Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide by Ronald H. Fritze; Brian E. Coutts;Louis A. VyhnanekReview by: Judith B. QuinlanLibraries & Culture, Vol. 27, No. 4 (Fall, 1992), pp. 470-471Published by: University of Texas PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25542490 .

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470 L&C/Book Reviews

turies with more detailed discussions, the material is so vast that the author cannot

do justice to every topic. Rather, he raises questions and problems that bear further

investigation such as the connections among the development of libraries, the pro fession of librarian, and the compilation of bibliographies. In this regard, the book's

own method of bibliographical citation presents some limitations. Sources are

discussed in short essays for one or more chapters. The absence of footnotes makes it

difficult to locate documentation on specific points. Also, given the broad inter

pretive nature of his thesis, there are some puzzling bibliographical omissions, such

as the work of Elizabeth Eisenstein on the impact of printing, whose approach in

many ways parallels Balsamo 's presentation of the history of bibliography.

Overall, this book provides an excellent foundation for studying the history of

bibliography. It documents major developments and the contribution of important

figures in the field. By placing the work of bibliography within a broader context of

the history of communication and ideas, it enriches our understanding of what

bibliography means. Hopefully, this thought-provoking book will have the same ef

fect as many historical examples of bibliography in encouraging its readers to con

tinue an exploration of the intellectual implications of bibliography.

Karen Gould, Austin, Texas

Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide. By Ronald H. Fritze, Brian E.

Coutts, and Louis A. Vyhnanek. Santa Barbara, Cal.: ABC-Clio, 1990. xvii, 319

pp. $49.00. ISBN 0-87436-164-8.

Already honored as one of the "Best Bibliographies in History" by the History Sec

tion, Reference and Adult Services Division of the American Library Association,

Reference Sources in History should also be chosen as one of the year's outstanding reference sources by the ALA Reference Sources Committee during their midwinter

meeting. This title fills a significant void left by the continuing promises of a new

edition of the American Historical Associations Guide to Historical Literature (New York:

Macmillan, 1961) and the need for a revision of the well-respected Historians Hand

book by Helen Poulton (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 1972). Further

more, as noted by the authors, the exponential growth in the sheer number of

reference sources being published and the variety of formats available necessitated

the creation of this volume.

The 685 reference works and related titles described in the fourteen chapters

range from the ready reference, quick fact-finding sources (almanacs, yearbooks,

directories, dictionaries, atlases, etc.) to the extensive selection of guides to primary sources in newspaper collections archives, manuscript repositories, government

documents, legal sources, and microforms. While Sheehy's Guide to Reference Books

(Chicago: American Library Association, 1986) and Walfords Guide to Reference Material (London: Library Association, 1990) cover far more foreign-language tides,

the authors of Reference Sources in History clearly state that the intended audience is

mainly Anglo-American; therefore, the selection of items included focuses on mostly

English-language titles with only a few major foreign titles.

The logical arrangement of the chapters begins with Historiography Sources and

concludes with the more specific guides of Major Historical Microform Collections.

The lively annotations, generally composed of four or five sentences, are truly

evaluative, with complete bibliographical information, a description of the content

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471

of the source reflecting the importance of the work for historical research, unique

features, and a listing of related works. The uniform writing style and general clarity of the entries seem to contradict the usual unevenness one would expect with

three authors contributing.

Perhaps the most valuable feature of Reference Sources in History is the way it

demonstrates the change in historical research and indeed use of libraries from only

print sources to electronic versions of many standard sources such as the Wilson in

dexes to periodical literature and Statistical Masterfile, the CD-ROM version of the

American Statistics Index, Index to International Statistics, and Statistical Reference Index.

Online versions of newspaper indexes and full-text newspapers are also included.

The authors really have done an admirable job trying to keep up with the current

trends in reference publishing in alternative formats. High technology in Poulton, for example, consists of many references to microform titles. It is surprising that

Center for Research Libraries materials are not mentioned as being available in a

number of research libraries' catalogs, many of which can be accessed by dialing into

these library catalogs through Internet. Also omitted are some of the electronic ver

sions of maps and atlases. PC Globe and Electromap World Atlas are some ex

amples of this type of resource.

While the Core Journals section does not list the indexing titles as does William

Webb's Sources of Information in the Social Sciences (Chicago: American Library Associa

tion), nevertheless, the selection is impressive in coverage of all areas of history in

cluding library history (Libraries & Culture) and the succinct but descriptive entries.

The otherwise fine representation of biographical reference sources is marred by the failure to include any mention of the Biographical Archives series published by Saur. These are original biographical sources in microfiche covering many coun

tries, including Germany, France, Scandinavia, and the Benelux Countries. While

the sets of microfiche are quite expensive, now many of them have indexes that can

be purchased separately for a relatively reasonable price. A combined author, title, and subject index completes the volume with all

references to page numbers rather than entry numbers (a practice I prefer). There

are a few indexing inconsistencies, particularly for related titles, which may or may not be listed in the index, and some page number errors were detected.

Graduate students in history should be required to purchase their own copies of

this title, while faculty will probably want a copy for their own personal reference

collection. Far more than "an introduction to the major reference works for all

periods of history and for all geographical areas" (preface), Reference Sources in History documents the changing nature of historical research.

Judith B. Quinlan, University of Georgia, Athens

Biographical Directory of National Librarians. Edited by Frances L. Carrol and Philip J. Schwartz. London: Mansel Publishing, 1989. xvii, 134 pp. $50.00. ISBN

0-7201-1875-1.

The primary purpose of this publication is to provide biographical information about those people who are currently in executive positions in the national libraries of the world. A practical feature of this directory is that it may be used as a current address book. A special feature is a citation to the description and history of the

library as recommended by the national librarian, with an indication of how the

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