Re: Pali Grammatica (for a change)

Three further notes:

   The "new" Balavataro (text & trans.) that I reported did indeed have
a date: 1915.

   I have been enjoying the PhD Thesis on _The Syntax of the Pali
Cases..._ enormously (this book was cited in full by Nyanatusita on
this list some time ago).  It is indeed the best work of its kind that
I have seen, and includes comparative references to Kacc., Mogg. &
Panini where appropriate.

   I am sorry to report that the BPS re-printing(s) of the Hewaviratine
edition(s) (of the commentaries, etc.) is of poor an inconstant
quality.  This is to say both that the quality is poor, and that from
one chapter to the next the poverty of the print (and colour of the
paper, etc.) will vary within any given volume.  There are other
annoyances, such as "descreening errors" that were made in
photoduplication of the originals (although the text is rarely
illegible --it would often enough be tiring or annoying to read).
This is rather sad, given that the original (first edition) was of
very good quality, and there are no real technical barriers to
reproducing it at an equal (or greater) quality in our times (i.e.,
when printing technology has supposedly improved!).  If one has
recourse to the first edition, I would advise you to Xerox from it
judiciously, rather than order the reprints --all of which are made by
a miscellany of Sinhalese print houses (some better than others), but,
for the most part, at a quality that would be demoralizing for a
western scholar to work with.

   I have not yet seen the Buddhist Cultural Center's reprint of the
BJT --but this is a direct photo-duplicate reprint, not a new edition.
  Their print quality (per se) seems rather fine --however, the quality
of the typesetting, font, and content of their works may be more
questionable than the BPS (they have a very broad editorial mandate,
and much that is good and bad seems to fall within it).

E.M.