[DCRM-L] FW: Collation confusion

[Ted P Gemberling]

Part of what makes this case difficult is that if the first leaf of the index is a2, what was a1? It would be fairly easy to interpret the other leaves (imprimatur through preface) as pi1 a⁴.

I think it’s possible the title page could be a4, as Fulton seems to say in the collation, with the imprimatur a1 and the first page of the preface a2. But in that case, the preface would have to end with a5 rather than a4.

Thanks, Ted Gemberling

From: dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu [mailto:dcrm-l-bounces at lib.byu.edu] On Behalf Of Ted P Gemberling
Sent: Thursday, May 02, 2013 3:57 PM
To: DCRM Revision Group List (dcrm-l at lib.byu.edu)
Subject: [DCRM-L] Collation confusion

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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