College and Research Libraries 558 I College & Research Libraries • November 1980 regard to their employment, deployment, and performances domestically and in for- eign wars, in regard to their leaders , and also in regard to American public reaction to and support (or lack of it) for a developed standing army . Chapter 1 lists writings covering these topics throughout the nation 's history while the remaining seven chapters are set up to cover the topics chronologically in well- defined and significant periods , as from 1607 to 1783 or from 1783 to 1815, which is a good, useful arrangement and in fact seems the only logical one. Concluding the book are an author index and a subject in- dex whose simplicity and brevity increase their usefulness. A helpful feature is found in the compil- er's short descriptive annotations on the content of most of the works listed; these are of considerable aid to the user in choos- ing which items would be worthwhile to pursue or peruse. Sometimes, however, the annotations make one wonder why some writings happen to have been included: MCGREGOR "PERSONALIZED SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE" Every customer is assigned an experienced "Home Office" representative. You correspond direct; any title nHds, changes, cancellations or problems can be handled promptly by lett8r or phone. This makes your job easier and keeps you abreast of your subscription needs at all times. · With over 45 years experl*nce, McGregor has built a reputation of prompt and courteous service on both domestic and International titles. We prepay subscrip- tions ahead of time. Our customers, large and small, like the prompt attention we give them. We think you would tool Ask about McGregor's "Automatic Renewal" plan de- scribed In our new brochure. Write today for your free copy. OUR 48th YEAR MCG , GO~ ~Jiu~ Mount Morris, llllnols81054 such cases are certain biographies and per- sonal narratives , some writings having to do with nonmilitary groups such as Tories in the 1770s or suffering southern civilians during the Civil War, some reports on in- ternational politics and propaganda, the CIA, or American industry in more recent wars. Such writings appear to this writer to be outside a strict concept of subject con- text, but they are not numerous. On the other hand , while there are some relevant citations , there could have been more in respect to the major armaments de- veloped and employed from period to period and also the weapons , accounter- ments , uniforms , and way of life of the sol- diers composing the armed forces over the years. Some of the early official publications giving guidelines and regulations from when our military strength was first being formal- ly organized might have been included, too. While pagination is always given , it would be helpful if some small mention or signal had been incrud~d to let one know whether illustrations , maps , or charts are present in a cited work. These criticisms are , however, all minor ones, and perhaps carping, because overall this is a bibliography that is compact, com- prehensive, and easy to use. The compiler has made a very good selection of informa- tive materials, resulting from what must have been lengthy and exhaustive search- ing. The citations are arranged in conve- nient groupings or sequence and also in a typographical format that is, happily, easy on · the eyes . And, finally , Professor Lane's descriptive annotations-which represent much time spent by him , even to making them as concise as they are-are invaluable and will save any researche~ using this book much of his own time.-Richard B . Har- rington , Anne S. I( Brown Military Collec- tion , Providence , Rhode Island. Ashby , Peter~ and Campbell, Robert. Mi- croform Publishing. London, Boston : Butterworths , 1979. 189p. + 1 micro- fiche. $36.95. LC 79-40407. ISBN 0- 408-10606-9. (Available from : Butter- worths, 10 Tower Office Park, Woburn, MA 01801.) For a long time there has been a need among librarians for an understanding of the many factors that must be taken into account by a micropublishing firm when considering a proposed filming project and the many detailed procedures that must be follo,wed in properly and successfully im- plementing a selected project. Now two of- ficials of a British micropublishing company have provided a monograph intended speci- fically to enlighten librarians and other in- terested parties about all aspects of micro- publishing, from project conception through marketing. It is a thoroughgoing, straight- forward, and useful discourse that should help those who make acquisitions decisions to understand why some micropublications cost so much more than others of similar dimensions and to recognize when a sales- man for microtext materials is blowing smoke . Indeed, a librarian who studies Mi- crofonn Publishing carefully will soon know more about micropublishing than 95 per- cent of the sales representatives in the field. The authors do not restrict themselves to the more common applications , i.e., back issues of newspapers and journals, report literature , and out-of-print monographs. They also give careful attention to other ap- plications, including closed system (intra- organizational) publishing, dis-semination of text generated by COM (computer output microfilm), and publication of the proceed- ings of meetings . The final chapter of this works looks briefly but beneficially at the future of mic- rographics , particularly with regard to pub- lishing. Of especial interest at this time are the remarks about the potential effect on microform publishing of low-cost microfiche duplicators, which are cropping up in more and more libraries. M icrofonn Publishing incorporates a glos- sary based on the National Micrographics Association ' s Glossary of Micrographics (which is now undergoing a much-needed revision) and includes a supplement on mi- crofiche, which is very neatly pocketed in- side the back cover. For all its utility, this book is not without minor faults. Most obvious of them is the rather careless and sometimes contradictory way that a number of ·details are dealt with. For example, on page 11 we find , "There are much higher reductions of 90 to 150 X which may eventually be used by pub- Recent Publications I 559 lishers" (emphasis mine). This is immediate- ly contradicted by, "These ultra.fiches are used only for very large scale publications ... " (emphasis mine). The fact is, of course, that Encyclopaedia Britannica and others have used and are using such ratios in large-scale projects. Again, on page 9, "This ratio of 24:1 is the maximum normally found in microforms for library applica- tions"; and two paragraphs later, "The high- er reductions of 42 X and 48 X are , howev- er, becoming popular . . . in the library COM (Computer Output Microfilm) cata- logue field.·: The fact that the authors write primarily about the British business scene makes their detailed explanations of the economics of micropublishing of limited usefulness in the U.S. The price of Microform Pub- lishing, $36.50 for about 200 pages, makes it unlikely that many personal copies will be sold.-Carl M. Spaulding, Sunnyvale , Cali- fornia. Out of Stock? Back Orders? 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