Optanda II: A Web-Guide To Classical Texts And Translations

For many years, Judith Lynn Sebesta has been compiling a very useful survey of 'Textbooks in Greek and Latin' for Classical World (bibliography here). I think it is time we had something similar on the web, not just for textbooks but for translations as well. Electronic format has many advantages, some less obvious than others:

1. A web-site could be updated immediately to reflect changes in information. If a forthcoming book acquires a publication date or actually comes forth, or an old title goes out of print or has its price raised, there would be no need to wait months to update the information. It can be done the same day.
2. With suitable caveats, a web-site could even print helpful rumors: e.g. 'August 2004: Scattered reports that this title is out of stock and will not be reprinted until November'. We have such reports from college bookstores and wondered how widespread the problem was. With a central web-site it should be possible to tell.
3. Listings could link directly to Amazon and other suppliers, for one-click ordering.
4. With no page-limit, much more information could be presented. This would obviously add to the work involved in running such a site, but most of the information would not change from year to year. Which translations of the Aeneid are in prose, which in verse, and which of the latter are line-by-line and which are not? Does a Cambridge 'green and gold' text include an apparatus criticus, a list of differences from some standard text, or neither? Does a translation of the Iliad include an index of names, and if so does it include brief descriptions, line references, a pronunciation guide, or all three? All of these would help the teacher in selecting texts and translations.
5. Amazon-style reader ratings and reviews would be very useful. In a field as small as classics, most of us know a fair percentage of our colleagues, at least from their work. This would make ratings and reviews particular useful. In many cases, we already know whose ratings we trust, and a high rating from Prof. X will make us more likely to order the book, while a high rating from Prof. Y might well have the opposite effect -- if Prof. Y likes this book, it must be crap!