Presidental records, Executive Orders, and Books

There is a very interesting article in USA today about Taylor Branch (Parting the Waters fame) and his taped conversations with Clinton, Clinton's memoir, and Taylor's book coming out based on his own taped summaries of the conversations with the President. 

In the shop, I have actively avoided all books on the later presidency of Reagan, and the presidencies of all of his successors for this kind of reason.



Most of the first hand, important documents have not been available due to a Bush II era decision, so historians did not have as much of the access as they might otherwise have. There are a ton of opinion books out there on both sides, and only a VERY few currently will have true historical merit - Seymour Hersh's book on his time with Clinton for one, and the book jointly authored by 2 Senators (1 Dem, 1 Repub) on Iran Contra hearing being another off the top of my head). 

Thankfully from a historians standpoint, Obama reversed that Bush executive decision in January, and as of April a great deal of Reagan material and a first round of Bush I material have come out, with more on the way. I look forward to some more substantial works on 1984-96 US presidential policies in the coming years. 

It is interesting to read Branch's reaction to seeing an early draft of Clinton's book, but I think all presidential auto-bios  or memoirs are this way. They are concerned with legacies and, in a way, stature rather than unvarnished truth. Some of course cannot say as much as they might due to national security issues, but a great deal is obfuscated by pride, I fear. 

More after the jump...

HoB Nob - Histories of the Book in 7 countries

There are many books about the minutia of publishers, printers, booksellers, and authors lives, or how books are made, or how to collect books, or how a particular library was put together. On a grander scale, there are many books on the broad sweep of books, covering cuneiform tablets to ebooks, or the greatest books or libraries in the world. But the middle ground, the book histories of a particular place across time, or of a particular time across places, are less common. National book histories are important landmarks in this middle ground, and it is remarkable that such books on seven major English language nations are all coming out at nearly the same time.

Start clearing bookshelf space now.


Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland , Scotland, and New Zealand are the countries in question, with the university presses of Cambridge, North Carolina, Toronto, Queensland, Oxford, and Otago doing the heavy lifting, and the American Antiquarian Society helping out the US effort. The works are in various stages of completion, with Vol. 3 of Britain's history by Cambridge leading the way in 1999, and Canada being the first of the countries to finish, with their 3rd volume appearing in 2007.

Britain's history will be seven volumes, 3 of which are already printed, with 2 more on the way this year. The three volumes out, vols. 2-4, cover the period from 1100 to 1695, with the next 2 covering 1695-1914 out by the end of summer. On series page, a brief discussion of the series states:

The seven volumes of the History of the Book in Britain will help explain how these texts were created, why they took the forms they did, their relations with other media, and what influence they had on the minds and actions of those who heard, read or viewed them.

The books will be collections of essays that collectively will cover the period thoroughly. It will be the most scholarly of the group (though all will be well done I think), I imagine, and also the mos expensive. I have vol. 3 and I think they do a fine job, and will slowly buy the rest as the reference purse permits.

The United States series started shortly after the British, and has a bit more of a convoluted publishing history. The American Antiquarian Society in Worcester MA is the prime mover in this series, originally working with Cambridge University Press to produce the first volume in the series, The Colonial Book in the Atlantic World. It was reissued by the AAS and the University of North Carolina Press in paperback in 2007. What prompted the change in partners for AAS I do not know - perhaps Cambridge already had enough on its plate with the British series. In any case, vol. 3 The Industrial Book, 1840-1880 followed in August of that year, and vol. 4 Print in Motion: 1880-1940 was just released in January 2009. V. 5 The Enduring Book: Print Culture in Postwar America is promised in September of this year, and will be a major addition to book history of the most recent period. All volumes except for v. 1 are available from UNC in hardcover only, but for about a third of what the British series costs per volume.

The Canadian series by the University of Toronto Press (Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal is doing the French edition) is, as mentioned above, the only one of the six to be completed. Starting with vol. 1 published in 2004, the three volumes cover to 1840, to 1918, and to 1980 respectively. Our reading group here at the shop read vol. 1, and while I would not recommend it other reading groups, it is very informative and an excellent resource. As with other series, the Canadian is a one of a kind resource and a well constructed set of books. The price for these volumes runs approx.. $85 USD each or so new, a bit more than the US series.

Australia's effort by the University of Queensland Press is affectionately called the HOBA, for A History of the Book in Australia. Like Canada, this is a three volume effort. Volume I is not yet scheduled for release, but vol. II 1890-1945 came out in October 2001, with vol. III Paper Empires : 1946-2005 arriving in summer 2006. Like the other series, a collection of different essays and case-studies are presented to provide a broad view during the different times. Vol. II appears to only be in hardcover, while vol. III appears to have a paperback edition in addition to the hardcover. Prices for the hardcovers are around $75.00 USD.

The Irish book history series of 5 books is being published by Oxford. The first work in that series is Vol. III The Irish Book in English, 1550-1800 came out in early spring 2006. Again a collection of essays by scholars and well made. This volume looks primarily at the printed book in Ireland and its effect on the culture and covers the spread of presses throughout ireland from English areas to the rest of the island. I did not see when the next volumes were scheduled, and I fear that the downturn in the world economy may delay this series and perhaps others. The book costs 195.00 USD for new copies, and I don't think used ones will be very common.

The University of Edinburgh is publishing the Scottish series through its Centre for the History of the Book. The Edinburgh History of the Book in Scotland Project, or EHOBS, started off with a bang on St. Andrews Day 2007, with two volumes released at once. The two, Ambition and Industry 1800-1880 and Professionalism and Diversity 1880-2000 are the last two in the series. I could find no scheduled date or tentative titles for the first two. The volumes are, like the other UK works, expensive, with prices similar to the Irish and British series.

The last of the seven nations to begin its History of the Book series is New Zealand/Aotearoa. While an earlier work called A Book in the Hand: Essays on the History of the Book in New Zealand was published in 2001, it seems to be a smattering of essays more literary rather than a more concerted overview of the history. I learned of the upcoming volume from a brief entry in Beattie's Book Blog by a New Zealand Publisher and bookseller. Further investigate uncovered a blurb from the Humanities Research Network in NZ/A that is a call for scholars to work on a single volume that covers both Maori and English books and publishing, divvied into 4 time periods from 1830-2010. There is no suggestion as to the publication date, but I think if we see it before 2012 I will be surprised, as they are just getting started. I do wish the team there success and happy researching.

Such works as these listed above are important landmarks in any field. As such, they take a great deal of effort and time to finish. I have firm hopes that all of the projects will be completed, because many hands are at work in each group. My only fear is that the essays won't dovetail well enough, and that gaps may appear in the different histories. I have not seen that so far in the volumes I personally own, but in other areas such as medieval history the collections of essays sometimes seem a hodgepodge of scholarly essays loosely connected by the broad title of the work.

So, as I said. clear shelf space. These books will be thick, well made, and full of new research. You may not want all of the series, but don't wait too long to get the volumes you do want. I imagine the works are geared toward academic institutions and the print runs will not be large.

More after the jump...

Blackwells to the Right of Me, Volley'd and Thunder'd

I have always thought that knowing the history of one's profession is important, and knowing the history of businesses that impact our lives equally so. I don't think one have have any understanding of bookselling without knowing something of Blackwells of Oxford, probably the most successful single bookshop and one of the greatest mid-sized bookselling firms ever. Their publishing arm is not to be overlooked either.

Luckily someone wrote a book about the history of the firm.


There are a number of books about bookselling firms, new and used. Not all are very good, but most give one some insight. Most also are fairly sketchy about the recent past, as many of the principals are still alive and active in the firm. It probably wouldn't do to dwell on the warts too much, especially if the author has close ties to her or her subject.

That said, A. L. P. Norrington wrote a history of Blackwells in 1983 which I think stands up as a very good firm history. The book, "Blackwell's 1879-1979: The History of a Family Firm", is a bit sketchy on the late 60s forward as I noted does happen in some histories. Norrington was on good terms with Blackwells, having worked for the Oxford University Press and later President of Trinity College and Vice-Chancellor of OXford University. In fact, the great underground 10,000 square foot room at Blackwell's flagship shop at 50 Broad Street (actually 48-51 Broad Street). I imagine his interest was on a positive work rather than on a scholarly study of the firm.

What makes this a good book? Well, first, it is about a man as much as a bookshop. Basil Blackwell, the son of the founder, was the guiding light for much of the growth of the firm. A firm but fair leader, a lover of fine printing, and a conservative champion of his profession, Sir Basil (known as the Gaffer) led the growth in the publishing arm of Blackwells, and took over in 1924 after his father's death, staying on 'til his own demise in 1984. His work with the firm make interesting reading, and Norrington is not quite so dry as one might expect.

I believe British authors do a better job discussing the business side of bookselling than Americans do, and this books holds to that tradition.
The book is fairly detailed in the history and operations of the firm, up to the chronological point I mentioned earlier. The overall theme seems to be quality - good books, well made, and sold at a reasonable cost. The firm is noted for attention to the bottom line but not an obsession with it, and Norrington mentions a number of decisions regarding publishing, bookselling and the acquisition of other firms that are done for reasons other than profit, though in most cases profit was made.

I think that is why I like this book so much. It is clear from Norrington and a later derivative work called "Adventurer's All: Tales of Blackwellians" by Rita Ricketts that Blackwells is rather unique. It has grown, but is not into a Borders or Barnes and Noble or Waterstones. It has kept a sense of itself, and members of the firm are aware that this is an important legacy. Other shops I feel share this was well, like Foyles in London, though none with quite the steadiness of Blackwells. It was and remains a model firm for the industry, and back in the day when I worked at Borders here in Ann Arbor the lore had it that the Borders brothers admired Blackwells in Oxford so much they modeled their original concept on it.

Whether that shop legend is true or not, it has the germ of a good idea. Keep an eye on Blackwells, when looking either back or forward. There's much to learn there, from commitment to quality, to growing a firm intelligently, to being a true participating member of a profession. Get Norrington's book, and read it.
All we need beyond that is an update that take us into the 21st century, so see the next chapter.

More after the jump...

Book Trade Tickets - How Soon We Forget

Back in the proverbial day, shops selling books, most likely new books, had a way of saying "this book bought here" tastefully, without leaving magnetic strips on interior pages (man I hate that) or massively glued barcode labels on djs. That technology was called book trade labels (also called tickets or marks).

They are not only often lovely to see, but also are a useful portal to information about booksellers past.


As a number of resources tell us, book trade tickets (I like that term better - sounds more professional than just a label) began popping up in the 1700s. Jim Rainer's article at the Alcuin Society, notes that "book trade" is more accurate than bookseller because stationers, binders, printers, and more used them as well, though booksellers' marks are more prevalent.

They heyday seems to be from the mid 19th c. through the 1970s - some 125 years. I do not think it surprising that this was the time of the industrial revolution and great improvements in the press and in book distribution. Book tradesfolk were happy to advertise their wares across a wide area, and for more important firms their books traveled across oceans, following the growth of empires.

Visually, the small tickets, often no more than 1-2 inches by one half to 1 inch, cover the spectrum from plain to ornate. The single best site to view many of them is Seven Roads Gallery of Book Trade Labels by a Greg Kindall. The site is well designed, with several hundred on display. This site is cited in many blogs, but unfortunately doe snot seem to have been updated since June '07 (If I am wrong in this, please drop me a comment and I will update the post). My favorites tend to be the nontraditional shapes - like those by Boekhandel De Bijenkorf - or embossed - like one from J.K. Gill Co. A Google search will show a few other sites that post about them occasionally, but if you are a collector, you might want to think about making your own site in case the gallery goes away.

Additionally the tickets provide information for the researcher about the book trade. Name, address, logos, merchandise, and even type of shop can sometimes be found packed into that tiny piece of paper. At the beginning of the post I noted that this was primarily a new book phenomena. The tickets for used bookshops are even more interesting because they are less common. For whatever shop, the information is helpful to map out when and where book activity was going on, and to tie bookshops to books and to figures in the trade, just like publishers statements. I was introduced to Samuel Weiser bookshop in this way, when a collection of occult books came in, many with his ticket inside. It was plain to see they had moved several times in NYC, and the collector had stuck with them each time.

This tradition, like many, is not a necessary one. But it is a good one, and one I think that could stand a resurgence. How about putting the magnetic strip (if you must have one) under/inside your book ticket for your shop, instead of that ugly thick rectangular white thing that Borders and B&N stick on djs and inside books? The sticker will serve as an ongoing advertisement, and might even look good if the bookseller puts a bit of effort into it.

So next time you are in a thrift shop, and wearily look over a pile of books that probably need to be recycled into new books, open a few up. Take a look for a book trade ticket (or a bookplate) and maybe you'll find something that makes your book hunting a bit more interesting.

More after the jump...

An Old, Cool Word

One thing that is certain in being around books is that You Will Learn New Words. Sometimes you come across them in a book, at others they show up all on their own, and require a bit of digging to understand. The internet helps a great deal, and the ever-full OED is a superb tool to go digging with as well. If it is a good enough word, you make it yours.

One of my recent words is Wayzgoose. And it has a good story.

Wayzgoose has an interesting history, and I won't just rewrite what Wikipedia has said about it, which is a good start. Suffice it to say the term is a late medieval one, and associated with a feast for or by journeyman printers. The original form of the word is likely have been way-goose, as the OED states, and the "z" added later in the 19th century and eventually supplanting the original.

This is borne out a bit by a 1683 description of ancient printing traditions by Moxon in his MECHANIK EXERCISES, the first manual on printing in English. He describes a "Way Goose" being presented to the journeymen by the master printer when they replaced the old paper windows with new ones. This done around St. Bartholomew's Day in late August and markets a shortening of the days as summer ended.

The Master printer would entertain them in his own house, and give them money with which to go out and drink that evening. Other members of the establishment are invited to attend, with all of them adding in some funds to the drinking balance except for the Corrector. The Corrector is the only one of the other positions (founder, smith, joiner, inkmaker) who is not chosen by the journeyman, but instead by the Master Printer.

Today it seems the word is often for book- or medieval-related events, not just feasts. Being a traditionalist I think it is best that some large spread of food accompany any use of the word, even if not book related.

One current Wayzgoose event is on I would dearly love to visit is the annual Gasperau Press Wayzgoose held in october each year since 2000, which celebrates literature and the book arts. Authors and printers and fine presses come from across Canada for a busy weekend of socializing, presntations, and workshops.

So, if you want to have a book-themed party with lots of good hearty food, call it a wayzgoose and introduce your guest sto a great word and a bit of book history to boot.

More after the jump...