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tenlittlebullets) wrote2008-05-30 12:12 am
tenlittlebullets) wrote2008-05-30 12:12 am
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Google makes it way too easy, once again.
So. I have taken the plunge, and started to explore Google Books--prompted by a giant collaborative nerdy fanfic project over on Abaissé. (Yes, that is a plug. I know there are plenty of people on my flist who'd be interested in gleefully and self-indulgently geeky research fic, and we have ten Frenchboys and only four typists so far.) Since we're writing about Ami backstories and political activities, my forays into Google Books have been mostly focused on press and politics around the July Revolution, but even a topic that specific turns up a wealth of really damn shiny material. Observe:
France Under the Bourbon Restoration (Jess, is this the one you found?)
Press, Revolution, and Social Identities in France, 1830-1835 (Google has a limited preview, and what I saw was so awesome that I pranced off to Amazon and bought a copy.)
The journalists and the July revolution in France. The role of the political press in the overthrow of the Bourbon restoration 1827-1830. (No preview, but UMD has a copy.)
Au temps des sociétés secrètes; la propaganda républicaine au début de la monarchie de juillet (1830-1835). (Title speaks for itself, yes? Shockingly enough, UMD does not have it, but Goucher does. So does Amherst, which will be useful on the off-chance that I get into Smith.)
Paris and its environs, displayed in a series of two hundred picturesque views, from original drawings (1831. Not political, but definitely useful and cool, and also downloadable for free in PDF.)
I also ended up surfing and read large parts of a British royalist screed on the blackguards and conspirators responsible for the July Revolution, and a scathing 150-page review/rebuttal of Les Misérables from 1862, and--
You get the idea.
Google Books is really cool; it could've been a pretty basic service, but being Google they made it incredibly useful and multi-functional. You can search for keywords within the text of the books, not just searching for titles and general topics; every book has all its information listed, along with links to other editions and related books. And, most awesomely, it gives you links to places you might buy the book and to WorldCat, which will give you a list of libraries that have it, sorted by how close they are to you. I already love WorldCat to death and have it on my searchbar, but linking it to Google Books is like putting it on steroids. It's awesome and kind of scary.
Also? The advanced search lets you filter by publication date. Which means... a multitude of things, really, but what springs immediately to mind is period medical literature. I did a few cursory searches to that effect and wandered over to WorldCat, which alerted me that the NIH library has an extensive history of medicine collection. Unfortunately, the NIH library also has closed stacks, which intimidates me a bit. Or at least makes me think it'd be a royal pain in the ass to use.
Anyway. Google Books = very, very bad for my health. And my time, and my bank account. Augh.
France Under the Bourbon Restoration (Jess, is this the one you found?)
Press, Revolution, and Social Identities in France, 1830-1835 (Google has a limited preview, and what I saw was so awesome that I pranced off to Amazon and bought a copy.)
The journalists and the July revolution in France. The role of the political press in the overthrow of the Bourbon restoration 1827-1830. (No preview, but UMD has a copy.)
Au temps des sociétés secrètes; la propaganda républicaine au début de la monarchie de juillet (1830-1835). (Title speaks for itself, yes? Shockingly enough, UMD does not have it, but Goucher does. So does Amherst, which will be useful on the off-chance that I get into Smith.)
Paris and its environs, displayed in a series of two hundred picturesque views, from original drawings (1831. Not political, but definitely useful and cool, and also downloadable for free in PDF.)
I also ended up surfing and read large parts of a British royalist screed on the blackguards and conspirators responsible for the July Revolution, and a scathing 150-page review/rebuttal of Les Misérables from 1862, and--
You get the idea.
Google Books is really cool; it could've been a pretty basic service, but being Google they made it incredibly useful and multi-functional. You can search for keywords within the text of the books, not just searching for titles and general topics; every book has all its information listed, along with links to other editions and related books. And, most awesomely, it gives you links to places you might buy the book and to WorldCat, which will give you a list of libraries that have it, sorted by how close they are to you. I already love WorldCat to death and have it on my searchbar, but linking it to Google Books is like putting it on steroids. It's awesome and kind of scary.
Also? The advanced search lets you filter by publication date. Which means... a multitude of things, really, but what springs immediately to mind is period medical literature. I did a few cursory searches to that effect and wandered over to WorldCat, which alerted me that the NIH library has an extensive history of medicine collection. Unfortunately, the NIH library also has closed stacks, which intimidates me a bit. Or at least makes me think it'd be a royal pain in the ass to use.
Anyway. Google Books = very, very bad for my health. And my time, and my bank account. Augh.