[DCRM-L] Cataloging mystery

[Tony Curwen]

Dear colleagues

Here's a Friday puzzle for you -- not a rare book, but a rare piece of  
cataloging.

A hundred or so years ago, (well, it must have been ca. 1952, anyway), we  
received a fairly recent US publication in the cat. dept. of the City of  
Westminster Public Libraries, London.  It was one of those big books with  
title, etc., spread over facing pages; the publisher was known.  (A  
largely pictorial, 'coffee-table' book?  About New York??  I cannot  
remember).

I tried looking for it in the usual places -- NUC, volumes of LC printed  
cards -- and couldn't trace it, although there seemed to be absolutely no  
reason why it should not have been registered.

Suddenly I realised I had somehow stumbled on the record: all the data on  
the right-hand page made perfectly good sense by itself -- half the title,  
half the statement(s) of responsibility, half the imprint, and so on, and  
that was what had been transcribed by the cataloger.

I should have made a note, of course, but I have long since forgotten what  
it was.

So -- was the cataloger one of the old school brought up on the 1908 rules  
which narrowly defined the title-page as being that recto, if my ancient  
memory from library school is correct?
-- Or was it a joke entry to see if anyone would notice?
-- Is it well-known (not to say notorious) in cataloging circles?
-- Above all, can anyone now identify it for me again?

Enjoy!

Tony
Consultant, Consortium of European Reseach Libraries, 1993-2007