College and Research Libraries


appendixes are conceived as a manual 
for those responsible for designing mass 
deacidification programs. (S. F. R.) 

Wittmann, Reinhard. Geschichte des 
deutschen Buchhandels. Miinchen: C. H. 
Beck, 1991. 438p., 48 DM. (ISBN 3-406-
35425-4). 
The Gutenberg legacy notwithstand-

ing, the history of the production, dis-
tribution, and consumption of books has 
not enjoyed the kind of lively attention 
in recent German scholarship that it has 
in France. Wittmann's absorbing book, 
although a survey written for the non-
specialist, is an important and original 
contribution toward remedying this 
deficit. It covers the German book trade 
from the late Middle Ages to modern 
times and stresses the socioeconomic 
and political conditions that have 
shaped the relationships of publishers to 
authors and readers. It addresses topics 
ranging from paper-making technolo-
gies to governmental licensing and cen-
sorship practices to the growth of 
literacy (from two percent of the popula-
tion in 1,500). Also included are sketches 
of major figures in the history of German 
publishing, such as Philipp Erasmus 
Reich, Johann Friedrich Cotta, and Julius 
Campe. (S. L.) 

Academic Libraries: Achieving Excel-
lence in Higher Education. Proceed-
ings of the Sixth National Conference 
of the Association of College andRe-
search Libraries, Salt Lake City, Utah, 
April 12-14, 1992. Ed. Thomas Kirk. 
Chicago: ACRL, 1992, 498p. $45.95 to 
ACRL members, otherwise $49.95, 
acid-free. (ISBN 0-8389-7622-0). 
In addition to the fifty-two con-

tributed papers given at the 1992 ACRL 
conference, this collection includes the 
texts of the four "theme papers" (by 
Julian Bond, Paul Saffo, Catherine R. 
Stimpson, and W. David Penniman) and 
summaries-some substantial, too many 
only a sentence-of the program sessions. 
The contributed papers (comprising two-
thirds of the text) lean heavily toward 
bibliographic instruction and public 
services (at ten papers each), with two 

Book Reviews 187 

... And even 
more 

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objective immersion- the background, 
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~ 



188 College & Research Libraries 

each on bibliographic control and tech-
nology. Although most of the papers are 
about everyday problems and issues, the 
mix of approaches is eclectic, including 
case studies, empirical research, and 
politically focused presentations, as well 
as some theoretical papers. One would 
hope for more careful proofreading of 
future conference proceedings. (S. L.) 

Histoire des bibliotheques franfaises. IV: 
Les bibliotheques au XXe siecle, 1914-
1990. Ed. Martine Poulain. Paris: Cercle de 
Ia librarie-Promodis, 1992 793p. 850 FFr. 
(ISBN 2-7654-0510-7). 
With the publication of this volume on 

the twentieth century, a magnificent four-

volume history of French libraries is now 
complete. It is divided into large chrono-
logical sections, with separate chapters 
in each by over seventy writers (includ-
ing many librarians) on subjects such as 
the Bibliotheque Nationale, municipal li-
braries, academic libraries, library archi-
tecture, sociology of reading, and 
documentation centers. Other chapters 
address le choc of new technologies and 
European perspectives at the dawn of the 
twenty-first century. This also happens to 
be a beautiful book, impeccably de-
signed, with fascinating photographs, 
and other illustrative material. (S. L.) 

Contributed by Stephen Lehmann, Susanne 
F. Roberts, and Bob Walther.