Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Humanities/2012 March 1

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is an archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

March 1

Chychkan State Zoological Reserve / Chychkan Wildlife Refuge

WP has an article named Chychkan Wildlife Refuge, but I can't find any other references to this entity on WP or in fact on Google. On the other hand, I've found g-hits and WP-mentions of a "Chychkan State Zoological Reserve". Is anyone here familiar with Kazakhstan? Are these the same? Ratzd'mishukribo (talk) 00:36, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Chychkan Wildlife Refuge points to here: [1], while googling "Chychkan State Zoological Reserve" points to here [2]. So yes, they are the same place.Anonymous.translator (talk) 01:17, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Any idea which name is more accurate? Ratzd'mishukribo (talk) 01:26, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Sorry, I have no idea. I do know that "Chychkan Wildlife Refuge" is the more commonly used name online though (at least according to Google). That might be biased because WP uses "Chychkan Wildlife Refuge".Anonymous.translator (talk) 01:32, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks! Next we have to confirm if the "Chychkan Game Reserve" is also the same... Ratzd'mishukribo (talk) 20:05, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

In this document the Russian name is given as "Чичканский зоологический (охотничий) заказник" ("Chychkan Zoological (Hunting) Reserve"). The areas with the "Zoological (Hunting) Reserve" designation in that pdf all correspond to those called "Game Reserves" in the Protected Areas of Kyrgyzstan template.--Cam (talk) 06:54, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Nautical superstitions

This web page gives a list of superstitions believed by seamen. Very interesting, however it doesn't give any sources. Could anyone recommend a good book (preferably still in print) on the subject? Thanks. --BorgQueen (talk) 18:20, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

I've seen good reviews for Seafaring Lore and Legend: A Miscellany of Maritime Myth, Superstition, Fable, and Fact by Peter D. Jeans (Amazon link) - Cucumber Mike (talk) 18:52, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Thank you, and yes, the book looks good! --BorgQueen (talk) 18:57, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

If you look at http://worldcat.org/ you can search by "nautical superstitions" and find a whole list of books on this topic, and then search by location to find them for free in a library near you (or take the ideas of the titles and purchase them through amazon.com, if you prefer.) Here are a few more books: Don't Shoot the Albatross: Nautical Myths and Superstitionsby Jonathan Eyers --(coming out this month)

http://www.worldcat.org/title/dont-shoot-the-albatross-nautical-myths-superstitions/oclc/758980020&referer=brief_results

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=don%27t+shoot+the+albatross&x=0&y=0 Superstitions of the Sea, James Clary http://www.worldcat.org/title/superstitions-of-the-sea/oclc/31361214&referer=brief_results

 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.130.188.189 (talk) 01:48, 2 March 2012 (UTC) 

Using the database Books In Print, we found a title that will be published this month (March 2012) called Don't Shoot the Albatross!: Nautical Myths and Superstitions by Jonathan Eyers. It looks to be informative and entertaining, if that's what you're looking for. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 161.130.188.8 (talk) 01:52, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Viktorin Hallmay(e)r

What's his name? en.wp calls him Hallmayer, vaticanstate.va Hallmayr. --88.66.203.93 (talk) 19:48, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

vaticanstate.va also spells it "Hallmayer". -- Finlay McWalterჷTalk 19:54, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Top5 Libraries in the world by stock?

Which are the five largest (national) libraries in the world by stock/holdings/collection/resources? 1.LoC, 2.British Library, 3. Russian State Library, 4.National Library of France, ... ??? -- Cherubino (talk) 20:22, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Just a stab in the dark, but the Vatican Library is regularly cited for the size of its collection. --Jayron32 20:24, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

I think it is more known for the numerous rarities in its holdings that for the size of its printed collections. For example 1,100,000 books is a relatively small collection when it comes to national libraries. --Saddhiyama (talk) 20:37, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Looking at numbers of holdings, I think the next two on your list would be the National Library of China and the Boston Public Library. Just another guess tho, as I'm picking randomly through articles at this point. --Jayron32 20:43, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

(e/c)It also depends on how you define largest. Some libraries has figures for total number of items (books, manuscripts, etchings, pictures, sheet music etc), while others only lists number of books or printed volumes. From a brief survey of some of the articles in the "National libraries"-category: Royal Danish Library holds 32,400,000 items, National Library of China holds 26,310,000 volumes, Biblioteca Nacional de España holds 26,000,000 items, German National Library holds 25.4 million items. Bear in mind that some of the articles, like Imperial Library (Japan), doesn't contain any information on the size of their holdings. --Saddhiyama (talk) 20:48, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

The Library of Congress article says it has 32 million books "and other printed documents", plus other holdings. The Mark of the Beast (talk) 21:36, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

He has already mentioned that as no. 1 on his list. --Saddhiyama (talk) 09:12, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Try this but my 2011 copy of Top Ten of Everything[3] (also giving number of books) gives LoC, BL, Russian Academy of Science, National Library of Canada, Deutsche Bibliothek, Russian State Library, Harvard University Library, Boston Public Library, National Library of Russia. Thincat (talk) 22:27, 1 March 2012 (UTC)

Then, of course, there's the The British Library which "is the world's largest library in terms of total number of items". Fair makes yer proud dunnit? Alansplodge (talk) 00:17, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

How does it come that Boston has such a good public library? (and invests 1% of its budget in it). XPPaul (talk) 00:16, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

A lot of that is legacy. Boston's moneyed class (mostly Harvard educated) has traditionally valued education very highly, and supporting the public library has been a favorite cause, particularly for bequests. The library has an endowment of more than $50 million, which gives it a considerable income beyond appropriations from the city budget. See here. Marco polo (talk) 00:42, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Thanks, here is a list of the US-Largest Libraries http://www.libraryspot.com/features/largestlibraries.htm -- Cherubino (talk) 02:53, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

It is also on Wikipedia: List of the largest libraries in the United States. --Saddhiyama (talk) 09:12, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Internet Archive? --SupernovaExplosion ^Talk 15:36, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Do the various lists pointed to so far account for State or National library systems?... these are conglomerates of multiple individual libraries that have inter-library loaning systems in place. Each individual library by itself may not have a large collection, but taken together - they do. Blueboar (talk) 15:58, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

The British Library is certainly all in one humungous (and to my eye, rather ugly) building; "the only major public building to be built in Great Britain in the twentieth century.". Hmmm... Alansplodge (talk) 21:12, 2 March 2012 (UTC)

Not sure the big British Library site in Yorkshire counts as all in the same building! http://www.bl.uk/aboutus/quickinfo/loc/bsp/index.html MilborneOne (talk) 23:12, 2 March 2012 (UTC)