[DCRM-L] A collational oddity

[Randal Brandt]

I have a book on my desk that is odd in many ways (it is a previously 
unrecorded 1780 edition of Rousseau's Du contrat social), but the one 
that has me stumped is the way that the gatherings are signed. It is a 
12mo in 6s, with the first 3 leaves of each gathering signed, the last 3 
leaves unsigned. But, instead of the usual "A, A2, A3" pattern, the 
signatures are numbered as if they are page numbers, i.e. A, A3, A5; B, 
B3, B5, etc. With the exception of a couple of typographical errors, 
this pattern holds throughout the entire volume. The signatures note in 
my catalog record is a pretty straight-forward "A-Z[superscript 6] 
2A[superscript 4], but that doesn't tell the whole story.

Would any of you include information about the odd signing pattern? If 
so, how would you do it? Bowers and Gaskell have, so far, been unhelpful.

Thanks,
Randy (yes, I do still, occasionally, get to catalog these days ...)

-- 
__________________________
Randal Brandt
Principal Cataloger
The Bancroft Library
(510) 643-2275
rbrandt at library.berkeley.edu
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu