Problems Reading the PDF Files

If you are unable to download or open the PDF files on this site then the most likely reason is that you are not using a sufficiently recent version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Version 9.0 is currently the recommended version but Version 6.0 is adequate for articles with photographs or Version 5.0 or later for other articles. If you are using non-Adobe PDF software on your machine and this works with all the TBGAS files (including ones with photographs) then clearly you do not need to take any action. However, if the non-Adobe software does not work please consider installing Adobe Acrobat Reader Version 7 for your type of computer.

TBGAS articles may be more than 100 pages in length and so it is vital to use the highest compression techniques. The techniques introduced with Versions 5 and 6 are a very significant improvement compared to earlier versions and they have been employed here. The alternative would be file sizes (and therefore download times) more than twice those produced by the earlier standards. Furthermore, it should not be forgotten that the files would still need to be converted to the new standards at a later date and this is avoided by using the new standards from the outset.

Some major sites are much slower at implementing the new standards because of the wide range of the capabilities of the PDF readers in general use and so they go for the 'lowest common denominator'. This possibly explains why your software may able download similar material from other sites but not the TBGAS site. It simply takes longer from these sites than it need do - but this may well be acceptable for small documents.

I will be pleased to assist if you have any problems. Please let me know which PDF file you are trying to access and which version of the Adobe Acrobat Reader Software you are using.

Searching

Searches may be made using single keywords and phases (in double quotes e.g. "long barrow").   Use the usual three operators [and , or, not] between single keywords and phases to limit the range of the search.  If you do not put an "and" or "or" between items then an "and" is automatically assumed.  You can also use brackets (.....), to group items e.g. (North or South) and Cerney.

Keywords will match all words containing the keyword, e.g. castle will match   castle, castle-mounds, Newcastle etc.  Where this is a problem you can achieve an exact match (but for one word only) by adding a # to the end of the word, e.g. castle#   which will only match castle.  Click on the volume numbers in the results to view the contents page for that volume.

If page numbers in the results have a link you can click on the page numbers to go directly to the title of the article the item refers to.  The title of the article will appear at the very top of your browser window, or in a few cases where more than one item starts on the same page the second or even third title on the page will be the relevant one.

Where there is no page link (i.e. just a non-highlighted page number) the item referred to may or may not be available on the Internet. If it is available then it is likely to be in the 'article' titled Society Pages for that volume. These can include pages from different parts of the volume and relate to Society matters such as reports of Annual General Meetings and obituaries of prominent members. Not all volumes have Society Pages and sometimes the report of an Annual General Meeting was included in the proceedings of a society visit to an area when the meeting formed one of the activites of the visit. Furthermore, book Reviews and lists of Members are not included in the material that hasbeen placed on the Internet.

Please send any comments & corrections to Ray Wilson