’s see if we can get that done in a week or two and then get on.
This human weakness thing is a nuisance. I’ve decided that if we get a choice in the New Jerusalem, I’m opting to come back as a dalek.
It would give the cherubs a shock, anyway… 🙂