Free Latin, Coptic, and Greek Texts

I received in the mail today something I sent out for two weeks ago. It is a comprehensive collection of Latin texts down to 200 CE along with an extensive collection of Greek papyri and several versions of the Bible. High quality and printed on two CD-ROMs, it is the kind of material that would go for over $500 if sold commercially, and that's only if it had the good fortune to be a Logos add-in instead of something aimed at the University library market. Yet I have the invoice right here and, all told, I didn't pay a cent. And if you don't have someone who'll lend you a stamp, it'll cost you less than a dollar.

I'm talking about the Packard Humanities Institute's "PHI CD ROM" #5.3 and #7. The efforts gone into the production of these discs were fully funded by PHI, a non-profit private foundation, and libraries and independent scholars around the world can benefit from their (non-commercial, educational, and non-transferrable) use just by sending in the right form to the right address. It's the kind of paper-pushing arcana that allows astute people to get bigger tax refunds or more governmental assistance; you won't find any link to this form on the official site of the Packhard Humanities Institute (as you are expected to email them first). But once you have the tip, it's easy to do.

I downloaded the forms from a site called In Rebus and you can also get them from my site in this download, where I've changed them from MSWord (.doc) to Portable Document Format (.pdf) and checked the box for "Individual" by default (instead of Institution). This infusion of source material to study--for free--comes at just the right time, when many are feeling the effects of the recession. Enjoy!