Bibliographer: Jane Blicher

Learning at a Loss

For my Experimental Bibliography of "Learning at a Loss", I want to create a visual representation of the path that the novel took from the moment it became an idea in the author's mind to when the reader finishes reading it. This gives meaning to some elements of traditional bibliographies that are often overlooked, such as place of publication and locations that the book was sold.

For my Experimental Bibliography of "Learning at a Loss", I wanted to create a visual representation of the path that the novel took from the moment it became an idea in the author's mind to when the reader finishes reading it. This details the location of the author, the place the book was published, the types of place that a person could have purchased it, and some places where they would have read it. All of these events are laid out on a path with graphic depictions of each step. My goal was to give the journey of the physical novel its own narrative, and to highlight some aspects of a traditional bibliography such as who the author and publisher are, that can easily be glossed over when a person just casually reads the novel.

Traditional Description

Short Bibliographic Summary:
Way, G. L. Learning at a Loss, or the Amours of Mr. Pendant and Miss Hartley. A Novel. In Two Volumes. Volume the First. London: Printed for the Author, 1778.

Transcription:
[ornament] | LEARNING AT A LOSS, | OR THE | AMOURS | OF | MR. PENDANT and MISS HARTLEY, | A NOVEL. | [ornament] | IN TWO VOLUMES | [ornament] | VOLUME THE FIRST. | [ornament] | Qui Studiis annos Septem dedit, Insenuitque | Libris et Curis, Statua taciturnius Exit | Plerumque, et Risu populum Quatit. | HORACE | [ornament] | LONDON: | Printed for the AUTHOR | And sold by H. GARDNER, opposite St. Cle- | ment's Church in the Strand ; and J. Baw, | Paternoster-Row. | [ornament] | M.D.CC.LXXVIII.

Pagination:
Vol. 1 161 pp. Vol. 2 167 pp.</p>

Format: Octavo

Contents:
Volume 1: A1r half title, A1v title, B-L11r text
Volume 2: A1r half-title, A1v title, B-M3r text.

Notes:

Sourced from the British Library. Original Citation: London : printed for the author, and sold by H. Gardner, opposite St. Clement's Church in the Strand; and J. Bew, Paternoster-Row, M.D.CC.LXXVIII. [1778]. Accessed from Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO). Gale Document Number: CW3313516055.

Volume one ends with the phrase “END OF THE FIRST VOLUME”. Volume two ends with the word “FINIS”.

Experimental Description

Visualizing The Making of a Novel