The Book Encompassed: Studies in Twentieth-Century Bibliography

The techniques and approaches fostered in the first half of this century by what was called the 'New Bibliography' have spread throughout the world, developing and expanding in association with bodies such as the Bibliographical Society. The essays specially commissioned for this volume take 'New Bibliography' into the twenty-first century. They survey bibliographic and textual studies in some thirty fields, and include discussions of major issues and developments. Areas covered include manuscript studies and the analysis of handwriting; the physical characteristics of the book - its paper, type, and binding; enumerative and descriptive bibliography; incunabula, cartography, book illustration, book catalogues, and the Stationers' Company; bibliographical developments in the history of science, and in many countries - France, Germany, Italy, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, the British Provincial Book Trade, Japan and the Orient, Australia and New Zealand; developments in the theory and practice of editing texts (including biblical texts); the history of the book; and the implications of the computer for bibliography. An important feature of these essays is that each makes proposals for future research, ensuring the vitality of bibliography in the next half-century. Appearing at the time of the Bibliographical Society's centenary, the collection provides a landmark, taking stock of developments in what has become a vast and vital area of study, and mapping out its future parameters.