[DCRM-L] Collation confusion

[Ted P Gemberling]

I am cataloging Robert Boyle’s Medicinal experiments. The particular volume we have is the third volume from the 2nd edition. It was published in 1694 by  J. Taylor. I am trying to understand the collation statement in John F. Fulton’s Bibliography of the Honourable Robert Boyle (2nd ed., 1961). It is on page 120, item #180. The only problems are with the signatures in lower-case a. He gives the collation as a⁶ [with a4 inserted after a1] A-C₁₂ D₂ (I apologize for the subscripts on C and D—I couldn’t find any way to do superscript 1 and 2 on Outlook).

Then several lines below that, he gives the detail for volume 3: a1a ‘Imprimatur’, Nov. 24, 1693, unsigned; inserted a1a title & a2a-a4b ‘The preface’; a2a-a6b ‘The index’ followed by a list of 6 books; p. 1-76 text of vol. III.

I assume that by a and b at the end of signatures he means recto and verso.

Now, what I find confusing about this is that if gathering ‘a’ includes the imprimatur, title page, preface, and index, it has to be more than 6 leaves. At any rate, both the Imprimatur and the title page can’t be a1. Here are the signatures as I have them in our copy (note that in our copy, the index is at the end rather than after the preface):

Unsigned imprimatur page; unsigned title page; Preface with signed leaves a2-a3 and unsigned leaf; A-C₁₂ D₂ text of volume; Index with signed leaves a2-a3 and 3 unsigned leaves (presumably a4-a6).

So that actually fits his “detailed” description of the volume, but I don’t see how it jives with the collation statement.

Was he wrong or am I missing something? Any enlightenment would be appreciated.
Thanks,

Ted P. Gemberling
Historical Collections Cataloger
UAB Lister Hill Library, rm. 234B
1720 Second Ave. South
Birmingham, Ala. 35294-0013
Phone: (205)934-2461
Fax: (205)934-3545

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