[DCRM-L] Fingerprint Fun For Friday

[Chris Tangeman]

Happy Friday, all!

I have a question for any fingerprint identifier users out there,
particularly those who use the FEI guidelines.

Not long after I began cataloging rare books two and a half years ago, I
saw a record on EDIT16 that included a fingerprint, and I have been hooked
ever since. I have included them in most of the pre-1800 rare books that I
have cataloged. However, this week I am cataloging an 8-page oration--which
is fewer pages than ideal for a fingerprint identifier--but I still wanted
to give it a shot. The guidelines seem to allow for it, but I am a little
unclear about what they are instructing for the choice of pages to use for
the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th groups. I am highlighting what I believe to be the
relevant rules:

II. GENERAL RULES
II.3. Choice of Pages. The pages to be used are:
II.3.a. For the 1st group: the first printed recto which follows the
title-page and is not itself a title-page.
II.3.b. For the 2nd group: the fourth recto after that used for the first
group.
II.3.c. For the 3rd group: there are two possibilities:
II.3.c.2. If there is no numeration in the book, or no recto numbered 13 or
17 in Arabic or Roman numerals, or those rectos have already been used,
take the fourth recto after that used for the second group.
II.3.d. For the 4th group: the verso of the recto used for the third group
except in the case of books of insufficient length (cf. III.3.a.3).
III. PRACTICAL GUIDE AND SPECIFIC POINTS
III.3. Choice of pages
III.3.a.3. If the book is of insufficient length for all the groups to be
taken in the usual way, the fingerprint is completed by returning to the
last page (or column) from which symbols were taken, and using the lines
immediately above those already used until 16 symbols have been recorded.
III.3.b.3. For the 3rd group: the recto used for the third group must
contain printed text, and must follow the recto used for the second group.
III.3.b.4. For the 4th group: if the verso of the page used for the third
group is blank, the rule on books of insufficient length should be applied
(III.3.a.3), and the lines on the recto immediately above those used for
the third group should be used.
I.3. [Single sheets printed on one side of the leaf are a special case. (cf.
III.5).]
[III.5. Single sheets. -This section appears in draft form in the 2nd issue
of the Fingerprint Newsletter, and will be included here as soon as
possible.]

Since this disbound pamphlet comprises only 4 leaves, I took all four
groups all from the first printed recto which follows the title-page (from
II.3.a), each group taken from lines immediately above those previously
recorded (from III.3.a.3). The yellow sections make me think this is okay,
but the blue rule says the recto for the 3rd group must follow the recto
for the 2nd. Maybe I should be ignoring the blue.

Perhaps the obvious question might be why bother with a fingerprint for
such a short work; only the rule for the 4th group includes the possibility
of working on a book of insufficient length. But the orange above implies
that the intention was to use it for all printed materials, even those
printed on single sheets. I have no idea whether that rule for single
sheets was ever released.

Anyway, I constructed my fingerprint like this:
026 __ ǂa i-m- e-em ǂb r-us vict (C) ǂc 1727 (R) ǂ2 fei
and I was just curious if any fingerprint users saw any flaws in the method
of taking all four groups from the same page (without seeing the pamphlet
being described, of course).

Have a great weekend!
Chris Tangeman
Special Collections Cataloger
208 Roesch Library
University of Dayton
300 College Park
Dayton, OH 45469
937-229-4075
ctangeman1 at udayton.edu
Largo al factotum della citta!
Presto a biblioteca che l'alba e gia.
Ah, che bel vivere, che bel piacere
per un bibliotecario di qualità!
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