[DCRM-L] help with note for signature oddity

[Cates, Patrick]

I'm working on an edition of the Psalms in Arabic published in 1725 by the
SPCK (ESTC T154998). It's an octavo in fours signed A-2G^4 with only the
first leaf of each gathering signed. In the usual Arabic fashion, it's
paged back to front and the gatherings are likewise collected back to
front--in other words, if you opened it as though it were a European
language book, you would find the last page of the last gathering (2G4v in
this case). What's weird about this book is that the signature marks are on
the last page of each gathering so that the page signed B1 is functionally
B4v. This is obvious on inspection, but I'm having a hard time coming up
with a concise or even a lengthy note to explain it. SPCK's 1727 Arabic New
Testament is signed similarly, but with the added complication that each
signed leaf is signed on both sides (e.g. A on one side and A2 on the
other). Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Patrick

Patrick Cates
Technical Services Librarian
Christoph Keller, Jr. Library
General Theological Seminary
440 W. 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
646-717-9789
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