[DCRM-L] A collational oddity

[Noble, Richard]

I routinely give collation notes (an option in dcrmb), and would write
e.g. (making a few assumptions, since we haven't got a copy of this
book, oddly enough):

12mo: A-Z^6 2A^4 [$3 (-2A3) signed; signing $2,$3 as '$3','$5';
missigning ...]; 142 leaves, pp. ...

following RBS DesBib conventions per Bowers. When I'm feeling less
ambitious I head the note "Signatures:" rather than "Collation:",
leaving out the pagination but still usually including the signing
statement. If the style of your cataloging doesn't assume familiarity
with Bowers formulae (especially the $ variable), you could say
something on the order of "2nd and 3rd leaves of each gathering signed
e.g. A3 and A5 throughout".

"Previously unrecorded"--that makes a cataloger's day, doesn't it...

Richard

-----Original Message-----
From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On
Behalf Of Margaret Nichols
Sent: Friday, April 18, 2008 10:15 AM
To: DCRM Revision Group List
Subject: Re: [DCRM-L] A collational oddity


Randy et al.,

Yes, I would definitely note the odd signing pattern, in a 500 note. 
Not sure how I'd word it--let's see:

Leaves signed using alternate numbers, e.g. A, A3, A5 in succession 
in gathering A.

That's awfully awkward, but maybe someone else can improve on it--

Cheers,

Margaret



At 06:52 PM 4/17/2008, you wrote:
>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

________________________________

Margaret Nichols
Head, Special Materials Unit
Library Technical Services
110 Olin Library
Cornell University
Ithaca, NY. 14853-5301
mnr1 at cornell.edu  *  Tel. (607) 255-5752 / 255-3530  *  Fax (607)
255-9524