College and Research Libraries m i c k ' s " E d i t o r s T o d a y " d r a w s a g o o d p i c t u r e b u t l o a d s t h e v o l u m e a b i t i n t h e d i r e c t i o n of e d i t o r s h i p . T h e r e a d i n g of t h e s e s t u d i e s raises t h e h o p e t h a t e q u a l l y c a p a b l e s p e a k e r s w i l l con- t i n u e t h e series w i t h o t h e r t o p i c s d e s e r v i n g c o v e r a g e , s u c h as b o o k d i s t r i b u t i o n , c e n s o r - s h i p , b o o k d e s i g n , b e s t s e l l e r d e v e l o p m e n t s , a n d b o o k p r o d u c t i o n : m a c h i n e s a n d tech- n i q u e s . I m p a t i e n t r e a d e r s l o o k i n g f o r w a r d t o t h e c o l l e c t i o n of t h e n e x t s e v e n t e e n l e c t u r e s t o a p p e a r a q u a r t e r of a c e n t u r y h e n c e a r e r e m i n d e d of t h e a n n u a l p r i n t i n g s i n p a m - p h l e t f o r m a t . — F r a n k L. Schick, Wayne State University Library. Russian Transliteration Transkriptionsprobleme; die korrekte Wie- dergabe russischer Namen im Deutschen, f v o n j G i i n t e r M i i h l p f o r d t . B e r l i n : R i i t t e n & L o e n i n g , 1957. 175p. J o i n i n g a l o n g p r o c e s s i o n of l i b r a r i a n s , t r a n s l a t o r s , a n d t e a c h e r s of R u s s i a n , G i i n t e r M i i h l p f o r d t d e a l s w i t h t h e p r o b l e m of R u s - s i a n t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n i n G e r m a n y . H e d e p l o r e s t h e lack of u n i f o r m i t y i n t r a n s l i t e r a t i n g R u s - s i a n o n t h e p a r t of p u b l i s h e r s , p a r t i c u l a r l y i n j o u r n a l s , a n d s o m e of t h e l u d i c r o u s f o r m s of t r a n s l i t e r a t e d R u s s i a n n a m e s w h i c h o c c u r i n G e r m a n p u b l i c a t i o n s (e.g., Pjerjewjers- jezv, w h i c h i n o r d i n a r y E n g l i s h t r a n s l i t e r a - t i o n w o u l d b e Pereverzev). A f t e r d e s c r i b i n g t h e D u d e n t r a n s c r i p t i o n d e v e l o p e d b y W . S t e i n i t z as a u n i t a r y system f o r p o p u l a r use, h e p o i n t s o u t its s h o r t c o m i n g s . I t d o e s n o t , f o r e x a m p l e , l e n d itself t o t h e r e s t o r a - t i o n of t h e o r i g i n a l R u s s i a n ( r e t r a n s l i t e r a - t i o n ) . I n a c c u r a c i e s a n d c o n f u s i o n r e s u l t , f o r e x a m p l e , f o r t h e u s e of ss f o r i n t e r v o c a l i c R u s s i a n c, of stsch f o r t h r e e d i f f e r e n t p o s s i b l e l e t t e r s a n d l e t t e r c o m b i n a t i o n s , a n d of s o m e n o n - G e r m a n l e t t e r c o m b i n a t i o n s (sh f o r t h e s o u n d r e p r e s e n t e d b y t h e F r e n c h j). I n p l a c e of t h e D u d e n t r a n s c r i p t i o n Miihl- pfordt o f f e r s f o r s c h o l a r l y a n d l i b r a r y p u r - p o s e s a " s c i e n t i f i c , " o r l i b r a r y , t r a n s l i t e r a - t i o n , w h i c h m e e t s t h e o b j e c t i o n s t o t h e " p o p - u l a r " o n e . T o u s e r s of E n g l i s h t h e f o l l o w i n g e l e m e n t s of t h i s system a r e of p a r t i c u l a r in- t e r e s t , p r i n c i p a l l y b e c a u s e t h e y c o r r e s p o n d t o E n g l i s h t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n : v i n s t e a d of w; t h e p r i m e as i n E n g l i s h t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n s , i n s t e a d of t h e j; z i n s t e a d of i n t e r v o c a l i c s. O n t h e o t h e r h a n d t h e u s e of c i n t h e "sci- e n t i f i c " t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n f o r t h e R u s s i a n l e t t e r u s u a l l y t r a n s l i t e r a t e d i n E n g l i s h b y ts o r tz w o u l d l e a d t o c o n f u s i o n w h e n c o c c u r s be- f o r e a, o, u, o r a c o n s o n a n t . T h e u s e of z, c, s, a n d sc is o p e n t o t h e s a m e o b j e c t i o n s as M i i h l p f o r d t e x p r e s s e s i n r e g a r d t o sh f o r t h e l e t t e r w h i c h is r e n d e r e d i n F r e n c h b y j (in E n g l i s h u s u a l l y by zh): t h e y a r e n o t dis- t i n g u i s h a b l e b y m o s t G e r m a n s f r o m z, c, s, a n d sc. H i s p o s i t i o n r e p r e s e n t s e s s e n t i a l l y t h e d e s i r e f o r a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l , o r u n i v e r s a l , t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n of t h e C y r i l l i c a l p h a b e t , w h i c h h a s b e e n a t t e m p t e d b y m a n y , i n c l u d i n g t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l F e d e r a t i o n f o r D o c u m e n t a - t i o n , w i t h o u t a p p r e c i a b l e success. M o s t of t h e b o o k — e i g h t y - n i n e p a g e s of i t — i s d e v o t e d t o a n a s p e c t of t r a n s c r i p t i o n w h i c h is t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n o n l y i n a l i m i t e d sense. I t i n c l u d e s : a list of r e t r a n s c r i b e d n a m e s of n o n - R u s s i a n s — G e r m a n s , E n g l i s h - m e n , F r e n c h m e n , a n d I t a l i a n s — w h i c h o c c u r i n t h e w o r k s of M a r x a n d E n g e l s ; a t a b l e of l e t t e r - e q u i v a l e n t s b y w h i c h s u c h r e t r a n s c r i p - t i o n m a y b e a c h i e v e d ; a n d a list of p e r s o n a l , g e o g r a p h i c a n d e t h n i c n a m e s , a n d s o m e com- m o n n o u n s , w h i c h o c c u r i n t h e t e x t w i t h t h e i r t r a n s c r i p t i o n a c c o r d i n g t o b o t h t h e D u d e n a n d l i b r a r y systems. T h e s e r e t r a n s - c r i p t i o n t a b l e s a r e a w i l d e r n e s s w h i c h w o u l d as o f t e n y i e l d s e v e r a l v a r i a b l e s as g u i d e t h e u s e r s t r a i g h t t o his g o a l . T h e p r i n c i p a l v a l u e of t h e w o r k t o E n g - l i s h - s p e a k i n g t r a n s l i t e r a t o r s of R u s s i a n is i n t h e v a r i e t y of p r o b l e m s it p r e s e n t s a n d of t h e e x a m p l e s it cites. T h i s f e a t u r e of t h e b o o k m a y w e l l l e a d t o a t h o r o u g h e x a m i n a t i o n of t h e p r o b l e m s of t r a n s l i t e r a t i o n of R u s s i a n f o r E n g l i s h - s p e a k i n g u s e r s a n d t o r e s e a r c h r e s u l t i n g i n lists of n a m e s of W e s t E u r o p e a n s i n R u s s i a n a c c o m p a n i e d b y t h e i r v e r n a c u l a r f o r m s — D a v i d J . Haykin, Library of Con- gress. English Common Reader The English Common Reader; a Social His- tory of the Mass Reading Public 1800- 1900. By R i c h a r d D . A l t i c k . C h i c a g o : U n i - v e r s i t y of C h i c a g o Press [ c l 9 5 7 ] . 4 3 0 p . $6. If y o u t h i n k t h a t " r a i l w a y l i t e r a t u r e " h a s s o m e t h i n g t o d o w i t h t i m e t a b l e s , t h a t " n u m - b e r - m e n " a r e b o o k i e s a n d t h a t Confidential i n v e n t e d t h e i d e a of p e e k i n g i n t o o t h e r p e o - 86 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES