Looking across Categories

Abstract: This essay explores the particular methodological problems encountered when looking at large numbers of books across categories, at both manuscript and print simultaneously. It examines how “data” can have different relative values across categories, and therefore how projects with variable parameters can challenge some of the principles of quantitative codicology, including our understanding of “big data.” It suggests that smaller sets of book historical data across categories can offer space for interpretative analysis rather than the promise of absolutes.