What is a book? : the study of early printed books /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Dane, Joseph A.
Imprint:Notre Dame, Indiana : University of Notre Dame Press, ©2012.
Description:xv, 276 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 23 cm.
Language:English
Subject:Bibliography -- Methodology.
Incunabula -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
Early printed books -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
English literature -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
Bibliography, Critical.
Editions.
Books -- History -- 1450-1600.
Books -- History -- 17th century.
Books -- History -- 18th century.
Printing -- History.
LANGUAGE ARTS & DISCIPLINES / General.
HISTORY / General.
REFERENCE / General.
Bibliography, Critical.
Bibliography -- Methodology.
Books.
Early printed books -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
Editions.
English literature -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
Incunabula -- Bibliography -- Methodology.
Printing.
Bibliographies.
History.
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/8737633
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9780268026097 (pbk.)
0268026092 (pbk.)
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:"Joseph A. Dane's What Is a Book? is an introduction to the study of books produced during the period of the hand press, dating from around 1450 through 1800. Using his own bibliographic interests as a guide, Dane selects illustrative examples primarily from fifteenth-century books, books of particular interest to students of English literature, and books central to the development of Anglo-American bibliography. Part I of What Is a Book? covers the basic procedures of printing and the parts of the physical book--size, paper, type, illustration; Part II treats the history of book-copies--from cataloging conventions and provenance to electronic media and their implications for the study of books. Dane begins with the central distinction between a "book-copy"--the particular, individual, physical book--and a "book"--the abstract category that organizes these copies into editions, whereby each copy is interchangeable with any other. Among other issues, Dane addresses such basic questions as: How do students, bibliographers, and collectors discuss these things? And when is it legitimate to generalize on the basis of particular examples? Dane considers each issue in terms of a practical example or question a reader might confront: How do you identify books on the basis of typography? What is the status of paper evidence? How are the various elements on the page defined? What are the implications of the images available in an online database? And, significantly, how does a scholar's personal experience with books challenge or conform to the standard language of book history and bibliography? Dane's accessible and lively tour of the field is a useful guide for all students of book history, from the beginner to the specialist. "Written with wit and acuity, Joseph A. Dane's What Is a Book? extends his project of teaching aspects of book history to the specialist and nonspecialist reader alike. Both will be stimulated and provoked by what Dane writes, and will also enjoy his arguments and admire the breadth and depth of his knowledge." --Henry Woudhuysen, University College London"--
Review by Choice Review

What Is a Book? is an introduction to the material aspect of Western printed books from the 15th to the beginning of the 19th century. Though this is a well-worked topic, Dane (English, UCLA) offers a contribution that exhibits several exceptional strengths. First, he deals with the subject in a succinct way that readers will appreciate, especially if they have experienced the numbing minutiae sometimes encountered. This stylistic economy allows Dane to cover more material than others in a volume of this size. The overall result is a book that is introductory but by no means elementary--a dense read that is well worth the effort. A second strength is that Dane's approach is almost exclusively from the vista of early modern English literature. Other bibliographic strategies are available, of course, but his has a ready constituency in the contemporary academy. In this regard, much recommends it compared to its dominant predecessor, the transmission of classical texts--an approach now much in decline. Thus, What Is a Book? has an appeal beyond the narrowly bibliographic. Readers also will be pleased with Dane's discussion of books in digital format and will welcome the extensive bibliography. The subject matter may be old, but the treatment is very up-to-date. Those interested in post-1800 books, on the other hand, must look elsewhere. This book will be an excellent addition for collections supporting strong English literature departments and those interested in the history of the book. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty. P. L. Holmer Southern Connecticut State University

Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review

The history and evolving terminology associated with the hand press period for printed books (from Gutenberg/Scheffer to the end of the 18th century) have been explored and defined in some sterling classics long in print because of their accessibility and ease with description. Dane (English, Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles; Out of Sorts: On Typography and Print Culture) is not a graceful writer and eschews concise descriptions-even of what a "book" is, insisting that he must coin a new phrase, "book-copy," so that we'll all understand. He goes through the expected components of his topic, from the page to binding elements to methods of descriptive bibliography, but has a rhetorical tic throughout by which he posits a circumstance only to dismiss it as invalid, e.g., "Whether Bradshaw's facts actually will speak for themselves (and the conventional answer today is that they will not)" and "I could say that I have selected a book at random, but that is not the case." Such prose will leave most readers' heads spinning. VERDICT Those new to this field should turn to the classics, including John Carter's graceful and concise ABC for Book Collectors and works by R.B. McKerrow, Fredson Bowers, and Philip Gaskell, not to mention Lucien Febvre and Henri-Jean Martin's The Coming of the Book: The Impact of Printing 1450-1800, translated by David Gerard. Dane calls it dated, but it's coherent and elegant.-Margaret Heilbrun, Library Journal (c) Copyright 2012. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review


Review by Library Journal Review