BMCR Review of Hispania Epigraphica CD Rom

In Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2007.08.46:

Joaquín Gómez-Pantoja, Hispania Epigraphica 1989-2000 (1 al 10). Madrid: Servicio de Publicaciones, 2006. Pp. CD-Rom. ISBN 84-95215-53-5. €50.00 (individuals). €66.00 (institutions).

Reviewed by David Noy, University of Wales Lampeter (d.noy@lamp.ac.uk)

In his review of this incredibly useful resource (ten issues in PDF on a single CD Rom rather than the hefty volumes which–as Noy points out–are only held by four libraries in the UK), Noy both discusses the advantages and limitations of this electronic format, and considers the quality of some of the contents. He concludes with this comment:

Anyone who has emerged with an aching back and covered with dust after a session with CIL will appreciate having inscriptions in a form accessible from a desktop anywhere, although we are still a long way from the epigraphic utopia of having all information about an inscription available at the click of a mouse, or even from easily knowing where to click for the information. It is not likely that anyone other than a reviewer will want to go through ten volumes of HEp page by page, but the convenience of being able to do so at home rather than in a library is clear. Electronic publication offers other advantages too: ease of searching; updatable bibliographies and concordances. The epigraphy of the Iberian provinces seems to be particularly well-served electronically, and although the CD-ROM version of HEp has some shortcomings, it will be extremely useful in conjunction with other resources.

This entry was posted in review. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.