Timed to the annual Budapest Book Festival - and as expected for this year - Arcanum came out with the DVDs of the maps of the 3rd Military Survey. They now offer DVDs with two series of the originals: 752 sheets of the 1:75,000 scale series, and 1333 sheets of the 1:25,000 scale series are both available for purchase. The 1:25,000 one covers historical Hungary (Transylvania and Croatia included), while the DVD cover of the 1:75,000 series suggests that it has the maps for Bosnia, as well. (sample of the 1:25,000, sample of the 1:75,000) Both versions are georeferenced.

The DVDs are not cheap. List price of the 1:75,000 is about 200 US$, that of the 1:25,000 is about 330 US$. However, Arcanum does offer discounts at special events, periods or they throw in some free stuff every now and then.

Anyway, there is a shift in their target market. Their relatively cheap (when compared to contents) genealogy and local history publications have been popular with genealogists and other individuals. I can't imagine the situation, though, that someone interested in 4-5 places would buy the map DVD for $200. So, Arcanum is probably selling them to institutions like libraries, agencies and authorities. A couple of years ago I approached Arcanum SEO, Mr. Biszak, letting him know about my interest to licence Arcanum materials to be provided to RadixIndex subscribers. He didn't believed in the profitability of the online service, some way, though, they launched Arcanum Online. Using this service all the textual publications of Arcanum was available for individuals for a monthly fee of about 25 US$. I can't find it on their website now, it seems to be gone (remodelling?).

The other novelty at Arcanum these days is the box with two double-layer DVDs containing the digitized manuscript maps of the National Széchényi Library. Some 3000 maps can be found in the 16 GB capacity of the DVDs. Maps of the Danube and Tisza rivers are not on the DVD, because they are to be published separately. And the next blog entry will reveal the mapping of Danube. Stay tuned.