Re: theos-talk Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
Dec 06, 2010 06:22 PM
by John W
Here are some web-pages from which many classic Theosophical books can be downloaded as PDF or DJVU ebooks, some of which are as scanned and may have illustrations, and some of which are searchable text only:
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Theosophy%22Â;
(338 results, books on theosophy in general by many authors)
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=subject%3A%22Blavatsky%2C+H.+P.+(Helena+Petrovna)%2C+1831-1891%22ÂÂÂ
(22 results, books about HPB)
http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=creator%3A%22Blavatsky%2C+H.+P.+(Helena+Petrovna)%2C+1831-1891%22Â
(38 results, books by HPB)
http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/archive/index.php?t-4544.html
http://www.theosophytrust.org/online_books.php
http://rs621dt.rapidshare.com/files/405559944/Blavatsky_Helena.rarÂ; 27..2
(Many out-of-copyright works by HPB in Spanish and Portuguese in PDF and DOC format, including her 15-volume Collected Writings, believed uploaded by someone in Argentina)
http://www.4shared.com/dir/P-K9xsRL/sharing.htmlÂÂ; (ditto, in French)
Torrent download of HPB's Collected Writings (1891, reprinted 1908):
http://www.alivetorrents.com/torrent/2902650/h--p--blavatsky-collected-writings-vol-1-to-15-plete-15-ebooks-15-pdfÂÂÂÂÂÂ; 33.04 Mb
- supposed to have 14 seeds, but is online only intermittently. There is a link for downloading the .torrent file on this page. You need to download and install a BitTorrent client.
http://www.occult-underground.com/bailey.htmlÂ; - Alice A Bailey's books
http://www.alice.bailey.it/testi-inglese/ - many of Alice A Bailey's books.
Torrent download of Alice A Bailey's complete works:
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/3647861/Alice_Bailey_-_Complete_Collection_From_NetnewsÂÂÂÂ; 14.55 Mb - 5 seeds
There is a link for downloading the .torrent file on this page. You need to download and install a BitTorrent client.
Individual titles are available from many other sources, and can be searched for on Google.
John W.
--- On Mon, 6/12/10, Martin <Mvandertak@2heWq4qZayO9maQi5xTSe6BummP5DtFW_DTObn_CKWgZubhoRwvW7cbjujEbKtQ_f6z7c6tn76WNiw.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
From: Martin <Mvandertak@2heWq4qZayO9maQi5xTSe6BummP5DtFW_DTObn_CKWgZubhoRwvW7cbjujEbKtQ_f6z7c6tn76WNiw.yahoo.invalid>
Subject: Re: theos-talk Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
To:
theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Date: Monday, 6, December, 2010, 9:34 AM
Â
The Truth has always been free and a lie costs you money, good lies all your
money...why are you still paying?
________________________________
From: MKR <mkr777@Z19040cxMYbWBiWf6X9SGOirOjBFC4DKr3aEv8N27FV-Ii7N6fijPZhZIDPW6A4f2XtiJe5S.yahoo.invalid>
To: theos-talk@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, December 4, 2010 9:51:18 PM
Subject: Re: theos-talk Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
It is very easy to setup a paypal access on the website so that anyone can donate what they want to.
In the past, shareware software was distributed like that and users do
support with nominal contributions and over time, they become significant.
Now that the issue of electronic version has come up, let us see how they
publishers respond. If they are deaf to what is going on, then they are in
for a shock when they find out every theosophist has an electronic copy. We
need to spread the msg of theosophy to everyone in the world and I think
that is the primary duty of all theosophical organizations even though publishing is quite incidental.
Thanks for your support.
MKR
On Sat, Dec 4, 2010 at 2:26 PM, Rose <fohatlife@KGmYo2D_mb2nyZDUZXXDK2hUc520BBpYsbfUkig9_OhOuQAWQmbTgRqxPY40Cvqvrm6jWvW00m4lI5pQ6Tk.yahoo.invalid> wrote:
>
> Agree totally and perhaps a donation spot could be setup for the online
> version to the publisher so those that can afford and feel inclined to contribute monetarily can do so at their discretion. More might be brought
> in this way to the publisher then keeping it in hard copy as if someone
> cannot afford the book, and does not buy it the publisher gets nothing,
> where as if 10 people who never would have bought donate $5 then the
> publisher gets $50 vs. nothing. Also the increased word of mouth would
> spread attention to the book and oft people will buy a hard copy even if
> they have an electronic copy for their libraries and convenience when away from personal electronic devices.
>
> Esoteric wisdom does not have a copyright, it is a gift from the keepers of
> truth throughout the ages of time, it belongs to all seakers of truth
> regardless if rich or poor, and it is my personal belief that every effort
> should be made to make such materials available with the least restrictions
> of access as possible, so every person who has a yearning enough desire to read its pages or hear its words can do so.
>
> Rose
>
> --- On Sat, 12/4/10, MKR <mkr777@Z19040cxMYbWBiWf6X9SGOirOjBFC4DKr3aEv8N27FV-Ii7N6fijPZhZIDPW6A4f2XtiJe5S.yahoo.invalid <mkr777%40gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> From: MKR <mkr777@Z19040cxMYbWBiWf6X9SGOirOjBFC4DKr3aEv8N27FV-Ii7N6fijPZhZIDPW6A4f2XtiJe5S.yahoo.invalid <mkr777%40gmail.com>>
> Subject: theos-talk Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
> To: "theos-talk" <theos-talk@yahoogroups.com<theos-talk%40yahoogroups.com>
> >
> Date: Saturday, December 4, 2010, 9:22 AM
>
> Why TS/TSA should make electronic versions of publications available for free?
> The current situation regarding electronic version of SD Commentaries (SDC)
> has brought focus on the need for the publications to be made available as pdf files.
>
> In the case of SDC, due to the pricey hard copy publication, someone has
> taken the trouble to scan it to a pdf file and make it available on
> Internet. Since the copyright holder objected to it, it was removed from the
> website. But in the interval between the posting and removal, it is highly
> likely that many theosophists would have downloaded it. Once this is done,
> surely it is privately circulated. Now that the genii is out of the box, nothing can be done to put it back.
>
> We have seen some comments justifying the high price of the book and even
> going as far to say such priceless information should not be made available
> to the world very easily. These arguments do not hold water. Nothing really
> occult can be communicated in print. You will find this discussed in the MLÂ to AP Sinnett.
>
> Firstly, there are legit reasons to have an electronic copies for personal
> use. Let us say you are traveling on work or vacation and you want to read> it. You may not want to carry a bulky book. You want to store the electronic
> copy on your netbook or notebook and this is quite legit if you have already
> purchased a hard copy. For love or money, you cannot get an electronic copy.
>
> So it is more likely that you get hold of an electronic copy from whatever source and load it into your computer.
>
> Todayâs publishing methodology lends itself to make electronic copy easily
> available. Books are written using word processors and an electronic version
> is produced. It is then sent to the printer to print and bind the hard copy.
>
> From the electronic word processor version to pdf file (pdf is the most widely used format for documents), it is only a click away. Eureka!; within
> two to three minutes, the computer creates the pdf file.
>
> In the above process, withholding the electronic copy from circulation does
> not help; especially in theosophical matters where the objective is to make
> theosophical information easily available to everyone and hopefully would
> transform the personal lives of some. Making electronic copy available will
> go a long way to help theosophists around the world, especially in the east where people cannot afford to buy expensive books.
>
> TS, was once at the forefront of the issues of the world. It is time to be pro-active and make all publications, including new theosophical ones such
> as the HPB letters and Mahatma Letters commentary, available in electronic
> form free to theosophists. The man or the woman in the street is not going
> to read them. It is theosophists who are interested in them and TS has a duty towards them. Such a move can only help theosophical movement and not hurt it..
>
> I hope the leaders wake up and do the right thing. Longer you wait, scanning
> machines will solve the problem, whether one likes it or not.
>
> MKR
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