Ex. 4th ed., 10th thous., New ed., ed. by T. Good, (Bohn’s standard library), (Weale’s series, v. 20), (Camden Soc., v. 3). It is shorter and nearly as useful to give Bohn, Weale, etc., as publishers in the imprint,—London, Bohn, 1867. O.
The various editions of different volumes may be stated thus:
Hales, Stephen. Statical essays. (Vol. 1, 3d ed.) London, 1738, 33. 2 v. O.
The specification of edition is necessary: (1) for the student, who often wants a particular edition and cares no more for another than he would for an entirely different work; (2) in the library service, to prevent the rejection of works which are not really duplicates. And the number of the edition is a fact in the literary history of the author worth preserving under his name; under the subject it is some guarantee for the repute, if not for the value, of the work.
177. Full will note carefully whether there is any change in a new edition, or whether it is merely what the Germans call a title-edition (the same matter with a new title-page). Medium and Short generally content themselves with noting the number of the edition. Short often takes no notice of the edition. {74}
D. IMPRINTS.
178. The imprint consists of place of publication, publisher’s name, date, number of volumes, number of pages, number of maps, engravings, and the like, and typographic form, which are to be given in the above order.
Washington, 1875. 2 v. 7, 441, (12); 4, 424 p. O. ; 20 engr., 24 photographs, 4 maps. The imprint proper consists merely of place, date, form, and number of volumes (Wash., 1875. 2 v. O). The other details are given by Medium in particular cases. Full gives them always, but it may be doubted whether their use is frequent enough to pay for the very considerable increase in the trouble of cataloguing. It is worth while to show by some sign (as pm.) that the pages are less than 100 or than 50 (40 is the limit of the French Bibliothèque Nationale), for the fact is easily ascertained, and the mark fills little space and may prevent some one sending for a book he does not care to look at. It is not an exact designation, but many things are useful which are not exact. On the other hand an inquirer might occasionally fail to see the best treatise on his subject, thinking it too short to be of any value. Neither Short nor Medium should give the exact number of maps, plates, etc., but it is well worth while, especially for a popular library, to add the word illus. to the titles of books in which the illustrations are at all prominent, and, under Biography, to note the presence of portraits.
Imprints are indispensable in a catalogue designed for scholars, that is for college libraries, for historical or scientific libraries, and for large city libraries. They may not be of much use to nine persons in ten who use those libraries, but they should be inserted for the tenth person. But in the majority of popular city and town libraries neither the character of the readers nor of the books justifies their insertion. Their place may be much better filled (as in the Quincy catalogue) with more important matter—with “Illus.” or “Portraits,” or a word or two explaining an obscure title. But the number of volumes should invariably be given. And the year of publication is important under subjects.
Epithets like “Large paper,” which are applicable, generally, to only a part of the copies of a book, should be mentioned after all the details which apply to the whole edition (place, date, number of volume, etc.).