AQ - Book Trade and Publishing

1999

AQ -- Book Trade and Publishing

Wolfenbütteler Bibliographie zur Geschichte des Buchwesens im deutschen Sprachgebiet 1840-1980 [Wolfenbüttel Bibliography on the History of the Book in the German-Speaking Countries, 1840-1980]: (WBB). Comp. Erdmann Weihrauch with the collaboration of Cornelia Fricke. München: Saur. 30 cm. ISBN 3-598-30323-8 [99-1/4-090]

Vol. 7. Der Leser [The Reader]: 94,237-102,470. 1998. xvii, 353 p. ISBN 3-598-30393-9: DM 316.00

Vol. 8. Supplement: 102,471-116,821. 1998. xix, 487 p. ISBN 3-598-30394-7: DM 316.00

Vol. 9. Register der Verfasser und anonymen Titel: A-K [Indexes of Authors and Anonymous Titles: A-K]. 1999. v, 437 p. ISBN 3-598-30395-5: DM 316.00

Vol. 10. Register der Verfasser und anonymen Titel: L-Z [Indexes of Authors and Anonymous Titles: L-Z]. 1999. v, 404 p. ISBN 3-598-30396-3: DM 316.00

Vol. 11. Register der Länder und Orte [Indexes of Countries and Places]. 1999. v, 431 p. ISBN 3-598-30407-2: DM 316.00

Vol. 12. Register der Personen; Register der Firmen, Gesellschaften, Vereine und Institutionen; Gesamtinhaltsverzeichnis [alphabetisch & systematisch] [Index of Persons; Index of Firms, Organizations, Associations, and Institutions; General Table of Contents (Aphabetical & Classified)]. 1999. vii, 574 p. ISBN 3-598-30408-0: DM 316.00

After volumes 5 and 6 came out in 1996 (reviewed in RRE 2:57), there was a fairly long pause until volumes 7 and 8 appeared in October, 1998. Volume 7, covering literature on "The Reader," contains 8,244 entries (some duplicated). Subgroupings cover (1) research on, and promotion of, reading and readers; (2) history of reading and readers; (3) book criticism and reception; (4) book collecting, bibliophily; (5) history of private libraries; (6) provenance markings. Volume 8 contains 14,351 supplemental entries, not only from recent years but from the entire period 1840-1980, indicating that collection of titles has been continuous during publication. The preface to volume 7 indicates that the bibliography does not aim for completeness but is rather a substantial selection of the whole literature. This would be acceptable if there were defined selection criteria, but the factors for inclusion appear to be mainly coincidental. The list of periodicals, given in the appendix to volume 7--sources indexed completely or selectively or even for single entries--shows this. Only the titles are listed, not the years examined. There are many entries for periodicals that would have contained relevant articles only as an exception (such as fishery and popular religion journals). Would it not have made more sense to index the core journals completely?

Volume 8 completes the bibliography itself, with all its omissions. The 161,821 entries do not reflect the actual number of articles because of duplicate entries. Probably not even the compiler knows how many there are; the preface speaks of "about 100,000 articles." Four index volumes give not only the entry and volume number but also a short title. Volumes 9 and 10 contain the general index of authors and other persons connected to a work, as well as the titles of works entered under uniform titles. Volume 11 contains the index of countries and places. The principle of combining various forms of the name is not completely adhered to--Leningrad and St. Petersburg are not even linked by cross-references. If there are more than fifty entries under one place, they are arranged by subject terms reflecting the main sections of the bibliography. In some cases one must still look through many columns. Volume 12 contains three indexes; the first is an index of persons treated or mentioned (the largest number are under Gutenberg). Entries under publishers' names are mostly in the second index, that covers firms, organizations, associations, and institutions, as well as periodicals and newspapers. The third index includes an alphabetical table of contents, which refers to volume and page number, and the classified table of contents, which refers to the notations. The planned subject index was abandoned due to time and staff limitations, although it would have been helpful, considering the mass of titles contained in WBB. Instead, an alphabetical subject list of about 1,000 groups and subgroups of the seven main groupings is included in volume 7.

After eight years the bibliography is now complete. Did the libraries that ordered this title in 1990 for the announced price of DM 1,480.00 notice that the price has nearly tripled to DM 3,792.00 in the meantime? It hardly needs to be emphasized that the WBB is indispensable in spite of its omissions and its insufficient subject indexing. [sh/gh]

Répertoire d'imprimeurs/libraires XVIe-XVIIIe siècle [Repertoire of Printers/Publishers of the Sixteenth-Eighteenth Centuries]. Ed. Madeleine Orieux for the Service de l'Inventaire Général du Département des Livres Imprimés de la Bibliothèque Nationale de France. Paris: Bibliothèque Nationale de France. 30 cm. (Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Service des Éditions, 2, rue de Vivienne, F-75084 Paris CEDEX 02, fax [33 1] 4720 8829) [99-1/4-091]

1995 (4,000 entries). Jean Dominique Mellot and Élisabeth Queval. 1997. 719 p. ISBN 2-7172007-3: FF 350.00

This third edition follows the first (1988) and the second (1990; reviewed in IFB 93-1/2-045) after seven years. The two-year publishing rhythm promised originally could not be realized; now publication at three-year intervals has been announced, with an increase of about 1,000 entries each time. The long time between the second and third editions was used to transfer the material to an online database. That a printed edition--now in a more attractive format--is nevertheless still being published is certainly welcome. The number of publishers/printers included has doubled from 2,000 to 4,000, and entries from the previous edition have been corrected and supplemented on the basis of new information. Statistical data precede the directory. The proportion of French printers/publishers has increased from 687 (34.4%) to 1,771 (44.2%). On the other hand, the list of places mirrors the concentration in France (Paris) and Great Britain (London): of 506 places in twenty-four countries, France has 137, Germany 113, Italy 76, Great Britain 30, and the Low Countries 29. More than half of the printers/publishers were active in the eighteenth century. This preponderance of France can be attributed to the rich holdings of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France and the priority given to recataloging these holdings. The entries, arranged alphabetically and numbered in one sequence with many cross-references, are structured as follows: name, years of birth and death, activity, exact birth and death dates (one wonders why these are not given directly after the name), variant forms of the name, places of activity with dates and address if known, devices, biographical and genealogical information (in more detail than in earlier directories), and sources. The index of places, in which the printers are listed alphabetically rather than chronologically, confirms the statistical data; Paris, with nineteen columns, has the lion's share. The imbalance in favor of France that this directory shows should gradually disappear if this database becomes part of the one collected by the Consortium of European Research Libraries (home page at <http://www.cerl.org). [sh/gh]
Diccionario de impresores españoles: siglos XV-XVII [Dictionary of Spanish Printers: Fifteenth-Seventeenth Centuries]. Juan Delgado Casado. Madrid: Arco/Libros, 1996. Vols. 1-2. 877 p. 22 cm. (Instrumento bibliologica) ISBN 84-7635-198-4: Ptas. 4,800.00 [99-1/4-092] This dictionary replaces earlier inadequate directories of Spanish printers and foreign printers active in Spain from the incunabula period to the end of the seventeenth century. In the introduction the author mentions the second edition of the French directory reviewed above and its complete inadequacy with regard to Spain. Both directories are very similar. This one lists 939 printers and printing shops with the following information: name, places of printing with dates based on the printed products, biographical information (in more detail than in the French directory, though one could wish for the dates and places of birth and death at the beginning of this section), sources given in the form of abbreviations. The index of places lists the printers chronologically by the year of first printed work rather than alphabetically, as in the French directory. This arrangement allows a quick overview of the local printing history--in smaller places there was often a gap after the first printers. The name index includes all names mentioned in the articles as well as the actual entries, plus cross-references. It would be good to have the information collected here added to the French database. [sh/gh]
Präprintium: Moskauer Bücher aus dem Samizdat; mit Multimedia CD [Praeprintium: Moscow Samizdat Books; with Multimedia CD]. Ed. Günter Hirt and Sascha Wonders. Bremen: Edition Temnen, 1998. 230 p. ill. 27 cm. with CD-ROM. (Austellungskataloge, Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, N.F. 28). (Dokumentationen zur Kultur und Gesellschaft im östlichen Europa, 5) ISBN 3-86108-534-8: DM 48.00 [99-1/4-094] The title of this exhibit catalog with CD-ROM raises expectations that it absolutely does not fulfill. Samizdat is a political concept based on Soviet censorship and not limited to any field. This volume, however, is limited to a very specific field, and nearly fifty percent of it contradicts the original definition of samizdat. The Russian term is formed in analogy to abbreviations for Soviet publishers' names like Gosizdat (for Gosudarstvennoe Izdatelstvo, State Publishing House) and means self-publishing. It arose in the 1940s when Nikolai Glazkov began systematically making copies of his poems to circulate and called his product sam-sebia-izdat. This led to the term samizdat from about 1959 on. Many of these texts, usually typed with carbon copies and considered illegal in the Soviet Union, came to the west, and centers for collecting them were set up during the Brezhnev period, for example Radio Liberty in Munich, which published catalogs of its collections. (More information can be found in the reviewer's Lexikon der russischen Literatur im 20. Jahrhundert, 2d ed., 1992, cols. 1,073-1,076.) When censorship was lifted, samizdat ended, but authors still occasionally had the desire to produce their own books in particularly attractive form. Almost fifty percent of the books listed in the present catalog were produced in the past few years without any danger to the author. They are not samizdat in the usual sense.

The title of the catalog, compiled in Bochum and Bremen, leads one to expect exemplary samizdat books in politics, economics, literature, philosophy, theology, and art, perhaps even issues of samizdat journals. Instead, the volume is limited to works of literature and art currently known as postmodern, which has had little influence in Russia and is called "literature for Slavists." The volume is based on an exhibit, and its main value is in the illustrations of the most important of the 304 works that were shown. Approximately forty authors and several groups of artists are included, with selected texts in translation and illustrations created by the authors. If one has certain expectations from art and literature, and is not satisfied with playfulness, provocation, and illustrations, the volume has at most some informational value.

The book is also not suitable as a reference work. It does have descriptions of the items that were exhibited and brief biographical information on approximately seventy writers, but no index. The addition of a CD-ROM seems promising. On it are twenty-seven projects by twenty authors and two groups. The technical possibilities of getting from an index to a particular item were not used. One can only open one of the twenty-seven files at a time and page through it. The detailed introduction, putting the art of the texts into a greater context beginning with Old Russian manuscripts, and describing "poetic performances" by some of the authors, is welcome. The volume is directed at a small specialized circle within Slavic literary studies and will be enthusiastically received there because of the unique items it presents. [wk/gh]

Typography: When, Who, How = Typographie. Ed. Friedrich Friedl. Köln: Könemann, 1998. 592 p. ill. 31 cm. U.S. title Typography: An Encyclopedic Survey of Type Design and Techniques Throughout History. ISBN 3-89508-473-5: DM 49.90 [99-1/4-095] At seven pounds, almost 600 pages and more than 200 illustrations in folio format (25 x 31 cm.), this book is the typography deal of the year. The work is divided into five sections: "Chronology," "Persons and Institutions," "Tools," an overview of typefaces that functions as an index, and a selective bibliography. The chronology gives a history of writing, backwards from Raygun to the Assyrians. While this is not incomprehensible, it is irritating for trying to trace influences. However the individual movements are described concisely and precisely. The illustrations have been chosen and printed very well. The section "Persons and Institutions" gives an overview in alphabetical order of the important personalities, institutions, and companies in the history of printing up to the present. The entries are accompanied by illustrations of typical specimens, usually in color, but greatly reduced in size, due to the layout of the volume in three languages. The entries are short but very informative. The subjects range from calligraphers and stars of typography to semioticians and librarians. This sounds eclectic, but it serves the authors' intention of showing typography as "an important component of our culture." The authors' German background leads them to include relatively obscure Germans but omit some internationally known persons.

The "Persons and the Institutions" section is the heart of the work. The section on tools and the overview of typefaces and bibliography are disappointing by comparison. Despite the range of tools--from hand tools to typewriters and computer composition--this section is not as rich as the main one, and it lacks illustrations. The overview lists only typefaces mentioned in the main section and does not allow a chronological ordering. Although Typography: When, Who, How is not the definitive reference work, it is a must for every lover of typography, every library, and every bargain hunter. [rni/gh]

Publishers' International ISBN Directory. International ISBN Agency. München [et al.]: Saur [et al.]. 30 cm. (Handbook of International Documentation and Information, 7). Previous titles: Publishers' International Directory with ISBN Index and Internationales ISBN Verlagsverzeichnis. ISSN 0939-1959 [99-1/4-096]

26. 1999/2000 (1999). Parts 1-3. ISBN 3-598-21608-4: DM 598.00

The twenty-sixth edition (1999/2000) of the still most comprehensive international directory of publishing is no longer divided into its traditional three parts of geographical index, ISBN index and alphabetical index. Rather, due to its increased size, Part 1 is now split into two volumes, and Part 3 now contains the ISBN index. The former Part 3, the alphabetical index, no longer is included. Some, but not all of the problems with cross-references have been corrected. With the removal of the index of publishers' names, the CD-ROM edition (Publishers International ISBN Directory Plus, 2d ed., 1997/98, reviewed in RREA 4:76) provides the only sure access to publishers' names. It would seem to be most practical to make use of only the CD version, which bears the same price as the printed edition. Although the publisher continues to offer special pricing for the purchase of both versions, the newest CD version is scheduled to appear only three months after the printed version. Previously, it appeared six months after the print edition, and was proportionately more up to date. [sh/erh]
Verlagsprofile Berlin und Umland ...: Programm, Größe und Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten [Publishers' Profiles for Berlin and Surrounding Areas: Program, Size, and Training Opportunities]. Birte Kaiser. Hamburg: Input-Verlag. 14 cm. (Reihe Verlagsprofile, 1) [99-1/4-097]

1998/99 (1998). 312 p. ISBN 3-930961-71-7: DM 38.00

Verlagsprofile Frankfurt und Umland ...: Programm, Größe und Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten [Publishers' Profiles for Frankfurt and Surrounding Areas: Program, Size, and Training Opportunities]. Birte Kaiser. Hamburg: Input-Verlag. 14 cm. (Reihe Verlagsprofile, 4) [99-1/4-098]

1999/2000 (1999). 647 p. ISBN 3-930961-74-1: DM 48.00

Verlagsprofile München und Umland ...: Programm, Größe und Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten [Publishers' Profiles for Munich and Surrounding Areas: Program, Size, and Training Opportunities]. Birte Kaiser. Hamburg: Input-Verlag. 14 cm. (Reihe Verlagsprofile, 2) [99-1/4-099]

1998/99 (1998). 432 p. ISBN 3-930961-72-5: DM 42.00

Verlagsprofile Stuttgart und Umland ...: Programm, Größe und Ausbildungsmöglichkeiten [Publishers' Profiles for Stuttgart and Surrounding Areas: Program, Size, and Training Opportunities]. Birte Kaiser. Hamburg: Input-Verlag. 14 cm. (Reihe Verlagsprofile, 3) [99-1/4-100]

998/99 (1998). 479 p. ISBN 3-930961-73-3: DM 44.00

Since all of the above-mentioned directories are similar in format, volume 3, dealing with Stuttgart, has been selected as a representative example. Eight volumes are planned, to cover all of Germany. The publisher explains that these directories are aimed primarily at students, interns, jobseekers and authors: this is what differentiates them from other similar directories on the market. Entries are arranged by postal code: Part 1 contains 153 entries from publishers who filled in most of the blanks on the questionnaires sent to them. Aside from what one normally expects to find, these directories provide detailed information on training, practica and internships. A second part, also arranged by zipcode, provides shorter listings for publishers who provided less information on their questionnaires. The directories include indexes with sections for publishing houses, subject specializations, and training opportunities. These directories will be of most benefit to those who previously made use of Dokumentation deutschsprachiger Verlage (the so-called "Vinz/Olzog," 1995; see RREA 2:60), namely those looking for internships or jobs in publishing. [sh/erh]
Sammler-Adreßbuch alte Bücher/Graphik [Collectors' Directory for Old Books and Prints]. Braunschweig: Kuhle. 22 cm. [99-1/4-101]

15. 1999/2000 (1999). 607 p. ISBN 3-923696-92-2: DM 66.00

Der Sammler auf Reisen: Antiquariate in Deutschland [The Traveling Collector: Antiquarian Shops in Germany]. Braunschweig: Kuhle. 11 cm. [99-1/4-102]

1999. 340 p. ISBN 3-923696-93-8: DM 30.00

Der Sammler auf Reisen: Antiquariate in Europa [The Traveling Collector: Antiquarian Shops in Europe]. Braunschweig: Kuhle. 11 cm. [99-1/4-103]

1999. 313 p. ISBN 3-923696-94-9: DM 30.00

Now in its fifteenth printing, the success of this directory is further evident in its expansion from 3,100 to 8,608 entries, and from 267 to 607 pages. There are indexes of antiquarian shops and collectors and their areas of specialization. The work is primarily intended for collectors and antiquarian book dealers; it is less useful to librarians for collecting purposes. The two smaller "traveler's versions" do not have indexes of specialized collecting areas, and would not be of use to librarians. [sh/erh]
Der Verleger Johann Friedrich Cotta (1764-1832): Repertorium seiner Briefe [The Publisher Johann Friedrich Cotta (1764-1832); Catalog of His Letters]. Helmuth Mojem. Marbach am Neckar: Deutsche Schillergesellschaft, 1997. 929 p. ill. 21 cm. (Verzeichnisse, Berichte, Informationen: Deutsches Literaturarchiv, 24) ISBN 3-929146-87-8: DM 64.00 [99-1/4-107] Those who hear the name Cotta tend to think they know who is being mentioned--the legendary publisher of Goethe and Schiller. In fact, this "Bonaparte of bookdealers" was not the original publisher of these classical authors, but he was able to pay unbelievable sums to procure the rights to republish these works. His expensive editions were barely affordable for the middle class. The as yet unwritten biography of this important and fascinating entrepreneur becomes more feasible with this excellent reference work. Helmuth Mojem has assembled a catalog of Cotta's letters culled from eighty-nine archives and libraries, including references to printed copies of no-longer-extant originals. They are listed chronologically and numbered up to 4,366. Each entry includes the name of the addressee, place, original date, format and current location of the letter (with shelfmark) and a short summary of the contents. There are indexes of names of persons and publications; the index of addressees also includes further biographical information. Cotta's letters were addressed not just to friends and authors, but also to editors, business acquaintances and officials, and are thus a gold mine not only for literary scholars but also for researchers in economics and regional history. Four letters have been reproduced in facsimile. [rf/erh]
Bibliografija Ludoweho Nakladnistwa Domowina: 1958-1997 = Bibliographie des Domowina Verlags [Bibliography of the Domowina Publishing Company: 1958-1997] Ed. Franc Sen in collaboration with the Sorbian Central Library in the Sorbian Institute. Budysin: Domowina-Verlag, 1998. 255 p. 21 cm. ISBN 3-7420-1804-3: Free to libraries [99-1/4-108] In honor of its fortieth anniversary, the Domowina publishing house in Bautzen, specializing in all things Sorbian, has produced a list of its publications, arranged by subject. There is a special emphasis on pedagogical materials devoted to Sorbian language instruction. The section on nonfiction, although a mix of scholarly and popular folk materials, will be of most interest to academic and research libraries. References are not always easily found via the single author's index which provides names in their Sorbian but not German form. [sh/erh]
Verlagsbibliographie 1798-1945 / Duncker & Humblot. [Bibliography of the Duncker & Humblot Publishing Company, 1798-1945]. Ed. Norbert Simon. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot, 1998. 332 p. ill. 24 cm. ISBN 3-428-09800-5: DM 25.00 [99-1/4-109] Duncker & Humblot has published a bibliography of its publications, on the occasion of its two-hundred-year anniversary. An introduction outlines the firm's history. It is followed by the bibliography, limited to the period up to 1945. Although it includes everything from the cumulative catalogs that the firm has published throughout its history, this bibliography is not complete because those catalogs were not complete. (The firm's archive was destroyed in the war.) The bibliography is subdivided into four sections: titles not mentioned in series; memorial publications and Festschriften; series; and periodicals (along with the authors and titles of articles in each issue). A name index is included. A bibliography of post-war publications is in preparation. [sh/mrh]
Georg Joachim Göschen, ein Verleger der Spätaufklärung und der deutschen Klassik [Georg Joachim Göschen, a Publisher of the Late Enlightenment and the German Classical Period]. Berlin: de Gruyter. 24 cm. [99-1/4-110]

Vol. 2. Verlagsbibliographie Göschen 1785 bis 1838 [Bibliography of Göschen Publications, 1785-1838]. Stephan Füssel. 1998. xxxvii, 226 p. ill. ISBN 3-11-013798-4: DM 198.00

Vol. 3. Repertorium der Verlagskorrespondenz Göschen (1783 bis 1828) [Repertory of Göschen's Business Correspondence (1783-1828)]. Ed. Stephan Füssel. 1996. xxxiii, 571 p. ill. ISBN 3-11-014550-2: DM 315.00

Stephan Füssel, director of the Institut für Buchwissenschaft at the University of Mainz and one of the most competent authors in the field of book and publishing history, has worked on Göschen for many years. Now the results of this intensive work on a publishing company, whose archives no longer exist, is coming to fruition. The de Gruyter publishing house, which legally succeeded Göschen, is bringing it out in three volumes (volume 1 just appeared in late 1999, and will be reviewed later). The Repertorium attempts to document the life and work of the publisher Georg Joachim Göschen, listing all known letters to and from him during a period of almost fifty years. The letters are listed chronologically and described, and there is an index of writers and receivers.

An archive of publications by Göschen, publisher of Wieland, Goethe, and Schiller, has not survived, but volume 2 of this work purports to list the firm's entire production under Georg Joachim Göschen (1785-1828) and his sons Carl-Friedrich Göschen-Beyer (1822-1827) and Hermann Julius Göschen (1828-1838), based on trade fair catalogs, publisher's announcements, stock catalogs, reviews from the Allgemeine Literatur-Zeitung, the geographical catalog of the Herzog August Library in Wolfenbüttel, the publishers catalog of the German Literature Archive in Marbach, pertinent bibliographical resources, etc. There are, nevertheless, omissions, notably some works by Wieland, Goethe and Iffland.

Inconsistencies and inaccuracies make the use of this bibliography somewhat problematic, but the indexes are numerous and helpful. Besides the usual categories, there are indexes by dedicatees; painters, drawing artists, and engravers; and place of printing and printers.

This is an impressive piece of work, reflecting years of thorough research. One looks forward to volume 1, which will be a monograph on the history of the publishing house. [rf/mrh]

Der Carl-Hanser-Verlag: eine Bibliographie [The Carl Hanser Publishing Company: A Bibliography]. München: Hanser. 21 cm. [99-1/4-115]

Vol. 3. 1928-1998: Ergänzung 1988-1998 [: Supplement 1988-1998]. Ed. Michael Frey and Ernst Dieter Fischer. 1998. 819 p. ISBN 3-446-19612-9: DM 98.00

The first volume of this bibliography covered 1928-1978; the second, 1978-1988, and this volume continues with the period 1988-1998. Rather than presenting a mix of history and bibliography, it offers a very detailed list of publications from the Carl Hanser publishing company. With three pages of instructions for its use, the bibliography is divided into literary publications, professional books, specialized journals, a chronological list of first editions, and a name index. Numerous cross references and many helpful footnotes make this a most informative bibliography. [rf/mrh]
Prestel 1924-1999: Verlagsgeschichte und Bibliographie [The Prestel Publishing Company 1924-1999: History and Bibliography]. Ed. Jürgen Tesch. München: Prestel, 1999. 175 p. ill. 30 cm. ISBN 3-7913-2213-3: DM 20.00 [99-1/4-118] This history and bibliography celebrating the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Prestel publishing company is a continuation of the one published for the firm's sixtieth anniversary in 1984. Like its predecessor, it includes many illustrations of book jackets, authors, employees, and buildings. The bibliography is arranged chronologically. Parallel English-language editions are mentioned only under their German counterparts. There is a list of series and yearbooks, as well as three indexes: by keyword (which appears not to be complete), author, and editor. Prestel publishes about 100 new titles yearly, and altogether each year about 750 titles, 300 of which are in English. [sh/mrh]
100 Jahre Ernst-Reinhardt-Verlag 1899-1999 [Ernst Reinhardt Publishing House, 100 Years: 1899-1999]. München: Reinhardt, 1999. 210 p. ill. 24 cm. ISBN 3-497-01500-8: DM 10.00 [99-1/4-119] This publication consists of three distinct parts, each interesting in its own way. The first portrays the development of the firm from its beginning until 1973. The author, Christoph Jungck, is the son of the nephew of Ernst Reinhardt, who founded the firm in 1899. Without footnotes or bibliography, but with numerous documentary photographs, this section is addressed to friends and interested colleagues rather than to historians. The second section is by Karl Münster, who led the firm from 1978 to 1998, and Hildegard Wehler, the present director. It describes the close editorial relationships the company has had with authors, and looks to the future of the firm, and indeed the book trade in general. The third and longest section consists of a bibliography of the firm's publications, based on various sources. With orthographic inconsistencies and a sometimes arbitrary arrangement, it resembles a sales catalog more than a library catalog. [rf/mrh]
50 Years K. G. Saur: History and Bibliography 1949-1999. Ed. Klaus G. Saur. München: Saur, 1999. xxxi, 183 p. ill. 30 cm. ISBN 3-598-10705-6: DM 20.00 [99-1/4-121] The historical portion of this publication presents the development of the firm in a celebratory rather than a scholarly light. Founded by Karl-Otto Saur in 1948 as an engineering office, it published a bibliography on dike construction in the next year. Thus began a publishing enterprise with a tradition of specializing in bibliographies and reference works, none of which were profitable until 1964. Klaus Gerhard Saur, the founder's son, entered the firm in 1963; the name became K.-G. Saur Verlag in 1978. In 1987, it was bought by Reed International.

Although at first glance the bibliography appears carefully compiled, there are inconsistencies of format and entry which introduce difficulties in its use, for example, in the case of hyphenated words and the alphabetization of the entries. Volumes of series appear only under the series title itself, arranged by number, or, in the case of unnumbered series, alphabetically. There are no entries under individual authors independent of this listing, and there are none in the index either. The chronological index offers a commendable historical perspective. Altogether, however, the bibliography and its indexes are disappointing, in that they do not reach the standard one expects from such a publisher. [rf,sh/mrh]

Katalog der erschienenen Bücher 1974-1999 / Schirmer/Mosel [Catalog of Books Published by Schirmer/Mosel, 1974-1999]. München: Schirmer/Mosel, 1999. 136 p. ill. 21 cm. ISBN 3-88814-228-8: DM 19.80 [99-1/4-122] This complete listing of the Schirmer/Mosel publishing company's output was produced on the occasion of its twenty-fifth anniversary. A history of the company, which specializes in books on photography, art, fashion, and show business, spans four pages at the back of the book. Included in its production have been works by such illustrious photographers and artists as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Man Ray, Helmut Newton, and Joseph Beuys. The individual title listings are fairly complete bibliographical citations, but their main entry will usually be under the subject's name and not the author of the book. Three short-title indexes--by ISBN, by year of publication (in chronological order and alphabetical within each year), and by personal names--round out the volume. [sh/hh]
Catalogue 1924-1999 [Droz: Catalog of Publications 1924-1999]. Ed. Elysabeth Hue-Gay for the Librairie Droz. Genève: Droz, 1999. 456, xvi p. ill. 18 cm. ISBN 2-600-00999-X: SFr. 12.00 [99-1/4-124] The Librairie Droz, founded in Paris in 1924 by Eugenie Droz and moved in 1947 to Geneva, is one of the few independent traditional publishing houses specializing in the humanities, with an emphasis on French literature and culture of the Middle Ages, humanism and the Renaissance. All Romanists are familiar with their famous series: Travaux d'humanisme et renaissance, Bibliographie internationale de l'humanisme et de la renaissance, as well as Travaux du grand siècle, Publications romanes et françaises, and above all, the Textes littéraires français, a series that has now reached number 500. The complete catalog, published in honor of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the house of Droz, is divided into two parts: an alphabetical listing of all available titles (with prices) and also out-of-print titles; and a listing of titles published by Droz for scholarly institutes and societies. There is a shared index for both sections. The entire catalog is also available via the Internet at: <http://www.droz.org. [sh/erh]

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