College and Research Libraries


idea of a "union catalogue" even made its 
appearance about 1400 when an English 
Franciscan conceived the idea of making 
one for all the libraries of the Franciscan 
order in England. 

T h e range of intellectual interests in 
the Middle Ages is reflected by an ar-
rangement frequently found in the larger 
libraries in the twelfth and thirteenth 
centuries. B y this arrangement the ma-
terial was divided into seven classes: ( 1 ) 
archives, ( 2 ) scriptural texts and com-
mentaries, ( 3 ) constitutions, ( 4 ) council 
and synodal proceedings, ( 5 ) homilies and 
epistles of the fathers, ( 6 ) lectionaries, 
( 7 ) legends of martyrdom. T h i s took 
care of the religious and ecclesiastical ma-
terial. Secular literature was placed by 
itself and divided on the basis of the seven 
liberal arts: grammar, rhetoric, logic, 
arithmetic, geometry, music, and astron-
omy. T h e titles in these subdivisions 
(if the joint contents of various libraries 
be included) comprised the whole range 
of Latin literature as we have it today; by 
1200, all the works of Aristotle in Latin 
translation, several books in Greek, and 
grammars of Greek and H e b r e w ; also 
Justinian's Code, Digest, and Institutes. 

These few examples must suffice to in-
dicate the varied contents of this invalua-
ble work of reference. N o brief review 
can hope to give more than a suggestion 
of the wealth of interesting material that 
it contains.—Curtis H. Walker, Vander-
bilt University, Nashville. 

A Comparative Study of Cataloging Rules 
Based on the Anglo-American Code of 
1Q08, with Comments on the Rules and 
on the Prospects for a Further Exten-
sion of International Agreement and 
Co-operation. J . C . M . Hanson. Uni-
versity of Chicago Press, [C1939] 144P. 

$2. (University of Chicago Studies in 
Library Science.) 
WHEN bookmen find at last the long 

desired "time to w r i t e " we are apt to look 
for the reminiscent fruits of observation 
and experience. From no librarian would 
such a book be more welcome than from 
James Christian Meinich Hanson, profes-
sor emeritus of the University of Chicago 
Graduate Library School, and dean of 
catalogers. Characteristically, however, 
the first book which D r . Hanson issues 
from his well earned leisure is not lei-
surely, but a workmanly canvas of the 
technical basis for increased cooperation 
among librarians and bibliographers. 

T a k i n g from the Anglo-American Cat-
alog Rules of 1908, the first 1 3 5 rules 
which deal with the choice of main entry 
forms, the author digests each in turn in 
the order made familiar to catalogers by 
long usefulness. T h e n systematically he 
summarizes the practice prescribed by the 
eighteen major cataloging codes of Amer-
ica and Europe. These codes are listed 
in the opening pages in f u l l bibliographic 
detail. F o r citation in the text a shortened 
characteristic symbol is used for each. 
Thus, B M refers to the British Museum 
Rules, F R to the Regies et usages of the 
Association des Bibliothecaires Frangais. 
Included are two English codes (British 
Museum, Cambridge University), two 
German codes (Munich, Prussian In-
struktionen), two Swiss codes (Basel, 
Z u r i c h ) , two Italian (Italian government, 
V a t i c a n ) , and one each Belgian, Danish, 
Dutch, French, Norwegian, Spanish, and 
Swedish. Of these D r . Hanson cites the 
Prussian the Anglo-American, and the 
Vatican codes as the most influential. 
Dates of issue vary from Cutter, 1904, to 
the Vatican Norme, 1 9 3 1 . T h e latter is 
now in process of revision and reissue and 

JUNE, 1940 283 



the new edition w a s available to D r . H a n -

son in proofsheet form. 

T h e author says in the closing chapter: 

It is believed that the comparison of the 
Anglo-American Rules 1 - 1 3 5 with the corre-
sponding rules in the other eighteen codes 
has served to demonstrate how much re-
mains to be done before we can claim any 
approximation to a general agreement on 
headings and entry word. Here, as in so 
many other fields . . . progress toward an 
international agreement and consequent co-
operation has been, and will no doubt con-
tinue to be, slow and arduous. 

W i t h a steady and rapid improvement in 
travel facilities and the consequent increase 
in the number of scholars and investigators 
who come to rely on the libraries and book 
resources not only of their own countries 
but of the world, it has become obvious that 
it is the duty of librarians to seek for more 
uniformity in bibliographic records and meth-
ods of administration, in order that students 
shall not be obliged to learn a new system 
whenever they pass from one country to 
another. 

T h e study w a s initiated by Professor 
Hanson as a project for M a r g a r e t h e 
B r a n d t , when she w a s a student at the 
graduate library school. H e r untimely 
death made its continuation impossible. 
Since his retirement f r o m active teaching, 
D r . Hanson has brought it to completion. 
A s chairman of the A m e r i c a n committee 
which compiled the A n g l o - A m e r i c a n Cat-
alog Rules of 1 9 0 8 of which he w a s editor, 
D r . Hanson has a unique and intimate un-
derstanding of them and of the basic rea-
sons for the form they took. A s a member 
of the committee charged w i t h their revi-
sion and expansion, n o w in progress, he 
has compiled a w o r k i n g basis, a f r a m e of 
reference, for the new committee's proce-
dure which may justly be rated as 
invaluable. T h a t the committee's delib-
erations are to be founded upon this ma-
ture consideration of w o r l d - w i d e practice 

w i l l add many cubits to the stature of 

their decisions. W i t h o u t D r . H a n s o n ' s 

painstaking, discerning analysis of these 

eighteen widely v a r y i n g sets of rules, in 

nine languages, comparative consideration 

w o u l d be much more difficult and almost 

certainly less thorough. 

T h e greatest variation in major prac-

tice is found in the matters of corporate 

authors and in the emphasis on catch-

words, in contrast to the A n g l o - A m e r i c a n 

use of the first w o r d not an article in title 

entries. T h e summary of the history of 

usage in regard to societies, governments, 

and organizations ( P a r t I I I ) is particu-

larly interesting because of D r . H a n s o n ' s 

participation in the events which led to 

the crystallization of the A m e r i c a n rules. 

T h e y w e r e based largely on the precedents 

established by C h a r l e s A . C u t t e r and the 

L i b r a r y of Congress, w h e r e D r . Hanson 

w a s chief of the catalog division from 

1 8 9 7 t 0 1 9 1 0 - H e traces the G e r m a n 

preference for title entry for such ma-

terials, which to A m e r i c a n catalogers 

seems strangely indefinite, partially to 

"tradition and innate conservatism," and 

suspects "both academic and economic con-

siderations" for its retention. 

T h e f a r greater prevalence abroad of 

chief entry under title is rather appalling 

to the cataloger familiar chiefly w i t h the 

A n g l o - A m e r i c a n code. D r . Hanson trans-

lates and summarizes in detail the rules 

of the Basel U n i v e r s i t y L i b r a r y Katalog-

Instruktion on this point. I t prescribes 

an elaborate system of catchword entries, 

providing seemingly for every possible 

variant. N u m e r o u s changes of case, or-

der, and form are directed in order to 

bring together similar entries. H e r e are 

endless problems for the codifiers and 

those w h o w o u l d establish uniform entry 

practice, in addition to many lesser points 

2 284 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES 



of variance, each supported by long usage 
and arguments worthy of consideration. 

D r . Hanson's concluding statement 
pointing out the latitude in details and the 
agreement in entry form essential to true 
cooperation is worthy of profound con-
sideration by catalogers, administrators, 
and teachers of cataloging whose tithing 
of mint and cumin too often has defeated 
their own admirable purposes. 

It is to be sincerely hoped that D r . 
Hanson's remoter purpose, increasing har-
mony of catalog practice throughout the 
world, may be served as well as the revi-
sion of the American Rules. So modestly 
presented and so scholarly a contribution 
w i l l surely invite the favorable considera-
tion of foreign bibliographers.—J e a n n e t t e 
Murphy Lynn, Vanderbilt University, 
Nashville. 

Catalogers' and Classifiers' Yearbook. No. 
8. American L i b r a r y Association. 
Catalog Section. American L i b r a r y 
Association, 1 9 4 0 . I 5 2 p . $ 2 . 2 5 . 

THOUGH THE articles included in the 
eighth Catalogers' and Classifiers' Year-
book are too numerous to mention individ-
ually, the sketch of Charles H . Hastings 
and his work in the L i b r a r y of Congress 
card division, and the two articles, one 
by and one about the late Dorcas Fellows, 
will be of particular interest. 

T w o groups of articles, one on the ques-
tion of union catalogs and one on the 
division of the catalog, are particularly 
timely. A r e union catalogs really an-
swering a felt need; are there additional 
services which union catalogs should per-
form ; are union catalogs demanding an 
amount of effort in their mere physical 
upkeep disproportionate to their value? 
T h e s e questions are discussed in two arti-
cles, the general conclusion being that 

those who have union catalogs should en-
deavor continually to improve and utilize 
all of their potential services, and that 
those contemplating installing new ones 
should consider every angle carefully be-
fore deciding the scope and essential func-
tions of their tool. 

A b l y discussed in four articles are the 
questions: Shall the catalog, which in 
many large institutions is fast outgrowing 
its quarters or taking on such gargantuan 
proportions as to frighten the timid, un-
initiated user, be divided into two or three 
parts? In the catalog divided into two 
or three parts, is there not danger, due 
to the necessary duplication of many en-
tries, of each part becoming in turn an 
unmanageable dictionary catalog? Shall 
the catalog be divided by dates? Shall it 
be greatly simplified and kept together? 
T h a t the day of reckoning has come for 
the large catalog, and that its fate rests 
with the future and individual institutions 
are the conclusions reached. 

T h e papers presented indicate within 
the ranks of catalogers a resourcefulness 
and initiative which speaks well for the 
future. F a r from being an unimaginative, 
routine-minded group, the unenviable 
reputation which catalogers have in the 
past held with some other branches of the 
library profession, they seem to be about to 
take on the characteristics of the ancient 
Athenians w h o "spent their time in noth-
ing else, but either to tell, or to hear some 
new thing." Concerning these " n e w 
things," catalogers are showing not only 
a willingness but an eagerness to make 
changes in routines which have become 
stumbling blocks and to undertake any 
task no matter how grueling the details, 
so long as it will bear as its fruit a better 
service to the library p u b l i c . — F r a n c e s L. 
Yocom, Fisk University, Nashville. 

JUNE, 1940 285