[plug] Maildir Archive and Retrieval or Access from cd?

[Daniel]

Hello All,
I got onto maildir because I thought it the best way to handle huge
amounts of e-mail and archive them for later reference.  

Ideally the files were to be put to cd and accessed directly from there
if required.  Unfortunately the multiple small files seem to clash with
the cd writing format - doesn't work.  

Tar would be perfect for archiving, but doesn't allow for searching or
accessing them 'in situ'.  Any ideas on an alternative that might allow
this or is there a better way to achieve the same end?

Thanks very much,
Daniel.