The
following article is from The Historical Society of Berks County Email
Newsletter,
and is copyright 2002 by George M. Meiser, IX, It is re-published
here with the permission of the author. |
The Historical Society of Berks County Email
Newsletter
Historical Society of Berks County
PA, http://www.berksweb.com/histsoc
Centre Avenue, Reading, PA 19601
Jan 30, 2002
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The major announcement:
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| Montgomery’s 1,204-page 1886 Berks County History book is now available on
a single CD-ROM. This is the single, best source of Reading and Berks history
from “the beginning” to 1885. The information found therein is impressively
accurate. Morton L. Montgomery was one of America’s greatest local historians
of the 19th century. By profession he was an attorney. |
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Included on this same CD is Amos Strunk’s “Officers of Berks County”
for each year from 1752 to 1860.......and........ J. Bennett Nolan’s 1927
“Early Narratives of Berks County.” As Nolan never saw fit to include useful
indexes in his books, the CD’s search feature is particularly helpful. |
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While the two last-mentioned books are of passing interest, it’s the 1886
M. L. Montgomery tome that makes this CD-ROM of major interest. Originals of
this volume at times bring $300+ at public sales and on eBay. |
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Up front, I have
to comment that this CD-ROM arrangement is surprisingly good and e-a-s-y
to load into one’s computer. If I could do it, 99% of you reading this
message can do it! (Confession time: Yours truly has a box full of CD-ROMs
that were purchased but never used/seen due to difficulties loading them
into my computer.) |
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The “search for”
feature is impressive. I typed in “Meiser” and found the single
reference to Thomas Meiser in a split second. With the book in hand it
would have taken ages to locate him because his name doesn’t appear in
Montgomery’s index. |
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The most
significant feature of this arrangement is the readability of the text.
You can keep clicking on “larger” until four words fill the screen!
One could be all but legally blind and still read the text. You who have
good eyesight can read both columns of the original text at a single
glance. |
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There are many other features of the program, including the ability to
bookmark and print out. |
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Price of the CD-ROM is $39.95 plus $4.95 US priority mail.
[An order form is available on line.]
Retrospect Publishing
1307 Warrington Place
Alexandria, VA 22307
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System requirements: CD-ROM, Windows 95 or 98 or 2000,
[Me and XP, too] and 486 or higher IBM
PC. Yours truly has a 166 antique and it still worked. |
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Questions?
For the co.’s catalog: http://www.RetrospectPublishing.com
There are similar CD-ROMs for other PA counties, too....... Allegheny,
Beaver, Crawford,
Fayette, Luzerne,
Mercer, Washington,
Westmoreland....and
Northwestern PA [Coming Soon...], and Monongahela
Valley. These all sell for $39.95. [
Note: Butler and Chester
Counties are also available.]
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