For the purposes of this Web site, the term "bibliography" will have two meanings. The primary meaning will be book lists done in a "list of works cited" style (enumerative bibliography). The secondary meaning will be the description of books as physical objects (descriptive bibliography) as presented by Bowers1. The book lists on this Web site will give only a wynk2 and a nod to Bowers, but the taverndweller bibliographic style (tbs) was conceived with Bowers firmly in mind. However enumerative and descriptive are two very different beasts and early on I had to largely abandon Bowers3. So here I will attempt to construct a framework for applying the tbs to Bowers. Or do I need to modify Bowers, as I modified MLA? This may be as much a diary of the creative process as it is a framework for a bibliographical style. This is very much a Work in Progress and is done in the spirit of fun, learning, and creativity; be gentle with me. This is not an essential part of my Web site.
Bowers Example
with commentary
The first two lines without markup:4
WASHINGTON IRVING,
Wolfert's Roost,
Putnam,
1855
First American Edition
With markup:
<p itemscope itemtype="https://purl.org/tbs/book">
<span itemprop="bk_author" title="Author" data-book-author="Irving, Washington">WASHINGTON IRVING</span>,
<cite itemprop="bk_title" title="Book Title" class="bowers">Wolfert's Roost</cite>,
<span itemprop="bk_publisher" title="Publisher">Putnam</span>,
<span itemprop="bk_year_published" title="Year Published">1855</span>
<br>
<span itemprop="bk_edition" title="Edition" class="bowers">First American Edition</span>
Commentary:
The tbs sensibly requires that all personal names be in the format [surname], [given name], a format with which Bowers seems unaware. The solution is to use the "data-book-author" attribute in the containing element. This will make the proper format available to parsing software, and to anyone who cares to view the page source.
The book title is shown in small caps, an event easily handled with the CSS "small-caps" value of the "font-variant" property; and, as the "cite" element renders the title in italics, another convention of which Bowers seems unaware, we add the "normal" value of the "font-style" property. Declare them in a "style" child element to the "head" element, or in separate style sheet, and use where needed. We'll use the selector variable name "bowers", rather than restyle the "cite" element, because it provides a compelling semantic context, and because it is so much fun. We'll allow Bowers his title case while insisting on sentence case in the enumerative entries on this site:
...
<head>
...
<style>
.bowers
{ font-style: normal;
font-variant: small-caps;
}
</style>
</head>
...
The Publisher and Year Published properties can be presented without change.
Line two: Use the Book Edition property and apply the "bowers" selector.
The third through seventh line without markup:4
First Impression:
(printed title, p. [5]):
WOLFERT"S ROOST |
AND |
OTHER PAPERS, NOW FIRST COLLECTED. |
BY |
WASHINGTON IRVING. |
NEW YORK: |
G. P. PUTNAM & CO., 12 PARK PLACE. |
1855.
stet
12PARK
With markup:
<em>First Impression:</em><br><br>
(<em>printed title</em>, p. [5]):
<span itemprop="bk_title_page">
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_01" title="Title Page: Line 01">WOLFERT"S ROOST</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_02" title="Title Page: Line 02">AND</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_03" title="Title Page: Line 03">OTHER PAPERS, NOW FIRST COLLECTED.</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_04" title="Title Page: Line 04">BY</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_05" title="Title Page: Line 05">WASHINGTON IRVING.</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_06" title="Title Page: Line 06">NEW YORK:</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_07" title="Title Page: Line 07">G. P. PUTNAM & CO., <small>12</small> PARK PLACE.</span> |
<span itemprop="bk_title_page_line_08" title="Title Page: Line 08">1855.</span>
</span>
<em>stet</em>
<small>12</small>PARK
Commentary:
Here we introduce the first new properties, specific to descriptive bibliography. And about that mysterious "stet 12PARK", see here.
