Talk:John Balaban

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[edit] Chu nom and printing press

The claim that the publication of his book marked the first time that Chu Nom had been printed using the printing press is hyperbolic. Perhaps it's the first time in the US or maybe outside of Vietnam, but inside Vietnam, The Tale of Kieu had been printed countless times since its first publication (OK, on woodblocks...). DHN 21:02, 20 September 2007 (UTC)

OK, I have put back the statement, this time with a reference that actually confirms the statement. The ref that was there before was an interview where he says it was the first time the character set was printed, but doesn't specifically mention a printing press. This new ref is from his current university but supports the statement much better. Graham87 13:08, 21 September 2007 (UTC)

I still maintain that the claim is hyperbolic. Peter Stephen DuPonceau, in A Dissertation on the Nature and Character of the Chinese System of Writing published in Philadelphia in 1839, included an appendix of Vietnamese Chu Nom characters for comparison purposes with Chinese characters (insert between pages 184 and 185). I'm not sure if it's done on a printing press, but this is an example of prior work done in the US regarding the Chu Nom characters). DHN 15:45, 24 September 2007 (UTC)

That's a good example - it is part of the Transactions of the Historical and Literary Committee of the American Philosophical Society [1] and that book has obviously been publisheddSince I don't like weasel words, I'll remove the claim for now. . Graham87 00:40, 27 September 2007 (UTC)

Hi again, I wasn't aware that you are using a screen reader and thus unable to view the link to the scanned version of the book available online on Google Books. Since the work is in the public domain, it can be accessed freely. My link above points to the actual page where the Chu nom characters are reproduced (about 333 of them). He also call these characters "Cochinchinese". Have a nice day. DHN 01:36, 27 September 2007 (UTC)