I remember the first time I encountered the actual documents I’d be working with. It was about 10 years ago, on my first reconaissance trip to the archives. After looking at the guides for quite some time, I ordered up a couple of registers. Opened one. Tried to read something – anything – and failed utterly to do so. By the time I opened the third register at random, I felt tears welling up in my eyes, and I remember thinking “That’s it. – I’m going to have to give this whole idea of a Ph.D. up, because I can’t do this.” Fortunately, I stumbled upon an angel in the archives who took time out of his own research for two weeks to help me struggle through the paleography.
I quickly picked up the trick of it, and within a couple of weeks was able to do that scanning thing with fair facility. But there were hundreds of registers, each with hundreds of unindexed folios. If I could get through three 200-folio registers (that’s about 1,200 handwritten 8 1/2-by-11 pages, to those of you who don’t do medieval stuff), it was a good day. If I got three usable documents out of that day’s work, that was a really great day.
But here’s the thing: that shit takes time. And now I sit here at the beginning, a register open at my side, wondering how to approach the work. And kind of quailing at the prospect. Whaaah!!! I know I can do this, because I’ve done it before, when I was much less expert. But boy, howdy, do I wish I had indices for these things.
This document was better than many I've seen...
11 comments:
Oh yeah, I have been there. With the documents obscured by mold or tattered at the edges and the unreadable abbreviations and the faded ink and and and...
Hang in there. You know you can get through it, and you'll get faster as you go.
I've only had to venture to folios once or twice, and I've never had to search through documents in such terrible condition so I feel for you.
But as someone so removed from that situation, all I can say is...Wow. Isn't it amazing that you can search through documents so old? It is kind of beautiful.
When I first went into the archives, the first folio was all handwritten, and I was horrified. Luckily for me, the handwriting was that of a professional scribe-type and designed to be legible. I hooted with joy when the typewriter became the standard.
Kudos to you!
Makes me think a bit about giving birth. The first time is scary because you don't have any idea what it will be like. The second time? In some ways, it's even more alarming, because you KNOW how tough it's going to be. This time, in the archives, you know what you're in for, and that can be daunting.
There's a lot to be said for ignorance and naive enthusiasm.
But you can do it! Push! Push!
Oh, this reminds me of going through interrogations, memos and letters from the 16th century sources in which I work. When they'd switch from English to Latin to cipher, too, and I'd be squinting, trying to figure out just what the hell the language this word was in.
That water damage is pretty daunting, though. Doing that and in a different language would max out my personal difficulty scale!
Oh, on my first research day with 6 documents, I spent 6 hours reading one rental, that later in the year would have taken 15 minutes. About 3 PM, I went across the street for tea, with the worst headache I'd ever had, convinced I'd never have a dissertation!
But I did -- isn't it amazing? Have fun!
Thanks, everyone. Yeah, I think I can do this.
Holy fucknoly! It's amazing that you can read that shit!
I am glad you had someone to assist over the first bit and did not give up. Oddly, the ability to read hand written romanized dates, recognize signitures and read that type of writing upside down in a flash is often what determines a good months profit in a rare trade. At a rare book fair, many of the tables will be the only translators or one of two or three in the world of this or that varient. I don't know why but perhaps you can use your newfound skills in creative side jobs?
Thanks for the picture, it is impressively bad condition! Were the books chained? Or were the holes there from the chaining? I am just curious.
Hi Elizabeth -- Nice to know that there's an alternative career possibility for me out there! Actually, this book is in fair condition for the ones I look at. As far as I know, it wasn't chained or anything. It's just very, very old.
hi Notorious, wow, thanks a personal reply! Seriously, there are auctions just for book collectors and also 'behind the door' sales amoung dealers once you are known - Montreal is the best place in North America for older books. Oh and if you request a postcard from me (it is free!), I will try to supply you with ones to do with illuminated manuscripts (which I am now attuned to find due to demand!) or rare libraries.
It helps finding people in different cities with similar interests, plus if you have a good find, you end up with your books in museums or places like West Point or the Langley library (military history that one). The ability to put vast amounts of information in your head which need to mesh together also happen to be the same for being a rare book dealer. I am not recruiting for some mysterious rare book club - it is just, the history of books, booksellers (and relic sellers) and academica are intertwined down time. Just to be able to tell how many folds a folio has at a glace will put you FAR ahead.
Good luck on the current issues with your project. Oh, I just happen to have an obsession with 'left over' history and there are a few small libraries still with 'chained' books left over from monastic tradition - book history sort of like the subscription London Library, and Harrods (and the subscription private library of my home town, now defunct)
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