COMPLETE SOLO Selections from Josephus by Titus Flavius Josephus-mas

Solo or group recordings that are finished and fully available for listeners
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Selections from Josephus, by Flavius Josephus (37 - c. 100), translated by Henry Thackeray (1869 - 1930)

This project is now complete. All audio files can be found on our catalog page: https://librivox.org/selections-from-josephus/
Jewish writer and historian, Roman citizen and military leader, born in Jerusalem during the reign of Caligula, Titus Flavius Josephus provides the most thorough history of the 1st century Roman Empire dealings with the Jewish people. Josephus stands preeminent among early Christian period writers.
"I have selected the passages most relevant to Christian origins and New Testament study..." writes Henry St. John Thackeray of Kings College Cambridge UK, translator of this book and the preeminent scholar on Josephus in his day. (Summary by Rebecca Eden Walker)
Source text (please read only from this text!): http://gutenberg.org/ebooks/64837

Target completion date: 2022-04-01

Prooflistening level: Word Perfect
Prospective PLs, please see the Guide for Proof-listeners.

IMPORTANT - soloist, please note: in order to limit the number of languishing projects on our server, we ask that you post an update at least once a month in your project thread, even if you haven't recorded anything. If we don't hear from you for three months, your project may be opened up to a group project if a Book Coordinator is found. Files you have completed will be used in this project. If you haven't recorded anything yet, your project will be removed from the forum (contact any admin to see if it can be re-instated).

Please don't download or listen to files belonging to projects in process unless you are the BC or PL. Our servers are not set up to handle the greater volume of traffic. Please wait until the project has been completed. Thanks!

Magic Window:



BC Admin
LibriVox recording settings: mono (1 channel), 44100 Hz sample rate, 128 kbps constant bit rate MP3. See the Tech Specs

Intro to recording:
Leave 0.5 to 1 second of silence at the beginning.

For the first section, say:
"Section (or Chapter) # of Selections from Josephus. This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit librivox.org." [Optional: "Read by your name."] "Selections from Josephus, by Flavius Josephus, translated by Henry Thackeray. Section Title."
For the second and subsequent sections, you may use the shortened intro if you wish:
"Section (or Chapter) # of Selections from Josephus, by Flavius Josephus, translated by Henry Thackeray. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain." [Optional: "Read by your name."] "Section Title."
End of recording:
Say:
"End of section (or chapter) #." [Optional, and if not stated in the intro: "Read by your name, city, date."]
If you are recording the final section of the book, add:
"End of Selections from Josephus, by Flavius Josephus, translated by Henry Thackeray."
Leave 5 seconds of silence at the end.

Filename: selections_##_josephus_128kb.mp3 where ## is the section number. (e.g. selections_01_josephus_128kb.mp3)

Upload to the LibriVox Uploader: https://librivox.org/login/uploader

MC to select: maryannspiegel

Copy and paste the file link generated by the uploader into the relevant Listen URL field in the Section Compiler, enter the duration in the Notes field, and post in this thread to let your PL and MC know that you have uploaded a file. You may also post the file link in the thread.

Please let me know if I didn't generate this correctly! Thanks.
BeckyWTX
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Oops - Yes this book does have an Introduction/Preface! It's a HUGE one. My error in the template.
BeckyWTX
MaryAnnSpiegel
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 18329
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 4:37 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by MaryAnnSpiegel »

Becky,
I'd be happy to MC this for you. I'll get your MW set up.
MaryAnn
MaryAnnSpiegel
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 18329
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 4:37 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by MaryAnnSpiegel »

OK, you're set. I've changed the first section to 0. If you are one short, you can add a section in the MW. I've also shortened your file name a bit ... no need to use Josephus in the title, since it's already in the author slot.

MaryAnn
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Thank you MaryAnnSpiegel for being MC on this project.
I went through half the book last night making a very long list of Roman names to research accurate pronunciation. I have selected 20th century English pronunciation rather than ancient Latin since the ancient is unrecognizable to modern listeners, other than scholars.
Again thank you for your interest in this project and your guidance.
BeckyWTX
MaryAnnSpiegel
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 18329
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 4:37 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by MaryAnnSpiegel »

Larry added as DPL based on PM from Becky, moving to going solo to keep the launch pad tidy.
MaryAnn
silverquill
Posts: 28809
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

DPL checking in, and standing by.
~ Larry
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

The book will be recorded in 22 Sections. Also I am recording all 430 footnotes as well as the seven additional Notes on Selections. The only difference from print will be the footnotes will be read at the end of each Selection that Thackeray made and the long additional Note on Selection (#) will also be read following the Selection they are written about rather than as part of an index at the end of the book. Example Part VII, Selection (50) Portents and Oracles has footnotes 316-325 as well as "VI. Note on Selection (50)"

Section Format
01. Introduction: Life (I will also record the resources that precedes the Intro as part of Section 1)
02. Introduction: Works
03. Introduction: The Man and the Historian; Texts and Translations
04. I. Autobiography (Selections 1-4)
05. II. Specimens of Amplification of the Bible Narrative (Selections 5-7)
06. III. The Coming of the Romans (Selections 8-10)
07. IV. Herod the Great (Selections 11-18)
08. IV. Herod the Great (Selections 19-21)
09. V. Archelaus and Pilate (Selections 22-25)
10. V. Archelaus and Pilate (Selection 26. Jesus Christ)
11. V. Archelaus and Pilate (Selections 27-28)
12. VI. The Later Herods (Selection 29. Murder of John the Baptist)
13. VI. The Later Herods (Selection 30-33)
14. VI. The Later Herods (Selections 34-37. The Death of James, "The Lord's Brother")
15. VII. Scenes from the Jewish War (Selections 38-40. Seeds of War; Immediate Cause of the War)
16. VII. Scenes from the Jewish War (Selections 41-44. Jotapata)
17. VII. Scenes from the Jewish War (Selections 45-48. Murders of High Priest Ananus and Zacharius)
18. VII. Scenes from the Jewish War (Selections 49-52. Conflagration of the Temple; Jerusalem in flames)
19. VIII. The Jewish Sects (Selections 53-55)
20. VIII. The Jewish Sects (Selections 56-60)
21. IX. Jewish Theology, Scriptures and Customs (Selections 61-65)
22. Table of Dates.
End.

I didn't see a way to enter this into the Magic Window (nor sure if I am allowed to) thus posting here. Recording will begin this week.
Thanks.
BeckyWTX
MaryAnnSpiegel
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 18329
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 4:37 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by MaryAnnSpiegel »

Becky,

That all sounds fine.

You have access to the MW. If you have not logged into a MW before, you will need to create a password to do so. Instructions are in the BC How-to; and this is a more detailed version of the First Login instructions (with pictures!) Please be sure to read all of the BC How To document, as that will give you more information on your role as a BC.

Note that passwords for the magic window and the forum are not connected. You can use the same password in both places (I think a lot of people do), but if you change it on one system, it won't affect the password on the other system.

MaryAnn
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Thanks MaryAnn. I have a password for MW log-in. I will read the BC instructions this week. Appreciate your pointing out that I'm the BC! :D Still pretty new on the recording side of Librivox.
BeckyW
MaryAnnSpiegel
LibriVox Admin Team
Posts: 18329
Joined: February 23rd, 2009, 4:37 pm
Location: Chicago, IL

Post by MaryAnnSpiegel »

LOL, yes! That's one big difference from being a reader in a group to being a soloist.
MaryAnn
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Thackeray's 430 footnotes are jewels - like what you would hear him say as you sat in his Josephus class at King's College Cambridge. I feel to omit them would be a loss - like an abridged version of the book.

Footnotes are a conundrum the audiobook production industry seems to be struggling with. I've made recordings of Section 4 and Section 6 with two differing ways of recording the footnotes. (It's Allergy-April here in Texas and no amount of sound editing will make these sound good enough to upload for submission! Please be forgiving! Thankfully rains change everything here -- and I'm installing a de-esser.)

Is there a way to post the two mp3's for you both to listen to and give me a opinions/go-no-go on format? Or should I just upload knowing they will be "written over" by the real submissions in the next few weeks?

Section 4 has footnote numbers read in the text, just as Thackeray wrote the book. At the end of the section, the footnotes will be read, just as he wrote them in the endnotes of the book: number followed by note. (Since there's no flipping back to text, perhaps this becomes frustrating very quickly.)

Section 6 has no footnote numbers recorded in the text. Instead at the end of the section, the footnotes for each selection are read with the phrase on which they appear in the text, followed by Thackeray's note. This allows those who wish to hear the footnotes to have them in context AND those who don't want footnotes to simply skip to the next section. Does this comply with both the letter and spirit of the law at Librivox? What does the Administrative Team say on this? No words are added, it's a sort of copy-paste from the text.

While I just explained what I did, I'd appreciate you hearing it and making suggestions.
Thanks.
BeckyW
silverquill
Posts: 28809
Joined: May 25th, 2013, 9:11 pm
Location: Southern California

Post by silverquill »

I'm certainly willing to listen to these, but I'll let MaryAnn advise on the best way to upload these since it is her folder.

But, from your description, I'm not sure either approach is the best.

The recording/listening is a linear format without the ability, as you point out, to flip or glance back. So, I would read the footnotes in context. So many of these are so short the could almost be read without saying anything and doing it all by inflection. But you could just shorten it by saying "note" and "end note" instead of "footnote." I certainly wouldn't include footnote numbers. If they are just read at the end of the section, with or without numbers, I wouldn't be able to match them up with what I had listened to previously. But, I'll be glad to take a listen.

I think footnotes are problematic not only for recordings but for printed formats. We see them all sorts of ways printed -- bottom of page, end of chapter, or all at the end of the book. Too much flipping. The ebook format, as we have here, is better with the hyperlinks -- easy to jump to the note and then back to the main text.
~ Larry
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

Larry, I think you have suggested the perfect solution! It feels seamless yet gives the gift of knowledge/insights without detracting. If meets with approval I will read without number or a footnote notation but simply say the footnote information as if it were clarification that followed a comma in the text. It's the solution I've been looking for!
No need to hear what I previously recorded - it's an "inferior" format.
Thank you for your guidance. Your counsel on this project has been invaluable to me!
BeckyW
BeckyWTX
Posts: 256
Joined: November 10th, 2020, 5:07 pm
Location: Texas USA

Post by BeckyWTX »

I'll be uploading Section 6 probably on Wednesday. I am really pleased with the flow and format. The footnote information is read in either exactly where it appears or at the end of the sentence - whichever is more seamless.

Really exciting news - the Dallas Theological Seminary New Testament Department is advising me on the Koine Greek. Professor Daniel Wallace is graciously sharing his knowledge and expertise. The Greek will be to the standard taught in universities and seminaries today. We're talking Tuesday & going over the homework he assigned me. :D

I am in the process of sound editting 5 additional sections. What I have decided to do is record and simply say the word "Greek" where Koine is in text or footnote and later I will cut/paste in the real Greek. The heavy Greek sections will be the last recorded.

I upgraded my pop filter and learned how to program the d-esser. Wow. Such a difference that I re-recorded four sections I had almost finished. Saves hours of detail editting. Five languages and a bazillion Latin names - I'm finally comfortable with them! :clap: What a fun fun project!! There's a lot going on behind the scenes - the fruits of those labors start posting this week.
BeckyW
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