| Introductory page | Main forme work page | Page numbers | Press figures | Vol. | Signatures | Catchwords |
Signatures are alphabetical and alphanumeric codes that appear at the bottom of certain pages (generally right-hand pages) to indicate to the printer and bookbinder the ordering of pages in a volume. Typically, signatures run from A through Z, sometimes omitting certain letters (such as J and V) and sometimes adding a number to a letter (so that a series would run X, X2, Y, Y2, etc.) and usually doubling the letter or placing a two before the letter when the series passes Z (so that the series runs Z, Z2, Aa, Aa2 or Z, 2A, 2B).
If you're not familiar with signatures, their formats, and their history please read the background offered in our "Intro to Early Modern Texts"
The WWP's encoding for signatures is very similar to its encoding
of page numbers. We record the actual printed characters on the page
using <mw type="sig">. We record the
value of the signature--in other words, its significant
information--using <milestone
unit="sig">.
In recording the printed characters on the page, we omit characters which are simply delimiters, such as parentheses or brackets surrounding the signature. The only time we encode brackets or parentheses which accompany signatures is when they are used to differentiate between two different signature sequences; in other words, where they contribute to the informational content of the signature.
Additional discussion of the encoding of signatures can be found in our encoding documentation. There is also a discussion of reference systems in the Introductory Tutorial for New Encoders Tutorial.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]This document last updated Thursday, 18-Nov-2021 14:09:56 EST