New Feature

That would be the PayPal button at the bottom of the left column.

My laptop suddenly went catatonic on Tuesday, leaving me with no computer except my 8 1/2 year old Pentium II desktop. Until today, I wasn’t even able to edit my websites, since I’d misplaced the WordPress passwords. They are now safely written down on a slip of paper tucked into a certain page of a book no one else would ever think to look in. Pocock’s translation of Statius’ Thebaid into Spenserian stanzas? No, that’s actually an interesting work both in theory and in small doses and might attract attention, plus I don’t own a copy. The edition of ‘Sext Properci’ by Balcells and Minguez with facing Catalan translation? That might well intrigue a Barcelonés, a Romance philologist, or a Propertian. Ciani’s Lexicon zu Lycophron? That would probably work, except that its presence on my desk in easy reach of the keyboard would itself attract suspicion. (Yes, I have a copy. No, I don’t know why I bought it. Yes, it must have been on sale. No, I’ve never opened it. Yes, I expect to do so once or twice before I die, probably a lot more than once or twice, once I get around to reading Lycophron. Satisfied?)

This has the makings of an interesting game:

What classical work, primary or secondary, would be least likely to attract the notice of an average cross-section of classicists and others browsing my shelves or yours? Suggestions may be placed in the comments. The question is not which is actually the most boring — that could cause unpleasantness if the author is still alive — but which has the least attractive title and subject. Narrowness of appeal would count for a great deal. The Manuscript Tradition of Cornelius Nepos? There are narrower and far more tedious titles than that.

To return to my computer problems . . . .

Fortunately, I have twelve more days until the laptop warranty expires. Unfortunately, the problem seems to be in the hard drive, and it contains a lot of files I can’t easily do without. I’m hoping to be able to hire someone this week to try to copy the data off it before I send the machine to HP for repair. Since money is very tight at the moment, I will be extremely grateful for any contributions (hence the PayPal button), as well as any suggestions for what I can do technically.

Since I’m in the ‘bargaining’ stage of my electronic grief, I can also promise more and better posts now that I have regained access. I’ve had plenty to say, with little time to say it, but two weeks off for Christmas solves that problem, at least for the moment.

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