It is entirely possible to build a private library by doing nothing more than putting books on a bookshelf.
Most collectors, however, do not stop there. Many of them are interested in how it was that a particular title or titles came to be. How did an author come to write this or that book? How did a particular title or titles come to be published? How and to whom was a particular book or books distributed? How was a particular title or titles received by the reading public?
Some of these questions can be answered by a good descriptive bibliography. If, for example, you collect books about the California gold rush, a book like Gary Kurutz's definitive The California Gold Rush: A Descriptive Bibliography of Books and Pamphlets Covering the Years 1848-1853 can answer many of the above questions and more besides.
For most collectors, though, descriptive bibliographies only go so far: such bibliographies often offer only a narrow view of the context within which a particular title or titles came into being. For the broader view, a good history of the book--one that is focused on authorship, publishing and reading within and without broad but specific geopolitical boundaries--often proves to be more useful.
Fortunately, a number of very good national histories of the book have been, and are being, produced even as I type this. A History of the Book In Canada, for example, already has been completed. The three volumes constituting the series were published in both English and French:
Similar series are being produced for the USA, Australia, Great Britain, Ireland and Scotland. A History of the Book in America ultimately will comprise five volumes, of which volumes one, three and four already have been published:
A History of the Book in Australia is ultimately to consist of three volumes, two of which have been published to date:
The Cambridge History of the Book In Britain is the largest of these projects, and eventually is to comprise seven volumes. Volumes two, three, four and six already have been published:
The Oxford History of the Irish Book ultimately will consist of five volumes, but only volume three has been published to date:
The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland eventually will comprise four volumes, of which volumes three and four already have been published:
There may be other such projects underway of which we are not aware. If so, we would appreciate it if our readers would bring any such additional projects to our attention....
Recent Comments