College and Research Libraries 262 I College & Research Libraries • May 1977 viously announced files of System Develop- ment Corporation's ORBIT and Lockheed Information System's DIALOG systems, the directory already needs several update modifications reflecting vendor additions. Overall, this work is recommended for any library which provides an active search service capability. To ensure its viability, it is urged that after the original one-year purchase, updated and additional pages be provided by ASIS at a nominal fee to the original subscribers.-Patricia E. Vaughan, Coordinator, NASIC, New England Board of Higher Education, Wellesley, Massa- chusetts. Pitkin, Gary M. Serials Automation in the United States: A Bibliographic History. Nletuchen, N.J.: Scarecrow, 1976. 148p. $6.00. LC 76-18116. ISBN 0-8108-0955- 9. According to the introduction, "the pur- pose of this book is to provide, in one place, access to all information published on the automation of serials control functions in the United States and cited in Library Lit- erature." The book is an annotated, biblio- graphic history, covering the period from 1949 to 197 4. Each entry, numbered and in chronological order, is annotated and contains complete bibliographic informa- tion. In addition, each entry briefly notes the major automation application, such as ordering, claiming, binding, etc., and the type of library, including the categories of academic, government, industry, medical, military, public, and secondary schools. The annotations are well-written and in- formative, varying in length from one to four paragraphs, with ample quotes from the original item. The appendixes contain an index of the articles by serials control function (binding, claiming, holdings in- formation, etc.), and there is also a com- plete author index. This book will help anyone considering serials automation by providing concise in- formation on the way in which other li- braries faced the challenges of serials automation and by locating specific articles relevant to the library's particular automa- tion needs. Its usefulness is diminished by its 197 4 closing date for entries and the limitation to the United States. Admittedly, most libraries contemplating the automation of their serials control func- tions will have Library Literature at their disposal. However, this book, reasonably priced at $6.00, provides a reliable, anno- tated literature survey and is highly recom- mended for any library or organization involved with serials automation.-]ean Hawks, Director of Public Services, North- ern Arizona University Libraries, Flagstaff. Sheehy, Eugene P. Guide to Reference Books. Compiled by Eugene P. Sheehy, with the assistance of Rita G. Keckeissen and Eileen Mcilvaine. 9th ed. Chicago: American Library Assn., 1976. 1015p. $30.00. LC 76-11751. ISBN 0-8389- 0205-7. It is difficult to consider doing a review of Kroeger/Mudge/Winchell/Sheehy with- out a feeling of reverence. Memories of the earlier editions from library school days on through years in the library profession bring proud recognition that the Guide has been a work of consistent excellence by li- brarians for the entire learning world. As one reads through the pages of this latest edition, there is the pleasure of recalling massive sets of volumes on shelves and of remembering authors whose careful work is always within reach and students whose puzzling questions have been answered. As noted in the preface, very little has been dropped from the previous edition and much has been added. This fact was confirmed by checking sections throughout the cumulated index of Supplement 3 of the eighth edition with the index of the ninth. The omission of reference works on individual authors appears to be the major deletion. One can sympathize with com- promises because of space requirements, but the omissions seem not to be done as consistently as would be desirable. Inclusions are said to be classical writers and "a few indisputably major authors" (Pre£. p.x). This decision results in rw list- ing for American authors (there were twelve in the eighth), and only Goethe is left for German writers-Hegel, Heine, Kafka, Mann, Schiller having been dropped. Corneille, Moliere, and Racine remain of fourteen French authors in the eighth. There is a satisfactory explanatory note as to the treatment of this type of reference work in the English literature section; a Announcing Stechert Macntillan's WORLD'S LANGUAGES CATALOG General and Special Dictionaries and Grammars 17th Edition Librarians know that dictionaries are basic reference works in all libraries. This, the newest, and most comprehensive catalog Stechert Macmillan has produced to date, is more than a listing of dictionaries and grammars in over 200 languages, it includes linguistics handbooks and the most significant and useful encyclopedias and periodicals in many specialized fields, such as science, medicine, industry, technology and literature. This revised edition will provide accurate and up-to-date information about these books in print. Previous editions of the World's Languages Catalog have been unique bibliographic reference tools for the librarian, and other information specialists for many years. This, the latest edition of this important refe{ence guide is presently being com- piled for publication December 1977, and is designed to be an invaluable acquisition tool for all libraries. Contents: Part I: Part II: Part Ill: Part IV: Dictionaries and grammars listed alphabetically b.y language. Specialized dictionaries.arranged alphabetically by subject. Linguistic periodicals. Standard reference works. r------------------------------------------------------1 Reserve your copy now! To cover costs of shipping and handling send $5.00 per copy desired, with coupon by September 1, 1977, to: Promotion Manager, Stechert Macmillan, Inc., 866 Third Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10022 U.S.A. Send __ c.opy(ies) 17th edition World's Languages Catalog. Total amount enclosed$ ____ _ Attention: Name: _____________________________________ __ Address: Town/City _______ County/State-------- Postal Code/Zip _____ Country--------- Check or Money Order must be enclosed. CRJ-s 1------------------------------------------------------~ 264 I College & Research Libraries • May 1977 similar explanation should have been added in the other sections, because otherwise the impression is left that no other individual author materials exist in a given national literature. Even though some books on associations are classed in the Library of Congress social science class, HS, it was an unhappy deci- sion to place the general listings in the social sciences section in the Guide and scattered elsewhere. It had been very use- ful and logical to find general academies and societies in a general section. Another unhappy result of the reorganization is the renumbering of the Guide's own class num- bers in AC-AH. Even though one may not have committed these numbers to memory as the preface puts it, it has been con- venient to refer from section to section in supplements and editions without consult- ing several indexes. Addition of L.C. classification numbers in the entries is a fine idea, and the use of Guide numbers in the index instead of page numbers seems to work reasonably well, as in the three supplements to the eighth. Prices and citations of reviews which were in the three supplements are not in the ninth. Their omission is reasonable, but the usefulness of those bits of information re- mains and should be one of the bases for reference departments to retain the three supplements as well as both the eighth and ninth editions. Also it is hoped that even the briefer inclusion of review citations and prices will be incorporated again into the supplements to the ninth. Although 1,000 pages are compressed in- to a volume almost the same size as the previous edition of some 700 pages, the type is clear and the page appearance is pleasing, except for some shadows through the thinner paper. The binding is good looking but unfortunately perhaps not as strong as needed; the front cover on our li- brary copy came loose at the hinge after about two weeks. Every library school student should own a personal copy of the Guide; the cost of this edition does seem to be a deterrent for such personal purchases. Perhaps ALA could consider granting a special student's discount to encourage ownership of such basic professional property. m rn rn rn m m BROCKHAUS STUTTGART m BOOKDEALERS ·LIBRARY AGENTS· gives you just a little extra service which is so important on book orders, subscriptions to periodicals and standing orders for series and sets, as well as searching for out-of- print publications. Why don't you find out more about this extra service by writ- ing to: BROCKHAUS KOMM. GESCH. GmbH, Dept. E1 Rapplenstrasse 20 D-7000 STUTTGART 1 P. 0. Box 1164 West Germany Tel. (0711) 29 55 51 Telex 7 255 705 bro d We are sure you will be pleasantly surprised at our cour- teous and efficient handling of your inquiries and orders. The library profession owes Mr. Sheehy and his colleagues and predecessors at the Columbia University Library its enduring gratitude for the various editions of the Guide. The latest is not an exception to the high quality of the earlier ones, and no li- brary or information center should be with- out it-Christine R. Longstreet, Head Ref- erence Librarian, University of Chicago. Ray, Gordon N. The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914. New York: Pierpont Morgan Library and Oxford Univ. Pr., 1976. xxxiii, 336p. $55.00. LC 76-10042. ISBN 0-19- 519883-2. William Morris and the Art of the Book. With Essays on William Morris as Book Collector by Paul Needham, as Callig- rapher by Joseph Dunlap, and as Typog- rapher by John Dreyfus. New York: Pierpoint Morgan Library and Oxford Univ. Pr., 1976. 140p., CXIV plates. $55.00. LC 76-29207. ISBN 0-19- 519910-3. The Pierpont Morgan Library in New York is justly renowned for the excellent exhibitions it regularly mounts. Since the Morgan's treasures and those of its friends range from the earliest illuminated medie- val manuscripts to fine printed books of all eras, literary and musical manuscripts, and virtuoso drawings, there is always some- thing on display of great aesthetic appeal and intellectual interest. In recent years the fine catalogs published to accompany tem- porary exhibitions have grown increasingly important in their own right: many are the standard monograph in a given field, and all must be consulted by anyone with a serious interest in the subjects they cover. For many years these catalogs have been handsomely printed by the Stinehour Press (typesetting) and the Meriden Gravure Company (illustrations and printing) un- der a variety of publishing arrangements between the library and commercial dis- tributors. The two books reviewed here rep- resent the first in a new arrangement with the Oxford University Press, which will dis- tribute all hardcover copies of the exhibi- tion catalogs. This is an arrangement to be applauded, despite the steep prices, for these catalogs deserve a wider audience than can be reached from within the library Recent Publications I 265 itself or by a specialist "fine book" pub- lisher. Gordon Ray's private collection of Eng- lish illustrated books was the source of the greatest share of the items exhibited last spring as The Illustrator and the Book in England from 1790 to 1914, and it is also Mr. Ray (president of the Guggenheim Foundation) who has written the catalog of the exhibition. Despite the wealth of source material available for this period, there is no comprehensive study of English illustration of the time, arguably the great- est period of fine book production in Eng- land. Specialist studies on some individual illustrators, specific techniques of illustra- tion, and a few schools of illustration have appeared, but hitherto there has been no adequate survey of the field. This catalog admirably fills the gap. The heart of the book is the description of the 333 numbered entries and a number of collateral items (mostly manuscript ma- terial). Formal bibliographic description has been most ably supplied by Thomas Lange, assistant curator of printed books at the Morgan Library, and for that alone the book would be an invaluable tool for li- braries (although fuller descriptions of many of the books are to be found in R. V. Tooley's English Books with Coloured Plates and the catalogs of the color-plate book collection of J. R. Abbey, to which reference is made). In addition, however, Mr. Ray has sup- plied, for each book, descriptive text which places it in a historical and artistic context. The entries are arranged in sections dealing with particular artists (e.g., Blake or Ros- setti) or illustrative techniques (e.g., aquatint or wood engraving), each of which is prefaced with a useful summary of the place of that artist or technique in the history of English illustration. All told, then, the text provides a good overview of the subject. This is not to imply that cover- age is by any means complete: the books exhibited at the Morgan Library represent only a small fraction of the output of Eng- lish illustrated books of these eras, one man's personal choice of the best of that output. The selection shows a bias for nar- ative image, overlooking advances in pure- ly decorative illustration and in design, but the outlines drawn are accurate.