[Possible project] The English Constitution, by Walter Bagehot

[David]

I've got an interest in reading/producing Walter Bagehot's The English Constitution (2nd edition, 1872).

There is a PG transcription, but my checking suggests it's fairly poorly done: missing paragraph breaks, omitting italics. Fortunately, there are a couple other sources, although I'm not sure which makes a better basis for SE:

(1) The Online Library of Liberty (we've used their texts for three earlier productions) have the whole of Bagehot's works, and this one is found in vol. 5 of the edition of the Works they used: OLL Text + matching scans.

(2) Wikisource also has it: transcription + 1894 scans.

If this looks acceptable, it would be good to know which of those to use.

There is a long Introduction to the 2nd edition which sometimes gets numbered consecutively into the chapters; sometimes (in modern editions) it is placed as an appendix. It makes most sense to me to follow the way the 1894 scans above has it, simply as a standard preface.

There are a smattering of notes and tables, but nothing too daunting, I think. Still, assuming I go ahead with this, I'll likely take my time over it (not precisely a page-turner, I think!).

Grateful for any advice on the above!

David / Fife, UK

[Alex Cabal]

OK, sure. Which transcription is up to you. OLL has pretty good
transcriptions in my experience. Please send a link to your repo once
you start.

On 9/15/25 8:19 AM, David wrote:
> I've got an interest in reading/producing Walter Bagehot's The English

> Constitution <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
> The_English_Constitution> (2nd edition, 1872).
>
> There is a PG transcription <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4351>, but

> my checking suggests it's fairly poorly done: missing paragraph breaks,
> omitting italics. Fortunately, there are a couple other sources,
> although I'm not sure which makes a better basis for SE:
>
> (1) The Online Library of Liberty (we've used their texts for three
> earlier productions) have the whole of Bagehot's works, and this one is
> found in vol. 5 of the edition of the Works they used: OLL Text

> <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/barrington-the-works-and-life-of-
> walter-bagehot-vol-5#lf1451-05_head_023> + matching scans <https://
> archive.org/details/worksandlifewal06barrgoog/page/n126/mode/2up>.
>
> (2) Wikisource also has it: transcription <https://en.wikisource.org/
> wiki/The_English_Constitution_(Bagehot,_1894)> + 1894 scans <https://
> archive.org/details/englishconstitut00bageiala/page/n7/mode/2up>.

>
> If this looks acceptable, it would be good to know which of those to use.
>
> There is a long Introduction to the 2nd edition which sometimes gets
> numbered consecutively into the chapters; sometimes (in modern editions)
> it is placed as an appendix. It makes most sense to me to follow the way
> the 1894 scans above has it, simply as a standard preface.
>
> There are a smattering of notes and tables, but nothing too daunting, I
> think. Still, assuming I go ahead with this, I'll likely take my time
> over it (not precisely a page-turner, I think!).
>
> Grateful for any advice on the above!
>
> David / Fife, UK
>

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[David]

Right, we're up-and-running with the OLL transcription (I've used your _Wealth of Nations_ as model for details):

https://github.com/dajare/walter-bagehot_the-english-constitution

(I'll probably also pick up something "lighter" in due course, while this is in process...)

D.

[Alex Cabal]

OK, Emma will manage this with Robin reviewing.

On 9/16/25 6:46 AM, David wrote:
> Right, we're up-and-running with the OLL transcription (I've used your
> _Wealth of Nations_ as model for details):
> https://github.com/dajare/walter-bagehot_the-english-constitution
>
> (I'll probably also pick up something "lighter" in due course, while
> this is in process...)
>
> D.
>
> On Monday, 15 September 2025 at 19:05:10 UTC+1 Alex Cabal wrote:
>
> OK, sure. Which transcription is up to you. OLL has pretty good
> transcriptions in my experience. Please send a link to your repo once
> you start.
>
> On 9/15/25 8:19 AM, David wrote:
> > I've got an interest in reading/producing Walter Bagehot's The
> English

> > Constitution <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ <https://
> en.wikipedia.org/wiki/>

> > The_English_Constitution> (2nd edition, 1872).
> >
> > There is a PG transcription <https://www.gutenberg.org/

> ebooks/4351 <https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4351>>, but

> > my checking suggests it's fairly poorly done: missing paragraph
> breaks,
> > omitting italics. Fortunately, there are a couple other sources,
> > although I'm not sure which makes a better basis for SE:
> >
> > (1) The Online Library of Liberty (we've used their texts for three
> > earlier productions) have the whole of Bagehot's works, and this
> one is
> > found in vol. 5 of the edition of the Works they used: OLL Text
> > <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/barrington-the-works-and-

> life-of- <https://oll.libertyfund.org/titles/barrington-the-works-
> and-life-of->

> > walter-bagehot-vol-5#lf1451-05_head_023> + matching scans <https://
> > archive.org/details/worksandlifewal06barrgoog/page/n126/mode/2up

> <http://archive.org/details/worksandlifewal06barrgoog/page/n126/

> mode/2up>>.
> >
> > (2) Wikisource also has it: transcription <https://

> en.wikisource.org/ <https://en.wikisource.org/>

> > wiki/The_English_Constitution_(Bagehot,_1894)> + 1894 scans
> <https://
> > archive.org/details/englishconstitut00bageiala/page/n7/mode/2up

> <http://archive.org/details/englishconstitut00bageiala/page/n7/

> mode/2up>>.
> >
> > If this looks acceptable, it would be good to know which of those
> to use.
> >
> > There is a long Introduction to the 2nd edition which sometimes gets
> > numbered consecutively into the chapters; sometimes (in modern
> editions)
> > it is placed as an appendix. It makes most sense to me to follow
> the way
> > the 1894 scans above has it, simply as a standard preface.
> >
> > There are a smattering of notes and tables, but nothing too
> daunting, I
> > think. Still, assuming I go ahead with this, I'll likely take my
> time
> > over it (not precisely a page-turner, I think!).
> >
> > Grateful for any advice on the above!
> >
> > David / Fife, UK
>

> --
> You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google
> Groups "Standard Ebooks" group.
> To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send
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> To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/

> standardebooks/e70b3250-5ad2-4c17-80c1-1ed56538bb8en%40googlegroups.com
> <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/standardebooks/
> e70b3250-5ad2-4c17-80c1-1ed56538bb8en%40googlegroups.com?
> utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer>.

[David]

A quick one (I hope!), Emma: the long "Introduction" has a section "II"...

...for which there is no corresponding section "I".

My inclination is to include one (Editorial). (One other chapter (3) is subdivided in the same way, and it has both sections numbered.)

Does that look right to you?

(Also, I've changed my mind on the numbering, and will count the "Introduction" as chapter 1, just as it is in this edition.)

Thanks! D.

[Emma Sweeney]

That looks right. I've seen this done in other productions.

Emma

[David]

I'm now on to proof-reading, which may go more quickly than I anticipated. Bagehot's prose is exceptionally readable!

So, a cover option. I thought I'd try to avoid yet another view of the houses of Parliament, Westminster, and have submitted George Hayter's "The House of Commons, 1833" to the artworks DB. Further info on the painting is available on the National Portrait Gallery webpage for it.

I've tried a couple crops, and welcome feedback on preference:

(1) "Tight" crop:

(2) "Loose(r)" crop:

I thought (2) might have more trouble with the SE title-box, but that's not too bad.

If you're happy with this, Emma, could you do the assignment in the DB? Many thanks!

[Emma Sweeney]

Nice find! I've updated the art db.

I kind of like the wider crop better.

Emma

[David Reimer]

Thanks, Emma - I thought I'd prefer the tight crop, but the wider one seems more ... "dynamic"? Will almost certainly go for the latter.

On Mon, 22 Sept 2025 at 14:39, Emma wrote:

Nice find! I've updated the art db.

I kind of like the wider crop better.

Emma

On Monday, September 22, 2025 at 8:32:36 AM UTC-4 David wrote:

I'm now on to proof-reading, which may go more quickly than I anticipated. Bagehot's prose is exceptionally readable!

So, a cover option. I thought I'd try to avoid yet another view of the houses of Parliament, Westminster, and have submitted George Hayter's "The House of Commons, 1833" to the artworks DB. Further info on the painting is available on the National Portrait Gallery webpage for it.

I've tried a couple crops, and welcome feedback on preference: . . .

[David]

Although I'm three-quarters of the way through proofing this, I'm parking it for the moment to get my 2026 PD Day commitments done.

This is just a holding note to keep the project "alive" in our tracker. I'll be back to it soon(ish), hopefully.

D.