News Release: Papers of George Washington now online

[Penelope Kaiserlian <pkaiserlian@virginia.edu>]

News Release
New from the University of Virginia Press in the Rotunda American 
Founding

Era Collection: The Papers of George Washington Digital Edition
February 22, 2007

The University of Virginia Press Electronic Imprint, Rotunda, is 
pleased to announce that the Papers of George Washington Digital 
Edition is now live and available for licensing as the second 
work in the American Founding Era collection.  A landmark in 
historical scholarship and the recipient of a 2005 National 
Humanities Medal, the Papers of George Washington is an ongoing 
documentary edition that encompasses five series -- the Colonial 
Series, Revolutionary War Series, Confederation Series, 
Presidential Series, Retirement Series -- and the Diaries. 
Drawing from 135,000 documents and including all extant writings 
by our most prolific president as well as letters written to him, 
the project has resulted in a print edition currently comprising 
fifty-two volumes. Over the next two decades, approximately forty 
more volumes will be published.

Rotunda now offers the complete Papers to date in one digital 
publication, and forthcoming volumes will be added to the digital 
edition on a regular basis.  This XML-based archive allows users 
to search on full text and by date, author, or recipient across 
all volumes and series. Users may also search by the host 
repositories of the original documents. The exceptional indexing 
of the individual print volumes is combined here into a single 
master index, and all internal document cross-references are 
linked. An easy-to-use set of compasses allows the user to 
navigate the contents by series, date, or index entry. The Papers 
of George Washington Digital Edition provides the most thorough 
look available at the general who created the presidential office 
and shows how the colonies, against the greatest odds, became a 
new nation.

Rotunda offers scholars and students at all levels an invaluable 
source of primary and secondary materials by and about some of 
history's most enduring literary and political figures. All 
Rotunda publications are custom-built applications developed 
using the X-query scripting language on a native XML database 
platform provided by Mark Logic Corporation: 
http://www.marklogic.com/. Deep XML tagging provides the most 
powerful searching capability across entire Rotunda collections, 
and multiple users can enjoy 24/7 access through IP recognition 
or username and password. MARC records, usage data, and a 
suggested citation format are provided at the document level.

Rotunda publications may be acquired separately or as packages, 
with pricing for libraries and schools based on institution type. 
Pricing is also available for consortia and for individuals. 
Rotunda publications are available as a one-time purchase for 
perpetual access with an annual fee covering hosting and new 
volumes.   The Papers of George Washington is also available in 
print. Future digital documentary editions in the American 
Founding Era collection will include the Adams Papers, the Papers

of Thomas Jefferson, the Papers of James Madison, the Papers of 
Alexander Hamilton, and the Documentary History of the 
Ratification of the  Constitution.

For information on pricing and Rotunda publications,  visit: 
http://rotunda.upress.virginia.edu. To arrange for an extended 
free trial for evaluating the Papers of George Washington Digital 
Edition or to inquire about licensing, contact Jason Coleman, 
electronic marketing manager, at 434-924-1450 or 
jgc3h@virginia.edu.

About Rotunda

Rotunda was created in 2001 for the publication of original 
digital scholarship along with newly digitized critical and 
documentary editions in the humanities and social sciences. The 
collection combines the originality, intellectual rigor, and 
scholarly value of traditional peer-reviewed university press 
publishing with thoughtful technological innovation designed for 
scholars and students.  Rotunda editions are made possible by 
grants from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and the President's 
Office of the University of Virginia.  The Papers of George 
Washington Digital Edition has also been supported by a generous 
gift from the Founders, Washington Committee for Historic Mount 
Vernon.

About University of Virginia Press

The University Press of Virginia was founded in 1963 with a 
mission to advance the intellectual interests of institutions of 
higher education in the Commonwealth through its publications. 
In July 2002 the press took on a new identity as the University 
of Virginia Press.   The press continues to publish broadly in 
the humanities and social sciences with special strengths in 
American history, literary and cultural studies, architecture, 
landscape studies, and environmental history.  In keeping with 
the reputation of the University of Virginia as a leader in 
digital humanities, the Press is committed to explore innovative 
publishing technologies.

For more information about Rotunda licensing, please email Jason 
Coleman, electronic marketing manager, at jgc3h@virginia.edu. For 
information on the University of Virginia Press or to review 
Rotunda publications, please email Emily Grandstaff, publicist, 
at ekg4a@virginia.edu.

*******************************
Penelope Kaiserlian
Director
University of Virginia Press
P. O. Box 400318
Charlottesville, VA 22904-4318
Phone: (434) 924-3131
Fax:  (434) 982-2655
Books: http://www.upress.virginia.edu
Digital: www.rotunda.upress.virginia.edu