Recently I’ve been slogging through the 1400 page tome which is “The Count of Monte Cristo”. While I was at the library the other day, I found a copy with really tiny type split into two volumes. So I checked it out that I might tote a one-inch thick, half-pound book rather than the huge monstrosity I had previously been hauling around. I started reading this volume about 200 pages in. On page 227 I came upon a strange footnote: “*H 394”. “This is odd,” thought I; but I dismiss it and go on, only to find on page 259 “*I 394”. Hmmm. Curiouser and curiouser. Flipping through the book, I find a number of these strange footnotes, each with successive letters of the alphabet, each with the number 394, and each, strangely enough, on the right-hand (or odd-numbered) pages. None of these pages has anything corresponding to the footnote in the text, neither is there an explanation at either the front or the back of the book. The complete list of these strange footnotes is as follows:
page 3 “* 394”;
page 27 “B 394 8.15”; page 35 “*B 394”;
page 59 “C 394”; page 67 “*C 394”;
page 91 “D 394”; page 99 “*D 394”;
page 123 “E 394”; page 131 “*E 394”;
page 155 “F 394”; page 163 “*F 394”;
page 187 “G 394”; page 195 “*G 394”;
page 219 “H 394”; page 227 “*H 394”;
page 251 “I 394”; page 259 “*I 394”;
page 283 “K 394”; page 291 “*K 394”;
page 315 “L 394”; page 323 “*L 394”;
page 347 “M 394”; page 355 “*M 394”;
page 379 “N 394”; page 387 “*N 394”;
page 411 “O 394”; page 419 “*O 394”;
page 443 “P 394”; page 451 “*P 394”;
page 475 “Q 394”; page 483 “*Q 394”;
page 507 “R 394”; page 515 “*R 394”;
page 539 “S 394”;
page 555 “T 394”; page 563 “*T 394”
Looking through this list, I notice that there seems to be an 8-page space within each letter (except for the missing *S), a 24-page space between letters, and that J is strangely missing. (I also note that I apparently was less observant than I thought, as I appear to have missed the ones on pages 219 and 251 while reading.) Anyone have any idea what this crap is? This volume was printed by J. M. Dent & Sons LTD in London in 1955. Thanks in advance for your help!
-b
PS - Incidently, wouldn’t Cryptic Footnotes make a great band name?