Annotation and Interactions
On the inside back cover of volume two there were a series of numbers, possibly corresponding to page ranges. There was also a note to "See P. 217." The handwriting of this annotation did not match any of the other notes in the four volumes. Since the book was part of the circulating library and we do not have the circulation records, there is no way to know who wrote this, or any of the other notes found in the books.
On page 217 of volume two, which was referenced in the note in the back of the book, there was a small pencil mark in the right margin, in the shape of an L. The mark is next to the line "No existence is more contemptible than that which is embittered by fear." There were no other marks like this found anywhere else in the book.
The largest annotation in the four volumes was found on page 51 of volume one. It read "made 2 beds, how many did I sleep in?" This nonsensical comment is the only writing in volume one, and the longest annotation in the four volumes. Like the numbers found in the back of volume two, there is no way to know the author. The phrase does not connect to the text of the page it is written on, so its meaning is unclear.
The only other sign of reader interaction with The Mysteries of Udolpho were two notecards found stuck between the pages of volume one. These notecards were in a different handwriting from the two other annotations, so the only information that could be gathered from all these notes was that the book had at least three readers. The images above show the front and back views of the two notecards found in volume one. The printed side of the cards look like catalogue cards, though they do not have the Library of Congress stamp. (Barbour) The printed information did not relate at all to The Mysteries of Udolpho, so the cards were most likely just scrap paper. However, the handwritten information on the cards appear to reference a mention of The Mysteries of Udolpho in Billy Budd. Most likely, a student checked out The Mysteries of Udolpho after reading the allusion in Billy Budd, and then left their notes in the book.