[ModLib] Dust Jacket Date Range Project: Can We Deduce Unobserved Dates?

[Darrell Johnson]

MLer's,
 
Ron's suggestions point to a larger project- one I am  interested in. The  current project is: P1) Pinpoint first and last dates: jackets only.   The  entire project is P5) Gather all dates:  books and jackets.
 
Ron: An add on project (which would make use of the data collected in the DJ
project) could be the last print date for each title.  So, perhaps LW would be
determined to be 1953S; or 1951F.  (Referring  to possible dates  for Little Women)
 
This is either P1  or falls in between P1 and P5. If we  get the jacket date range correct for Little Women we will have evidence of the last print date: whatever the last jacket date is. On the  other  hand, books sometimes have lists that date different than  their jackets.  So if we want to be more certain of last  print date  we  want P2:  Pin point first and last dates:  books and jackets.  
 
Ron mentions that some  books  only had one  printing.   When I first started trying to make a list in the early 90's  I  realized  that the jacket lists could  help  set  start and end dates.   But these are really  only  start  and end dates of being  advertised as available. A book that was listed from 1929-1932 may  have been printed only in  1929 (t5) and 1930(t6)  and not (t7) even though (t7) is  the active binding in 1932. In an extreme case  it  might be  listed  1929-1932  but only have  the single printing in 1929(t5).    In  that  instance we expect all copies to state First Edition and all  jackets to date  to a single season in 1929. That  means that the books  range in  the guide is reasonbly 1929-1932 because of its "in print  status,"  but the  jacket  will only ever  have a 1929-1929 range! And  it  follows  that  in an important sense  the  book  is only 1929-1929 even 
 though it was advertized, listed  and available through 1932. And  since  Gordon has  pointed out  that  they did not  always  prepare books and jackets in  tandem this  book might be 1929-1932 list, 1929-1929  single  printing book, and  1929-1930 jacket  because  they didn't  pint all the jackets at  the first  book  printing!  In  fact  I recall Gordon pointing  out  that the  bindings were not always prepared and attached at printing  So  this hypothtical book may  be 1929-1929 single printing in t5 and  t6  because they  needed more  bindings to bind previously  printed  books!!!
 
But  the  only way to systematically  detect  all of that is to go to P6:  Gather ALL dates:  books and jackets;  with  bindings.
 
This  IS  what  I'm  interested  in.   But  is the group that  ambitious?
 
I'm storing the info you all send to  me in a  manner  that allows  tracking P6.   If you want  to send that much that's great.   But  the  core project  is P1: pin point the jacket  dates. Please  send that.
 
Darrell
 
 


      
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