Wikisource talk:Proofread of the Month



archived suggestions

Please help start a list of text that need to be proofread. Larger text are preferred because we hope to have a large group of people working on the text of the month. Here is a great place to start looking for text to be proofread.

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A list of potential PotM candidates
On the transcription project, there is a good list of text that are ready to be proofread. That list is available here. This list continues to grow so it would be great if we could knock it down. --Mattwj2002 11:03, 5 August 2008 (UTC)


 * My person opinion, If people keep bringing in projects (and I have seen it) then they should do a good part of the editing. Some, whoever they are, bring in works for others to do and the work-load adds up. Too, if the texts are brought in and left for others, then others may not like the topic so the work load keeps building up. It would be nice to know [who] likes what to work on. *I* like history and specifically illustrated history* but not children’s books or poems. I have several more volumes to do and more I want to do after that. This way I work on what I brought in, or have another bring in because he/they like the same kind of work. --Maury (talk) 01:33, 1 December 2016 (UTC)

2023
The PotM hasn't been updated in several months, and I noticed there haven't been any proposals for this year. Given this, are there any ideas for what to do with the PotM this year? DraconicDark (talk) 20:08, 1 January 2023 (UTC)

April 2023 (Poetry / Drama)
Let's get one teed up. I'm up for anything. BD2412 T 02:27, 5 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Without nominations to select from, I've put in The Playboy of the Western World, since it was a notable play of its time, and is the "masterpiece" of an Irish author. There is an entire section on the play's reception at WP, as it caused quite a scandal.  We have a dearth of Irish literature, and a dearth of drama.  This particular edition also has simpler formatting than most dramatic works. --EncycloPetey (talk) 03:03, 15 April 2023 (UTC)

May 2023 (Geography)
In previous year's we've always done terrestrial geography. Can anyone recommend good works on the ocean or oceanography that would still be useful? --EncycloPetey (talk) 03:25, 15 April 2023 (UTC)
 * I've found two works on oceanography that could work: A Textbook of Oceanography by James Travis Jenkins and Science of the Sea by G. Herbert Fowler . What do you think of these? DraconicDark (talk) 03:31, 30 April 2023 (UTC)
 * The Jenkins text is too complicated for a PotM. --EncycloPetey (talk) 14:40, 30 April 2023 (UTC)
 * Noted, but what are your thoughts on the other one? DraconicDark (talk) 20:13, 30 April 2023 (UTC)
 * A few more suggestions: The Sea and its Wonders by Cyril Hall, General Examination of the Pacific Ocean by Charles Philippe de Kerhallet , General Examination of the Atlantic Ocean by Charles Philippe de Kerhallet , General Examination of the Indian Ocean by Charles Philippe de Kerhallet , and The Ocean and its Wonders by R. M. Ballantyne . Are any of these suitable? DraconicDark (talk) 21:30, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
 * The Ocean and its Wonders looks doable. We would need a DjVu file to run with that option.  PDF transcription still has serious issues. --EncycloPetey (talk) 21:44, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
 * I have set up a DjVu file at Index:The ocean and its wonders.djvu. DraconicDark (talk) 06:23, 3 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Since there were no objections, I have set up The Ocean and its Wonders as this month's PoTM. DraconicDark (talk) 19:25, 4 May 2023 (UTC)

June 2023 (Fiction: Novel)
For June, I'm thinking we do a novel that entered the public domain this year; some suggestions are Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis and Oil! by Upton Sinclair. DraconicDark (talk) 21:33, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
 * Both of those options are already part of the Monthly Challenge. --EncycloPetey (talk) 21:41, 2 May 2023 (UTC)
 * My apologies, I didn't see them listed in the Monthly Challenge when I looked. In that case, of the novels listed in Requested texts/1927 that have a scan link, is Red Love by Alexandra Kollontay already part of the Monthly Challenge? If not, that could be an option. DraconicDark (talk) 22:47, 2 May 2023 (UTC)

Since it is already June, we should switch the PoTM over. We can do either Red Love, which I suggested above, or as an alternative suggestion, I found The Silent Prince by Hattie Arnold Clark (IA also has a DjVU file if necessary) which we can do if the first option isn't suitable. DraconicDark (talk) 21:08, 8 June 2023 (UTC)


 * any comments? DraconicDark (talk) 21:21, 8 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I did add Red Love to Requested Texts; I'd like to do it, but I'll prepare it now whether or not we're going to do it.--Prosfilaes (talk) 22:27, 8 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I would like to see The Doom of the Great City (1880), by Author:William Delisle Hay (a UK author we do not have; died 1885). It depicts London suffocating under a cloud of pollution, which is timely given what is happening in US cities like Boston and New York. However, I cannot locate a copy, except at Hathi.  If this can be set up quickly, it is only 52 pages.  It is also timely, given what is happening this week in cities of the eastern US like Boston and New York City.  I have no objections to either of the nominations above, but as this would be a short one, and is unusually timely (the book itself is in the news as well).  Perhaps we swap themes for June and October?  --EncycloPetey (talk) 23:48, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm fine with that as well. It's easy to set up, since someone already uploaded it to Commons here, so I can switch it over. DraconicDark (talk) 03:16, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * The index was even already set up, so I have switched the PoTM over. DraconicDark (talk) 03:21, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Awesome. Because this is so short, we might want to be ready with another short work or two, in case time allows. --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:26, 9 June 2023 (UTC)


 * I'm fine with that.--Prosfilaes (talk) 23:57, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I agree with The Doom of the Great City. We have gone to the well of authors just entering the public domain a bit much lately. We also have to get the old books in. BD2412  T 06:24, 11 June 2023 (UTC)

The June selection is almost done, needing only some validation. We should have a "July" selection ready, and might be able to start it a little early. --EncycloPetey (talk) 18:40, 20 June 2023 (UTC)
 * June is done (except for Adverts). Do we want to proceed to the next selection? --EncycloPetey (talk) 19:00, 22 June 2023 (UTC)

July 2023 (Anthropology, Mythology, or Religion)
For July, I was thinking we do a work on Zoroastrianism, which we currently don't have many works from or about, despite the fact that it is one of the world's oldest religions. Some suggestions related to this are Zoroastrian Theology from the Earliest Times to the Present Day, Zoroaster, the Prophet of Ancient Iran , The Gathas , or Sacred Books of the East, Volume 4. Are any of these suitable? DraconicDark (talk) 19:21, 4 May 2023 (UTC)


 * Zoroastrianism is cool with me. The Sacred Books of the East is a bit of nightmare to proof though, with diacritics and italics (as special characters) scattered all over the place.--Prosfilaes (talk) 23:23, 8 June 2023 (UTC)


 * The Gathas volume is in poetic format with copious footnotes. It also has a lot of formatting in many lines.  See page 120 for an example of the complexity. --EncycloPetey (talk) 18:43, 20 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Perhaps The Souls of Black Folk, 2nd ed. by W.E.B. Du Bois. We have only an unsourced copy currently, despite the huge significance and impact this collection of essays has had.  --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:37, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm withdrawing my nomination of this work as a PotM suggestion. It has musical content that would make it too challenging.  It might be doable in the Monthly Challenge, but not PotM. --EncycloPetey (talk) 22:42, 22 June 2023 (UTC)


 * The Great Encyclical Letters of Pope Leo XIII is in need of some love ... MarkLSteadman (talk) 02:10, 23 June 2023 (UTC)
 * If this isn't selected for July, it ought to be nominated for the Monthly Challenge. --EncycloPetey (talk) 04:24, 23 June 2023 (UTC)

August 2023 (Biography)
For August, I suggest Napoleon by T.P. O'Connor. Would this be suitable? DraconicDark (talk) 21:19, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
 * It's long, but each page has a smaller bit of text than a usual work. The text also looks clean, without tables, footnotes, and such.  That might make it less valuable to a researcher, but it would make for a more readable text for the average person, and easier to proofread. --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:45, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
 * I've set up Index:Napoleon (O'Connor 1896).djvu and am going to start it a week early, as no one seems to have set up anything for July, and the June work is still lingering on the main page. --EncycloPetey (talk) 23:35, 22 July 2023 (UTC)
 * This is agreeable. BD2412  T 04:47, 26 July 2023 (UTC)

September 2023 (Science/Technology)
Two works that could be considered "technical", or could be held till next February as "fine arts".


 * The Tony Sarg Marionette Book (1921) with illustrations  This nonfiction book includes illustrations and interviews, explaining aspects of how the illusions are created using puppetry. --EncycloPetey (talk) 23:00, 28 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Marionettes, Masks and Shadows (c)1927 is a book by Winifred H. Mills about the construction of marionettes and masks, as well as stages, scenery, and general stagecraft.  The potential downside of this one is that, although it is an American book by an American author, and explicitly copyrighted 1927, I can't find a date of death for the author, so I can't say whether the work is PD in the UK/EU. --EncycloPetey (talk) 23:00, 28 June 2023 (UTC)

October 2023 (Fiction: SF/Fantastical)
One possibility is Jefferies's After London, about life after post-apocalyptic rewilding. MarkLSteadman (talk) 03:23, 10 June 2023 (UTC)

Note here is a list of books by female authors as well. MarkLSteadman (talk) 20:46, 10 June 2023 (UTC)

How about Melmoth the Wanderer ? Or is that too much ? -- Beardo (talk) 13:21, 5 September 2023 (UTC)

Or "The conquest of the moon : a story of the Bayouda" - https://archive.org/details/McGillLibrary-hssl_conquest-moon-bayouda_PQ2269G7C61894-18172/page/n5/mode/2up - original title Les Exilés de la Terre – Selene-Company Limited (1887) -- Beardo (talk) 22:00, 25 September 2023 (UTC)

November 2023 (Language)
For basic language learning material, in a Latin alphabet, how about Index:Latvian self-taught for English speaking people - Kratins.djvu? It's short, the diacritics are found in Special characters/Latin, but it's not a language that's well covered.--Prosfilaes (talk) 23:56, 8 June 2023 (UTC)
 * We'd have to watch carefully, and be sure editors are briefed to use IPA with examples. --EncycloPetey (talk) 03:54, 10 June 2023 (UTC)
 * Support ;) feydey (talk) 09:36, 21 June 2023 (UTC)

December 2023 (Fiction: Short story collections)
One possibility is Fitzgerald's All the Sad Young Men. MarkLSteadman (talk) 03:18, 10 June 2023 (UTC)


 * Shall we go with that, as no-one else has suggested an alternative ? -- Beardo (talk) 17:24, 3 December 2023 (UTC)

Since I figure we'll spill over into January next year anyway, and All the Sad Young Men doesn't have an index page, I'm proposing Index:Frenzied_Fiction.djvu by Stephen Leacock -- we need more humourist works on here IMO. If no-one objects I'll add it in a couple of days. Arcorann (talk) 12:16, 13 December 2023 (UTC)

Template:User PotM participation
I noticed that a number of users have userboxes about their PotM participation, so I made a template to simplify things a little. Hope it helps! —CalendulaAsteraceae (talk • contribs) 03:26, 23 April 2023 (UTC)

2024
Probably best to get in early. Add sections if you want to suggest. Arcorann (talk) 11:29, 15 December 2023 (UTC)

January 2024: Quirky
If we get an update at all depends largely on how much progress we get on the current one. I earmarked Index:Isis very much unveiled - being the story of the great Mahatma hoax (IA b24884273).pdf as a possibility but it might be better to save it for Anthropology/Mythology/Religion. Arcorann (talk) 11:29, 15 December 2023 (UTC)
 * I'm game for anything. BD2412  T 03:46, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

As I write this, Isis Very Much Unveiled has all pages with text either proofread, validated, or problematic, even though it hasn't yet been added. Should we still make it official, or skip it? Arcorann (talk) 08:38, 17 January 2024 (UTC)


 * There does not seem much point in including it in "Proofread of the Month" when there is no actual proofreading to be done. -- Beardo (talk) 14:45, 17 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Re "quirky", the Little Blue Books have some titles that might count, e.g. "The Art of Kissing", https://archive.org/details/artofkissing987wood. MarkLSteadman (talk) 05:38, 19 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Seems like a decent choice, and it's short so we won't have to worry too much about it running over to the next month. It doesn't look like it's on Commons, do we want to bring it over using the IA tool? Arcorann (talk) 07:57, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I brought it over at File:The art of kissing (IA artofkissing987wood).djvu, but I didn't realise the IA import tool would bring over the colour targets as well, so I've asked for a fix at Scan Lab. Once that's done and we have an index I'll add it as this month's proofread. Arcorann (talk) 11:34, 21 January 2024 (UTC)
 * And it's live. Arcorann (talk) 13:03, 21 January 2024 (UTC)

February 2024: Fine arts
Get your suggestions in quick because I haven't seen any. (Anyone know of any PD books on sculpting? That empty section in the portal jumped out at me.) Arcorann (talk) 08:38, 17 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Sculpture at your finger tips (1962) by Fred Press (1919-2012)? A how-to book, all the sculpture is by the artist, so the photos should be fine. Manual of Italian Renaissance sculpture as illustrated in the collection of casts at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (1904) by Benjamin Ives Gilham (1852-1933) is more about the sculpture; it virtually lacks illustrations, so that simplifies that.--Prosfilaes (talk) 01:42, 19 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Looks like we have two copies of the second one on Commons (via IA): and . Which one would be better to proofread from? Arcorann (talk) 07:57, 20 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Turns out the second one is missing two pages. Index:Manual of Italian renaissance sculpture as illustrated in the collection of casts at the Museum of fine arts, Boston (IA manualofitalianr00muserich).pdf it is. Arcorann (talk) 13:00, 21 January 2024 (UTC)


 * How about The Story of the Flute by Author:Henry Macaulay Fitzgibbon (1914, 328 pages)? Based on the snippets I've read, the author makes the subject at least mildly more interesting than it would initially seem to be ( —p 70). Cremastra (talk) 13:15, 22 January 2024 (UTC)
 * It's on Commons already, so we can create an index at Index:The story of the flute (IA cu31924022386407).pdf. I'd be happy for us to work on either this or the sculpture one. Arcorann (talk) 08:31, 29 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Scan on Commons is missing at least four pages (263-266). There's a usable scan at but it's not on Commons at the moment; I'll put the other book up for now. Arcorann (talk) 12:08, 31 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Reverted; the sculpture book is missing pages 169-170. Seriously, how come both books are missing pages... Arcorann (talk) 12:17, 31 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Uploaded Index:The story of the flute (IA storyofflute1914fitz).djvu and queued to PotM. There's some sheet music in there, by the way. Arcorann (talk) 12:31, 31 January 2024 (UTC)
 * I was going to say, it is far easier to repair a djvu as opposed to a pdf. Sometimes we need to merge the two separate scans to get a complete scan. MarkLSteadman (talk) 12:48, 31 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Thanks for all that, Cremastra (talk) 14:51, 31 January 2024 (UTC)

March 2024: Woman author
How about Lady Hester Stanhope's Index:Memoirs of the Lady Hester Stanhope.djvu ? -- Beardo (talk) 14:24, 27 December 2023 (UTC)

How would we feel about trying something new? Dorothy Parker was co-author on A Star is Born, and although we do not have a script scan (that I have been able to find), the film itself is PD and a video exists at Commons. Maybe we could try transcribing the film this month, if is willing to help guide the process? --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:39, 21 January 2024 (UTC)

Wanda Gag's classic children's book Millions of Cats is in the public domain this year. It's a Newbery Award winning-picture book. I've been working on getting a quality scan up, it might be quite the challenge to get a double-paged picture book into namespace... FPTI (talk) 01:51, 29 January 2024 (UTC)


 * Well, it's already done now (not by me), so feel free to admire it. Arcorann (talk) 12:42, 6 February 2024 (UTC)

April 2024: Poetry / Drama
Four possibilities: --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:02, 21 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Index:Peter Pan (1928).pdf, if it hasn't been done by then. (It is currently in the MC)
 * Index:The thirty-six dramatic situations (1921).djvu is a frequently cited book that categorizes hundreds of dramas by common plots.
 * Selected Poems by Robert Frost (1928) not to be confused with the 1923 book of the same title
 * The Tower by W. B. Yeats


 * Are you able to bring the last one across to Commons before the end of March? Arcorann (talk) 09:43, 20 March 2024 (UTC)
 * I cannot, because it's at Hathi, but might be able to. --EncycloPetey (talk) 17:48, 22 March 2024 (UTC)
 * The first two are already well underway, but if the last one can't be uploaded in time, we may be doing Robert Frost. Is there an available scan of that one? Cremastra (talk) 19:11, 1 April 2024 (UTC)
 * File obtained from Hathi, uploaded at Index:Yeats The tower.pdf. I haven't checked the file in detail, though, so someone might want to do that. Arcorann (talk) 01:54, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Something is wrong with the PDF; the Index is giving an interval error. --EncycloPetey (talk) 02:52, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I made some edits on Commons (had to add metadata anyway) and purged some stuff and it seems to have fixed it. Arcorann (talk) 09:00, 6 April 2024 (UTC)
 * I've boldly put in The Tower, since it's the already tenth and Memoirs is now proofread. Cremastra (talk) 22:32, 10 April 2024 (UTC)

May 2024: Geography

 * Physical Geography of Western Tibet (1854; 92 pages) could be interesting, although it's somewhat lacking in pictures. Cremastra (talk) 19:53, 21 January 2024 (UTC)
 * Alternatively:
 * Limnology of Yellowstone Lake in relation to the cutthroat trout — does limnology count as geography? I think it does.
 * If we want something long (and boring) there's here's a 750-page book about Scottish lochs. But given February and March weren't completed in time, a shorter work is likely better. Cremastra (talk) 19:57, 11 April 2024 (UTC)
 * For something proposed in 2022: Index:New geographies (IA cu31924092515158).pdf. 1910, 10+263 pages plus images. Seems about the right size for a PotM. Arcorann (talk) 08:38, 25 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Index:Journey to Lhasa and Central Tibet.djvu (a much older proposal) could work also. Arcorann (talk) 13:20, 25 April 2024 (UTC)
 * These both sound good. I think the Lhasa one is more interesting, however it's already been partially started. Cremastra (talk) 19:48, 25 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Almost nothing of the Lhasa one has been completed. --EncycloPetey (talk) 03:35, 28 April 2024 (UTC)
 * Added the Lhasa one for May 2024, should start on time. Arcorann (talk) 09:39, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

June 2024: Fiction: Novel
Found Index:Adrian Savage; a novel (IA adriansavagenove00maleiala).pdf (1911, 3+470 pages) lying around in the Not Proofread category, not even started. I have no idea what it's about, and it might be a bit long, but at least it's a proposal. Index:Alexandra Kollontay - Red Love (1927).djvu (~280 pages) proposed 2023 is also an option. Arcorann (talk) 03:32, 28 April 2024 (UTC)


 * So, after yet another pick that turned out to already be on Gutenberg, I figured I should check online for other copies. Right now Adrian Savage is on Gutenberg, while Red Love is on marxists.org; The Silent Prince (suggested 2023, ~280 pages) doesn't seem to be anywhere else, on the other hand, so it might be a better pick. Thoughts? Arcorann (talk) 09:06, 19 May 2024 (UTC)
 * Savage Holiday by Richard Wright is public domain because copyright was not renewed, though the HathiTrust scan is of a 1969 edition and pages 227-232 might need to be modified to remove copyrightable quotations. I can't find any online transcription of this book. Prospectprospekt (talk) 17:00, 22 May 2024 (UTC)

July 2024: Anthropology, Mythology, or Religion
I was thinking something about Jainism, another religion we don't have much on. Our portal suggests a few possibilities, but there might be more out there. Arcorann (talk) 07:57, 20 January 2024 (UTC)


 * I picked out Index:The Heart of Jainism (IA heartofjainism00stevuoft).djvu (~330 pages), seems a good balance between content and proofreading difficulty. If anyone else has other suggestions, feel free. Arcorann (talk) 02:01, 28 June 2024 (UTC)
 * Postponing, there's more rubbish in the DJVU than I expected. I'll remove it first before creating the index page. Arcorann (talk) 23:52, 30 June 2024 (UTC)

August 2024: Biography
Recollections of Full Years (1914) by Helen Taft is the first memoir by a first lady of the US. SometimesUsesWikis (talk) 17:53, 24 January 2024 (UTC)

September 2024: Science/Technology

 * Creation by Evolution (1928) a collection of papers by leading scientists putting forth the case for evolution with reference to scientific discoveries made since Darwin. N.B.: It does have a lot of illustrations, but I am willing to help with those. --EncycloPetey (talk) 20:08, 21 January 2024 (UTC)

October 2024: Fiction (SF/Fantastical/etc.)
I nominate H. Beam Piper's 1962 novel Little Fuzzy, in the public domain because copyright was never renewed. Prospectprospekt (talk) 02:04, 26 April 2024 (UTC)


 * Ooh, yeah, that would be great. I've never read that, but was meaning to.
 * I think the Internet Archive has some scans, but for some reason none of their pages will load for me. Cremastra (talk) 11:52, 26 April 2024 (UTC)

November 2024: Language
I liked the suggestions from 2020, particularly A Handbook of the Cornish Language and A Grammar and Vocabulary of the Language of New Zealand  SometimesUsesWikis (talk) 08:08, 25 January 2024 (UTC)

December 2024: Fiction: Short story collections
I was going to suggest the collections by M.R. James that we don't have currently :) ShakespeareFan00 (talk) 11:11, 1 February 2024 (UTC)


 * Looking at Author:Montague Rhodes James it seems like we have all the collections? We don't have Wailing Well though, no idea if there's a scan out there or not, but it's not a short story collection. Arcorann (talk) 09:41, 30 April 2024 (UTC)

Error message appearing on main page
At the moment, there is a message in read appearing on the main page - ".Lua error in ProofreadPage.lua at line 84: attempt to index upvalue 'qualityStats' (a number value)." - someone who knows about that stuff needs to sort it out, please. -- Beardo (talk) 17:35, 12 January 2024 (UTC)


 * @Beardo it is fixed, waiting to be deployed, I guess. See Mpaa (talk) 18:47, 12 January 2024 (UTC)