Research is a social process and the web of individuals who have played a part in shaping this thesis happen is so broad that the process of documenting them all is a daunting one.
I extend a tremendous amount of thanks to my advisors, Tim Burke and Rachel Buurma. When I approached the two of them with a proposal for a thesis on information aesthetics, with the intent to write this sociological/historical/literary analysis, in a digital form, instead of receiving stern admonishment to stick to traditional disciplinary boundaries, or to tailor the thesis in a more traditionally legible fashion, I received nothing but encouragement. Thank you, Tim and Rachel. For the many conversations that helped shape this topic, for challenging me to ask questions about modes of scholarly production work, for recognizing and fostering my ideas (at times, more clearly than I could see for myself), and for patience, guidance and faith in this project I am profoundly grateful. I also owe particular thanks to Rachel, who, while on sabbatical has taken countless hours on Skype calls, and giving writing thorough feedback on drafts and mock-ups of this project.
Thank you to the Tri-Co Digital Humanities Consortium whose generous support allowed me to pursue the summer research on early novels, bibliography, and digital humanities methodology that lead to this thesis. I owe thanks to the staff of Penn’s Kislak Center for Rare Books and Manuscripts––John Pollack, Mitch Fraas, and Lynne Farrington––for their help while researching, and to the project team of the Early Novels Database––Jon Shaw, Alli Shultes, Jocelyn Hawley, and Alexis Van Eyken––whose enthusiasm for eighteenth century paratexts and other marvelous creatures living in the pages of eighteenth century fiction fueled my own.
Libraries and technology centers are the unsung heroes of this thesis and its research process. I owe many thanks to Eric Behrens and Michael Kappeler in Swarthmore ITS for giving me the freedom and responsibility to experiment my patch of digital space and the support throughout the process of learning how to wade beyond the interface into and get my hands dirty with code. On the library side, I am grateful for conversations with Sarah Elichko, Kate Carter, and Nabil Kashyap, who have helped me wrestle with the questions of how to build, preserve, and sustain digital knowledge products.
This thesis would not have been possible without the love and support of my friends and family. An unspeakable amount of gratitude goes to Ben, Dylan, and Kathleen for supporting me through countless long nights at McCabe Library and for ensuring that I did not live at my thesis carrel. Thank you to my parents for your patient support, words of encouragement, and packages of thesis chocolate. Finally, I owe a special thank you goes to my design-wizard brother, Caleb, whose keen eye was a gift in the process of reviewing and crafting my work.