Artifact Inventory

Research Project Artifact Inventory  AML 4300  Scholar Amanda Ramirez

Due date:  1/28/11 or before

As early American scholars seeking to analyze the works of Judith Sargent Murray and Susanna Rowson

and authors of this period, we must first understand the text as a material artifact, an object that circulated

in and had meaning for specific readers who lived in a particular socio-cultural moment.  By considering

the text as an artifact, we draw closer to understanding how the text functioned in its original context. 

While we may be unable to travel to archives in Boston, New York, or Philadelphia, we can look at

digitized or microfilm images of the original objects and learn about how particular texts looked, felt, and

circulated.  To that end, our initial research activities will introduce us to our chosen texts as material

objects.

· Using the following bibliographies and databases, complete a title and author search for your selected

text, and answer the questions in the chart below as fully as you can.    

o Evans digital database (for texts published before 1800);

o Shaw-Shoemaker print bibliography, Second Series (post-1800 texts Z1215.S482) 

o APS (American Periodicals Series) digital database

o American Prose Fiction 1774-1850 (aka Wright American Fiction; Indexes to microfilm

collection, v. 1-3, in Circulation Dept (Z1033.M6A522). UCF has  MF-1515 (174 reels) v.1

(1774-1850).

· If possible, locate an electronic copy of the first edition of your text and download it as a PDF.  If the

text is available online, please include the link here:   (for example, you may find it at Project

Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page ).  

· Please check the reprint history of your text in Shaw-Shoemaker even if your text is published before

1801.  

Using MLA documentation style, provide the full and correct citation for your novel here.  If a modern

edition of your text exists (published by a reputable and/or scholarly press), please provide that citation

also.  Remember to note the editor of the modern edition and which print edition the modern edition uses.   

Inventory question Answer Speculation:  What might this information suggest about this text?  For example, what does the name and location of the printer tell you?  What other kinds of texts did this printer

publish?

1.  When, where, and by whom was your text first printed? 

 The Boarding School was first printed in Boston in 1798, by E.T. Andrews and Isaiah Thomas.

2. How often was your text reprinted?  List all of the reprints before 1850.  Do not confuse dates of publisher’s/printer’s birth and death with reprint dates.

  It does not appear that the book was reprinted. 1798 was the original publication date and this is the only date that appears in the databases and National indexes that I have examined .

3.  What was the actual size of your text in inches or centimeters?  What information can you find about its

physical presence, binding, etc.?  Do you think it was expensive or inexpensive?  

 The original text was 252 pages and 18 cm.

I cannot tell anything about the binding so I am unsure how expensive the book was. I know leather was more expensive, but there was no evidence to support the binding.

4.  View the original title page using the digital database or microfilm.  What is included there?1  Transcribe the exact words of all of the information listed on the title page. Or, make a PDF of this page if possible.

            I am including a PDF of the title page. The title page includes the title, a brief description of the purpose of the book , and the names of the printers.

 

5.  If there is more than one edition, compare the title pages.  Note any differences here and keep PDFs of these pages, if possible.

  The appears to be only one edition, but it was printed in several major cities; Boston, Worcester, Albany, and Baltimore .

   6.  What miscellaneous front matter is included?  Describe it:

· Frontispiece

· Engravings

· Preface

· Dedication- There is a dedication in the front matter, dedicating the text to the ladies of America.

· Other

Keep PDFs of these pages.

 

7.  How long is your text?  Is it broken into volumes and chapters or is it one big chunk?  How many volumes and/or chapters?  Is the print large and easy to read or dense, with many words on each page and lines close together.

The book is 252 pages long, and is broken into sections that state the day of the week and letters. The text is relatively easy to read as the words are not too small or too close together, making it seem more accessible.

 

8.  What back matter exists (following the end of a text, usually signified by the  word “finis”)?  Sometimes lists of subscribers or other works from this printer or bookseller are mentioned here.

Keep PDFs of these pages.

The back matter of the text consists of a short list of sources; the author, printers, and publication city.

9.  Is there a modern, scholarly edition of your text?  (Scholarly editions are distinguished from mere copies of the book that are bound but lack scholarly apparatus.)  

 There is no modern edition as of now, but I was informed by Professor Logan that there is a new edition coming out soon with Broadview.

9.  Given all of the above, what might you wish to include as you think about creating a virtual/physical site for your project (your blog)?  

In my blog, I want to stress the fact that The Boarding School was published in several major cities and was hence, a popular book. I also want to include what made this book such a worthwhile read for its time once I have read the entire text.