<html xmlns:v="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w="urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m="http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40">
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8">
<meta name="Generator" content="Microsoft Word 14 (filtered medium)">
<style><!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Calibri;
panose-1:2 15 5 2 2 2 4 3 2 4;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
text-decoration:underline;}
span.EmailStyle17
{mso-style-type:personal-compose;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
color:windowtext;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.0in 1.0in 1.0in;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--></style><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapedefaults v:ext="edit" spidmax="1026" />
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:shapelayout v:ext="edit">
<o:idmap v:ext="edit" data="1" />
</o:shapelayout></xml><![endif]-->
</head>
<body lang="EN-US" link="blue" vlink="purple">
<div class="WordSection1">
<p class="MsoNormal">I am cataloging Robert Boyle’s Medicinal experiments. The particular volume we have is the third volume from the 2<sup>nd</sup> edition. It was published in 1694 by J. Taylor. I am trying to understand the collation statement in John F.
Fulton’s <i>Bibliography of the Honourable Robert Boyle</i> (2<sup>nd</sup> ed., 1961). It is on page 120, item #180. The only problems are with the signatures in lower-case a. He gives the collation as a⁶ [with a4 inserted after a1] A-C₁₂ D₂ (I apologize
for the subscripts on C and D—I couldn’t find any way to do superscript 1 and 2 on Outlook).
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Then several lines below that, he gives the detail for volume 3: a1a ‘Imprimatur’, Nov. 24, 1693, unsigned; inserted a1a title & a2a-a4b ‘The preface’; a2a-a6b ‘The index’ followed by a list of 6 books; p. 1-76 text of vol. III.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I assume that by a and b at the end of signatures he means recto and verso.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Now, what I find confusing about this is that if gathering ‘a’ includes the imprimatur, title page, preface, and index, it has to be more than 6 leaves. At any rate, both the Imprimatur and the title page can’t be a1. Here are the signatures
as I have them in our copy (note that in our copy, the index is at the end rather than after the preface):
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Unsigned imprimatur page; unsigned title page; Preface with signed leaves a2-a3 and unsigned leaf; A-C₁₂ D₂ text of volume; Index with signed leaves a2-a3 and 3 unsigned leaves (presumably a4-a6).
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">So that actually fits his “detailed” description of the volume, but I don’t see how it jives with the collation statement.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Was he wrong or am I missing something? Any enlightenment would be appreciated.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ted P. Gemberling<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Historical Collections Cataloger<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">UAB Lister Hill Library, rm. 234B<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">1720 Second Ave. South<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Birmingham, Ala. 35294-0013<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Phone: (205)934-2461<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Fax: (205)934-3545<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
</div>
</body>
</html>