College and Research Libraries


BOOK REVIEWS 
Mexico's Library and Information Ser-

vices; A Study of Present Conditions 
and Needs. By Carl M. White. Totowa, 
N.J.: Bedminster Press, 1969. 106p. $5.50. 

This slender volume is more than a 
simple recounting of current library condi-
tions and needs in Mexico; it is also the au-
thor's apologia pro vita sua, and a fine one 
it is. Indeed, helpful though the book may 
be to the agency that commissioned it and 
to the nation that is its subject, its value 
may be even greater as a succinct and 
rational position paper on the essential role 
of libraries in national growth. The wealth 
of Dr. White's extensive experience in the 
activities of libraries in developing lands 
assures a level of credibility to the volume 
that is unlikely soon to be matched in an-
other. 

The first chapter, a general essay en-
titled "Libraries in the Building of a N a-
tion," really carries one of the two major 
burdens of the book. In this reviewer's judg-
ment, it deserves to be reprinted separate-
ly-it is capable of standing by itself-and 
distributed widely among advisors, civil 
servants, opinion leaders, industrialists, and 
others who find themselves involved in 
planning and implementing programs of na-
tional growth. The conceptualization of a 
rational plan for library development in a 
country, Dr. White argues logically, is pos-
sible only as an integral segment of gen-
eral national planning. 

"Nation-Building in Mexico" is the sec-
ond chapter, and the second theme of the 
book begins here. In it the author examines 
the changing educational, professional, tech-
nical, and economic composition of Mexican 
society; speculates as to their future; and 
considers the role of libraries as both causes 
and effects of the changes. In Chapter 3, 
"Mexico's Library Capability," he appraises 
current levels of library service and exam-
ines critically the reasons usually given for 
their not having developed more fully. 

Recent Publications 
Chapter 4 describes "Modern Library 

Service for Modern Mexico." Herein Dr. 
White outlines the characteristics of library 
service he feels are necessary fully to sup-
port present and future stages of Mexico's 
social development. In the fifth chapter he 
described "The Federal Government's Part" 
in library development, especially the es-
tablishment of a statutory body with both 
responsibility and authority to effect appro-
priate library services. The sixth and final 
chapter concerns "Manpower for an Emerg-
ing Profession." 

The present study, together with Paul 
Bixler's Mexican Library (Scarecrow Press, 
1968), was done for the Ford Foundation 
in October 1966. In the library community, 
it will be of considerable interest to Latin 
Americanists, to librarians concerned for the 
international aspects of their work, and to 
students of comparative librarianship. Most 
of all, however, it should stand for a long 
time as a model for librarians who find 
themselves involved in the development of 
library plans for other nations in the world 
where similar conditions and circumstances 
prevaiL-David Kaser, Cornell University. 

Caxton and His World. By N. F. Blake. 
New York: London House and Maxwell, 
1969. 256p. $7.95. 

William Caxton, the earliest English 
printer, has been the subject of numerous 
literary, bibliographical, and historical stud-
ies. Surprisingly, there has not been a ma-
jor reassessment of his career since William 
Blades' The Life and Typography of Wil-
liam Caxton, a landmark work published 
in 1861-63. And so it is with special plea-
sure that we receive the excellent synthesis 
provided by N. F. Blake of Liverpool Uni-
versity, an accomplished Caxton scholar 
who has been writing significant articles for 
over a decade. Caxton and His World is 
both an exploration in biography and an 
evaluation of his literary attainments. 

/353 



354 I College & Research Libraries • September 1970 

In the role of historical detective Blake 
moves deftly through the maze of scattered 
and incomplete records pertaining to Cax-
ton's life. Blake has probably exploited Cax-
ton' s prologues and epilogues more imagi-
natively than any previous writer. Further, 
the narrative is measurably enhanced by 
the inclusion of summaries of past research 
and a selective bibliography devoted to 
works by and about Caxton. From the 
"meagre results" of his investigation Blake 
says that Caxton was born between 1415 
and 1424 in Kent, of parents ·who belonged 
to the professional or merchant class. By the 
age of fourteen he was apprenticed to 
Robert Large, a distinguished London mer-
cer. For almost thirty years Caxton lived 
in the town of Bruges, Belgium, where he 
became a prominent businessman and was 
involved in international diplomatic machi-
nations. He did, however, find time to buy 
and sell manuscripts, a fact which refutes 
those who claim that Caxton abruptly de-
cided to become a printer. In an attempt 
to still two bibliographical controversies, 
Blake concludes that Caxton learned to 
print in Cologne and that he taught print-
ing to Colard Mansion , not vice versa. Re-
turning to Westminster in 1476, he printed 
his first item in England that same year. 

Blake continually reminds us that Cax-
ton's mercantile experience influenced ev-
ery phase of his publishing operation , from 
choice of material to editorial practices , 
and that in evaluating Caxton, many critics 
have been guilty of applying contemporary 
standards to an earlier age. Taken in this 
light, Caxton's work as editor, translator, and 
prose stylist falls into a more realistic per-
spective. Caxton reflected rather than mold-
ed the literary fashions of the time as evi-
denced by his many translations of French 
chivalric romances and the issuance of 
many devotional books. Because most of 
Caxton' s projects were executed under the 
patronage of the courtly estate, texts were 
selected to gratify their tastes . He was not 
willing to sacrifice the financial security of 
a safe market to become a literary pace-
maker. The publication of classical authors 
was left to mainland printers, probably as 
an economic expedient. Caxton's respect for 
textual authority was sometimes cavalier 
and his translations were often insensitive-

ly literal. For example, Caxton did not se-
lect the best available manuscript for his 
edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales and 
he considerably modified Malm·y's Marte 
d, Arthur during editing. 

In a final , illuminating chapter on the 
man and his reputation Blake looks at Cax-
ton criticism over five hundred years and 
offers his own appraisal. The Caxton crit-
ical tradition has centered around anti-
quarians and men of letters. Generally, his-
torians have elevated Caxton because of his 
unchallenged position as England's first . 
printer while many literary critics have com-
plained that his books lacked linguistic ele-
gance and catered to the aristocracy . Gavin 
Douglas, a sixteenth century translator of 
The A eneid, wrote that "I red his wark 
with harmys at my hart." Shifting blame 
from the man to his times, Edward Gibbon 
pronounced: "In the choice of his authors, 
that liberal and industrious artist was re-
duced to comply with the vicious taste of 
his readers." Blake's ultimate judgment is 
cautious and detached. Caxton was a con-
summate businessman whose greatest 
achievement was the introduction of print-
ing to England, but whose books mirrored 
rather than transformed the period. By way 
of confirmation, Caxton beckoned with hon-
est charm in his advertisement: "late hym 
come to Westmonester into the Almonesrye 
at the Reed Pale and he shal have them 
good chepe." 

Blake's estimate of Caxton is quite fair , 
if reserved. He tends, however, to under-
rate Caxton's versatility as a printer-pub-
lisher and his contributions to the enrich-
ment and codification of the English prose 
language. It is perhaps unfair to criticize an 
author for not writing about an aspect of 
his subject that he has explicitly exempted 
from consideration, but it is nevertheless 
regrettable that there is no discussion of 
Caxton's typography and its relationship to 
the history of printing. And since Caxton 
was an important transitional figure between 
scribal and typographical culture, we need 
to know much more about the impact of 
his printing activities on Western society 
and thought. Blake has written an impres-
sive biography and literary critique that 
will very likely come to be regarded as a 
seminal contribution to Caxtonian scholar-



l 

ship.-Arthur P. Young, State University of 
New York, College at Cortland. 

Library Science. By John Farley and Stan-
ley Lewis. New York: College Notes, 
Inc., 1969. 101p. $2.95. 

In a brief preface to Library Science, it 
is stated, "We would like to thank the nu-
merous college faculty members through-
out the country who have requested that 
this type of book be published to supple-
ment the textbook in their classes." Ap-
parently the purpose of this publication is 
to supplement instruction in the use of li-
braries at various academic levels. It cannot 
be questioned that there is a need for good 
publications to accomplish this purpose. 

However, it is regretted that Library Sci-
ence is the publication that has evolved 
to meet this need, for this publication pre-
sents libraries and librarianship in a nega-
tive and frequently erroneous manner. It 
could do nothing but discourage students 
from considering the field of librarianship 
as a career. 

Even though the copyright date of the 
publication is 1969, it is assumed that the 
manuscript was completed early in 1967. 
All statistics given are for 1966 or earlier 
and all bibliographies and suggested read-
ing lists (with the exception of one entry) 
are dated 1966 or earlier. As a matter of 
fact the majority of the entries in the sug-
gested reading lists are in the 1940s and 
1950s. In discussing reference books and 
encyclopedias, generally no dates or edi-
tions are given. However, it is unfortunate 
that when some editions are given the latest 
edition is not identified, as new editions 
have appeared since the preparation of the 
manuscript. It is also regretted that there is 
minimal discussion of standards for various 
types of libraries. Those referred to have 
frequently been superseded. 

In an attempt to cover the total field of 
librarianship in this publication, which un-
fortunately is titled Library Science, the 
brevity of statements frequently causes mis-
understanding or results in statements 
which are misleading or redundant. Brevity 
has not been a blessing in this publication. 
I quote one paragraph completely to illus-

Recent Publications I 355 

trate this point. "Environment, a combina-
tion of many factors, affects reading. The 
availability of reading matter is an obvious 
environmental factor affecting reading." 
(p. 69). Many other examples of verbiage 
with little meaning could be given. 

Library Science is a typical "College 
Notes" publication. It is paperbound, with 
very cheap paper, frequent typographical 
errors, both in the text and in the suggested 
readings. If it were current and up-to-date, 
if all statements were correct, and if the 
challenge of contemporary librarianship and 
the excitement of the changing scene of li-
brarianship due to the educational explo-
sion and the related problems of informa-
tion organization and control were con-
veyed to the reader, this volume might 
have had merit.-]ohn T. Eastlick, Univ er-
sity of Denver. 

Books for Junior College Libraries; a 
Selected List of Approximately 19,700 
Titles. Camp. by James W. Pirie. Chi-
cago: American Library Association, 
1969. 452p. $35.00. 

Intended primarily for transfer, or liber-
al arts programs, with emphasis on support 
of curriculum, Books for Junior College Li-
braries (B]CL) " ... endeavors to present, 
as any good college library collection does, 
a microcosm of the world around us ... 
rbutJ does not attempt in any way to cover 
the vast area of terminal and vocational 
courses offered in junior and community 
colleges." (Preface.) Limited to books, it is 
a good selection of titles backed by sub-
stantial authority. The method by which 
it was compiled is logical-start with the 
shelflists of three outstanding junior col-
lege libraries, winnow the best from these, 
and add significant new titles. This proce-
dure, plus extensive use of authorities from 
the various disciplines, points to a quality 
product. 

This is a quality product, but is it the 
product which is needed? A comparison of 
BJCL with Books for College Libraries 
(BCL) reveals that, if pre-1964 titles are 
discounted, there is an overlap between 
the two of more than 70 percent. It will be 
remembered that BCL purposely omitted