[Next project] The Documents in the Case, by Dorothy L. Sayers and Robert Eustace

[David]

I'll be submitting my current project for review in the next day or so, so looking ahead to my next project.

I may regret this, but I'd like to try producing the Sayers and "Eustace" collaboration, _The Documents in the Case_ (1930).

PG: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/77601

IA: https://archive.org/details/bwb_O6-BMX-852

Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Documents_in_the_Case

It's an "epistolary novel", and there are a few aspects I'll need help with:

1. Sectioning - there are no "chapters", just two divisions of the letters.
2. The letters (and other documents) are consecutively numbered, 1., 2., 3., etc. I am guessing (based on this exemplar) that these "document" headings go to Roman, and are included in the ToC.
3. "Introduction" - comes before the first "division", but I don't think it's "frontmatter"? (i.e, no need for a half-title?)
4. A  good number of the "documents" aren't letters,  but statements or newspaper extracts; but I imagine these are sectioned *like* the letters (with appropriate semantics, of course).
   

Does this look okay? I don't have a repo yet, but it will be at:

https://github.com/dajare/dorothy-l-sayers_robert-eustace_the-documents-in-the-case

I'll update here when it's live on GitHub. (This is an HQ title, so there's already a project page for it.)

David / Fife, UK

[Alex Cabal]

OK, Lukas will manage with Robin reviewing.

I think each letter can go in its own file and we can call them each
"chapters" that are also letters. Regular chapter heading rules would apply.

You can still add a half title, see
https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/edgar-allan-poe/the-narrative-of-arthur-gordon-pym-of-nantucket
for a fictional preface that establishes a frame narrative

On 1/18/26 10:32 AM, David wrote:
> I'll be submitting my current project for review in the next day or so,
> so looking ahead to my next project.
>
> I may regret this, but I'd like to try producing the Sayers and
> "Eustace" collaboration, _The Documents in the Case_ (1930).
>
> PG: https://gutenberg.org/ebooks/77601
> IA: https://archive.org/details/bwb_O6-BMX-852
> Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Documents_in_the_Case
>
> It's an "epistolary novel", and there are a few aspects I'll need help with:
>

> 1. Sectioning - there are no "chapters", just two divisions of the letters.
> 2. The letters (and other documents) are consecutively numbered, 1.,
> 2., 3., etc. I am guessing (based on this exemplar <https://
> standardebooks.org/ebooks/honore-de-balzac/letters-of-two-brides/r-
> s-scott/text>) that these "document" headings go to Roman, and are
> included in the ToC.
> 3. "Introduction" - comes before the first "division", but I don't

> think it's "frontmatter"? (i.e, no need for a half-title?)

> 4. A  good number of the "documents" aren't letters,  but statements or

> newspaper extracts; but I imagine these are sectioned *like* the
> letters (with appropriate semantics, of course).
>
> Does this look okay? I don't have a repo yet, but it will be at:
> https://github.com/dajare/dorothy-l-sayers_robert-eustace_the-documents-
> in-the-case
> I'll update here when it's live on GitHub. (This is an HQ title, so

> there's already a project page <https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/
> dorothy-l-sayers_robert-eustace/the-documents-in-the-case> for it.)
>
> David / Fife, UK
>
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[Alex Cabal]

Also that first edition dust jacket has excellent cover art, pity it's
not in the SE Style

[David]

I'll see if I can find something for the cover that at least evokes the first edition. We'll see!

Meanwhile, the github repo is now populated. I anticipate there being a LOT more manual markup with this than a "normal" production, so I may adopt a slightly different work-flow (proofing while adding manual semantics, perhaps).

Hopefully we'll get this over the line eventually. :)

[Igor Dikiy]

Maybe a treatment of Saint Jerome as in this painting? https://standardebooks.org/artworks/hendrick-ter-brugghen/saint-jerome

They often have a skull and books. 

[David]

Interesting suggestion, Igor - thanks! I'll keep that in mind when the time comes.

On Tuesday, 20 January 2026 at 05:10:50 UTC Igor wrote:

Maybe a treatment of Saint Jerome as in this painting? https://standardebooks.org/artworks/hendrick-ter-brugghen/saint-jerome

They often have a skull and books. 

On Monday, January 19, 2026 at 7:31:13 AM UTC-5 David wrote:

I'll see if I can find something for the cover that at least evokes the first edition. We'll see!

. . .

[David]

Hi Lukas - in the setup for this project, I assumed that the consecutively numbered "documents in the case" would be changed to Roman (as it our practice).

On at least four occasions, the documents are cross-referenced like this:

Would "statement No. 49" go to "statement No. LXIX"? or rather (as is my guess) we leave this as-is? I often guess wrong on these, so thought it worth checking.

Thanks!

[David Reimer]

(Or "XLIX", even ... doh.)

[Alex Cabal]

Hmm.. if they're frequently cross referenced like that then I think it
would be easier to read as decimal. So let's leave them like that in
this case.

On 1/20/26 9:07 AM, David Reimer wrote:
> (Or "XLIX", even ... doh.)
>
> On Tue, 20 Jan 2026 at 15:03, David <djre...@gmail.com
> <mailto:djre...@gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Hi Lukas - in the setup for this project, I assumed that the
> consecutively numbered "documents in the case" would be changed to
> Roman (as it our practice).
>
> On at least four occasions, the documents are cross-referenced like
> this:
>

> Screenshot from 2026-01-20 15-00-51.png
>
> Would "statement No. 49" go to "statement No. LXIX"? or rather (as
> is my guess) we leave this as-is? I often guess wrong on these, so
> thought it worth checking.
>
> Thanks!
>

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> standardebooks/CALCAaCBbrcn7-
> pc5%2BPS3t%3DLY__kbe0niTgjO2Rr%3Db52TQcmbOg%40mail.gmail.com <https://
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> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

[Vince]

Should they be made links as well?

[Alex Cabal]

Hmm... I guess we could do that, though typically we only do that for
things like endnotes, which are outside of the actual text body.

[David]

I could use some help with the formatting of the chapters in this, especially given the decision (above) to retain regular digits for chapters, not Roman.

There are "sections", so data-parents. I've modelled what I've done on Vince's Balzac, Letters of Two Brides.

This is a marked-up version (see file in a gist) - NOT yet semanticated, etc. (this is just *structure* I'm interested in):

And this is the original (see also on IA):

Hopefully I'm on the right track! I want to set out with the correct markup, because there will be a lot of manual markup in this one (I anticipate).

Thanks for help with this!

[Lukas Bystricky]

I think it looks good. My only question would be whether or not you want all the letters to show up in the ToC. We don't have to follow the scans of course, but there they chose just to include the two sections. I don't have an opinion on it, I bring it up mainly in case you hadn't thought about it. 

[Alex Cabal]

I think in general <hgroup>s should go inside <header>. Otherwise we're
implying that there are two headings, which doesn't make sense (even
though one is "presentational").

On 1/26/26 10:26 AM, David wrote:
> I could use some help with the formatting of the chapters in this,
> especially given the decision (above) to retain regular digits for
> chapters, not Roman.
>
> There are "sections", so data-parents. I've modelled what I've done on

> Vince's Balzac, Letters of Two Brides <https://github.com/
> standardebooks/honore-de-balzac_letters-of-two-brides_r-s-scott/
> blob/194ba0e724b11957046623aae3dbd51270cb27d3/src/epub/text/
> chapter-25.xhtml#L9>.
>
> This is a marked-up version (see file in a gist <https://
> gist.github.com/dajare/5da3ca764b603d7dcf17846bec742669>) - NOT yet

> semanticated, etc. (this is just *structure* I'm interested in):
>

> Screenshot from 2026-01-26 16-03-58.png
>
> And this is the original (see also on IA <https://archive.org/details/
> bwb_O6-BMX-852/page/10/mode/2up>):

>
> Screenshot from 2026-01-26 16-06-20.png
>
> Hopefully I'm on the right track! I want to set out with the correct
> markup, because there will be a lot of manual markup in this one (I
> anticipate).
>
> Thanks for help with this!
>

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> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

[David]

Yet another `telegram` question, Lukas. One of the very short "documents" (= chapters in this production) is a telegram consisting in its entirety of:

The `section` for this is as follows (at the moment; no mod-spell run yet):

```

<section data-parent="section-1" id="chapter-35" epub:type="chapter">
<header>
<hgroup>
<h3>35</h3>
<h4>Telegram from John Munting to Elizabeth Drake, dated 26.2.29</h4>
</hgroup>
</header>
<p>A little mad and quite mistaken. Do not worry. Am starting North to-night.</p>
<p>Jack</p>
</section>
```

(The time/datetime and other semantics will be added in due course as well.) My question just now is: where to add the `telegram` class??? The letters in this production have:

    epub:type="chapter z3998:letter"

as an element in the <section...> wrapper, but it doesn't look like it should go there (and does this count as a "letter"? I guess so).

Perhaps just add the `telegram` class to the <p> wrapper? Grateful for some guidance on this one.

[Lukas Bystricky]

Tough call. I agree that it looks strange on the section element, but if you're adding the letter semantics there I would say that's where the class should go too. You might need to adjust the CSS slightly to handle the header. 

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[David]

I'm just about done with proofing, and will have a question or two about markup (I think), but meanwhile: cover.

There are a few key scenes relating to pharmacy/chemical work in labs and a hospital. I think "John Covert's Father in His Pharmacy" from the DB works well to reference these:

How does that look? I live in hope...

[Lukas Bystricky]

Looks good to me! I've assigned it. 

[David]

Thanks! And finally, before submitting for review... On four occasions some "documents in the case" are cross-referenced. This was noted when the project was pitched, but I now need to make a decision about whether to internally cross-link these. Here are the instances:

(1) Introduction - `My own statement (Number 49) explains fully...`
(2) Ch. 49/1 - `These were the letters numbered 43 and 44, and dated...`
(3) Ch. 49/2 - `My father’s letter to me (No. 15) of...`
(4) Ch. 53 - `As the letter No. 46 shows, she has...`

My inclinations at the moment: (1) should not have a "forward" link (that's a big spoiler!), but (2)-(3)-(4) could each have an internal back-link to those numbered documents.

Question: I'm guess the "anchor" is just on the doc number? E.g. `...letters numbered <a href="chapter-43.xhtml">43</a> and <a href="chapter-44.xhtml">44</a>,...`, is that right?

I also assume there's no "return" link (readers simply use the "back" function on their e-reader), yes?

[Lukas Bystricky]

I think that all sounds good. Regarding backlinks, I've only ever seen them used in endnotes, so I guess they're not needed here. 

[David]

Thanks, Lukas. So this is now ready for a first review, Robin.  Quite a few notes for this odd production:

• introduction is fictional and part of the frame narrative; I've followed the Pym pattern.
• c5 has (potentially) a long extended valediction: I have marked up to match scans
• c26/20 I've marked up <i xml:lang="fr">La belle Marguerite</i> with FR, since this is calling attention to a mannered way of refering to "Margaret" (a staple character).
• c30 limerick scansion and rhyme depends on knowing "Caius" is pronounced "keys"; and "St. Bartholomews" (and St. Part~ and St. Heart~) pronounced "Barts", etc.: is this worth a production note? Or just caveat lector?
• c35 is a telegram: added class as section element (see, e.g. Worst Journey in the World), but its `all-small-caps` does not seem to apply to signature in footer.
• The very long c49 presents sectioning and numbering challenges, beginning here (= c49/314). I've made perhaps unorthodox use of `ol` (see also local.css), and I'm not sure this is appropriate, or that it plays nicely with the regular "compatible epub". This might need restructuring?
• c52/116 mod-spell will incorrectly change `-the-spi-rit-of-` to `-the-spirit-of-`

Thanks for your help with this one! (And, of course, no rush.)

[Robin Whittleton]

Thanks, will start looking tomorrow.

-Robin

On 6 Mar 2026, at 11:35, David <djre...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[Robin Whittleton]

Filed a few issues, the biggest of which is the chapter-49 structure, which as you noted needs revising: https://github.com/dajare/dorothy-l-sayers_robert-eustace_the-documents-in-the-case/issues/1. Obviously happy to talk through anything in more detail.

On your notes, all good. No need for a production note in c30. Either the reader knows it or doesn’t, but it’s not our job to teach them (and they wouldn’t learn it from a production note in any case).

-Robin

On 6 Mar 2026, at 11:35, David <djre...@gmail.com> wrote:

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[David]

Thanks, Robin! I'll try to get this done tomorrow (Monday), otherwise it will have to wait until later in the week given other commitments. But I will get to it soon!