Artifact Inventory

Mann, Herman. The Female Review. Dedham [Mass.]: Nathaniel and Benjamin Heaton., 1797. Print.
Inventory question	Answer	Speculation:  What might this information suggest about this text and its context?  For example, what does the name and location of the printer tell you?  What other kinds of texts did this printer publish?
1.  When, where, and by whom was this novel first printed?	The Female Review was written by Herman Mann, “a citizen of Massachusetts,” and was printed in 1797 (Mann, Title Page)	This book about a female cross-dressing to fight in a war was written by a man who basically includes a disclaimer not to repeat her behavior but that it should not go without mentioning that she’s a heroine. Considering it wasn’t published till twenty years after the declaration was signed, the war sensationalism and nationalism might have died down a bit but I believe that the reason that it might have been such a sensation (probably especially with women) is because it praises this specific woman in the wake of the new nation.
2. How often did this novel appear in print at in the 18th and 19th centuries?  (Hint: Use WorldCat and list all of the reprints.  Do not confuse dates of publisher’s/printer’s birth and death with reprint dates.)	The Female Review was reprinted once in 2009 by Applewood Books, according to WorldCat (WorldCat, “The Female Review”)	I couldn’t find multiple prints of the book on WorldCat so that must imply that this book is either very rarely seen. Probably after the initial obsession with the book’s theme, it’s popularity might have died out or sentiments may have changed on whether or not the female should have fought in the war. Either way, despite the story being heroic, it’s not the first time many people may have heard a story like this (ex. Mulan, Joan of Arc).
3.  What was the actual size of your artifact in inches or centimeters?  What information can you find about its physical presence, binding, etc.?  Do you think it was expensive or inexpensive?  Is it a folio, quarto, or octavo? Can you see a price?  If you are using a magazine, find the editor’s preface to its inaugural issue and note the intended audience and keywords used to appeal to that audience.	The physical description is as follows: xv, [2], 18-258, [8] p., [1] leaf of plates: 1 port. 17 cm. (12mo). It was bound with leather. Information on the price and whether or not it was folio, quarto, or octavo are unavailable but considering it seems to be small and leather bounded it might have been a little more on the expensive size. There is a preface and in it the message seeks to inform a “candid and impartial audience” on the events of the subject’s life (Evans Digital Database, “The Female Review”)	Other than the fact that it was leather bound, the book was fairly small so it was probably on the more reasonably priced side. That obviously implies that more people could afford the book and lends to the reasoning as to why it might have been more popular than not – accessibility is key.
4.  View the original title page using the digital database or microfilm.  What is included there?[1]  Transcribe the exact words of all of the information listed on the title page. Or, make a PDF of this page if possible.	The title page says: The Female Review: or, memoirs of an American young lady; whose life and character are peculiarly distinguished – being a continental soldier, for nearly three years, in the late American war. During which time, she performed the duties of every department, into which she was called, with punctual exactness, fidelity, and honor, and preserved her chastity inviolate, by the most artful concealment of her sex. With an appendix, containing characteristic traits, by different hands, her taste for economy, principles of domestic education, &c. By a citizen of Massachusetts. DEDHAM: Printed by Nathaniel and Benjamin Heaton (?) for the author. M, DCC, XCVII. 1797. (Mann, “The Female Review”) PDF also included.	Right in the title page, the author details the exact specifics of the story…very similarly to what we sometimes see in the back of books today, sans the reviews. He includes his disclaimer following his detailed description of exactly why this woman is having a book written about her. The summary could be for advertising purposes, so that people knew what they were going to read.
5.  If there is more than one edition, compare the title pages.  Note any differences here and keep PDFs of these pages, if possible.	There exists only one edition.	I’d suspect that maybe another edition could have, or rather, should have come out considering that a lot of the language is outdated or abbreviated to some form of almost slang that may have been easier to read in 1797 than it is today but considering that there are no new editions of the book it either didn’t have enormous staying power or the content of the book is fine the way that it is – I’d go with the latter considering that the language utilized in the book is not necessarily easy to interpret but absolutely understandable with some effort.
6.  What miscellaneous front matter exists?  Describe it: Frontispiece Engravings Preface Dedication Other Keep PDFs of these pages.	The frontispiece is a portrait of the main character, Deborah Sampson, by William Beastall and engraved by George Gaham. It is a very detailed portrait of a young, feminine woman. The front matter speaks to the audience about his intent, which is not promote the behavior but to account the story of the protagonist. One page of the front matter includes one page with the words “published by act of congress.” The preface goes into greater detail of Deborah Sampson and why the author feels that her story is important to tell, how he came to meet her, and another warning against the repetition of her behavior (Mann, 1-15)	I feel like this book was especially difficult to make because it is SO compacted with drawings and explanations and engravings, etc. I’m going to have to guess that it might have been a bit more on the expensive side.
7.  How long is your text?  How is it subdivided (chapters? Volumes?)  Is the print large and easy to read or dense, with many words on each page and lines close together?	There are 238 pages with pretty dense wordage, the font is black and bold and there is a decent line space in between the lines. It’s divided into twelve chapters with about twenty-three lines and about one hundred and sixty words per page (Mann, “The Female Review”)	This book seemed to be written for a more advanced audience, the language is pretty advanced and the subject matter delves into many complex ideas.
8.  What back matter exists (following the end of a text, usually signified by the word “finis”)?  Sometimes lists of subscribers or other works from this printer or bookseller are mentioned here. Keep PDFs of these pages.	The back matter is completely dense with an essay about the author’s views on domestic education and economy under a section he titled the “appendix.”  After the eighteen-page appendix follows a list of subscribers and then a list of people who returned the form too late to have books ordered (Mann, “The Female Review”)	This essay in the back seems to suggest that the book might have been written for more of an expression of the author’s morals and ideologies than the life of this cross-dressing heroine.
9. Are there other texts like yours, and how can you tell?	Well considering there was a pretty extensive list of subscribers, it could imply that there were a large number of people that were interested in reading books published by this publisher or by Herman Mann or books that were similar in that regard, so yes, there were several texts like this. Considering, as well, that Herman Mann discusses the effects that other books have on the same target audience he writes too, there is another implication that books like this existed.	As reading became more popular, of course similar books were made during this time. I don’t think that this fact necessarily explains anything about the popularity of this book t\other than it must have stood out to some extent,
10.  What is the relationship between your artifact and early republic ideas about education and reading (and how can you tell)?	Herman Mann seems to be really intent on making sure that the audience that he is writing to understands the consequences involved in the themes discussed in the book. In the preface and appendix he is overly cautious of mentioning the morals that should not be forgotten when reading about the life of Deborah Sampson. Because of this, it seems that this book, although obviously meant to praise a woman and entertain, contains quite a bit of educational/instructional “life lessons,” if you will. It is very aware of itself as a book that could have very easily influenced young and inexperienced readers and does not forget that while presenting itself very candidly at the same time.	««««««««««««««««««««
11.  Given all of the above, what might you wish to include as you think about creating a virtual/physical site for your project (your blog)?  Use Blogger or Wordpress to create your blog, and invite me to join at logan.lisa@gmail.com	The subject matter in relation to the time period – a war story almost thirty years after a war, and about a woman. The seemingly rare nature of the book. The extensive educational rambles and explanations from the author.

Work Cited

Mann, Herman. The Female Review. Dedham [Mass.]: Nathaniel and Benjamin Heaton.,

1797. Print.