Encyclopedia of the Book

Glaister's Encyclopedia of the Book has established itself as the standard reference guide to the book. The breadth of its scope is remarkable; it contains over 3,000 alphabetically-arranged definitions of the terms used in bookbinding, printing, papermaking, and the book trade. There are also biographical details of printers, authors, bookbinders, bibliophiles; and precise notes on machinery and equipment, famous books, printing societies, book-related organizations, customs of the trade, etc. Donald Farren's new introduction explicates the place of Glaister's book in the tradition of such encyclopedias, assesses the achievement that the book represents as the work of one person, and delineates the concept of "the book" that underlies Glaister's work. In addition Farren provides a conspectus of the alphabetically-arranged topics covered by Glaister that elucidates the conceptual structure of the work.