Books Without Covers: Binding the EEBO-TCP Corpus

Abstract

Taking as a model the early printed book, sold unbound and then trimmed and bound to suit the needs, tastes, and budget of a particular owner, this paper investigates the relationship between electronic data and the applications and interfaces that allow it to be used. It takes as a case study the corpus of nearly 45,000 electronic texts produced by the Early English Books Online-Text Creation Partnership, which are available online through at least five major, distinct web portals. The paper compares the function and purpose of each point of access in order to make a broader argument: that just as in early printing and publishing, there is a gap--perhaps a useful and desirable one--between producing and publishing information on a large scale, and preparing it to be easily handled and consumed by individuals.