College and Research Libraries r e s e a r c h l i b r a r y s h o u l d h a v e t o w a i t t w o y e a r s t o r e a d F u s s l e r ' s e x c e l l e n t p a p e r . — Rolland E. Stevens, Ohio State University Libraries. The Great EB The Great EB; the Story of the Encyclopae- dia Britannica. By H e r m a n K o g a n . [Chica- go-^ U n i v e r s i t y of C h i c a g o Press [1958]. 3 3 9 p . $ 4 . 9 5 . W h e n J o h n L e h m a n n , i n The Whisper- ing Gallery, w r i t e s b r i e f l y of his g r e a t - g r a n d f a t h e r a n d t h e f i r m w h i c h l a u n c h e d Chambers's Encyclopaedia, r e a d e r s f o r w h o m r e f e r e n c e b o o k s a r e s t o c k - i n - t r a d e m a y w e l l wish f o r a f u l l e r a c c o u n t . U p o n r e f l e c t i o n , h o w e v e r , o n e r e a l i z e s t h a t t h e h i s t o r y of a n e n c y c l o p e d i a is p e r h a p s less s u i t e d t o M r . L e h m a n n ' s l i t e r a r y style a n d t a l e n t s t h a n t o m o r e j o u r n a l i s t i c a b i l i t i e s s u c h as a r e ex- h i b i t e d i n H e r m a n K o g a n ' s The Great EB. T h a t is n o t t o d e p r e c i a t e M r . K o g a n ' s a b i l - ities, f o r t h e y a r e c o n s i d e r a b l e . I n t h i s story of t h e Encyclopaedia Britannica h e p r e - s e n t s a c o l o r f u l a n d h i g h l y r e a d a b l e n a r - r a t i v e of t h e b i r t h a n d d e v e l o p m e n t of o n e of o u r g r e a t r e f e r e n c e tools. W i t h a l i b e r a l s p r i n k l i n g of a n e c d o t e s a n d i n t e r e s t i n g s i d e l i g h t s , K o g a n t r a c e s t h e p r o g - ress of t h e B r i t a n n i c a f r o m its E d i n b u r g h b e g i n n i n g s a n d t h e l a b o r s of W i l l i a m Smel- lie t o its p r e s e n t b i g - b u s i n e s s s t a t u s w i t h ed- i t o r s e m p l o y i n g t h e m e c h a n i c a l a s s i s t a n c e of " t h e R o b o t . " H e tells of t h e m e n w h o g u i d e d t h e e n c y c l o p e d i a ' s d e s t i n i e s ; of t h e f i n a n c i a l crises w h i c h so o f t e n a t t e n d e d a c h a n g e of o w n e r s h i p ; a n d of t h e E B ' s af- f i l i a t i o n w i t h t h e L o n d o n Times, w i t h C a m - b r i d g e U n i v e r s i t y , w i t h Sears, R o e b u c k a n d C o m p a n y , a n d w i t h t h e U n i v e r s i t y of C h i c a - g o . H e h a s c o n t r i v e d t o m a k e t h e a c c o u n t m o v e s m o o t h l y a n d r a p i d l y f r o m e d i t i o n t o e d i t i o n , r e l a t i n g t h e g r o w t h of t h e e n t e r - p r i s e t o t h e e v e n t s of t h e t i m e s , a n d suggest- i n g t h e c h a n g e s a n d a d v a n c e s w h i c h i n f l u - e n c e d t h a t g r o w t h . T h e w h o l e is s p i c e d w i t h n a m e s of f a m o u s c o n t r i b u t o r s a n d q u o t a t i o n s f r o m t h e i r ar- ticles a n d c o r r e s p o n d e n c e ; w i t h e x c e r p t s f r o m r e v i e w s of a n d c o n t e m p o r a r y c o m - m e n t s o n t h e v a r i o u s e d i t i o n s . If t h e r e a r e m o m e n t s w h e n t h e r e a d e r f e e l s u n d u l y " q u o t e d a t , " h e s h o u l d r e m e m b e r t h a t t h e o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r q u o t a t i o n m u s t h a v e b e e n b o u n d l e s s : M r . K o g a n h a s u n d o u b t e d l y ex- e r c i s e d a d m i r a b l e r e s t r a i n t . O n l y i n t h e f i n a l c h a p t e r , " T h e M o d e r n E B : H o w I t Is S o l d , " d o e s t h e r e a d e r ' s in- t e r e s t flag. S i n c e sales m e t h o d s a n d p r o m o - t i o n s figure p r o m i n e n t l y i n t h e n a r r a t i v e , it is a l t o g e t h e r a p p r o p r i a t e t h a t m o d e r n m e t h o d s , t o o , b e c o n s i d e r e d . I t is u n f o r t u - n a t e , h o w e v e r , t h a t t h i s last c h a p t e r is p a d - d e d o u t w i t h b a n a l sales s t o r i e s a n d b i t s of c o m p a n y l o r e , p r o v i n g a n a n t i c l i m a x t o a n o t h e r w i s e a b s o r b i n g h i s t o r y . T h e w o r k i n c l u d e s a b i b l i o g r a p h y w h i c h lists b o o k s , m a g a z i n e a n d n e w s p a p e r r e f e r - ences, as w e l l as u n p u b l i s h e d m a s t e r ' s es- says. R e g r e t t a b l y , a s i n g l e e x p l a n a t o r y n o t e i n t h e b i b l i o g r a p h y is m a d e t o suffice f o r a l l e d i t i o n s a n d s u b s i d i a r y p u b l i c a t i o n s of t h e Encyclopaedia Britannica. T h u s , f o r t h e w o r k u n d e r c o n s i d e r a t i o n w e a r e d e n i e d i m m e d i a t e access t o d a t e s a n d o t h e r b i b l i o - g r a p h i c a l d e t a i l s — i n f o r m a t i o n n o t r e a d i l y g l e a n e d f r o m a n i n d e x e d t e x t . A f u l l b i b - l i o g r a p h i c l i s t i n g (or a t a b u l a r s u m m a r y ) of a l l t h e e d i t i o n s a n d s u b s i d i a r i e s of t h e Britannica w o u l d h a v e b e e n a v e r y d e s i r a b l e a n d v a l u a b l e a d d i t i o n t o t h e b o o k . — E u g e n e P. Sheehy, Columbia University Libraries. Information Indexing and Subject Cataloging Information Indexing and Subject Catalog- ing: Alphabetical: Classified: Coordinate: Mechanical. By J o h n M e t c a l f e . N e w Y o r k : S c a r e c r o w Press, 1957. 3 3 8 p . $6.75. " I t is n o t easy f o r w r i t e r o r r e a d e r t o dis- e n t a n g l e t h e e n t a n g l e m e n t s of i n d e x i n g w i t h f a l s e science, v a i n p h i l o s o p h y a n d mis- u s e d o r u n n e c e s s a r y logic, a n d d o i n g so m a k e s f o r c o n t r o v e r s y a n d c r i t i c i s m , of t h e l o c u s t s w h o h a v e e a t e n t h e years. B u t f o r t h e m t h e s e s t u d i e s w o u l d h a r d l y h a v e b e e n n e e d e d . . . a n d i n d e x i n g a n d its s t u d e n t s w o u l d b e b e t t e r off if t h e r e w e r e f e w if a n y o t h e r a u t h o r i t i e s a c c e p t e d n o w , b e s i d e s D e w - ey a n d C u t t e r of 1876, a n d K a i s e r a n d H u l m e of 1911. B u t o t h e r s a r e a c c e p t e d as a u t h o r i t i e s , a n d w i t h t h e i r p a n a c e a s , c o n - flicting m e t a p h y s i c s , i n c o n s i s t e n t j a r g o n s , SEPTEMBER 1958 513