[DCRM-L] poll

[John Lancaster]

Logic would seem to dictate "wrapper" since almost always it's a single unit wrapped around the text block (with or without additional endpapers or an inner lining) - that's true whether it's thin or thick, limp or stiff.  However, my sense is that "wrappers" is much more common.

A quick search of WorldCat turns up more than 10,000 instances of "printed wrappers" in notes, and only about 6,000 of "printed wrapper" - and a quick scan of a sample of those indicates that most of those use the phrase to refer to one of the covers, e.g. "imprint from front printed wrapper", so the number of cases in which "printed wrapper" is used to refer to the whole unit (two covers plus spine) is probably an order of magnitude smaller.

There are 3,000+ hits on "front wrapper"; 5,000+ on "back wrapper" or "rear wrapper", indicating a usage that treats the two covers as individual items, despite the fact that they are part of a single unit.

My sense is that it's too late to change the "wrappers" usage, unless there were a strong consensus and a willingness to make wholesale conversions of existing records, or live with the discrepancy.

I was taught "wrappers" at Houghton in the 1970s, and have continued unthinkingly to use that form, though my subconscious (until now) unease is perhaps indicated by the fact that I've always used "cover" to refer to the front or back, not "wrapper".  I think there's something in Richard Noble's suggestion of a rough analogy to trousers or pants, though it's not quite the same.

John Lancaster

On Apr 30, 2010, at 4:20 PM, Deborah J. Leslie wrote:

> Friday afternoon poll
> 1.      In original printed wrapper.
> 2.      In original printed wrappers.
>  
>  
> __________________________ 
> Deborah J. Leslie, M.A., M.L.S. 
> RBMS Chair 2009-2010 | Head of Cataloging, Folger Shakespeare Library 
> 201 East Capitol St., S.E. | Washington, D.C. 20003 | 202.675-0369 
> djleslie at folger.edu | http://www.folger.edu
>  



On Apr 30, 2010, at 4:20 PM, Deborah J. Leslie wrote:

> Friday afternoon poll
> 1.      In original printed wrapper.
> 2.      In original printed wrappers.
>  
>  
> __________________________ 
> Deborah J. Leslie, M.A., M.L.S. 
> RBMS Chair 2009-2010 | Head of Cataloging, Folger Shakespeare Library 
> 201 East Capitol St., S.E. | Washington, D.C. 20003 | 202.675-0369 
> djleslie at folger.edu | http://www.folger.edu
>  

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