reviews.indd text, there are also many odd selections. The finely wrought reconstructions of libraries done by contemporary artists and scholars are enormously valuable in bringing some life to the text, but the legion of dubious portraits and architec- tural fantasies from the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries seem oddly chosen and out of place in this work of careful scholarship. One would have thought that a work ostensibly focused on the material in- stantiations of culture would have paid at least some attention to the carriers of texts, but Staikos is not really interested in talking about material formats. The word “book” is ubiquitous throughout the text, but what a “book” was in antiquity is not part of the author’s agenda. If you are in- terested in the multiple ways and means the Romans had at their disposal for in- stantiating texts—all kinds of texts—you will be better served looking elsewhere. Indeed, the entire material culture of “the book” is largely ignored here: from the making of surfaces (papyri, skin, stone) to the making and formatting of texts. The proliferation of private and public libraries throughout the Empire was an important artifact of the competition for status and prestige that pulsed within the elite classes. In this special setting, libraries were more than just trophies: they embodied the highest ideals and aspirations of the governing classes. Even the crassest and cruelest of the Caesars was, to some extent or another, a patron of the arts and culture and personally invested in them. Libraries were, Staikos reminds us, enmeshed in and thoroughly integrated into Roman life—at least at the top—in ways impossible in later ages. Staikos hints at this fusion, but interested readers will want to turn elsewhere for a fuller portrait.—Michael Ryan, Columbia University. Book Talk: Essays on Books, Booksellers, Collecting, and Special Collections. Eds. Robert H. Jackson and Carol Z. Rothkopf. New Castle, Del.: Oak Knoll, Book Reviews 205 2006. 265p. $49.95 (ISBN 1584561882). LC 2006-296809. Sponsored by the Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies (FABS), an organi- zation that fosters communication and interaction among members of book clubs in the United States, this book contains eighteen essays pertaining to rare books and manuscripts. Written by noted book collectors, booksellers, special collections librarians, and a master printer/publisher, the essays are grouped in four categories: books, booksellers, collectors, and special collections. Most of the pieces originated as presentations given by the authors be- tween 1997 and 2005 at FABS-sponsored symposia and book study tours. It is not surprising that the editors chose to assemble these engaging es- says. An avid book collector and author of articles pertaining to varied aspects of printing history, Robert H. Jackson is vice chair of FABS. Carol Z. Rothkopf, a collector of modern British poetry, served for nine years as chair of the Grolier Club’s Committee on Publications. In 2002, she edited another Oak Knoll title, Robert E. Stoddard’s A Library-Keeper’s Business. Although Book Talk will be of great inter- est to collectors, dealers, special collections curators, and librarians whose careers reach back several decades, some of its themes are relevant to aspects of academic librarianship in general. The impact of the Internet is a thread woven throughout this rich tapestry of text. Far from making the printed book obsolete, the Web has con- tributed to its proliferation. In his piece on “The Past, Present, and Future of the Book,” Jason Epstein points out that it is easier than ever for an author to become published, al- though fewer books of enduring value can be found among today’s mass-market titles. Bookselling has changed radically. Epstein notes that large retailers have replaced small bookshops, and several authors, in- cluding Tom Congalton, Peter Kraus, and Anthony Garnett, bemoan the Internet’s negative impact on traditional walk-in used and rare book shops with a broad range of stock. More common today are specialists 206 College & Research Libraries March 2007 who issue catalogues or list their books in one or more searchable databases. The authors of several essays describe further changes in the rare book market. According to Bruce Whiteman, the Inter- net has had a significant impact on what is considered a rare book. It is increasingly unlikely to encounter books described as the “only known copy,” and books once thought to be quite scarce can be found in a surprising number of institutional col- lections. According to John Crichton, with information about prices easily accessible online, book dealers no longer control the market. As Anthony Garnett and Ken Lopez point out, the availability of pricing among multiple dealers has depressed the prices of run-of-the-mill titles. “High spots,” or especially important books, on the other hand, have experienced rapidly escalating prices in recent years. Major auction houses, once the domain of book dealers, now cater to individual collectors, including wealthy celebrities. Special Collections librarians will find several essays in this collection particu- larly valuable. As high spots among tra- ditional rare books and manuscripts find their way into institutional collections and thus are increasingly unlikely to appear on the market, librarians and curators will need to be both creative and vigilant as they attempt to build collections. Robert H. Jackson urges librarians to become more proactive in identifying and court- ing individuals who have developed important collections. Roger E. Stoddard and Geoffrey D. Smith suggest that savvy curators will explore new avenues of collecting in support of emerging trends in research. Of related interest is Garrett Scott’s fine essay on the value of books traditionally thought of as “low spots” in literature. Scott points out that such titles can shed important light on the culture of the times in which they were written. Perhaps of less interest to most potential readers are several chapters that discuss printing history. These include Peter Rut- ledge Koch’s piece on the pre-Socratic proj- ect and criteria for fine printing and “The Woodcut in Ferrara in the Late Fifteenth Century” by Daniel De Simone. Martin L. Greene uses internal evidence to arrive at a plausible explanation for the two variants of Aurora Australis (1908), the fi rst book published on the Antarctic continent. A book of this kind should itself reflect good craftsmanship. Oak Knoll Press has produced a work of quality, with paper, typography, and design that are pleas- ing. The illustrations are appropriate and the index is a useful addition. A few typographical errors do not detract from the book’s overall excellence.—Maurice C. York, East Carolina University. The review of Michael Buckland’s Emanuel Goldberg and His Knowledge Machine: Information, Invention, and Political Forces that appeared in the January 2007 issue stated that the endnotes were not referenced in the text. The reviewer has since determined that while the main text contains no direct pointers, the endnotes themselves are identified by the page number of the main text to which an indi- vidual endnote applies. While the reviewer found this arrangement awkward, it does allow the reader to connect the endnote to the relevant text.