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An Example of 'Discriminating' and 'Matching'
The STCN fingerprint consists of a signature and the text appearing immediately above it and wholly within its width. Letters of which only a part falls within these limits are ignored. The signatures used are the first and last of separately signed preliminary, principal and postliminary matter (in so far as this is present). The formula consists of: year and format of the book, an indicator, the signature and the text above it, and punctuation between these components.
For example:
Unger's Vondel bibliography also distinguishes between these editions.[8] He usually gives a number of textual variants to discriminate between copies. However, his system is not watertight because he can make distinctions only when a second copy has already been identified as belonging to a different edition. The STCN fingerprint provides positive identification of every copy and can therefore be used for discrimination purposes from the first copy described onwards.
The STCN entry for all these copies would be:
- Unger 121:
- 165204 - b1 A2 en$b : b2 L uw
- Unger 122:
- 165204 - b1 A2 de$e : b2 L we
- Unger 123:
- 165204 - b1 A2 ade$e : b2 L e
- Unger 124:
- 165204 - b1 A2 ade : b2 L we
- Unger 125:
- 165204 - b1 A2 ade$ : b2 L $w
To enable the user of the catalogue to compare any copy with the STCN entry to establish its identity, each entry has an additional note giving a textual variant peculiar to that edition. Matching, i.e. bringing together copies appearing superficially to represent other different editions, or even different texts, can be most easily accomplished by getting the computer to gather together all the identical fingerprints in a catalogue. This is something that can always be done, regardless of where the copies themselves are kept.
Under shelf-mark 447 G 65 the Royal Library in The Hague[9] has
Buysero, Dirck. Korte beschrijvinge van Parys. [By Dirck Buysero]. Vlissinghe, pr. A. van Laren, [3rd quarter 17th cent.].4: A-K4 L2. H
The fingerprint is: 000004 - b1 A2 ant$ : b2 L r
Under shelf-mark 760 E 24 the same library also has:
Leven. Het leven en bedrijf der monsieurs en juffers in Vrankryk. Vlissingen, A. Schot bsr, 1676. 4: A-K4 L2. H
In this case the fingerprint is: 167604 - b1 A2 ant$ : b2 L r
Such a fingerprint is a signal that one of the two is a reissue. The chance of two copies really having nothing to do with each other and yet having the same fingerprint must be regarded as so minute as to be negligible.
A useful first check, since in such cases the dates will naturally differ, is a comparison of the collational formulas. Here they are identical. The decisive factor is that the main part of the fingerprint is identical. The laws of probability together with empirical observation indicate that where two entries contain not only the same fingerprint but also the same collational formulas and formats, one of them is certain to be a reissue.
In the case of this particular text, of course, identification means that Het leven en bedrijf der monsieurs may now be attributed to Buysero. The entry in the STCN then becomes:
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