[DCRM-L] Strange signatures from Caen

[John Lancaster]

Since you have a gathering of 12 leaves, the superscript will be 12.  I’d use A^12 (A9 etc. signed B1 etc.).  It seems an unlikely 12mo; rather more likely an 8vo.

You can’t record the collation as two gatherings of 8 and 4 - the collation has to reflect the physical makeup, not the signing.  It’s a single gathering, whatever the printed signatures.  You can make more extensive notes about the signing if that seems useful.

Various scenarios can be imagined (e.g. pages made up to be imposed as a full sheet and half sheet, and then a decision made to arrange them differently to make sewing easier; an earlier printing from the same type was done as a separate full sheet and half sheet), but these seem odd and unlikely.

What’s the content of the pamphlet?

John Lancaster

On Mar 17, 2011, at 7:25 PM, Robert Maxwell wrote:

> Hello, all,
>  
> I have a pamphlet printed in Caen, France in 1811 that is signed A⁸ B⁴; however there is really only one gathering of twelve leaves. B1 is conjoint with A4; A1 is conjoint with B4. Chain lines are vertical. I don’t find a watermark. The page height is just over 21 cm; I don’t believe it’s been trimmed.
>  
> First, is this 12mo? It seems a little big. How do I write the signatures note? “Signatures: A⁸ B⁴” doesn’t seem to explain what is going on.
>  
> Thanks,
> Bob
>  
> Robert L. Maxwell
> Head, Special Collections and Formats Catalog Dept.
> 6728 Harold B. Lee Library
> Brigham Young University
> Provo, UT 84602
> (801)422-5568
>  

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