Female Marine Artifact Inventory

Research Project Artifact Inventory                            LIT 6216 Scholar Mark Hartley

                This assignment documents my first initial contact with The Female Marine as I begin my research project, which requires a routine visit to UCF’s main library on campus to begin my research. University libraries can come off as rather daunting to those not familiar with how they but between faculty and new technologies their resources are readily available. Searching for the earliest version of my primary text available there are three main sources I needed to consider: a hard copy on-site (or at another library in the state of Florida through interlibrary loan), finding a digital version on microfilm/microfiche, or locating a copy online in one of the various academic databases (for American works from the 19^th century The American Periodical Series or American Prose Fiction would be good places to start). I was incredibly surprised to find in the librarie’s collection The Female Marine and Related Works: Narratives of Cross-dressing and Urban Vice in America’s Early Republic, a 1997 version of the text compiled by Daniel A. Cohen. Cohen’s works is the authentic version of the text, it contains  both the original and “completed” versions, in addition to original title pages and fontipieces from the first three printings, a detailed introduction written by Cohen, and other contextual documents.

               

                 My fortune with having an incredibly thorough and detailed modern scholarly version of the text was counterbalanced however with my sheer inability to find an original version of the text either online or on microfilm. Making several return visits to the library, using the online catalog, asking for aid from the librarians at the media center, searching through bibliographies, and sifting through online databases (focusing on the period of publication, publishers, authors, and all the known titles of the text) I simply could not locate another version of The Female Marine. Although my incompetence could be the reason for my inability to do so, using Cohen’s introduction to learn about The Female Marine’s publication could help explain why. Though it was reprinted over nineteen times the texts’ popularity was extremely brief—less than a couple years. The Female Marine was hugely successful in Boston upon its initial release however its popularity was attributable to the text being used as propaganda piece during a unique time and place historically. It simply did not receive much interest critically or popularly, but fortunately Cohen’s work gives the reader a clear comprehensive depiction of this largely forgotten early American novel, including several original images. 

The Female Marine and Related Works: Narratives of Cross-Dressing and Urban Vice in         America's Early Republic. Ed. Daniel A. Cohen. Boston: University of          Massachusetts, 1997. Print.
Inventory question	Answer	Speculation:  What might this information suggest about this text?  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 your text first printed?	The “Tenth Edition” (which was the first true version of this text completed) was published in 1816. Pamphlets about Lucy Brewer appeared as early as 1815 in Boston by Nathaniel Coverly Jr., who was a small and relatively unknown publisher before the novel.	The fact that this modern version it still includes photocopies of all the original covers and Frontispiece as well as a thoroughly completed and research text makes this an incredibly authentic and useful text for research. Yet despite this there is still uncertainty over the actual original author.
2. How often was your text reprinted?  List all of the reprints.  Do not confuse dates of publisher’s/printer’s birth and death with reprint dates.	The Adventures of Louisa Baker (New York: Luther Wales [actually Boston: N. Coverly Jr.?], [August? 1815]). The Adventures of Lucy Brewer (Boston: N. Coverly Jr., [November] 1815). The Adventures of Lucy Brewer (Boston: H. Trumbull, 1815). An Affecting Narrative of Louisa Baker (New York: Luther Wales; rpt., Boston: Nathaniel Coverly Jr. 1815). An Affecting Narrative of Louisa Baker, “2nd ed.” (New York: Luther Wales; rpt., Boston: Nathaniel Coverly Jr. [Septemper?], 1815). The Adventures of Lucy Brewer (Boston: N. Coverly Jr. 1816). An Affecting Narrative of Louisa Baker (Boston: Nathaniel Coverly; rpt., New York: John Low, 1816). An Affecting Narrative of Louisa Baker (New York: 1816). An Affecting Narrative of Louisa Baker (Portsmouth, NE: Printed for the Purchaser, 1816). The Awful Beacon (Boston: N. Coverly Jr., [May?] 1816). The Female Marine ([Boston?]: [N. Coverly Jr.?], Jan 1, 1816). The Female Marine ([Boston?]: [N. Coverly Jr.?], May 30,, 1816). The Female Marine ([Boston?]: [N. Coverly Jr.?],  June 19, 1816). The Female Marine, “2nd ed.” ([Boston?]: [N. Coverly Jr.?], June 24, 1816). The Female Marine ([Boston?]: Printed for the Publisher {N. Coverly Jr.?], [ca. 1816]). The Female Marine (Hartwick, [NY]: L. & B. Todd, [ca. 1816]). The Female Marine, “10th ed.” ([Boston?]: Printed for the Proprietor [N. Coverly Jr.?], 1816). The Female Marine, “5th ed.” (Boston: Printed for the Purchaser [by N. Coverly Jr.?], 1817). The Female Marine, “4th ed.” ([Boston]: Prtinted for the Author [by N. Coverly Jr.?], 1818).	The number of versions the editor drew on, as well as the in text marking to show where additions were made to the base 10th edition, allows the text to offer both the “complete” original first section and fully detailed version containing unabridged portions of parts two and three.
3.  What was the actual size of your text in inches or centimeters?  What information can you find about its physical presence, binding, etc.?  Do you think it was expensive or inexpensive?	Length 9.5 inches, width 6 inches, height. .75 inches The original pamphlets about Lucy Baker appear to be mass produced for public distribution, however as a patriotic high-end versions were widely available.	The fascination and public nature of Lucy Brewer created a sort of fervor leading to a lot of different versions of her story being published.
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.	(a small but detailed border is along the edge of the page, as well as an image (the first known) of Lucy Brewer in a formal evening dress is present) Louisa Baker [A NATIVE OF MASSACHUSETTS.] Who, in disguise, served Three Years as a MARINE on board an American FRIGATE. “She was her parents only joy : They had but one—one darling child, But ah! The cruel spoiler came !”	Interesting how both the text and image emphasize her femininity, perhaps necessary because of her time as a brothel.
5.  If there is more than one edition, compare the title pages.  Note any differences here and keep PDFs of these pages, if possible.	The images of Brewer are of a lesser quality trending further away from the original text, her name changes from her alias to her correct identity, putting her in more military garb and full body, and the text becomes more “militarized”. All emphasize her service as a Marine.	It’s interesting how images of Lucy Brewer on the various title pages trend to make her appear more masculine and militaristic, and frankly less feminine—brandishing both a spear and an American Flag—as she is used more as a patriotic symbol.
6.  What miscellaneous front matter exists?  Describe it: Frontispiece Engravings Preface Dedication Other Keep PDFs of these pages.	Frontispiece – contains the alternate title of “The Adventures of Louisa Baker” and offers a full page summary of her life, military career, and return to her parents “like a true penitent,” and a likely false publication name and location. Other than the boarder on the title page there lies little to imply this is a high-end work. There is no dedication.	All of this seems to support this and many of the versions of Lucy Brewer’s story were meant for mass public consumption, first as a scandal then as a propaganda piece.
7.  How long is your text?  Is it broken into volumes and chapters or is it one big chunk?  How many volumes and/or chapters?  Is the print large and easy to read or dense, with many words on each page and lines close together.	70 pages, three parts, original had large easy to read print.	None of the versions were meant to be long, as the splicing of multiples still leaves a relatively short tale. It also was meant to be widely read. The break up of her story into parts would seem to coincide with what was learned about her over time rather than chronology.
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.	Ending with “Your real friend, Lucy West,” a two paragraph advertisement follows the end of part three. The first is a call to buy and read the first two parts of the story, and the second discloses how to get them, and that they are available “by the gross, dozen or single.”	This unequivocally answers that this text was mass produced and easily attainable, meaning it was likely cheap and of poorer quality.
9.  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)?	Physical documentation about cross-dressing including early photos, possible modifications or medications, techniques, and just an overall sense of what it entailed.	The woman warrior has always been an interesting theme to me, particularly as they seem to have value as sexual objects that are somehow unattainable, and examining the female warrior disguised as a man might prove to be enlightening on the subject.

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