Bøker i Cambridge Library Collection - History of Printing, Publishing and Libraries-serien

'A passion for possessing books, not so much to be instructed by them, as to gratify the eye by looking on them': thus is described 'bibliomania' by one of the characters of Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847), in this humorous novel first published in 1809. Introduced in English at the end of the eighteenth century, the term 'bibliomania' - or 'book-madness' - gained popularity with the publication of Dibdin's eponymous work. Using the entirely revised 1811 edition, this reissue brings back to life Dibdin's bibliomaniac characters and their playful dialogues on the nature and history of book collecting, and, most importantly, on the dangers of the 'fatal disease' that is bibliomania, its strange manifestations - such as the 'vellum', 'first edition', and 'unique copies' symptoms - and its possible cure. The author of numerous bibliographical works, Dibdin provides erudite comments and clarifications to his characters' dialogues in a parallel narrative of footnotes.

M. R. James (1862-1936) is probably best remembered as a writer of chilling ghost stories, but he was an outstanding scholar of medieval literature and palaeography, who served both as Provost of King's College, Cambridge, and as Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum, and many of his stories reflect his academic background. His detailed descriptive catalogues of manuscripts owned by colleges, cathedrals and museums are still of value to scholars today. First published in 1929, this book lists over 300 separate volumes which were part of the library of Peterborough Abbey before the Dissolution. James reconstructs this list from sources including lists of books bequeathed to the Abbey, ancient catalogues, and extant books which can be identified as belonging to the library in the medieval period. He also provides a short analysis of his sources. Now reissued, this book will be welcomed by librarians and researchers alike.

Arthur Le Blanc Newbery's family history, published in 1911, is meticulously researched and easy to read, consolidating a range of resources to provide a comprehensive history of the Newberys. Presented in timeline form using extracts from the various sources, it also includes biographies of members of the related Raikes, Le Blanc, and McClintock families. Central to the history is the life of John Newbery (1713-1767), a well-known publisher, most notably of children's books, and friend of Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith. His relationship with the two men is well documented, and the account is supplemented with extracts from their biographies. Other notable ancestors of Le Blanc Newbery whom he includes in this book are John's son and nephew, both called Francis, the latter of whom first published Goldsmith's The Vicar of Wakefield; and Admiral Sir Francis Leopold McClintock (1819-1907), the Arctic explorer.

Charles Welsh's account of the achievements of John Newbery was first published in 1885. Newbery is best known as the pioneering publisher of good-quality children's books such as A Little Pretty Pocket-Book and Little Goody Two-Shoes. In many ways he can be regarded as the first publisher who created and marketed books specifically for children. He was an associate of Samuel Johnson and Oliver Goldsmith, and founded a number of newspapers that published some of their works. Welsh also draws attention to a less well known aspect of Newbery's diverse business ventures: his involvement in the selling of patent medicines. The author chronicles the immediate successors to the Newbery business and includes a lengthy summary of the son Francis Newbery's autobiography. The illustrated book contains a number of appendices including John Newbery's will, lists of his publications and some of the newspapers with which he was associated.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838-1917) was a prolific writer on bibliography, literature and the arts. As founder of the Index Society, and editor of The Bibliographer, he was also involved in the foundation of the Library Association. In that context he wrote several works on library topics, and this volume contains two works on bookbinding, Remarkable Bindings in the British Museum (1889) and Bookbinding Considered as a Fine Art, Mechanical Art and Manufacture (1882). The former contains descriptions and illustrations of 62 examples of bookbinding then in the British Museum library, notable as beautiful examples from different countries and periods, or different materials, or for their historic interest. The second piece was a paper read to the Society of Arts in 1880. It outlines the history of bookbinding styles in different countries, and then discusses it both as an art form and from a practical point of view, with illustrations.

Published soon after his untimely death, this spirited memoir of the artist and illustrator Randolph Caldecott (1846-1886) will appeal as much for its value as a portrait composed by a close acquaintance, as for the many drawings it contains. Written by Henry Blackburn (the editor of the London Society, 'an illustrated magazine of light and amusing literature' to which Caldecott contributed a number of drawings), it uses a style similar to that of Caldecott himself, who often peppered his papers, personal letters to family and friends, and even official documents with small sketches. These would take as their subject some humorous remark, or simply illustrate the content of the text. Beyond illustration (in which he was highly successful) Caldecott had a varied career as a sculptor and oil painter (exhibiting at the Royal Academy) and as a watercolourist, being elected to the Royal Institute of Watercolour Painting in 1872.

Annals of a Publishing House contains the early history of the influential Scottish publishing house, William Blackwood and Sons. From small beginnings, the firm had rapidly become the leading Scottish publishing house, dominating the literary world, particularly through Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine. Owing to the death of Mrs Oliphant, the commissioned author, Volume 3 was written by Mary Porter, daughter of John Blackwood, sixth son of the founder, and covers his career. Beginning as head of the new London branch, he assumed control of the firm on the death of his uncle Robert in 1852. He reorganised the firm and added its prominence. He formed working relationships with many of the leading Victorian writers, including Elizabeth Barrett Browning, George Eliot, Edward Bulwer Lytton and Thomas Hardy. He expanded the firm's output to include travel writers such as Burton on India and Speke on the search for the source of the Nile.

This comprehensive volume, first published in 1864, covers the history of libraries from classical times to the nineteenth century, principally in England but also further afield. The author was an influential figure in the founding of municipal libraries in nineteenth-century Britain and regarded access to good libraries as crucial to education and civilisation. He emphasises the importance of individual collectors in the building of great libraries, and examines the personal holdings of many writers and scholars as well as members of royal families, the aristocracy, and clergy. Some of these are well known, others less commonly encountered in surveys of library history. Edwards also discusses the subsequent history of these collections, their dispersal or incorporation into other libraries. Other important topics covered by Edwards include the development and organisation of the State Paper Office and Public Records Office from the medieval period onwards.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838-1917) was a prolific writer on bibliography, literature and the arts. As founder of the Index Society, and editor of The Bibliographer, he was also involved in the foundation of the Library Association. In that context he wrote several works on library topics. How to Catalogue a Library (1889) was aimed at smaller library collections, as existing systems, such as the manuals of the British Museum library or the Library of Congress, were too elaborate for smaller collections. Wheatley begins by defining the differences between catalogues, indexes and bibliographies, and then compares the existing rules. He discusses the physical form of catalogues and lists the minimum requirements for the catalogue of a small library. He also discusses cataloguing manuscripts and cross-referencing, and provides a useful index of Latin place names. The book contains much on the theory of organisation of information still of relevance today.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838-1917) was an eminent bibliographer, author and editor who served as assistant secretary to the Royal Society of Arts between 1879 and his retirement in 1908. He also had a particular interest in the life of Samuel Pepys (1633-1703), founding the Samuel Pepys Club in 1903 and producing the most reliable edition of Pepys' diary until the Latham edition (1970-1983). This volume, first published in 1880, contains a detailed biography of Pepys. Using contemporary sources, Wheatley discusses Pepys' achievements during the period his diary was kept, his progression in the Navy Board and his resignation in 1689. Wheatley also provides fascinating descriptions of Restoration society, manners and customs, exploring the historical context of Samuel Pepys' life through discussions of various incidents taken from his diary. This volume remains a standard reference for the historical context of Pepys' diary and life.

Charles Knight (1791-1873), the son of a Windsor bookseller, was apprenticed to his father at fourteen. He read widely and systematically, and began to buy, collect and sell rare books. He also worked as a journalist, and, on moving to London, set up as a publisher, then took to freelance writing, and acted as manager of the publications of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge. In 1832, he launched the Penny Magazine, offering the working classes useful information, within a moral context of thrift and self-discipline. Knight continued to write - on Shakespeare, on Caxton, on English history - while at the same time being at the centre of the British publishing industry. His 1864-5 three-volume autobiography (reissued here in its posthumous 1873 edition) provides insights into the economics as well as the personalities of the mid-Victorian publishing world. Volume 3 covers the 1850s, and continues up to 1865.

This two-volume work on the life and activities of the printer William Caxton was written by another printer, William Blades, and published in 1861-3. Volume 1 deals with Caxton's life and the background, in England and Europe, to his innovatory work, and supplies transcriptions of contemporary documents.

This two-volume work, originally published in 1705 and now reissued in John Nichols' edition of 1818, features one of the earliest examples of autobiographical writing in English. Volume 1 contains the 'life and errors', preceded by a short biography by Nichols.

This four-volume work on the early history of printing, published between 1810 and 1819, was enlarged by Thomas Frognall Dibdin from the previous works of Joseph Ames and William Herbert. The lives of Ames and Herbert are followed by discussions of printers from Caxton to Thomas Hacket in the late 1500s.

Compiled by the bibliographer Charles Edward Sayle (1864-1924), this three-volume catalogue was first published in 1916. It lists Cambridge University Library's important collection of over 8,000 Irish printed works, those by Irish authors, and those relating to Ireland, ranging from the early seventeenth century to the late nineteenth century.

Published in 1803, this is the first of a three-volume descriptive catalogue of the Hebrew codices in the personal library of Giovanni Bernardo De Rossi (1742-1831), an authority on Hebrew texts and their variant manuscript readings. Each codex is numbered and its contents described in Latin.

First published in 1817, this three-volume work by Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847) is an enthusiastic and well-illustrated exploration of bibliographical history from illuminated manuscripts to contemporary book auctions. Volume 1 presents a detailed survey of illuminated manuscripts and early printed books, with many illustrations throughout.

Published in 1814-15, this is a catalogue of the oldest and rarest books in the greatest private library in Europe. Each is described in detail, often with reproductions of woodcuts and engravings. The work reveals one man's commitment to collecting the earliest examples of this revolutionary invention.

John Johnson (1777-1848) produced this study of the history and art of printing in 1824. Volume 1 deals with the history of printing, and is chiefly derived from the work of other writers, although is still of interest to bibliographers. It contains details of early English books and printers, with illustrations.

The publication of this influential biography in 1863 challenged contemporary opinions of William Blake and revealed his talents as an artist and writer. Volume 1 is an account of Blake's life, combining excerpts from his written works and paintings with detailed biographical information drawn from surviving letters and contemporary accounts.

M. R. James' detailed and scholarly descriptive catalogue of the medieval manuscripts in the library of Lambeth Palace, co-authored with the Lambeth Librarian Claude Jenkins and originally published in five parts between 1930 and 1932, has not been superseded and is much sought after by librarians and researchers.

M. R. James' detailed and scholarly descriptive catalogue of 183 Latin manuscripts in the John Rylands Library, Manchester, originally published in 1921, is still much sought after by librarians and researchers. Volume 1 contains the text and Volume 2 consists of 187 plates illustrating varieties of scripts, decorations and covers.

Described by the author as 'a storehouse of biographical and bibliographical anecdote', this two-volume autobiography, published in 1836, recounts the life and work of the renowned English bibliographer Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776-1847). Dibdin focuses especially on his formative years, his publications and his love of books and libraries.

Published in 1893, this lively biography of the influential Victorian businessman and politician W. H. Smith (1825-1891) contains a wealth of fascinating personal, political and social detail, from the newspaper wholesaler's time-critical early-morning despatch operations to late-night dinners with prime ministers and aristocrats.

James Grant was an influential early Victorian journalist and newspaper editor. He published two books about London in 1838, and this two-volume work from 1839 was intended as a sequel. It reflects upon places, events, and people, mixing general observations and intricate detail. Volume 1 focuses on central London.

This monumental 1859 book describes the evolution of libraries in Britain, Europe and America from antiquity to the mid-nineteenth century. It examines numerous ecclesiastical, university and civic libraries, and concludes with the author's views on all aspects of library management, focusing particularly on the municipal libraries he fervently promoted.

Volume 1 (1900) of this catalogue lists rare incunabla and early printed books by such printers as Caxton and Wynkyn de Worde. Each entry contains a short transcription of the title page, the library classmark, references to standard bibliographical works, and notes on the provenance and features of specific copies.

Written in 1870, this two-volume work covers the period 1570-1870. Volume 1 considers the gatherers of the 'foundation collections', including Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), whose bequest of his collections to George II led directly to the foundation of the Museum, and the administrators and early donors.

This two-volume account of the life and friendships of the publisher John Murray (1778-1843), told largely through his voluminous correspondence, was published in 1891 by Samuel Smiles (1812-1904). Volume 1 commences with the beginnings of the firm in Scotland, and takes the story up to 1818.

The Caxton Celebration of 1877 commemorated the 400th anniversary of William Caxton's production of the first book printed in England. The catalogue, compiled by the librarian George Bullen (1816?-94), moves from the start of printing in Britain to the most recent technological innovations, including stereotyping, electrotyping and photography.