British Library History : Bibliography, 1977-1980

Library Association, London, first edition, 1983. Laminated wrappers, 8vo, 21 cm,. ix, 242 pp. 826 entries. A valuable and readable bibliography with over 800 entries which are intelligently annotated. Contents are arranged under the following headings: Librarians, Librarianship, Libraries (Universal, British Isles, Academical, Ecclesiastical, Mechanics' institutes and other workers' institutes, National, Private, Public, Special, Subscription) Reading, Study of library history, With an Introduction, Author index and Subject index. From the introduction "By far the largest section is devoted to private libraries. Most of the items are not consciously studies in library history at all. The library interest is subsidiary, the primary concern being biography or social or architectural history. Among the major contributions are a number of monumental catalogues of individual collections. These include the first volume of the Catalogue of the Pepys Library at Magdalene College, Cambridge (2882), that of Isaac Newton (2873), the second edition of Sir Geoffrey Keynes's catalogue of the library of Edward Gibbon (2833), Shirley Pargeter's Catalogue of the library at Tatton Park (2817) and the sumptuous catalogue of the James A. de Rothschild collection of illuminated manuscripts at Waddesden Manor (2896). As New.