Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Reference Books from Cuneiform to Computers Chapter 3 Encyclopedias Chapter 4 Commonplace Books to Books of Quotations Chapter 5 The Reference of Time: Almanacs, Calendars, Chronologies, Chronicles Chapter 6 Ready Reference Books: Handbooks and Manuals Chapter 7 Dictionaries Grammar and Rhetoric Chapter 8 Maps and Travel Guides Chapter 9 Biography Chapter 10 Bibliography, Serials, and Indexes Chapter 11 Government Documents Chapter 12 Epilogue Chapter 13 Chronology

About the Author

William A. Katz is Professor at the School of Information Science and Policy at the State University of New York at Albany. He is editor of The Reference Librarian and The Acquisitions Librarian. He is also editor of Magazines for Libraries and has compiled a second edition of The Columbia Granger's Guide to Poetry Anthologies, as well as the seventh edition of his Introduction to Reference Work.

Reviews

Katz delves deeply into reference history...every page is filled with facts that you can drop casually at the next cocktail party or budget hearing...
*Zentralblatt für Geologie und Paläontologie*

Katz's way with words is apparent throughout...an illuminating and readable book.
*CHOICE*

...a delight...this book should be read by all aspiring reference librarians...a welcome addition to library literature and the history of the book.
*Lisca*

The particular strength of this informative work is that it assembles material from diverse sources into a well-integrated study of the entire spectrum of reference materials. A thoroughly readable and authoritative history enriched by Katz's eclectic selections of comments, reflections and criticism from compilers and readers of reference works.
*AB Bookman's Weekly*

I know of no such book as this: a history of reference sources in general...a dip into just one page and I was hooked. What more heady read for a reference librarian than a book about the origin of the books of their trade, and how they came to be, and why...now we have a history devoted to "our" books, our inheritance...with some 400 pages of text, a 27-page index, and 956 bibliographical and elaborative notes, Katz has done us a tremendous service...the depth of knowledge is impressive...anyone doing historical and literary research or interested in our intellectual history would do well to use this.
*s*

...fascinating survey of reference titles...
*American Libraries*

Katz's book is an impressive brief history, and is also a pleasure to read...
*The Library Association Record*