John
Carter died more than four decades ago.
But his work lives on. In 1952
his ABC for Book Collectors was
published. The fifth edition, revised,
was released 20 years later, in 1972. I
came across a copy of that final edition, published by Knopf, and found it most
interesting.
The
book jacket aptly describes its contents and significance when it stated:
“Here,
under more than 450 alphabetical entries, ranging in length from a single line
to several pages, may be found definition and analysis of the technical terms
of book-collecting and bibliography.
“This
is an essential reference book for every book collector from aspirant to
addict. It belongs on the most
omniscient of antiquarian booksellers.
And it will entertain any general reader who relishes the niceties of
connoisseurship for their own sake.”
Carter
was a vice president of The Bibliographical Society in Britain, a published
author, and a regular contributor to The
London Times Literary Supplement.
Library Journal praised his
masterful work, stating:
“John
Carter, already somewhat of a legend in the world of young bookmen, has
performed a fine service for librarians and collectors in the carefully and
delightfully prepared manual. In a
dictionary arrangement he has set fourth, with the authority of Webster and the
wit of Ambrose Bierce, the essential terms of the world of books and
illuminated them with specific references and practical examples.”
His
first entry is “abbreviations,” where he goes on to identify over 100 terms,
such as “printed by printed,” “signed,” “gilt,” and “binding” by their
abbreviations. He concludes with an
entry for “yellow-back,” which used to describe a particular type of cheap
edition of fiction that was usually colored yellow.”
Carter goes on to describe and define many terms, such as:
·
Americana
– books about or connected with or printed in America.
·
Association
Copy – a book which once belonged to, was annotated by, the author.
·
Bibliography
– the love of books. A lover of books is
a bibliophile.
·
Doublure
– a binder’s term, meaning that the paste-down (or inside lining of the covers)
is not of paper but of leather, usually decorated.
·
Emblem
Books – A specialized type of illustrated book popular in the 16th
and 17th centuries.
·
Provenance
– the pedigree of a book’s precious ownership.
·
Quarter
Bound – a book with leather back (spine), sides covered with cloth or paper,
and no leather corners, is said to be quarter bound.
·
Watermark
– a distinguishing mark or device incorporated in the wire mesh of the tray in
which the pulp settles during the process of papermaking, and visible in the
finished product when held against the light.
One
can learn about the history and nuances of books and book publishing by
consuming a book like this. But, as
Carter points out in his preface, this book has an intended readership. He writes:
“This
is not an encyclopedia. It is an ABC and
bibliography, or of printing or binding, or book production terms, though many
of these come into it. It is an ABC of
book –collecting, for novices, would-be collectors and that section of the
literate public which takes an interest in our pursuit without necessarily
wishing to share it.”
The
book now lives on, to a degree, as an artifact in the world of book collecting,
a book for book collectors to now be seen as a collector’s item itself.
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