iu.-JBekAe^^: -j^wr-tyi -» ,tJaa LIBRARY OF THK University of California. <»I K'T < >K t T I !-• I 1 J I- . ^|M| Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2007 with funding from IVIicrosoft Corporation http://www.archive.org/details/compilingbibliogOOcolerich li \ Compiling a Bibliography PRACTICAL HINTS WITH ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES CONCERNING THE COLLECTION, RECORDING, AND ARRANGEMENT OF BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS BY GEORGE WATSON COLE An Address delivered before the Pratt Institute School of Library Training, March 15, 1901 ; reprinted, with Additions, from The Library Journal " A bibliography is to a literature or a subject what an index is to a book. It shows the extent of it, and the amonnt of work that has been bestowed upon it. It brings together the fragments of knowledge, and makes them accessible for every one con- cerned. Next to having knowledge, is knowing where to go for it, and the only enduring guide is a bibliography."— Fbrguson. NEW YORK THE LIBRARY JOURNAL 1902 Compiling a Bibliography PRACTICAL HINTS WITH ILLUSTRATIVE EXAMPLES CONCERNING THB COLLECTION, RECORDING, AND ARRANGEMENT OF BIBLIOGRAPHICAL MATERIALS BY GEORGE WATSON COLE An Address delivered before the Pratt Institute School of Library Training, March 15, 1901 ; reprinted, with Additions, from The Library Journal " A bibliography is to a literature or a subject what an index is to a book. It shows the extent of it, and the amount of work that has been bestowed upon it. It brings together the fragments of knowledge, and makes them accessible for every one con- cerned. Next to having knowledge, is knowing where to go for it, and the only enduring guide is a bibliography." — Ferguson. ^ OF THE \ UNlVERSiTY ) NEW YORK THE LIBRARY JOURNAL 1902 ^,d o^ <^)l^ ^ TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY COPIES PRINTED FOR PRIVATE DISTRIBUTION "^r-,^^ A' COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY. By GkoRGE Watson Cole. What do we mean when we make use of the term bibliography? As here understood, a bibliography is a record, in technical form, of all the literature known to exist upon any specific topic or subject. "The object of Bibliography," says a writer, well qualified to define that object, "is to bring a book or set of books, in their ab- sence, as much as possible before the student. A perfect bibliography would not only give a full and exact description of a book viewed as just a compound of paper and ink (meas- urements, number of pages, etc.;) but would also, as I hope we are agreed, set before the student so much of the life of a book as would give him, as far as the special object of the bibliography would allow, an idea of the correspondence of the title with the con- tents, of the plan and arrangement, of the circumstances of production — if they are noteworthy — and, roughly, of the place of the volume in the literature of its subject. This ideal, in which the author is recognized as having claims on our attention, as well as the printer, ought never to be lost sight of, and we should, if our scheme and powers allow us, never rest content with the techni- cal description only." (Madan's "On method in bibliography.") The compilation of a bibliography is a sub- ject which may be considered from two points of view; the theoretical and the practical. From either standpoint it bristles with tech- nicalities and difficulties and it is quite un- likely that what I may have to say upon it will prove of general interest. While it is true that it appeals to but few minds, it gives me great satisfaction to know that those for whom I am writing are both by experience and training most likely to belong to that small class of which I have just spoken. Some one may ask — why are not library catalogs sufficient for all practical purposes? M'hy does it become necessary to compile bibliographies and in what respects are they superior to such catalogs? In reply, it may be justly said, that, for the great mass of people the library catalog answers most in- quiries, but for the scholarly student or writer who wishes to know all that can be learned upon any special subject — one, perhaps, to which he proposes to devote months or years of study, as a Bancroft, a Parkman, or a Motley, who deliberately sits down to write the history of a certain epoch or nation — it will at once be perceived that every source of information, no matter how trivial or insig- nificant, should be placed at his disposal. While the example just given may be ex- treme in its application, the fact remains that there is a large class of writers and readers in search of information upon all conceiva- ble subjects, who wish to pursue the subjects of their search with great thoroughness. Few of these persons have the time or means to travel from library to library, and so famil- iarize themselves with the resources of the largest libraries in the country, and even if they had, few of the catalogs of 'these libra- ries are so constructed as to show all the material upon any given subject which lies hidden in the periodicals, the proceedings of learned societies, and various other compila- tions, which rest upon their shelves. The ideal library catalog is that one which shows the entire literary production of every person, and of every work or contribution to every subject in that library, no matter where they may lie hidden. Such a catalog, alasl has but an imaginary existence. If this is true of our largest libraries, which from the very nature of their collections, when com- pared with the entire product of the world's literary activities, must be pitiably incomplete, where shall we look for anjrthing approach- ing completeness of record upon any subject, except in a bibliography especially devoted to that subject? 10.3565 COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY What, therefore, libraries and governments, even, have neglected to accomplish it has fall- ' en upon the shoulders of individuals to do. ,We, therefore, find many contributing their jshare toward surveying and mapping out the great field of knowledge, selecting some spe- cial portion, and giving us the benefit of their knowledge and researches in the form of bibliographies. Every bibliographer, while making his in- vestigations should pursue them as if at some future time he intended to write a compre- hensive work upon the subject of his labors, and was simply making a preliminary survey and record of the field, with this as his main purpose constantly in view. In this spirit he will most nearly put himself in the position of those who will consult his completed work, "^he bibliography which fails to most fully record, annotate, and index the literature of its subject in such a manner as to be of the greatest service to the student in any of its various phases, as well as to inform him where a copy of each individual work titay be found, falls short of the bibliographical idealj The saying, that the librarian should know something about everjrthing and everything about something, has passed into a truism. The various demands made upon the libra- rian of the present day help wonderfully to give him or her some acquaintance with many subjects, or at least the ability to know where information upon them may be found. The very contact with the books which come into a rapidly growing library, is an educa- tion in itself, if properly improved, inasmuch as it permits one to taste from many springs of information. After all has been said and done the best fruits of the library are to be found in its catalog. Here is to be found the evidence of the librarian's ability to organize and systematize the mass of information about everything, which has been placed in his charge, and to guide others through its labyrinthian mazes. If the librarianjr has no clear idea of what his library contains how can he expect to be a competent guide to others ? The cata- log represents in its highest form the some- thing about everything which the librarian should know or his library contain if it is to successfully perform its functions. But in order to know or learn everything about something it is necessary to follow a more methodical course. While the library catalog may be taken as a type embodying the something about everj^thing, the every; thing about something is perhaps better ex- emplified by the bibliography. Now a bibliography may be made upon any conceivable subject; upon any subject, in fact, about which a man can write, whether a book, pamphlet, or occasional article. Broadly classed, most printed works are found to be written about persons, places, or things, or take various literary forms such as poetry, essays, the drama, etc. Probably there is no one subject around which literature more naturally groups itself than that of locality or place. As my experience in bibliographical work has been confined mostly to works of this description, whatever I have to say will naturally relate to this phase of the subject It might almost, with truth, be said that every- thing relates to some locality. We are all, more or less, interested in some place, usually the town in which we live. If we are connected with a library, nothing would seem more natural than that we should desire to place upon its shelves all the books and pamphlets, in short everything which can be secured which relates in any way to the city, township, county, or state in which the library is situated. These works, to be use- ful, must of course be cataloged. Here, then, we have a subjec t at our very hands, and one most naturally chosen : the formation of a special library and the beginning of a bib- liography. Here, too, is an incentive to ac- tivity in making both the collection and the record as full and complete as possible. Again, we here have all the most favoring conditions for successfully carrying out such an enterprise. Many persons are already, or may easily be made, interested in the work. Still, again, no place is so likely to contain the materials we are in search of as the place concerning which this literature has been written. Should a house to house search be made, it cannot but be rewarded with many precious discoveries. And just" here it may be best to call attention to what should be looked for in collecting material for a local bibliography. 1. Printed works — the contents of which relate exclusively to the locality chosen or to any part of it. 2. Printed works which contain a substan- tive and important reference to the locality chosen or to any part of it. COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY 3. Biographies of the inhabitants of the lo- cality chosen. 4. Locally printed works. 5. Works written by the inhabitants of the locality chosen, 6. Speeches or sermons on general subjects delivered within the locality chosen. 7. Prints. 8. Maps. 9. Manuscripts. This list I have taken from F. A. Hyett's paper on "County bibliographies," which was read before the Bibliographical Society of London, March 18, 1895, and is to be found in the Proceedings of that Society, vol 3, pt. I, p. 27-40. I would strongly advise any one who contemplates doing anything in local bibliography to read this paper before be- ginning his work. Another article by F. Madan, entitled "What to aim at in local bib- liography," in the Library Chronicle, vol. 4 (1887), p. 144-148, will also be found very helpful. Returning to our list; no. i may be said to contain not only books about the locality, but also all such pamphlets, articles, etc., in reviews and magazines; papers in the Transactions of societies; as well as all such broadsides and leaflets as are likely to throw any light on the history, description, litera- ture, flora, fauna, or other distinguishing characteristics of the locality chosen. Poetry and fiction, the scene of which is laid within the locality, should also be included. No. 2 should include all the above, possi- bly excepting broadsides and leaflets. But it would be well to notice no references which are not of a substantive character, such as separate chapters or parts of a bo«")k under a separate heading. To this list should be added not only lo- cal magazines and newspapers but reports of local institutions and societies. Extracts from, or portions of the laws and reports of the greater political departments of the gov- ernment, as those of the county, state, or federal government, so far as they especially apply or pertain to the locality chosen, should also be included. The choice of material to be made use of in the various classes I have named — what to include and what to exclude — is far from an easy question to determine. A general rule, however, may be laid down : the smaller the place chosen the greater should be the effort to include everything about it. The papers of Mr. Hyett and Mr. Madan, to which reference has already been made, will assist one much in coming to a decision in each individual case. The bibliographer should never so far forget himself as to at- tempt to play at the same time the role of critic and recorder. Mr. Hyett has well said : "Unfortunately, the bibliographer cannot 'Look into the seeds of Time, And say which grain will grow and which will not.' And however unpalatable it may be to him, he should chronicle the existence of much trash, in order that what may ultimately prove of value may not escape notice." Before proceeding further I cannot refrain from calling your attention to a very impor- tant suggestion made by Mr. Madan in his paper to which reference has already been made. He strongly recommends the librarian "to index, or to get indexed roughly, the best local paper." "References for recent facts are often," he truly remarks, "the very hard- est to obtain, and also the most immediately useful; the civic authorities of a place would be most grateful for an index of matters of public interest kept up to date. We should aim at working backwards and forwards each week (say) the current number and at least one back one." Having selected the place of which we pro- pose to compile a bibliography the first query which confronts us is How shall we make a . beginning? How are we to learn what has\ ^ been written about it? There is perhaps no \ \ better way, to begin, than by obtaining the ']} best or, at least, the most comprehensive work upon the subject and reading it carefully through, making notes, (as will hereafter be described,) of every citation or authority that the writer gives. No author, as a rule, at- tempts to write upon any topic, without first looking up, to a more or less thorough extent, what has already been written upon it. From what he finds he borrows, or adapts, and, if an honest writer, indicates the sources from which he has obtained his information. Con- sult, also, all the catalogs and bibliographies upon which you can lay your hands. By this means you will soon learn of the most important works which have been written con- cerning your subject. You may, perhaps, dis- cover that a bibliography of the place has already been compiled and that it would be time and labor thrown away to proceed with your project. Or, again, you may discover COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY that there exists an old bibliography, which you can supplement and bring down to date, amplifying its scope, if need be, and really making a new work of it. For the encour- agement of those desiring to take up this class of work, it may be said that in this country but little thorough work has been accomplished in local bibliography. The field is comparatively unworked, and there still remains much work which ought to be done. For, in the words of Dr. Elliott Coues, in the preface to an excellent special bibliography which he compiled: "Bibliography is never finished and [is] always more or less defec- tive, even on ground long gone over." There are two methods of compiling a bib- liography. The first consists in copying all the titles that can be found in the catalogs of booksellers, libraries, publishers, special bibliographies, subject or local, etc., and ar- ranging them in an orderly manner. At best this class of work savors of Grub-street and is an achievement which the painstaking, ac- curate, and conscientious bibliographer justly holds in scorn. For when completed, it is but the preliminary work or rough sketch, which he should consider as his starting point. Such a work as I have sketched is more than likely to carry mortifying evidences of its origin. The "pride of accuracy" of which Henry Stevens spoke, has often been brought low even when a most carefully prepared catalog or bibliography has appeared in type. How much greater is likely to be the mortifi- cation of the compiler of such a work as we have just described, when it is borne in mind that a bibliography so constructed (though seemin gto be a royal road to bibliographi- cal success) not only perpetuates his own errors but adds to them those of the works from which his material has been appro- priated. When I began to compile a bibliography of Bermuda, I decided to include in it the title of no book or article which I had not per- sonally examined. As the subject was one upon which but little had been written, this determination has g^ven me an advantage, which I can recommend to any one who wishes to compile a local bibliography. It gives one an opportunity to examine for one's self everything which comes to hand for ref- erences to new and unheard of material, and to see what authorities the various writers have consulted or quoted. By this course one's horizon is constantly extending and he is meeting with references to, or quotations from, books to which none of the catalogs chance will throw in his way will ever call his attention. As I found these references to or quota- tions from other writers, I carefully copied them upon standard size catalog cards, in- cluding all the bibliographical information they gave. Whenever meager, this informa- tion was subsequently increased by consulting catalogs, bibliographies or other sources of information for fuller particulars to add to the card. In writing this card I took especial care to name the book or other source from which the entry was made. Experience has taught me that it is also advisable in many cases, to briefly give some idea of what in- formation is to be found in the work cited. This is all the more important, as some time may elapse before the book itself may be placed in your hands; by which time the circumstances under which the card was writ- ten or the information which the work you have long sought for is expected to give may / have passed completely from your mind. Not always having given the source of the infor- mation on the card, I have sometimes found myself puzzled, when the book at last came to be placed in my hands, to know why the card was made, and have had to visit the library a second time, if, as sometimes happened, I did not have my card index with me. These cards, as may be seen, are to be made from all sources of information, such as catalogs, bibliographies, indexes, citations from books, and from every other conceiva- ble place where information may be picked up, • and, best of all, at the very time it strikes the attention. I presume we have all ex- perienced the difificulty of finding some bit of /. information in the daily paper, which we ^ have desired to refer to again after an in- terval of two or three days. Much time is wasted in such efforts which would have been saved by the prompt use of a blue pencil. As our work progresses, the spirit of the quest will grow sharper, and we will almost in- stinctively know where to look for pointers. We shall constantly be on the lookout for a y title to add to our preliminary list. Many of \ these titles when run down will amount to nothing, for we shall naturally add many which arrest our attention in out of the way places in the expectation that they may pos- COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY sibly afford something for our final record. Having begun this preliminary card index, Ithe next step to be taken is to consider the 'order of entry and the extent of the informa- tion given in the final record. Cataloging rules for libraries are a series of compromises. The elements of time, space, and expense are factors which, of necessity, liave to be taken into account with most libraries in varying degrees, and as a result the library catalog, while serviceable in the time and place for which it is made, is far from being a model to be followed in the kind of work now under consideration. In bibliographical work it should ever be borne in mind, on the one hand, that there are certain elements about a book which are fixed and unchangeable while again there are others which are subject to variation. Among the latter may be mentioned binding and absolute size. From the bibliographer's standpoint a book, in its highest and most complete form, consists simply of the sheets of which it is composed, printed, folded, gathered, stitched, and bound in paper covers, before the bind- er's guillotine has cut away a particle from its edges. Hence it is that the bibliophile chooses that his books shall be bound with uncut edges, or with the top edge cut away only just enough to permit of its being gilded. When such a view is taken, it necessarily fol- lows that it should be the aim of every bib- liographer to so describe a book that it can never, by any possibility, be mistaken for any other book or for any other edition of the same book; a thing which is not so easy to do as at first sight it appears. Professor Au- gustus De Morgan, the celebrated philosopher and mathematician, in the Preface (p. xiii.) to his bibliography of "Arithmetical bocks; 1481-1800" (London, 1847), says, "Were I to begin this book again, I would in every in- stance make a reference to some battered let- ter, or defect of lineation, or something which would be pretty certain not to recur in any real imprint. Ordinary errata would not be conclusive, for these might be reprinted for want of perceiving the error." Madan's rule of giving the first word of page 11 and oc- casionally of loi or 501 seems to my mind to be almost, if not quite as safe a method. (Madan, 1893, p. 96.) This, at first sight, may perhaps seem unduly painstaking, but experience has proved that su^ is not the case, especially with very old books. The French have always borne the reputa- tion of being bibliographers par excellence. One reason why this may be so, is that, in France, the great mass of books are published in paper covers with uncut edges ; i.e., are folded in the original size of the sheets upon which the book was printed. In this coun- try and England, on the other hand, it is customary for publishers to issue their works bound in cloth, or other material, usually, with the edges trimmed. A book, subject to constant handling and wear, as in our large circulating libraries, is in constant need of rebinding, so that its absolute size is con- stantly changing each time it passes under the knife of the binder. A protest occasionally appears in our public prints against the publishing of books or magazines with uncut or untrimmed edges. No bibliophile, no true lover of books, de- sires them in any other form. In this shape he has the book in all its bibliographical per- fection. If, as we have seen, the size of a book is a changeable quantity, where then can we find something that we can describe which will undergo no change, whatever may have been the vicissitudes through which the book itself has passed? In reply it may be said that the type or letterpress of a book, together with its pagination and signatures and the paper upon which it is printed are its only fixed elements. Bearing this, as it seems to me, vital and at the same time elementary bib- liographical point always in view, I have pur- sued my work as follows: In the case of a book which relates wholly to the subject I am treating, I first exhaust the information given by the title-page and in the exact order in which it is there given. There are only one or two portions of any title-page, which, in my judgment, it is safe to omit. First, the list of titles, etc. (frequently given at weari- some length), which follows an author's name. Even here caution should be taken to omit nothing which shall show that the au- thor is, in an especial sense, an authority upon the subject of which he writes. All infor- mation of an extraneous nature had much better be omitted. Secondly, mottoes or quo- tations which embellish a title-page may be treated in a like manner. Sometimes their appositeness is such that they may well be retained. The lining of titles of old books should be given, say before 1850, and especial- COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY ly of very rare books even if of more recent date. Having secured all the information the title-page can give, we next look for ex- traneous information. The number of vol- umes, if more than one, and size naturally follow the information given by the title- ^ page. I have said that size is an uncertain quantity. To render this information as defi' nite as possible, I give first the apparent size as determined from the fold or signatures. If these are found to be irregular this fact is noted; as "in sixes," "in eights," etc. To place the record beyond any possible doubt the actual measurement of the leaf is also given in centimeters. Next comes information of an unvarying nature; the size and description of a repre- sentative page of the letterpress or text. The measurement of the type should include the tops of the ascenders and capital letters of the upper line as well as the descenders of the lower line. Captions or running titles, catchwords and signatures, as well as mar- ginal or side-notes, unless incut, I exclude from this measurement. The size of the type may easily be ascertained. My method has been to procure a copy of an old Whitaker's Almanac and detach from it the page con- taining samples of the various sizes of type. This mounted on a piece of bookbinder's tar board and cut quite close to the capital let- ters which begin the lines makes a very con- venient size rule. By sliding it upward or downward near a capital letter in a page of print one is quickly enabled to find its exact size. In foreign languages this information is, of course, only approxipiate, the size of the English type being selected which cor- responds most nearly to that of the foreign type under consideration. Should any one, however, desire to be still more exact, in- formation regarding the names and sizes of the several foreign types and their English equivalents, the point system now in general use in this country, with other interesting information, may be found in Mr. De Vinne's recent book on "The practice of typography" (N. Y., 1900, chap. 2, pp. 52-122.) The next information to follow is the num- ber of pages and signatures. . Care should be taken that no inserted leaves or starred pages are overlooked and any irregularity in the number of leaves to signatures should be carefully noted. Then follows the record of illustrative mat- ter. First in order should come plates, maps, tables, diagrams, etc., or matter which has been printed independently of the regular sig- natures and afterwards inserted and bound up with the work. Following these may be added the number of text illustrations in the follow- ing order, woodcuts, etc., facsimiles, and head and tail pieces, if other than conventional. This in general closes the bibliographical record of the book from a material point of view. Following this may come as notes, 1st, a list of the contents or a synopsis of the mat- ter contained in the text. 2d, a list of the illustrations in the order above named with titles or description of each, especially if no such list appears in the book itself. And 3d a list of the maps, charts, diagrams, etc. The title, size, and scale of each map should here be given. So much for a book which treats entirely of the subject. In analytical the author's name is given, when it can be ascertained, followed by the title of the chapter, part, or article, including the author's name. If it appears at the end of the article, as frequently occurs in periodicals, it should be entered after the word [signed], in brackets. Dropping down a line in parentheses, after the word In follows the entire title-page of the volume an- alyzed. If the title is a long one it is well to repeat at its end the volume number, and in the case of periodicals, I give, in parentheses, the serial number and date of the special num- ber in which the article appears. In most magazines this is ascertained without diffi- culty. If not given at the top of the first page of each separate number it may some- times be found at its bottom as a part of the signature, sometimes in the table of contents, and, in one or two cases of the publications of learned societies, which I have in mind, this information is to be found on the verso of the title-page. In some cases, though rare- ly, this information is utterly unobtainable from the ordinary bound copies, in which the original covers have been discarded; an ar- gument for the retention of such paper covers or wrappers in all cases. Following the num- ber and date, in parentheses should be given the page from first to last inclusive. Of analyticals, the first and last pages should always to be given, as they give the searcher some idea as to the extent, if not 8 COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY thoroughness, with which the writer has studied his subject. Then follow size, letter- press, type, pages of article and signatures, illustrations, etc., synopsis of contents or notes, etc., as in the case of the book al- ready described. By giving the signatures, as well as the pages of analytical matter, the ioentification of such portions of books or periodicals as have been extracted and bound up separately is much simplified. The subject I have chosen (Bermuda) is one which is of much interest on account of its maps and charts. Little has been done in forming bibliographies of maps. In this country, Messrs. P. Lee Phillips, of the Li- brary of Congress, Marcus Bake'-, and Ed- ward B. Matthews have examined and rec- orded the maps of Maryland, Virginia, the Dis- trict of Columbia, Cuba, etc. There are, there- fore, few precedents to follow in such work. My first experience threw me in contact with a number of early seventeenth century majis which had been extracted from the at- lases in which they originally appeared and which bore no marks by which their source could be definitely ascertained. At this period Holland, and particularly Amsterdam was the seat of great activity in the production of beautifully engraved maps and atlases. Rival houses vied with each other in the amount and beauty of their products. Editions suc- ceeded each other at frequent intervals. The maps in these atlases were usually accom- panied with descriptive text, printed upon their backs, in every cultivated European lan- guage; special editions being prepared for sale in various continental countries. The culminating point was reached in the magnifi- cent Atlas Major of Johan Blaeu, in 12 vol- umes published in 1663. It contained 586 maps and stands to-day without a rival in the sumptuous manner in which it has been en- graved and printed. Booksellers have fallen into the way of breaking up odd volumes of these old at- lases and selling the separate sheets, this having. I suppose, been found more profitable than to sell the volumes entire or to attempt to complete the sets to which they belong. At any rate, such is the case and the markets are flooded with maps of this description which it is almost impossible to identify. Be- fore being collected into volumes many of these maps were presumably issued for sale in sheet form, and it is safe to assume that if a map is unaccompanied by text upon its back and devoid of other evidences of having been bound into an atlas of maps, it was originally so issued. Many of the early maps now found bound up in volumes of miscel- laneous maps were doubtless so issued. Oth- ers, with text, bound up in miscellaneous vol- umes, were without much doubt originally prepared for, if not published in, atlases, sub- sequently broken up, and again rebound in miscellaneous collections. The whole question of maps, either in sep- arate form or bound, as we have seen, is in consequence, full of perplexities and uncer- tainty. Maps, of all products of the press, are the most perishable. Their form is against them ; if large they are folded, and much use, with the creases, soon wears them away. They are also the most abused and uncared for of all printed matter, especially as soon as they are superseded by those of a more recent date. But the value of early American maps as his- toric material is coming to be appreciated more and more and better care taken of the remnants which have been spared to us. Their study by historians is now considered indis- pensable to a thorough understanding of the advancement of discovery and the early prog- ress in the settlement of this country. Here we probably find a more truthful record, and one in which there is less temptation for the traveller to prey upon the credulity of his fellow-countrymen, than in the marvellous tales of his adventures he unfolds in the printed page. Maps are besides more graphic, a few lines of the burin being much easier to understand than many pages of descriptive text. From what has already been said, it is evi- dent that maps, from a bibliographical stand- point, call for distinct treatment and a more exact description, if that be possible, than we are accustomed to give to books. At the out- set some interesting questions present them- selves. Who is responsible for the production of a map? Its publishers, its printer, its en- graver, the traveller or navigator from whose sketches it has been produced, the compiler or draughtsman who puts these sketches into proper form, or the man who bears the ex- pense of the undertaking, be it of the voyage, engraving, printing, or publication? Who in- deed ? And as maps sometimes bear the name of one, sometimes the name of another, and COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY sometimes of more than one of these, it may readily be seen that numerous difficulties lie in the pathway of anyone who undertakes to make an exact catalog of maps. Two ends should ever be kept in view in describing a map and especially a loose map. First a thor- ough and accurate description should be given of the map itself and, again, a record should be made of every particle of information which will aid one to identify it and even- tually complete the record of its source. For this purpose I have made use of nine head- ings for the map itself (A) and an equal number for its subsequent identification (B). They are as follows : A. I. Printer, publisher, engraver, or other personal information g^ven on face of map. 2. Title. 3. Place, publisher, and date. 4. Size by metric system. Measurement to be made within the neat line. Much confusion may arise from in- cluding the border of the map in its measurement to say nothing of giving that of the entire sheet. 5. Scale, also by the metric system. 6. Print or colors, whether colored by hand or printed in colors, style of en- graving, etc. 7. Location on map of following features: title, scale, compass, latitude and longitude if indicated and how, and engraver's name. 8. Border: its style and description. 9. Remarks: extent of territory covered, etc., etc. ; in very old maps insertion of sea monsters, vessels, form in which water is represented, method of projection, etc., etc., should be in- dicated For the eventual identification of maps, a description of the text upon its back should include : B. I. Title — language. 2. Pagination, if given. 3. Size of leaf. 4. Size of type and letterpress. 5. Number of columns, if more than one, and number lines of type. 6. Signatures. 7. Catchwords, of every page. 8. First and last lines. 9. Remarks — marginal notes, etc., etc. Spaces should be left on sheet for future insertion of new information when found, thus saving rewriting. Returning now to the consideration of the general subject: it will inevitably follow that some of the references which have been made in the preliminary card list cannot be veri- fied with the book in hand. When at last it is decided to cease research and to publish what has been collected, this material may be utilized by inserting it in the form of notes or as quotations, appended to the entries of the works, from which the references were taken. This will show that the work referred to was not unknown to the compiler or over- looked by him. As the sheets which are written from the books themselves accumulate, it becomes an important matter to decide how they may best be arranged or filed for easy reference. It by no means follows that such an arrangement as is most serviceable while the work is progressing is the best for its publication. As the work goes on, occasion will frequently arise to consult the material on hand to see if such or such a work has not already been seen and recorded. There are several meth- ods of arrangement which may be employed. The alphabetical by authors and titles, is probably the best for ready reference. An- other is by titles of works analyzed. This I have found convenient, and from the need of such an index to supplement the author and title arrangement, arose the list which was published in the Bulletin of Bibliography in 1898, a second series of which, is now being published in the same periodical. Another arrangement is by subjects. This has its good points. It keeps together all the works, for example, on the flora, fauna, geology, and other subdivisions of the subject to be worked up, and indicates its greater or less complete- ness, and thus helps towards completing the same. Another arrangement, which has much to be said in its favor, when it comes to printing, and a final form must be chosen, is the chronological. This, however, has little value for ready reference unless accompanied by several exhaustive indexes. It is proba- bly the best arrangement for print provided it is thoroughly indexed. If indexes cannot be given, I think the subject form would probably be the most useful. The same dif- ficulty will be found here as in the classifica- tion of books, subjects often overlap or au- thors treat of more than one; objections which •CO COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY disappear in an author or chronological ar- rangement. In my own practice, as material has ac- cumulated, I have, from time to time, thrown it into several arrangements, but in whatever form it has happened to be at any given time, I have often had occasion to wish it were ar- ranged in some one of the others. To ob- viate this difficulty, I have made several brief indexes which are desigfned to answer almost any question, no matter from what standpoint it may arise. These indexes are as follows : 1. An author and title index, in one alphabet. 2. Chronological index. 3. Subject index. 4. Analytical index, by title of periodical, compilation, etc. 5. Maps of Bermuda only; 1622 — date. 6. General maps depicting Bermuda; 1511- 1630. This latter is arranged chronologically with a separate alphabetical name and title index.* If indexes are thought undesirable and too large a mass of material has not been accu- mulated, I have found the following method of filing my sheets to work very well, as it allows one to easily throw the matter into any arrangement desired. With the book in hand, and before beginning to make my record I write in the extreme upper right- hand corner of the sheet the name of the library in which I am examining the book. Beneath this — of late — I have given the date. It at least shows that on such a date the book was seen and belonged there. When the book has a shelf mark or call number I also record this. The value of this record of the name of the library and shelf number are obvious, should you desire to re-examine the work, and in case of rarity it locates a copy to which inquirers can be referred. The record is then made as already fully described upon sheets of paper 25 centimeters in height by 20 centimeters in width. In the upper extreme left-hand corner the date of the publication is given. A word about this date may not be out of place. In periodicals and the publications of learned societies, is- sued in parts, the date of the part, when it can be ascertained, is given rather than that of the title-page, which often bears a much later date. The former is the true date of publication, so far as that particular part of *For specimens of these various indexes see Ap- pendix II. the work is concerned, and priority of publi- cation, especially in matters of scientific rec- ord is often of essential importance. It is needless to say that this date should also ap- pear in the final entry. The date of the reading of scientific papers, which often takes place at greater or less intervals of time before they appear in print, should also be recorded. In arranging by dates, which are inclusive, as 1816-72, arrange under the ear- lier. To one studying the matter historically or chronologically, the reason for this arrange- ment is obvious. I have made use of the Cutter author num- ber as an assistance in alphabeting my sheets. In case of analyticals I have used this twice; the first, for the main or author heading, I place at the right of the date and on the same line ; the second, for the title or name of the work analyzed, is placed below the date on the left-hand end of the first line. Each sheet also bears, in red inK, I hardly know why in red, the class number of the subject matter of the sheet, in the Decimal Classification. I formerly indicated at the top of the sheet whether the work recorded contained illus- trations or maps. This practice I have not kept up. It may be easily added at any time if desired. There are a few details, which from ex- perience, I have found convenient to employ. The judicious use of underscoring in red ink is very helpful. In cases where there are many lines of writing, it causes the important words to spring to the eye from the mass of those of less importance. For example, I use it mainly in cases of analytical matter, where the maiii heading is the author or, if anonymous, the title. The title of the work from which this is taken together with the volume and pages being underscored in red ink help very much in handling the sheets for rearrangement which at times is found to be desirable. Another wrinkle which I have found to work well is the underscoring of unusual quoted matter, such as misspelled words, square brackets or parentheses, etc., with a dotted line. It reassures one when looking over his manuscript at a later date that the form used was intentional and did not arise from any mistake or negligence. When work so underscored comes into the printer's hands, he, too, will understand it perfectly and for II COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY a very simple reason. One of the rules of proof-reading requires that when any correc- tion has been made in the proof and upon maturer consideration it is decided that the type ought to remain as it stands, the word "stet" is written in the margin and the words which it is desired to retain unchanged in the proof are underscored with a dotted line. If the copy goes to the printer under- scored in this manner, he at once recognizes that it appears as written with the full knowl- edge and intention of the author and will not, as many printers assume to do, correct it to suit generally accepted standards. Other check marks and arbitrary signs I need not give, as each person will devise and make use of them as occasions arise for their use. If what I have said shall cause anyone to become interested in Ipcal bibliography and to realize its value as a means of imparting important information to searchers after spe- cial information, I shall be glad. If it shall be the means of inspiring any to build up special collections of books and to engage in the compilation of a bibliography of the sub- ject of which such a collection treats, my paper will have fully answered its purpose. No one is more conscious than myself of the difficulty of attempting to describe technical matters in a luminous, and at the same time popular way, especially in the course of a single paper. If I have succeeded in making my meaning intelligible in all cases, I shall be more than surprised. Below I have gfiven a list of articles which it will be well for anyone, who seriously contemplates compil- ing a bibliography, to read before taking up his work. A FEW ARTICLES ON BIBLIOGKAPHY TO BB KZAD. Arranged chronologically. Walford, Cornelius. Special Collections of Books. (In Trans, and Proc. of Conference of Librarians, London, 1877 (Lond., 1878), p. 45-49. Note. — Gives an account of his Insurance Li- brary which now forms a part of the Library of the Equitable Insurance Company of New York. Wright, William Henry Kearley. Librarians and Local Bibliography. {In L. A. U. K. Trans, and Proc. of the Fourth and Fifth Annual Meetings, Sept., 1881, and Sept., 1882 (Lond., 1884), P. i97- 201). Bradshaw, Henry. Note on Local Libraries con- sidered as Museums of Local Authorship and Printing {Ibid., p. 237-238). Tedder, Henry R. A Few Words on the Study of Bibliography. {In Trans, and Proc. of the L. A. U. K., at the 7th Annual Meeting, Dublin, 1884 (Lond., 1890), p. 128-131). Harrison, Robert. County Bibliography. {In the Library Chronicle, vol. 3 (1886), p. 49-54). Note. — Gives an account of several bibliogra- phies of English counties. Madan, Falconer. What to aim at in Local Bib- liography. {In the Library Chronicle, vol. 4 (1887), p. 144-148). Note. — Practical directions, from the peraonal experience of the author in compiling a bibliogra* phy of Oxford. Chauvin, Victor. What a Bibliography should be. {In the Library journal, vol. 17 (No. 3, Mar., 1892), p. 87-88). Madan, Falconer. On Method in Bibliography. {In Transactions of the Bibliographical Society, vol. I (Pts. I and 2, 1893), p. 91-102). Note. — Gives "Suggestions of Method, in Out- line." Christie, Richard Copley. Special Bibliographies [with] Discussion. {In Transactions of the Bib- liographical Society, vol. i (Pt. 3, 1893), P- '^S- »77)- Note. — Purpose of personal bibliography ia treated on p. 169-172; of local bibliography, p. 171- 174. Cole, George Watson. American Bibliography, (Jen- eral and Local. {In the Library journal, vol. 19 (No. 1, January, 1894), p. 5-9). Hyett, Francis Adams. County Bibliographies; Sug- gestions for increasing their Utility. {In Trans- actions of the Bibliographical Society, vol. 3 (Pt. 1, Sept., 1895), p. 27-40). Note. — Valuable, as it gives classes of ma- terial to be sought for and their relative impor- tance. Campbell, Frank. The Theory of National and In- ternational Bibliography. With Special Reference to the Introduction of System in the Record of Modem Literature. London (Library Bureau), 1898. 8vo. XV+500 pp. Hyett, Francis Adams. Suggestions as to the Lim- its and Arrangement of County Bibliographies. {In Tran. Madison, N. J. Drew Theological Seminary. Ox» Oxford, Eng. Bodleian Library. \ P*^ Philadelphia, Pa. Academy of Natural Sciences. P' <( Franklin Institute. Pa" Paris, France. Bibliotheque Nationale. W^ Washington, D. C. Library of Congress. wp " Public Library. Wo* Worcester, Mass. Antiquarian Society. Y* New York, N. Y. Astor Library. Y" « New York Botanical Garden. YO <( Columbia University. YO « American Geographical Society. YH « American Museum of Natural History. YL « Lenox Library. Y«» u Mercantile Library. Yw (C Academy of Medicine. Y8 » New York Historical Society. 20 COMPILING A BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX III. Sample Sheet of Final Recx)rd. /yyo J)t2. V- ff W iV.rf"? ll.f 6vv>..^ iwi^iaaJL. 4MX3LK,}pJxJtAA ^ ft.ll, 6^\Xl£j'l»-tJUt. , ; -(-^Ai- , VtV4-0 ttlt/yJn, y—'O. -htMijU, etc/., ^f»C'7-2. i — toUAt\«^l 'R*^jt/vxXct/0 , /a. 3 i — CUtft/» cwX'PaWXov. Xva/4.aa^*a/> J /s^. /J-iO ^ — J"uA/fe>o 5^JLa^vaJU 0LflLAAX4>» to 'oLoto-i^.^jL >VuuJWuv\.*Ai>> ^;UvA>u>-tA., ^ I 3 j - 2u>(lL ^/o av-itf" i-" .^tXto /I S-4JU Live (Xojua^ o^ -4^, Cje-MSi/w^ Ct|aia^(rvuJbvv\jZ/vot« i/vw/Lt'u bUjt^ " "^'^ "' 73oJk a/vv\>.,oi»'\A. 2.4 These sheets can be used as a card-catalogue or fastened together in pamphlet form. 1 i r RETURN LIBRARY SCHOOL LIBRARY TG^ Room 133 - Main Library 642-2253 LOAN PERIOD 1 2 3 4 5 6 ALL BOOKS MAY BE RECALLED AFTER 7 DAYS DUE AS STAMPED BELOW DEC 20 1988 n FORM NO. DD 18, 45m 676 LD 21-50m-4,'63 (D647l8l0)476 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY BERKELEY CA 94720 oenerai i-iorary -; Uaivenity of California Berkeley / / f^m 1 &:f;.fiOv^r*r» U-fT JL