How to Catalogue a Library — Henry B. Wheatley
(Henry Benjamin) Wheatley You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org . If you are not located in the United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this eBook. Title : How to Catalogue a Library Author : Henry B. Wheatley Release date : January 10, 2013 [eBook #41813] Most recently updated: October 23, 2024 Language : English Other information and formats : www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/41813 Credits : E-text prepared by Adrian Mastronardi, C.S. Beers, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive/American Libraries (http://archive.org/details/americana) *** START OF (Henry Benjamin) Wheatley Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive/American Libraries. See http://archive.org/details/howtocatalogueli00wheaiala The Book-Lover's Library. Edited by Henry B. Wheatley, F.S.A. HOW TO CATALOGUE A LIBRARY BY HENRY B. WHEATLEY, F.S.A. Author of "How to Form a Library," "The Dedication of Books," etc., etc. LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62 PATERNOSTER ROW 1889 PREFACE. Those who are interested in library work are constantly asked where a statement of the first principles of cataloguing may be found, and the question is one which it is not easy to answer. Most of the rules which have been printed are intended for large public libraries, and are necessarily laid down on a scale which unfits them for use in the making of a small catalogue. I have divided out the subject on a plan which I hope will commend itself to my readers, and, after discussing the most notable codes, I have concluded with a selection of such rules as I trust will be found useful by those who are employed in making catalogues of ordinary libraries. Here I must express the hope that my readers will excuse the frequent use of the personal pronoun. If the use of "I" could have been avoided, I would gladly have avoided it; but as the main point of the book is the discussion of principles and theories, it seemed to me that such value as the book may possess would be entirely destroyed if I did not give my own opinions, founded upon a somewhat long experience. In dealing with a subject such as this, I cannot hope to convince all my readers, but I trust that those who disagree with my arguments will be willing to allow them some force. The compilation has been attended with constant feelings of regret in my own mind, for almost every page has brought up before me the memory of two men with whom I have at different times discussed most of the points here raised,—two men alike in their unselfish devotion to the cause of Bibliography. Mr. Henry Bradshaw's work was more widely known, but Mr. Benjamin R. Wheatley's labours were scarcely less valued in the smaller circle where they were known, and both brought to bear upon a most difficult subject the whole force of their thoroughly practical minds. I have learned much from both, and I have felt a constant wish to consult them during the preparation of these pages. All those who prepared the British Museum rules are gone from us; but happily cataloguers can still boast of Mr. Cutter of Boston, one of the foremost of our craft. Mr. Cutter has prepared a most remarkable code of rules, and has not only laid down the law, but has also fearlessly given the reasons for his faith, and these reasons form a body of sound opinion. May he long live to do honour to Bibliography, a cause which knows no nationality. H. B. W. October, 1889. CONTENTS. Chap. Page I. Introduction. What is a Catalogue?—Vulgar Errors—A Good Cataloguer attempts to put himself in the Seeker's Place—Judicious Shortening of Titles—Difference between Cataloguing and Bibliography-making—A Universal Catalogue—Printing of the British Museum Catalogue—Different Classes of Catalogues—Classified and Alphabetical—Catalogue Raisonné—Index Catalogues—Mr. Bradshaw's View—Need of Care—No Jumping to Conclusions—Different Styles of Catalogues—Purton Cooper's Sale Catalogues 1 II. Battle of the Rules. British Museum Foremost in the Race—Printed Catalogues of the Museum— Panizzi's Fight—Evidence before the Royal Commission—Payne Collier's Defeat—The Museum Rules—Jewett's Rules—Cambridge University Library Rules—Library Association Rules adopted by Bodley's Librarian—Cutter's Rules for a Dictionary Catalogue—Triumph of the Museum 25 III. Print versus Manuscript . Panizzi's Objection to Print—Parry in Favour of Print—The British Museum again Foremost in the Race, this time in Printing, thanks to Mr. Bond—Mr. Cutter on the Advantages and Disadvantages of Printing—How to keep a Printed Catalogue up to Date—Card Catalogues—Stereotyping—Henry Stevens's Photo-Bibliography—Co-operative Cataloguing 49 IV. How To Treat a Title-Page. Author: Cutter's Definition of an Author—Compound Names—Prefixes—Imaginary Authors—The Name by which a Man is generally known to be preferred to that by which he is not known— Official Names—Names of Peers—Personal Names—Sovereigns, Saints, and Friars—Oriental Names—Contraction for Christian Names—Distinction between Christian and Surnames—Treatment of Changed Names—Married Authoresses—Greek and Roman Authors—Difficulties in deciding as to the Author of a Book—Corporate Authorship—Academical Dissertation. Headings other than Author Headings: Trials—Catalogues—Bible—Liturgies—Voyages—Anonymous and Pseudonymous Works—Evidence before the Commission of 1847-49—Arrangement under Initials, under Pseudonyms. The Title: Shortening of Titles—Indication of Editions—Addition to Title-Pages. Place of Publication: Date—Use of Chronograms—Greek Dates. Size-Notation: Difficulties— Attempted Solution of these Difficulties. Collation 74 V. References and Subject Index. References and Cross-References—Press-Marks to References—Mode of Referencing— Subject Index advocated by Panizzi 180 VI. Arran