I'll *try* to describe a Bibliographical Collation
Computer. Think of a slide rule cum grid as you read.
The BCC is two pieces of paperboard and a plastic
wrapper. There is a small upper piece with nos. 1-23
and the corresponding letters of the collation
alphabet printed horizontally. This is secured in the
plastic wrapper which is open at both ends. The
larger, sliding piece fits behind/under it in the
plastic, and is a grid of numbers. On the left,
printed in a red single vertical column: 1's, 2's,
4's, 6's, 8's, 10's, 12's, 16's, 20's, 24's, 32's.
Printed horizonally across are the number of leaves
for single sheet, folios, quartos, etc., up to 23
gatherings for 32mo.
For simple collations, it works as a chart. Position
the red column under A/1, look down the red column
until you find your format (e.g. 8's for 8vo) and look
across until you are under the last letter of you
collation statement.
For partial alphabets, you use the sliding function.
If you have D-X(32) (I can't do superscript, hence the
parentheses), you slide the red column under the
letter D (in the stable piece), look across to X and
go down to the 32's line to read 576 for the number of
leaves.
For lengthy collations with gatherings of varying
sizes, you add up the components; likewise for more
than one alphabetical series. (This sounds a lot more
complicated than it is!)
On the back of the larger piece is a useful chart for
when you have a complete collation, reminding you that
A-4Z(8)=736 leaves or that A-5Z(12)=1380 leaves.
Simple multiplication? That depends on the book!
I would have been very grateful for one of these when
I encountered e.g. the 1662 ed. of History of the
worthies of England. The signature statement became a
paragraph (demonstrating a very creative use of the
alphabet), and the pagination on the piece bore no
resemblance to reality. I was barely coherent at the
end of the day, if at all.
Eileen Smith
eileen_smith@brown.edu
Rare Book Cataloguer
John Carter Brown Library
Box 1894 Brown University
Providence RI 02912
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