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    Here is a typical signing/paging of the examples I have in front of
    me:<br>
    <br>
    8vo, 8 leaves in the gathering, $5 signed:<br>
    <br>
    Leaf 1: unsigned, unpaginated, recto blank, verso full-page
    engraving (frontispiece)<br>
    Leaf 2: unsigned, unpaginated, recto title page, verso blank<br>
    Leaf 3: signed A2, paginated [3]-4, recto begins text<br>
    Leaf 4: signed A3, paginated 5-6<br>
    Leaf 5: signed A4, paginated 7-8<br>
    Leaf 6: signed A5, paginated 9-10<br>
    Leaf 7: unsigned, paginated 11-12<br>
    Leaf 8: unsigned, paginated 13-14<br>
    Leaf 9: signed B, paginated 15-16 ... [etc.]<br>
    <br>
    I have another example that is the same as above, except that Leaf
    9, signed B, is paginated 17 (i.e. 15-16 are skipped in the
    numbering), clearly indicating that the frontispiece is indeed
    printed on Leaf 8 of gathering A and is not a plate.<br>
    <br>
    I can see how the above could be given, as Richard originally
    suggested, as pi^2 A^6 ... but, then would you also say that A1-4
    are "missigned" A2-5?<br>
    <br>
    Randy<br>
    <br>
    <br>
    <br>
    On 9/9/2010 1:48 PM, John Lancaster wrote:
    <blockquote cite="mid:18A0A83A-0D96-48B9-9516-EA3C366658F8@me.com"
      type="cite">Yes, very much a sideshow (and possibly only
      theoretical) - I guess I prefer having to think about it - clearly
      A is being reserved for the first gathering - but in the printer's
      terms, that's all eight leaves, one sheet, even though he of
      course knows how the book is supposed to end up. &nbsp;Since we can't
      use A for all the leaves, it feels awkward to me to use it for
      just one of the two resulting gatherings, even if one of them
      includes the title leaf.
      <div><br>
      </div>
      <div>I do agree that chi should come after [A], if it's inferred.
        &nbsp;Bowers has an amusing sequence of possible examples for a
        slightly different situation: [A]^2 *^4 [B]^4 C-... ("somewhat
        irregular"); pi^2 *^4 2pi^4 C-... ("more conservative"); pi^2
        *^4 [2*]^4 C-... ("clearer").<br>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>I'd still be interested in knowing what the signing and
          paging of the actual examples are, and further whether these 8
          leaves are in fact preliminaries (textually speaking).</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div>John Lancaster</div>
        <div><br>
        </div>
        <div><br>
          <div>
            <div>On Sep 9, 2010, at 4:15 PM, Noble, Richard wrote:</div>
            <br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
            <blockquote type="cite"><font size="4"><font
                  face="garamond,serif">The question is a bit of a
                  sideshow here, but anyway--I read Bowers as thinking
                  that the English habit of starting the text with B was
                  in order to reserve A for the title gathering, which
                  at least felt like a reason for inferring the initial
                  gathering as "[A]", instead of leaving the question
                  unsettled and having to think about it every time. I
                  prefer chi for the next gathering, only because in
                  reference notation pi so clearly implies a gathering
                  or gatherings that "p[recede]" any other series;
                  "[p]reliminary" gets to be iffy, and once again you
                  end up having to make judgments about a really rather
                  trivial matter, when what you want to do is just lay
                  out the structure and leaf relationships in a way that
                  will support unambiguous reference. So I guess I think
                  of pi as representing "[p]rae".</font></font>
              <div>
                <font size="4"><font face="garamond,serif"><br
                      clear="all">
                  </font></font><font face="'courier new', monospace">RICHARD
                  NOBLE : RARE BOOKS CATALOGER : JOHN HAY LIBRARY :
                  BROWN UNIVERSITY<br>
                  PROVIDENCE, RI 02912 : 401-863-1187/FAX 863-3384 : <a
                    moz-do-not-send="true"
                    href="mailto:RICHARD_NOBLE@BROWN.EDU"
                    target="_blank">RICHARD_NOBLE@BROWN.EDU</a> </font><br>
                <br>
                <br>
                <div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Sep 9, 2010 at 3:55 PM,
                  John Lancaster <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a
                      moz-do-not-send="true"
                      href="mailto:jjlancaster@me.com">jjlancaster@me.com</a>&gt;</span>
                  wrote:<br>
                  <blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin: 0pt 0pt
                    0pt 0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204,
                    204); padding-left: 1ex;">
                    <div style="word-wrap: break-word;">Richard beat me
                      to it - but to the last point (i.e. if there is no
                      signing before B), it's an awkward situation, as
                      Bowers reveals in wavering back and forth between
                      inferring [A] for the first of two such
                      gatherings, using chi for the second, or using pi,
                      2pi - he calls the latter a "conservative formula"
                      (p. 215), but then on the next page says he
                      prefers inference, saying the pi-2pi solution
                      "exhibits an unnecessary, and even incorrect,
                      conservatism."
                      <div>
                        <br>
                      </div>
                      <div>I prefer not to infer [A] for either
                        gathering and would go with pi^2 2pi^6 - whether
                        that's "conservative" or not, I can't fathom.
                        &nbsp;But it doesn't seem to me there's any
                        particular rationale for considering one or the
                        other of such gatherings the reasonable
                        precursor to the rest of the signing sequence
                        (to "privilege" it, in the current jargon) -
                        which, it seems to me, is the suggestion when an
                        inferred signature is used.<br>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <div>On the other hand, given the scenario
                          described, it seems unlikely that there would
                          be no signing in the first gathering, so the
                          problem might never arise. &nbsp;Randy, what is the
                          signing (and pagination) of those first leaves
                          in the examples you're working with?</div>
                        <div><br>
                        </div>
                        <font color="#888888">
                          <div>John Lancaster</div>
                        </font>
                        <div>
                          <div class="h5">
                            <div><br>
                            </div>
                            <div><br>
                            </div>
                            <div>
                              <div>
                                <div>On Sep 9, 2010, at 2:41 PM, Noble,
                                  Richard wrote:</div>
                                <br>
                                <blockquote type="cite">
                                  <font size="4"><font
                                      face="garamond,serif">If you were
                                      in RBS Des Bib, I'd have the right
                                      to tell y'all that the right way
                                      to describe this is pi^2 A^6 ...
                                      etc. The <i>printing </i>formula
                                      is A^8; but in the <i>issue</i>&nbsp;formula
                                      for the correctly finished book
                                      you always describe the structure
                                      in terms of the relationships of
                                      the bifolia (folds). To call these
                                      eight leaves A^8 leaves you with a
                                      formula that is, quite simply,
                                      incorrect: that superscript 8 has
                                      a very unambiguous meaning. (This
                                      is the most basic of all rules for
                                      this species of notation.)</font></font>
                                  <div>
                                    <font size="4"><font
                                        face="garamond,serif"><br>
                                      </font></font></div>
                                  <div><font size="4"><font
                                        face="garamond,serif">You may
                                        still--really should--explain
                                        how this bit of structure came
                                        about, since you need to make it
                                        clear that the frontispiece leaf
                                        is not a plate. Also,&nbsp;</font></font><span
                                      style="font-family:
                                      garamond,serif; font-size: large;">assuming
                                      that gathering A includes
                                      signatures, it may be that, say,
                                      leaf A2 in the book as bound is
                                      signed A3--in which case it must
                                      be noted as missigned.
                                      ("Missigned" doesn't necessarily
                                      mean that the printer made a
                                      mistake; it simply means that the
                                      signature doesn't correspond to
                                      the structure of the finished
                                      book.) If there are no signatures
                                      before B, the right formula would
                                      be [A]^2 chi^6 ..., though there's
                                      (just) wiggle room for debate
                                      about the designation of the
                                      second gathering.</span>
                                    <div>
                                      <font face="'courier new',
                                        monospace"><br>
                                      </font></div>
                                    <div><font face="'courier new',
                                        monospace">RICHARD NOBLE : RARE
                                        BOOKS CATALOGER : JOHN HAY
                                        LIBRARY : BROWN UNIVERSITY<br>
                                        PROVIDENCE, RI 02912 :
                                        401-863-1187/FAX 863-3384 : <a
                                          moz-do-not-send="true"
                                          href="mailto:RICHARD_NOBLE@BROWN.EDU"
                                          target="_blank">RICHARD_NOBLE@BROWN.EDU</a>
                                      </font><br>
                                      <br>
                                      <br>
                                      <div class="gmail_quote">On Thu,
                                        Sep 9, 2010 at 2:03 PM, Deborah
                                        J. Leslie <span dir="ltr">&lt;<a
                                            moz-do-not-send="true"
                                            href="mailto:DJLeslie@folger.edu"
                                            target="_blank">DJLeslie@folger.edu</a>&gt;</span>
                                        wrote:<br>
                                        <blockquote class="gmail_quote"
                                          style="margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt
                                          0.8ex; border-left: 1px solid
                                          rgb(204, 204, 204);
                                          padding-left: 1ex;">
                                          Randy,<br>
                                          <br>
                                          I would stay away from your
                                          first example; there is no
                                          need to separate<br>
                                          'A' out of the sequence, since
                                          the parenthetical doesn't
                                          affect the<br>
                                          number of leaves, but only
                                          gives more information about
                                          the content. One<br>
                                          way is to put this kind of
                                          information after a semi-colon
                                          at the end of<br>
                                          the signature statement. I.e.,
                                          Signatures: A-Z[superscript8];
                                          A8 is the<br>
                                          frontispiece.<br>
                                          <br>
                                          I like the wording of your
                                          note, though, which could be
                                          used along with<br>
                                          or instead of the information
                                          as part of the signature
                                          statement.<br>
                                          Perhaps a slight tweaking,
                                          something like: Leaf A8 is
                                          back-folded to<br>
                                          form the frontispiece.<br>
                                          <div><br>
                                            <br>
                                            -----Original Message-----<br>
                                            From: <a
                                              moz-do-not-send="true"
                                              href="mailto:dcrm-l-bounces@lib.byu.edu"
                                              target="_blank">dcrm-l-bounces@lib.byu.edu</a>
                                            [mailto:<a
                                              moz-do-not-send="true"
                                              href="mailto:dcrm-l-bounces@lib.byu.edu"
                                              target="_blank">dcrm-l-bounces@lib.byu.edu</a>]
                                            On<br>
                                            Behalf Of Randal Brandt<br>
                                          </div>
                                          <div>Sent: Thursday, 09
                                            September, 2010 13:48<br>
                                            To: DCRM Revision Group List<br>
                                            Subject: [DCRM-L]
                                            Frontispiece conjugate with
                                            t.p.<br>
                                            <br>
                                          </div>
                                          <div>
                                            <div> &nbsp;I'm trying to come up
                                              with a clear (and elegant)
                                              way to describe a<br>
                                              frontispiece that integral
                                              to the first gathering and
                                              is conjugate with<br>
                                              the title page. I have
                                              seen several examples of
                                              this situation, and a<br>
                                              couple of different ways
                                              to express it, and would
                                              appreciate it if<br>
                                              anyone on this list has
                                              something better to offer.<br>
                                              <br>
                                              Here's the deal: In, for
                                              example, an octavo, the
                                              frontispiece<br>
                                              illustration is printed on
                                              the verso of the last leaf
                                              (A8) of the first<br>
                                              gathering. The sheet is
                                              folded and opened (at
                                              least partially) before<br>
                                              binding, A8 is then folded
                                              around so that it precedes
                                              A1, thus forming a<br>
                                              <br>
                                              frontispiece that is
                                              conjugate to the t.p.
                                              (A1). Assuming the page<br>
                                              numbering starts with A1,
                                              the page number of B1 is
                                              then 15, and so on.<br>
                                              <br>
                                              Here are some ways of
                                              expressing this in the
                                              catalog record:<br>
                                              <br>
                                              Example 1:<br>
                                              Signatures: A[superscript
                                              8] (A8=frontispiece)
                                              B-Z[superscript8]<br>
                                              Note: Frontispiece is
                                              conjugate with title page<br>
                                              <br>
                                              Example 2:<br>
                                              Signatures:
                                              A-Z[superscript8]<br>
                                              Note: Leaves A1.8 folded
                                              to form frontispiece (leaf
                                              A8) and title page<br>
                                              (leaf A1)<br>
                                              <br>
                                              <br>
                                              Any preferences for either
                                              of the above examples? Any
                                              other ideas? I've<br>
                                              looked through Bowers and
                                              Gaskell and cannot find
                                              anything like this.<br>
                                              (Most of the examples like
                                              this I have seen have been
                                              in German<br>
                                              imprints.)<br>
                                              <br>
                                              Thanks!<br>
                                              Randy<br>
                                              <br>
                                              --<br>
                                              __________________________<br>
                                              Randal Brandt<br>
                                              Principal Cataloger<br>
                                              The Bancroft Library<br>
                                              (510) 643-2275<br>
                                              <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:rbrandt@library.berkeley.edu" target="_blank">rbrandt@library.berkeley.edu</a><br>
                                              <a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/" target="_blank">http://bancroft.berkeley.edu</a><br>
                                              "It's hard enough to
                                              remember my opinions
                                              without<br>
                                              remembering my reasons for
                                              them"--The Streets.<br>
                                              <br>
                                            </div>
                                          </div>
                                        </blockquote>
                                      </div>
                                      <br>
                                    </div>
                                  </div>
                                </blockquote>
                              </div>
                              <br>
                            </div>
                          </div>
                        </div>
                      </div>
                    </div>
                  </blockquote>
                </div>
                <br>
              </div>
            </blockquote>
          </div>
          <br>
        </div>
      </div>
    </blockquote>
    <br>
    <pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">-- 
__________________________
Randal Brandt
Principal Cataloger
The Bancroft Library
(510) 643-2275
<a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:rbrandt@library.berkeley.edu">rbrandt@library.berkeley.edu</a>
<a class="moz-txt-link-freetext" href="http://bancroft.berkeley.edu">http://bancroft.berkeley.edu</a>
"It's hard enough to remember my opinions without 
remembering my reasons for them"--The Streets.
</pre>
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