2005

AQ -- Book Trade & Publishing

Bibliographie der Buch- und Bibliotheksgeschichte (BBB) [Bibliography of Book and Library History]. Ed. Horst Meyer. Bad Iburg: Bibliographischer Verlag Dr. Horst Meyer. 21 cm. ISSN 0723-3590. (D-49186 Bad Iburg) [05-1-028] Vol. 22/23. 2002/03. The Decline and Fall of BBB: A Valedictory Volume. 2004. ISBN 3-923526-22-9: EUR 79

There is no other resource that indexes German-language publications in this field as thoroughly as the BBB (which also covered non-German publications). Researchers can turn to the international Annual Bibliography of the History of the Printed Book and Libraries (see RREA 11:38), but its coverage is much more selective and often delayed. The 22 existing volumes of the BBB will continue to serve as a useful reference to the literature of the years they include. [sh/kw]

Annual Bibliography of the History of the Printed Book and Libraries: ABHB. Ed. Department of Expert Services of the Expert Services and Collections Division of the Koninklijke Bibliotheek/Royal Library of the Netherlands, The Hague, under the auspices of the Committee on Rare Books and Manuscripts of the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions. Dordrecht: Kluwer (Vols. 1-29 published by Martinus Nijhoff , The Hague). 25 cm. ISSN 0303-5964.

Vol. 30. 1999. 2003. xxxviii, 615 p. ISBN 1-4020-1686-7: EUR 270 [05-1-029]

This annual has appeared since 1970 with variable, but cumulative delays. The scope is international; indexers are distributed among 34 countries, guaranteeing breadth, if not always great depth, of coverage. Up to now, there has not been a reviewer in Germany, mainly because the field was covered by the BBB (see RREA 11:37). This may change now that the BBB has ceased publication. The latest ABHB volume, which appeared in 2003, covers the 1999 publication year; it indexes 4,929 book titles and evaluates 1,200 journals. [sh/kw]

Book History Online: BHO; Annual Bibliography of the History of the Printed Book and Libraries. Ed. Marieke van Delft et al. The Hague: Koninklijke Bibliotheek. URL: http://www.kb.nl/bho [05-1-030]

The Annual Bibliography of the History of the Printed Book and Libraries: ABHB (see RREA 11:38) published a cumulative index to its first 17 annual volumes; volumes 18-20 are not covered in a cumulative index. Beginning with volume 21, the bibliography is searchable in the freely accessible database Book History Online (BHO), which first appeared in 2001. Information at the web site indicates that the database content is limited to what is contained in the published volumes of the ABHB, but searching suggests that newly indexed material is added to the database on a continual basis. The interface allows author and keyword searching and search limits by country, historical period, and publication year. [sh/kw]

Dictionnaire encyclopédique du livre [Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Book]. Ed. Pascal Fouché. Paris: Éditions du Cercle de la Librairie. 31 cm. [05-1-031]

Vol. 2. E-M. 2005. xi, 1,074 p. ill. ISBN 2-7654-0910-2: EUR 195

Originally planned for the end of 2003, this is the second volume of the Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Book, the first volume of which (A-D) has already been reviewed (see RREA 8:52). To recapitulate: over 700 collaborators, mainly from France, have put together this richly illustrated international dictionary of the realms of books and libraries. The work covers four main areas: history of the book and publishing houses, libraries and reading, the graphics trade, and modern publishing. The treatment of each of these areas is in turn broken down into sections on major concepts, people, communities, and countries. Of special note are the numerous entries dealing with definitions and technical terms of the graphics trade. The entries are generally ample, with some of the country entries running to encyclopedic length. Since French and Francophone topics predominate in both length and quality of treatment, this is the place to turn when one wants information about French names and institutions as well as French technical terms drawn from the book and publishing world. A third volume, containing the span of the alphabet from N to Z and a general table of contents, is still to come. [sh/js]

Das Buch-Wörterbuch: Nachschlagewerk für Büchermacher und Buchliebhaber [Book Dictionary: A Reference for Book Makers and Book Lovers]. Birgit Althaus. Erfstadt: Area-Verlag, 2004. 314 p. 21 cm. ISBN 3-89996-286-7: EUR 9.95 [05-1-033]

Generally known for its inexpensive reprints of out-of-copyright works, Erfstadt’s Area-Verlag seems to have produced an original dictionary. Its author is named, but nowhere introduced to the reader, either in the book itself or in any major biographical works or bibliographic databases. The book has no foreword, no directions for using the work, and no editorial notes. Its approximately 2,700 entries on the topics of books, publishers, the book trade, and libraries are short but accurate. Many appear similar to entries in Klostermann’s 2002 Wörterbuch des Buches (see RREA 8:51) and the 2003 Reclams Sachlexikon des Buches (see RREA 9:42), which was republished the same year, scarcely changed, in a revised second edition. After all, the objects described are the same, and vocabulary belongs to everyone. This book is serviceable for individuals in need of a cheap dictionary on books and their distribution, but libraries are better served by the aforementioned competing works, which have longer entries. [lf/rb]

Blickfang: Bucheinbände und Schutzumschläge Berliner Verlage 1919-1933; 1000 Beispiele, illustriert und dokumentiert [Eye Catching: Book Bindings and Protective Covers of Berlin Publishing Houses, 1919-1933; A Thousand Examples, Illustrated and Documented]. Jürgen Holstein. Berlin: Holstein, 2005. 517 p. extensive ill. 29 cm. ISBN 3-00-014786-1: EUR 198 (J. Holstein, Wildpfad 8, D-14193 Berlin, fax [49 30] 826 60 09, e-mail: holsteinbuch@tonline.de) [05-1-034]

Using materials from his extensive private collection, the author here presents examples of Berlin book production during the 1920s. Approximately 1,000 dust jackets or bindings from 250 Berlin publishing houses are illustrated, under 86 alphabetically arranged groupings with somewhat idiosyncratic keywords headings such as "Blut— heikles Gestaltungsmotiv" or "Rote Quadriga—Heartfield, Sincliar und Zur Mühlen." Scattered throughout the book are 16 essays by 11 antiquarian book collectors, art historians, or other book arts experts. A number of the entries would have benefited by more complete information, such as death dates, other biographical information, and details on abbreviated given names of individuals treated.

As with Holstein’s book on Georg Salter (see RREA 9:46), Blickfang is also nicely produced, although the reproductions are not as well done. Still, Holstein has achieved a first—a successful overview of book production in 1920s Berlin, center of the progressive book arts avant-garde in Germany at that time. [ab/jb]

Storia e bibliografia delle Edizioni nazionali [History and Bibliography of the Edizioni nazionali]. Mario Scotti and Flavia Cristiano for the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali. Milan: Bonnard, 2002. 595p. 25 cm. ISBN 88-86842-33-3: EUR 50 [05-1-043]

Bibliografia delle Edizioni nazionali [Bibliography of the Edizioni nazionali]. Silvia Chessa and Kathryn Paoletti. Fiesole: Casalini Libri, 2003. 474 p. 21 cm. ISBN 88-85297-68-4: EUR 37 [05-1-044]

Although these two significant publications cover the same general topic, the publishers were able to communicate with one another before publication so that there are significant differences in the target audience despite significant overlap in content. The Edizioni nazionali are government-sponsored editions of canonical Italian intellectual achievements meant to advance the national culture. They are the purview of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, the office which is also responsible for the first of these two reviewed materials, Storia e bibliografia delle Edizioni nazionali. Francesco Sicilia’s preface to the work situates the publication of the Edizioni nazionali within the larger context of preserving Italy’s "cultural heritage (patrimonio culturale)."

As the title indicates—history and bibliography—this is a two-part work. Mario Scotti, a professor at the University of Rome and editor of several volumes of the Edizioni nazionali, was responsible for the first section. In nine chronologically arranged sections he covers the conceptual origins, the first editions, those that appeared in the period of "liberal laicism and nationalistic ideals" followed by the interwar and postwar years, and finally the wealth of new Edizioni nazionali that have been initiated in the last two decades of the twentieth century. Here Scotti chronologically introduces each of the Edizioni nazionali, complete with critical annotations and references. The second bibliographical section of this work was written by Flavia Cristiano and consists of a main section (p. 275-538) and an appendix (p. 539-555). Each entry is preceded by an overview of the legal foundations, the people involved—specifically the editorial board, as well as the plan and structure of an edition. This is followed by a list of all the published volumes in the arrangement of the publication plan. This implies that in the case of a second edition, the order might follow a changed plan. The volume concludes with several appendixes: a chronological index of relevant decrees and laws from 1887-2001, a copy of the 1997 laws, a name index, and a detailed index of contents.

To date the second publication, the Bibliografia delle Edizioni nazionali, is certainly the most important, most ambitious volume in the series of bibliographies published by the leading Italian export bookseller. The entries, ordered alphabetically by author name, contain the date of the relevant decree; responsible party (without the name of the editor); publication date of the first volume; total number of intended volumes; number of volumes published until 2003; publishers and dates of change; and information about planned reprints. The individual titles, numbered serially, are listed complete with the databank’s identification number regardless of whether they are in print or not (if they are, the price is included).

Compared to the first bibliography, the second has the advantage of short, and therefore well-arranged, article headings. Above all, due to its publication date it includes books published after 2000, thereby providing an overview of the state of scholarship until 2003. [sh/kb]

Moderne Buchkunde: Bücher in Bibliotheken und im Buchhandel heute [Modern Book Science: Books in Libraries and Bookstores Today]. Konrad Umlauf. 2d rev. and expanded ed. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2005. 191 p. 24 cm. (Bibliotheksarbeit, 2). ISBN 3-447-04176-5: EUR 26.80 [05-2-296]

The second edition of Moderne Buchkunde, whose editor is Professor and Acting Director of the Institute for Library and Information Science at Humboldt University, expands upon the 1996 first edition both in the coverage of publishers, bookstores, and all aspects of librarianship and in consideration of changes in user habits because of electronic media.

What was "Print Media and the Public Library" in the first edition is now called "Printed Media and Books." This chapter introduces the various types of print publications and their specific criteria in comparison with digital media. Chapter 2 differs little from the first edition and features an overview of the different types of print media, providing brief descriptions and characteristics. Chapter 3 is extensive and focuses on non-fiction books, including reference sources from encyclopedias through popular non-fiction genres, such as coffee-table books. References to digital editions are provided. Chapter 4 is also extensive and covers "fiction," which includes novels, poetry, and drama. The author considers the many sub-categories of the novel, including crime novels and historical novels, but pays less attention to poetry and drama. Chapters 5, 6, and 7—anthologies, comics, and children’s/young adult literature and picture books respectively—could well have been included in chapter 4 but instead have extensive chapters devoted to their genres. Chapter 8, the last chapter, covers art books and fine presses as a special category, and because of limited interest, their inclusion seems questionable. Finally, the work includes an extensive index of the cited literature and an index of key concepts.

Overall, this book is a solid textbook that would benefit every student of library science. The reader will get an overview of the most important publication types and book genres of print media and will learn about the history of the publishing industry. If there is a third edition, the author should pay more attention to trends in electronic media. [mha/jmw]

Elektronische Bücher als exemplarischer Fall neuer digitaler Medien [Electronic Books as a Prime Example of New Digital Media]. Jutta Heidle. Trier: WVT Wissenschaftlicher Verlag Trier, 2003. 1 CD-ROM. (Lighthouse unlimited, 9). Also: Diploma thesis, Univ. Heidelberg. ISBN 3-88476-566-3: EUR 24.50 [05-2-297]

It is clear from the beginning of this work that the study was completed in the early years of this century and even in 2003 was probably already somewhat dated. The author sketches a history of the book, which leaves out too much detail. Her chapter that defines an e-book could be more clear as well. In subsequent chapters, the author discusses topics such as software and hardware, copyright issues, screen reading, and price structure and their impact on publishing and dealers. Her conclusion that e-books have realistic chances on the market is largely correct, if perhaps a bit wobbly in the details. It is worth asking whether a topic that evolves so rapidly actually requires such treatment. Perhaps it would be advisable to publish such information in journals, where the time between creation and publication is shorter. At the very least it is useful to have a study from a German perspective, as most information on e-books comes from the United States. [mha /dsa]

Die Firma F. A. Brockhaus: von der Begründung bis zum hundertjährigen Jubliäum, 1805-1905 [The Firm F. A. Brockhaus: From Its Founding to Its One-Hundredth Anniversary, 1805-1905]. Heinrich Eduard Brockhaus. Facsimile ed. Mannheim: Bibliographisches Institut and F. A. Brockhaus, 2005. 11, x, 441 p. ill. 25 cm. ISBN 3-7653-0184-1 [05-2-298]

F. A. Brockhaus 1905-2005. Ed. Thomas Keiderling. Mannheim; Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut and F. A. Brockhaus, 2005. 448 p. ill. 25 cm. ISBN 3-7653-0284-8 [05-2-299]

Die Firma F. A. Brockhaus [electronic resource]: von der Begründung bis zum hundertjährigen Jubliäum; 1805-1905. [The Firm F. A. Brockhaus: From Its Founding to Its One-Hundredth Anniversary, 1805-1905]. Heinrich Eduard Brockhaus. Facsimile ed. F. A. Brockhaus 1905-2005. Ed. Thomas Keiderling. Mannheim; Leipzig: Bibliographisches Institut and F. A. Brockhaus, 2005. 1 CD-ROM. ISBN 3-7653-0384-4 (CD-ROM), ISBN 3-7653-0084-5 (as 2 vol. set with CD-ROM): EUR 75 (set) [05-2-300]

Marking the 200th anniversary of the publisher F. A. Brockhaus, known today especially for its encyclopedias, the firm produced a three-part, multi-media publication. This consists of a facsimile reprint of the history of the firm published on its 100th anniversary, a volume treating the firm’s history in its second century, and a CD-ROM containing .pdf versions of these print volumes. As a set, the publication is titled 200 Jahre Brockhaus [Brockhaus 200 Years]. Examining the first volume from today’s perspective elicits concern that, though the product of a esteemed historian and accomplished publisher, the author lacks critical distance, notably reflects political concerns of his time, and lacks reference to sources to which the author had access in his family’s and the firm’s archives. Though it is useful to have a new printing of this volume, it would have been of great advantage to have accompanying critical commentary and documentation, at least to reflect the advances and perspective of current scholarship. The second volume adopts the layout of Brockhaus’s encyclopedias, despite its unsuitability for an historical monograph. Despite this and other organizational inadequacies, the editor and his co-authors offer a noteworthy assessment of one of the most important German publishers, even if only covering the latter half of the firm’s history. The third component of this anniversary publication is a CD-ROM whose only unique contribution is a searchable text for the introduction of the first volume and the entire second volume. The excellent indices of the two printed volumes seem to undermine the importance of the CD-ROM. [rf/dfb]

Next Section
Previous Section
Table of Contents

Comments, suggestions, or questions
Last update: March 2009 [BG]
© 2009 Casalini libri - VAT no. IT03106600483