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1998
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An RREO Original Review
[Catalog of Manuscripts of the University Library of Salamanca]. Ed. Oscar Lilao Franca and Carmen Castrillo González. Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad de SalamancaCatálogo de manuscritos de la Biblioteca Universitaria de Salamanca
With this volume, the University Library of Salamanca begins a series of publications of descriptive catalogs of its early manuscript collections. The manuscripts described in the present volume comprise the non-Greek codices from the original fonds of the university collection as well as the manuscripts incorporated into the library in the 18th and 19th centuries as a result of the suppression of the local convents and of the Jesuit order. Subsequent volumes will include the significant transfers from the Biblioteca del Palacio Real to the University Library in 1954 of manuscripts previously held in the collegiate libraries of Salamanca, as well as the Greek manuscripts. The only previously published, comprehensive record of the Salamanca University collection was an inventory list that appeared in 1855. The descriptions of manuscripts there are far too brief by contemporary standards and bibliographically long out-of-date. The entries in the new catalog begin with the language and date of each volume and include detailed physical descriptions, pertinent codicological data, extensive lists of the contents (author, title, or, where necessary, incipits and explicits), provenance information, and bibliographical citations of scholarly works referring to the manuscripts. The level of detail and the accuracy of the descriptions are of notably high quality and will be of great value to scholars.
The vast majority of the manuscripts described in this catalog are in Latin or Spanish, and date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Most of these document the activities of the Jesuits of Salamanca, and there is a particularly rich assortment of theological and philosophical treatises by members of the local chapter. The collection provides impressive resources for studying Thomism and Aristotelianism in early modern Spain, as well as Jesuit pedagogy. Another large group of manuscripts concerns the history of the university and its administration, and the church history of Spain more generally. There are traces here of the multilingual and multicultural history of the university and of the region, including manuscripts in Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic (and Judeo-Arabic), and Turkish, and there are, additionally, a few items in Portuguese or Italian; but these are precious rarities in the collection.
The earliest manuscript described in the catalog dates from the 12th century, a copy of Priscian's Latin grammar; the latest volumes are from the 19th century (mostly Spanish poetry). The small but impressive collection of Latin classics includes, in addition to Priscian, manuscripts of Propertius, Statius, Juvenal, Persius, Martial, Pliny, Cicero, Quintilian, Aristotle, and Seneca; humanist manuscripts include works by Pomponio Leto, George of Trebizond, Pietro Decembrio, Poggio Bracciolini, Leonardo Bruni, Gianozzo Manetti, and others. Many of the manuscripts of classical and humanistic content were owned in the 15th century by Alfonso Ortiz or Juan de Segovia, two early Spanish humanists whose libraries and intellectual interests could be reconstructed, in large part, from the manuscripts preserved in Salamanca.
The volume is well equipped with indices. The general index is followed by separate indices of titles, of scribes, of former owners, of incipits, of first lines of poems, of dated manuscripts, of datable manuscripts, of institutional provenances, and, finally, a concordance of earlier shelf marks.
This volume is an auspicious beginning to the cataloging of the Salamanca Library's holdings. The series of new, descriptive catalogs of the Salamanca collection inaugurated here can only be welcomed by those who work with manuscript sources. It must be hoped that other institutions in Spain will follow the example set by the Universidad de Salamanca.
Robert G. Babcock (Yale University)
98-3/4-173
. Bern: SNL. Contains: SNL (Swiss National Library); ETHICS+ (ETH-Bibliothek and Zentralbibliothek Zürich); RERO (Réseau des Bibliothèques Romandes et Tessinoises); RPVZ (Swiss National Library). ISSN 1422-2256. Schweizerische Landesbibliothek, Hallwylstr. 15, CH-3000 BernCD-ROM CH
Four separate Swiss library/consortial databases with over 4.5 million bibliographic entries are offered on five CDs: (1) Helveticat, catalog of the Swiss National Library with holdings since 1993 plus earlier retrocon entries (1.2 million titles; current as of April 1997); (2) the Verzeichnis ausländischer Zeitschriften und Serien in schweizerischen Bibliotheken (Index to Foreign Series and Serials in Swiss Libraries, RPVZ), containing foreign series and serials since 1900, biomedical serials regardless of place or date of publication (VMZ), as well as Swiss serials since 1986 held by the Swiss National Library (SVZ). (160,000 titles; current as of December 1996); (3) the consortial catalog Réseau des Bibliothèques Romandes et Tessinoises = Rete delle Biblioteche Romande e Ticinesi (RERO) for the cantonal and university libraries of French- and Italian-speaking Switzerland (2 million titles; current as of February 1997); and (4) ETHICS+, consortial catalog of the libraries of the Federal Technical Institute of Zurich (since 1976) and of Lausanne, as well as the adjunct university libraries of Zurich and the Central Library of Zurich (since 1988) (approx. 1.3 million titles, current as of February 1997). RERO ("C" above), because of its size, takes up two CDs, while each of the other databases takes up one CD apiece.
This database employs the retrieval software from Reed Technology and Information Service, which may already be familiar due to its use in some widely distributed products such as Verzeichnis lieferbarer Bücher (VLB, German Books in Print). Unfortunately, the older DOS, rather than the Windows version is used here. Separate diskettes are required for installation. Parameters can be set for language (German, English, French, and Italian), for display, for printing, and for downloading.
Author, title, and keyword searching are available. List browsing can be done within a given field. Boolean operators and right-hand truncation are standard. Searchable fields vary somewhat from database to database: in RPVZ, for example, limiting by imprint information is not possible, nor by document type or language as in the other databases, but it is the only database to include local holdings. The twelve most recent searches are retrievable and can be separately saved for later use. Short displays can lead to a full display or to options for printing and downloading. Each of the CDs is independent. This means that an all-inclusive search cannot be made, nor can the CDs be switched within a single session. A fresh start is needed for each new database.
A number of objections can be raised to the advertisement's claim that these CDs make the data accessible on the same user interface for the first time. First, three of the databases-Helveticat, RPVZ and RERO-operate on the same system, VTLS, so that even online they offer the same user interface; only ETHICS+ deviates from that norm. Secondly, the library catalogs are not only available as Telnet OPACs but also via Internet as WWW-OPACs that are in fact more user-friendly. Finally, the Swiss Information Network (InfoNet Suisse) makes possible simultaneous searches across diverse Swiss library catalogs and databases, of which only RPVZ data would be missing. Another consideration is that CD-ROM CH represents only a portion of the Swiss library landscape, excluding the two consortia that still run under the SIBIL system: the German Swiss library consortium (DSV), to which 70 Basel and Bern libraries contribute, with about 1.3 million titles, and the St. Gallen Library Network of 19 libraries from the canton of St. Gallen and from Liechtenstein.
Let us first look at WWW searching for the VTLS databases (Helveticat, RPVZ and RERO). Three search modes are offered by Internet access: a simple search for an element in one field only, a Boolean search combining two fields, and an expert search enabling a free search formulation with field indicators, Boolean operators, and parentheses. There are no order or loan functions. With RERO, note that only bibliographic data are provided, not the call numbers or circulation status, both of which are only available through the OPACs of the individual libraries.
By comparison, the Telnet catalogs offer greater search possibilities, and Helveticat has an order function. Almost all of the search fields found on the CD-ROM CH are available here as well. The Telnet OPACs can be command-driven or menu-driven. An interface can be chosen from among four languages (German, English, French and Italian). An additional bonus offered by VTLS is a graphic interface, EasyPac, which can be downloaded on request. A history of the last 20 searches can be called up. The bothersome log-in procedure is no longer necessary, since the script is automated once the desired catalog has been chosen.
The search and order functions of the WWW and Telnet version of ETHICS+ are ostensibly the same, but a new Java-based catalog has been introduced, named HotETHICS. Though it might take several minutes to load, the database is easy to use and offers more search capabilities than CD-ROM CH.
The metasearch engine of the Swiss Information Network is also Java-based with the same loading-speed disadvantages. The Information Network includes not only access to bibliographic databases but also to fee-based information services. The following databases can be searched simultaneously with "and" as the lone Boolean operator: Helveticat, RERO, ETHICS+, the alphabetical catalog of Zurich's Central Library, DeskTop Mathematik, the chemistry library of Zurich's Federal Technical Institute, and Who's Who in Switzerland, also located at the Federal Technical Institute. After a search, "result lists" from two of the chosen databases are shown. Since the results function as links, they can form new windows to information sources, as for example to the Swiss National Library, where more detailed information can be retrieved.
Overall, since the most important database uses of the CD-ROM CH from the German side might well be title verification through the national bibliographic tools Helveticat and RPVZ, the CD-ROMs are an unnecessary investment. The Swiss OPACs on the WWW can answer most questions despite their limitations. A further consideration is the greater currency of the online catalogs in comparison to the CD-ROMs. The Web and Telnet options clearly win out here. [sah/rdh]
98-3/4-174
[The Library of Cardinal Giovanni d'Aragona (1456-1485): Illuminated Manuscripts and Incunabula for a Humanist Bibliophile between Naples and Rome]. Thomas Haffner. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1997. x, 390 p. ill. 25 cm. ISBN 3-88226-896-4: DM 122.00Die Bibliothek des Kardinals Giovanni d'Aragona (1456-1485): illuminierte Handschriften und Inkunabeln für einen humanistischen Bibliophilen zwischen Neapel und Rom
As manifestations of both wealth and knowledge, the libraries of cardinals and popes were built with as much care and dedication as those of the princes and kings of the Italian Renaissance. Cardinal Giovanni d'Aragona (1456-1485) came from a family of important bibliophiles and collectors that included his grandfather, Alfonso V of Aragon, his father, Ferrante I, King of Naples, and his brother-in-law, Matthias Corvinus, King of Hungary. Unfortunately, there are no extant catalogs or inventories of his holdings; so far 45 manuscripts and 15 incunabula have been proven to be part of his library. It is interesting to note the lack of biblical and liturgical works in his collection, and the predominance of scholastic and humanistic texts which were decorated in surprisingly different ways.
This richly illustrated study, based on Haffner's 1995 art history dissertation, is divided into two parts: a study of of Giovanni's life and collecting habits, and an art-historical catalog describing the extant manuscripts and incunabula. The style of the catalog entries is based on the cataloging format for illuminated manuscripts dictated by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG). The descriptive portions of the entries are primarily devoted to stylistic analysis of the decoration. Little attention, unfortunately, has been devoted to codicological aspects of the books, and neither incipit nor explicit are provided for the texts. Likewise, neither Hain (Ludwig Hain's Repertorium Bibliographicum) nor Gesamtkatalog der Wiegendrucke numbers have been provided for the incunabula. As a result, Haffner's work can be characterized as an art-historical study, but not what the title promises: it does not provide an overview or synthesis of the various aspects (physical, textual, decorative and historical) that make up the collection of Giovanni d'Aragona's medieval books. [bm/erh]
98-3/4-175
[Regional Incunabula Catalogs of the Public Libraries of France]. Published for the Ministère de la Culture, Direction du Livre et de la Lecture. Paris: Klincksieck. 24 cmCatalogues régionaux des incunables des bibliothèques publiques de France
Alsace is one of the richest and most interesting regions for historians of early printing. Part of this history was destroyed in 1870 when the German army attacked Strasbourg and burned the majority of the city's incunabula; the history of Strasbourg's incunabular collections continued when replacements poured in over the years (as part of the imperial compensation plans) from such places as Andernach, Berlin, Leipzig, Munich, Celle and Tübingen. Not all of these works were in the best condition, but many of them were still in their original bindings. Included in the catalog are the libraries from Strasbourg, Haguenau, Saverne, Sélestat, and Mont Sainte-Odile. An important restriction is evident from the catalog's subtitle: Bas-Rhin. The important town of Colmar, which is located in Département Haut-Rhin, is not included in the catalog.
Françoise Zehnacker is a well-respected cataloger of incunabula, and she has provided an extremely user-friendly work with a wealth of information. In addition to the excellent introduction, catalog entries, and illustrations, special praise must go to the "Index des provenances" which provides further information on exlibris, and the section "Prix d'achat de livres," which gives the old prices for books as well as bookbinding services. This volume is a worthy continuation of the series, and belongs in every library that serves those interested in incunabula. [hn/erh]
98-3/4-176
[Incunabula in the Public and Private Libraries of Carinthia]. Peter Hans Pascher. Klagenfurt: Verlag Armarium, 1997. 351, [115] p. ill. 30 cm. (Armarium, 12). ÖS 1,840.00, DM 228.00. (Dr. P. H. Pascher, Radetzkystr. 8H, A-9020 Klagenfurt)Die Wiegendrucke in den öffentlichen und privaten Bibliotheken Kärntens = Catalogus incunabulorum in bibliothecis Carinthiae
After a long period of preparation, Peter Hans Pascher has presented us with a catalog of incunabula held in public and private collections in the Austrian state of Kärnten (Carinthia). There are 2,132 entries for 2,432 incunabula. The majority of the items are owned by ecclesiastical institutions: it would have been useful to include a discussion of the accessibility of these items as well as those held in private collections in the catalog's introduction. Also, more historical background on the libraries themselves would have been welcome. The confusion and, one could say, deception created by the cataloging of single leaves as individual entries, each with its own number, might have been avoided by listing the single leaves in an appendix. Nonetheless, the catalog presents us with a useful research tool and the illustrations in the form of high-quality photocopies are especially helpful. [hn/erh]
98-3/4-177
[Catalog of 16th-Century Books in the Library of the College]. Ed. Alain Collet. Published for the Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, Institut Claude Longeon Renaissance-Age Classique; Ville de Saint-Bonnet-le-Château. Saint-Etienne: Publications de l'Université de Saint-Etienne, 1998. 211 p. ill. 24 cm. ISBN 2-86272-134-4: FF 150.00Catalogue des livres du XVIe siècle 1501-1600 conservés à la Bibliothèque de la Collégiale
There would be no pressing need to review this catalog of sixteenth-century imprints of the Saint-Bonnet-le-Chateau Monastery, except that it is part of the regional census of early imprints being published by the Institute Claude Longeon Renaissance-Age Classique. Other catalogs of the series have been reviewed two years ago (see RREA 2:12) and below as RREA xxx. This catalog contains 436 continuously numbered titles (plus 10 in the supplement). Like the other volumes in the series, entries provide detailed title transcriptions, citations of relevant bibliographies, and copy-specific information that can be accessed through the following indexes: (1) printer and publisher, (2) place of publication, (3) individuals involved with the publication, and (4) provenance. The brief introduction provides the history of the monastery and library as well as a statistical overview of the languages and countries in which the publications were produced. [sh/msc]
98-3/4-178
. Paul Schrodt and Ingeborg Berlin Vogelstein. Lanham, Md. [et al.]: University Press of America, 1997. xix, 201 p. 22 cm. ISBN 0-7618-0514-1: $46.00The Reformation Era Pamphlet in the Ambrose Swasey Library: An Annotated Bibliography
98-3/4-179
) [Anti-Reformation Pamphlets, 1518-1524]. Ed. Adolf Laube and Ulman Weiß. Berlin: Akademie-Verlag, 1997. vii, 879 p. 25 cm. ISBN 3-05-002815-7: DM 298.00Flugschriften gegen die Reformation (1518-1524
The bibliography of Reformation pamphlets in the Ambrose Swasey Library in Rochester, New York, contains 282 mostly German pamphlets from the sixteenth century (two titles are from the seventeenth century). The authors of the bibliography hope that their descriptions of this little-known collection will make these sources available for interdisciplinary research. Compared to the existing short-title catalogs available in the U.S. and Michael Pegg's short title catalogs of Reformation pamphlets outside of Germany and measured against the gaps in NUC for older imprints, this bibliography with copy-specific data and exact title transcriptions certainly represents a step forward.
However, it comes up short when compared to research outside the U.S. Although Hans-Joachim Köhler's work and the German Research Foundation's Project "Pamphlets of the Sixteenth Century" are mentioned here, the bibliography lacks essential indexes, references to secondary sources, and bibliographic references. The descriptions-organized alphabetically by author and title-include an entry number, exact title transcription, printer information, collation, bibliographic format, and pagination. Following these data is an English translation of the title and annotations (ranging between three lines to eleven pages in length) that describe the contents and attempt to place the text in its proper context.
The indexes do not provide sufficient access, and the combined title and author index is redundant, since it duplicates the bibliography's organization. The topical index offers only general subject analysis using key words such as Church Reform, History, and Martyrs. The compilers suggest that their bibliography will be helpful to students visiting the Ambrose Swasey Library at the beginning of their research; however, the lack of adequate bibliographic information provided may prove to be a stumbling block.
Although not exactly a reference work, Flugschriften gegen die Reformation (1518-1524), the newest volume of the five-volume edition of Reformation-era pamphlets, is worth mentioning. It contains forty works by German opponents of the Reformation, organized chronologically by date of publication, and includes exemplary bibliographic and historical descriptions about the development and publication of each work. [kp/msc]
98-3/4-180
[Catalog of the Auguste Boullier 18th-Century Italian Collection in the Municipal Library of Roanne]. Marie F. Viallon. Published for the Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, Institut Claude Longeon Renaissance-Age Classique and Bibliothèque Municipale de Roanne. Saint-Étienne: Publications de l'Université de Saint-Étienne, 1997. 325 p. ill. 24 cm. ISBN 2-86272-116-6: FF 170.00Catalogue du fonds italien XVIIIe siècle Auguste Boullier de la Bibliothèque Municipale de Roanne
98-3/4-181
[Catalog of the Auguste Boullier 19th-Century Italian Collection in the Municipal Library of Roanne]. Marie F. Viallon. Published for the Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, Institut Claude Longeon Renaissance-Age Classique and Bibliothèque Municipale de Roanne. Saint-Étienne: Publications de l'Université de Saint-Étienne, 1998. 555 p. ill. 24 cm. ISBN 2-86272-130-1: FF 260.00Catalogue du fonds italien XIXe siècle Auguste Boullier de la Bibliothèque Municipale de Roanne
As with the two previously published catalogs of works from the library of Auguste Boullier (RREA 2:15-16), the final two catalogs, one for the 18th century (657 entries) and one for the 19th century (1,472 entries), provide bibliographic information and brief annotations for each title, as well as indexes for publisher, illustrator, and place and year of publication, and a concordance of call numbers with consecutive bibliography numbers. The emphasis of Boullier's 7,000-volume collection is on Venetian history, politics, and society. [sh/rm]
98-3/4-182
. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica; Informazioni Editoriali, 1997. 1 CD-ROM + user=s guide (xi, 163 p. 21 cm). ISBN 88-7075-499-5: Lit. 3,900,000 plus tax; Lit. 1,200,000 plus tax, for subscribers to the printed versionCatalogo dei libri italiani dell'Ottocento (1801-1900): CLIO = Catalogue of Nineteenth Century Italian Books (1801-1900)
The print edition of CLIO appeared in 1991 in 19 volumes. The CD-ROM edition uses CD-Answer software from Dataware, described briefly under the CD-ROM version of the Bibliografia nazionale italiana in RREA 3:24. The interface languages are Italian and English, and the following fields are available for combinable searching: author, title, editor, translator, author of introductions, composer, publisher, place and year of publication, province in which the place of publication is located, and keyword. The print edition is satisfactory for libraries outside of Italy, which most likely use it for title verification; duplicating the print version with a purchase of the CD-ROM edition is not recommended. [sah/rm]
98-3/4-183
[Italian National Bibliography. Monographs]. Published for the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale and the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Italiane e per le Informazioni Bibliografiche. Milano: Editrice Bibliografica. 27 cm. 1 (1958)-36 (1993) in one alphabet. 37 (1994)- issued in 12 fascicles per yearBibliografia nazionale italiana. Monografie
The last number of vol. 40 (1997) of BNI's Monografie sub-series (for reviews of previous editions, see RREA 1:15; RREA 3:16), which finally arrived in libraries at the end of June 1998, brings a new surprise from the Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze (BNCF). In addition to listing monographs, this number includes a separately paged appendix with its own ISSN (1123-6191) that lists music scores deposited at the BNCF during the year under review. Unfortunately the BNCF did not choose to establish an independent sub-series, as it did for theses and dissertations, children's books, and periodicals (see RREA 3:18-21). In any case, the BNCF is resuming the current listing of music scores, which was omitted for years. The BNCF attempted to fill this gap in coverage with a "catch-up" volume (RREA 3:22), which lists scores received from 1993-1996. The new supplement will list newly received scores published during the preceding two years in the June and December numbers of Monografie. Only scores available through the book and music trades are listed, and "material that by nature is intended for special groups or categories of people, or serves only practical internal or private purposes" is excluded. Title transcription follows Italian cataloging rules, and classification follows the 12th edition of the Abridged Dewey Decimal Classification. There are author-title and subject indexes, but unfortunately there is no index by performance medium.
A second surprise is the publication of an annual supplementary number with the same ISSN, packaging and layout as Monografie, but entitled Supplemento. Since vol. 38 (1995) this supplement has listed titles published more than two years prior to the year under review. Because these titles are included in BNI's annual cumulation Catalogo alfabetico annuale (RREA 3:23), the new supplement does not constitute a continuation of BNI's earlier supplementary series, which must be used in conjunction with the annual cumulation.
A third surprise can be inferred from a brief notice on p. III of the January number of vol. 41 (1998), namely that the BNI will henceforth be both edited and published by BNCF, ending its collaboration with the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo Unico delle Biblioteche Italiane e per le Informazioni Bibliografiche. It remains to be seen if this change will lead to an improvement in Italy's national bibliography, particularly regarding its perennial lateness. [sh/rm]
98-3/4-184
[The Russica Collection of the Francke Foundations in Halle: From the History of German-Russian Cultural Relations in the 18th Century]. Michail Fundaminski. Tübingen: Verlag der Franckeschen Stiftungen Halle im Max-Niemeyer-Verlag, 1998. 158 p. ill. 23 cm. (Hallesche Quellenpublikationen und Repertorien, 2) ISBN 3-484-84102-8 (Niemeyer); ISBN 3-931479-07-2 (Franckesche Stiftungen): DM 86.00Die Russica-Sammlung der Franckeschen Stiftungen zu Halle: aus der Geschichte der deutsch-russischen kulturellen Beziehungen im 18. Jahrhundert; Katalog = Sobranie rossiki vo "Frankeshe Stiftungen" Khalle
This is a catalog of the Russica collection located in the Franckesche Stiftungen at Halle. It includes, in German and in Russian, a history of the Russica collection and serves to document the history of Pietism and cultural relations between Germany, and in particular Halle, and Russia in the 18th century. It lists and describes 181 printed books and 21 manuscripts. The books are further subdivided into Russian language books and books in other languages. An important work for historical research, it belongs in all academic libraries. [hro/ba]
98-3/4-185
[Bibliography of Czech Books Printed between 1945 and 1960]. Published for the Odbor Národní Bibliografie a Katalogizace Národní Knihovny, Oddelení Národní Retrospektivní Bibliografie. Praha: Národní Knihovna. 30 cm. (Edice Národní Knihovny v Praze, 23) Vols. 1-2 published by Státní Pedagogické Nakladatelství, PrahaBibliografie ceské knizní tvorby 1945-1960
This title illustrates that even the publication of national bibliographies can be hampered by political events. Volumes 1 and 2 of this retrospective national bibliography of the Czech part of the former Czechoslovakia were published in 1973 and are still available today. The publication was then discontinued for political reasons. It resumed with the publication of volume 3 in 1994.
The work is a retrospective cumulative national bibliography covering the years 1945-1960. Although a subject index is missing, this cumulation can be used instead of the original volumes. It takes up less space and can be searched by author and title. Additional cumulations would be desirable. [sh/ba]
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