Sender: Rare book and manuscripts <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
There is no way of searching ISTC for the numbers of copies surviving. But
someone with energy (yes, you!) could do a randomised search say of GW 1, GW
51, GW 101, GW 151, GW 201, etc. for say 1000 numbers spread evenly across
the volumes, checking each title in the ISTC (not in GW itself) for copies
recorded. English books, I should say, like broadsides, are a special case
with many factors militating against their survival.
I am prepared to be surprised but should like to see the evidence.
mcd
----- Original Message -----
From: "White, Eric" <ewhite@MAIL.SMU.EDU>
To: <EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU>
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 2:58 PM
Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS-L] Printed in the millions?
Yes, the data is Needham's. I've only seen his chart on broadside
survivals, with columns of "1" over and over, throwing into relief the
dozens of surviving copies of the earliest Mainz 31-line indulgence (in
various states), which must have been a HUGE edition. I believe I am
not misrepresenting his observations to include books. I don't know how
to search by "survival count" in ISTC. John Goldfinch could clear this
up. In BMC XI (Catalogue of Books Printed in the XVth Century Now in
the British Library), p. 38, the 395 English editions are broken down by
survival: 1 copy = 136 editions; 2 copies = 47; 3 = 40, etc., with the
higher survivals ranginf between one and sixteen editions. So "one" is
the most common SINGLE survival, which is not to say most incunables
survive in one copy.
Eric
-----Original Message-----
From: Rare book and manuscripts [mailto:EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU]
On Behalf Of Martin Davies
Sent: Thursday, March 13, 2008 9:40 AM
To: EXLIBRIS-L@LISTSERV.INDIANA.EDU
Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS-L] Printed in the millions?
"surprisingly, the "unique copy" is the the most common survival figure
for
15th-C. editions": I've read this before but haven't found the source.
Is it
P. Needham? I *would* be surprised if it were true (of substantial
books,
not single sheets).