The Book Encompassed: Studies in Twentieth-Century Bibliography

by Peter Hobley Davison (Editor)

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.

"Topics include the Bibliographical Society, 1942-1992; issues in bibliographical studies since 1942; medieval manuscript studies; English literary manuscripts of the 20th century; handwriting analysis; the study of paper as evidence, artifact and commodity; typographic studies; the future of bookbinding research; incunabula 1942-1992; Stationers' company bibliography, 1892-1992; enumerative and descriptive bibliography; describing maps; developments in the study of book illustration; bibliographical developments in science history; book catalogues; the British provincial book trade; Scottish bibliography for the period ending 1801; from autograph to automation in Welsh bibliography; bibliography in Ireland; La bibliologie in France; bibliography and oriental literature; bibliography in Australia and New Zealand; developments in editing biblical texts; notes on theory and practice in editing texts; analytical and textual bibliography in Germany and Italy; bibliographical studies in Japan, bibliography in the computer age; history of the book; meditations by the Captain of the Iceberg.

331 pages, Hardcover

First published November 27, 1992

About the author

Professor Peter Hobley Davison, OBE, Ph.D., D.Litt., Hon. D. Arts, was formerly fellow of the Shakespeare institute and Professor of English at St David’s University College and the University of Kent, and is Senior Research Fellow in English and Media at De Montfort University, Leicester. As well as being the author of seven books and of numerous academic articles and reviews, he published editions of half a dozen plays by Shakespeare and his contemporaries.

Davison was considered an authority on the life and works of George Orwell and has published the Facsimile Edition of the manuscript of Nineteen Eighty-Four, as well as three collections. The final eleven volumes of his twenty-volume-edition of the Complete Works of George Orwell were published in 1998. From 1971 to 1982 he was editor of the journal of the Bibliographical Society, The Library, and from 1992 to 1994 was the Society’s President. He received the Society's Gold Medal in 2003.

Reviews

[Cacology · Rating 4 out of 5]

a collection of excellent essays. Each would provide a good guide to learning a new field in bibliography.