Contents:

4D1.  General rule

4D2.  Transcription involving adjustments or additions

4D3.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., supplied from reference sources

4D4.  Conjectural date of publication, distribution, etc.

4D5.  Patterns for supplying a conjectural date

4D6.  Copyright dates and dates of deposit

4D7.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., in multipart monographs

4D8.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., on part pages

4D1.  General rule

4D1.1.

Transcribe dates of publication, distribution, etc., as part of this element.  Transcribe dates of printing or other manufacture only if appropriate according to the instructions in 4A6 (i.e., when the wording, layout, or typography of the publication suggests that the manufacturer is also functioning as the publisher, distributor, etc.).

4D1.2.

Transcribe dates as they appear in the publication, including the day and month, if present.

, 7th July 1766

, 1732, reprinted 1734

4D1.3.

Transcribe words and phrases such as "in the year" and "anno" as part of this element.  If both the place and the date of printing appear in conjunction with the phrase "printed in the year," determine whether "printed" is to be transcribed with the place or the date according to the punctuation or typography of the source.

London printed : [s.n.], in the year 1742

(Comment:  Imprint reads: "London printed, in the year 1742.")

London : [s.n.], printed in the year 1742

(Comment:  Imprint reads: "London, printed in the year 1742.")

4D1.4.

If the date is grammatically inseparable from information transcribed as part of another element or area according to one or more of the conditions enumerated in 1B1.1, transcribe it within that area or element and supply the date in square brackets as the date of publication, distribution, etc.

4D2.  Transcription involving adjustments or additions

4D2.1.  Roman numerals

If the date appears in roman numerals, transcribe the date as it appears.  Omit internal spaces and punctuation (see 0G3.4, 0G4.1).  Supply the year in arabic numerals in square brackets.

, anno Domini MDCXIV [1614]

, anno gratiae Mdiij [1503]

, MCCCCLXXXII le XV jour de decembre [1482]

, MDCCXLIV [1744]

(Comment:  On publication: "M. D. CC. XLIV.")

4D2.2.  Chronograms

If the date appears only in the form of a chronogram, substitute for it the date in arabic numerals in square brackets.  If the supplied date includes a day/month, use the sequence: day, month, year.  Make a note explaining the source of the date.  Include a transcription of the original chronogram in the note, if considered important.

, [1740]

Note:  Date of publication derived from chronogram: Ipso anno tertIo saeCVLarI typographIae DIVIno aVXILIo a gerManIs InVentae

(Comment:  Transcribing the chronogram in this note is optional.)

, [8 Mar. 1643]

Note:  Date of publication derived from chronogram in colophon

LC Rare Book Team Guidelines:  Cataloger's judgement.

4D2.3.  Very long dates

If the statement of the date in the publication is very long, substitute for it a formalized statement in square brackets.  If the supplied date includes a day/month, use the sequence: day, month, year.  Make a note concerning the source and the original form of the statement.

, [18 May 1507]

Note:  Date expressed in Latin words on t.p.

(Comment:  In publication: "Anno gratiae millesimo quingentesimo septimo die vero decimoctavo Maij.")

4D2.4.  Fictitious or incorrect dates

If the date of publication, distribution, etc., is known to be fictitious or incorrect, transcribe it as it appears and supply the actual date in square brackets.  If, however, the entire statement consisting of place, publisher (distributor, etc.), and date is fictitious or incorrect, apply 4A4.

, DMLII [i.e. 1552]

, 1703 [i.e. 1730]

If a date from the title page has been transcribed as the publication, distribution, etc., date, and evidence for a later date of publication, distribution, etc., appears in a source other than the title page, supply the later date in square brackets as a correction.  If necessary, make a note to clarify that the date added as a correction is a differing date of publication, not a correction of an error on the title page.

, 1786 [i.e. 1788]

Note:  Dedication and preface both dated 1788

4D2.5.  Julian/Old Style dates

If the year of publication, distribution, etc., is based on the Julian calendar (sometimes called the Old Style calendar) and the publication is known to have been published in the following year according to the Gregorian calendar, transcribe the date as it appears and supply the Gregorian year in square brackets (FN4-2).  Make a note to indicate the basis for the supplied year.  Do not amend the month and day, if present, by supplying Gregorian equivalents.  In case of doubt, do not adjust the year.

, printed anno Domini 1640 [i.e. 1641]

Note:  Date of publication based on the Julian calendar; see STC (2nd ed.)

, Februar. 8. anno 1588 [i.e. 1589]

Note:  Imprint uses Lady Day dating; see Steele, R. Tudor and Stuart proclamations

If two dates appear in the publication, representing both Julian (Old Style) and Gregorian (New Style) dating, transcribe both dates, separated by a slash.  Supply the Gregorian year in square brackets, if necessary.

, 2/13 September 1750

, 1690/1 [i.e. 1691]

, 1690/1691 [i.e. 1691]

4D2.6.  Dates not of the Julian or Gregorian calendar

If the date of publication, distribution, etc., is based on a calendar other than the Julian or Gregorian calendar, transcribe the date and supply the equivalent Julian or Gregorian year(s) in square brackets (FN4-3).

, shenat 627 [1866 or 1867]

(Comment:  Year follows Hebrew calendar.)

, an VII [1798 or 1799]

(Comment:  Year follows French Revolutionary calendar.)

Optionally, if the date of publication, distribution, etc., includes a day/month based on a calendar other than the Julian or Gregorian calendar, transcribe the date and supply the equivalent Julian or Gregorian day/month in square brackets.  Use the sequence: day, month, year.

, prid. Kal. Dec. [30 Nov.] 1488

(Comment:  Day and month follow Roman-style calendar.)

, die visitationis Beatae Virginis Mariae [2 July] 1497

(Comment:  Day and month follow ecclesiastical calendar.)

LC Rare Book Team Guidelines:  Cataloger's judgement.

4D2.7.  Multiple adjustments or additions

If the date of publication, distribution, etc., requires more than a single adjustment or addition, provide all the supplied information within the same set of square brackets.

, MDCXIII [1613 i.e. 1693]

Note:  Corrected imprint date from Wing

, anno MDCXVIII [1618 i.e. 1619]

Note:  Imprint from colophon. Date of publication given in Old Style; see STC (2nd ed.)

, [620 i.e. 1859 or 1860]

Note:  Date of publication derived from chronogram on t.p.

4D3.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., supplied from reference sources

If the date of publication, distribution, etc., does not appear in the publication but is known, supply it in square brackets from any source, preferably a reliable bibliography or reference work.  Give the source of the supplied date and any needed explanation in a note.

, [1876]

Note:  Publication date from BAL

4D4.  Conjectural date of publication, distribution, etc.

4D4.1.

Supply in square brackets a conjectural date of publication, distribution, etc., based on any information available.  Indicate the basis for the conjecture in a note.

4D4.2.

If the title page bears a prominent date that does not clearly represent the date of publication, either transcribe it as part of the title and statement of responsibility area or give it in a note.

, [1814?]

Note:  At head of title: December 25, 1814

(Comment:  Date at head of title is the date of the proclamation, not the date of publication.)

4D5.  Patterns for supplying a conjectural date

Give a probable date or period of publication, distribution, etc., according to one of the patterns shown in the examples below.  Indicate the basis for the conjecture in a note.

, [1560?]

probable date

, [ca. 1580]

approximate date

, [ca. 1580?]

probable approximate date

, [not before 1479]

terminal date

, [not after 21 Aug. 1492]

terminal date

, [1727 or 1728]

one year or the other

, [between 1711 and 1749]

span certain

, [between 1711 and 1749?]

span uncertain

, [167-]

decade certain

, [167-?]

probable decade

, [16--]

century certain

, [16--?]

probable century

4D6.  Copyright dates and dates of deposit

4D6.1.

Do not transcribe a copyright date or a date of deposit in the publication, distribution, etc., area.

4D6.2.

If a date of publication, distribution, etc., does not appear in the source and it is likely that the date of copyright or deposit represents the date of publication, supply the date in square brackets as the date of publication.  Include a question mark if the supplied date is conjectural.  Make a note to indicate that the basis for the supplied date is the date of copyright or deposit.  Include in the note as much information as is deemed important to the cataloging agency.  If transcribing a copyright symbol in the note, use a lowercase c to represent the symbol if it cannot be reproduced using available typographic facilities.

, [1850?]

Note:  Copyright statement dated 1850 on t.p. verso

, [1866?]

Note:  "Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866 ... in the clerk's office of the Dist. Court of the U.S., for the Southern District of New York"--T.p. verso

, [1976]

Note:  Date of deposit in colophon: 1er trimestre 1976

, [1988]

Note:  Page [4] of cover: c1988

4D6.3.

If a date of publication, distribution, etc., does not appear in the source, and the date of copyright or deposit does not represent the probable date of publication, distribution, etc., note it nonetheless and supply a more accurate date of publication, distribution, etc., in square brackets.  Provide an explanation for the supplied date in a note.

, [194-]

Note:  Publication date suggested by WWII imagery on cover; copyright date of 1929 in colophon

4D6.4.

If the publication bears both a date of publication, distribution, etc., and a date of copyright or deposit, the latter information may be given in a note, if considered important.

, 1880

Optional note:  "Copyright, 1878, by F.B. Greene"--T.p. verso

LC Rare Book Team Guidelines:  Cataloger's judgement.

4D7.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., in multipart monographs

4D7.1.

In describing a publication consisting of volumes, parts, or fascicles published over a number of years, transcribe the date of the volume, part, or fascicle published first and the date of the volume, part, or fascicle published last, and connect them with a hyphen.

, 1692-1702

, MDXIII-MDXXIIII [1513-1524]

, MDLVIII-1570 [1558-1570]

4D7.2.

Record the date of each volume in a note, if considered important.  Such a note is particularly useful when the order of publication, distribution, etc., does not correspond to the order of the volume numeration.

, 1560-1564

Optional note:  Vol. 1: 1561; v. 2: 1564; v. 3: 1562; v. 4: 1560

LC Rare Book Team Guidelines:  Cataloger's judgement.

4D8.  Date of publication, distribution, etc., on part pages

If parts of a publication have individual title pages bearing dates that differ from the date pertaining to the whole publication, give these additional dates in a note.  If, however, one of these dates is a more accurate reflection of the actual date of publication, distribution, etc., than the date pertaining to the whole publication, give it as a correction as instructed in 4D2.4.

See also:

4.  Publication, Distribution, Etc., Area