Minimal TEI Element Set for bookcove.net

Core Required Elements (TEI Minimal)

Document Structure

<TEI> - Root element for TEI document
<teiHeader> - Container for metadata
<fileDesc> - File description (bibliographic information)
<titleStmt> - Title statement
<title> - Title of the work
<publicationStmt> - Publication statement
<sourceDesc> - Source description
<text> - Container for the text itself
<body> - Main body of text

Basic Text Structure

<p> - Paragraph

Additional Structural Elements

Document Divisions

<div> - Text division (chapters, sections, parts)
- Use @type attribute: type="chapter", type="section", etc.
<head> - Heading for divisions
<front> - Front matter (preface, introduction, etc.)
<back> - Back matter (appendices, notes, etc.)

Poetry/Verse

<lg> - Line group (stanza, verse paragraph)
<l> - Line of verse

Lists

<list> - List container
<item> - List item
<label> - Label for list item

Tables

<table> - Table container
<row> - Table row
<cell> - Table cell
- Use @role="label" for header cells

Inline Elements

Emphasis and Highlighting

<hi> - Highlighted text (general purpose)
- Use @rend attribute: rend="italic", rend="bold", rend="underline", etc.
<emph> - Semantic emphasis (optional alternative to <hi>)

Quotations and References

<quote> - Quotation (inline or block)
<ref> - Reference or link
<note> - Note or annotation

Special Text

<foreign> - Foreign language text (optional)
<title> - Title of a work mentioned in text

Breaks

<lb> - Line break
<pb> - Page break
- Use @n attribute for page numbers: <pb n="42"/>
<milestone> - Section break or thought break
- Use @rend="stars" for asterisk separator: <milestone rend="stars"/>

Figures/Illustrations

<figure> - Container for illustrations
- Use @rend attribute for CSS styling classes: <figure rend="half-width">
<graphic> - Image reference
- Use @url attribute: <graphic url="images/picture.jpg"/>
<figDesc> - Figure description (for alt text/accessibility)
<head> - Caption for the figure (when used within <figure>)

Total Count

Approximately 33 elements - enough for most literary texts without overwhelming users.

Common Attributes

@type - Specify types for various elements
@rend - Rendering/display information
@n - Numbering
@role - Role specification (especially for table cells)

Notes

This set balances simplicity with functionality for typical literary texts
Can be extended if needed for specific text types
AI assistance can help users apply these elements correctly
All elements are valid TEI and will work with TEI processing tools