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An
Appeal from the Society
Dear Member and Friend of the
Society,
Our distinguished journal, The
Papers of the Bibliographical Society of America, has
been in print now for over a century, and it is one of the
oldest scholarly journals produced by a learned society in
North America. Dedicated to the study of printed books and
manuscripts as physical objects, it amply fulfills the
founding objective of our Society to promote
bibliographical research and issue bibliographical
publications. It is read throughout the world by scholars,
librarians, booksellers, and book collectors alike. It is
the herald of our Society and a publication of which we
may be proud. I write to you now to ask your help to
ensure that this tradition of bibliographical excellence
continues through your contribution to a fund that will
strengthen and preserve the ongoing publication of our
Papers.
Why is it
necessary to establish a specially designated endowed fund
for the Papers? Even as we read predictions of the
end of the printed book and see the demise of print
newspapers, these changes in communication technology only
highlight the increasing need to understand how texts and
ideas circulate and how they are transmitted through
history, how they are affected by the physical and
cultural circumstances in which they were produced and
later read. As a member of the Bibliographical Society of
America, you understand the importance of this knowledge,
and our Society’s journal is your collective expression of
commitment to promoting research and understanding in this
field.
But even
though our Papers may be recognized as one of the
premier venues for bibliographical scholarship, we cannot
rest content. Increases in printing and mailing costs are
clearly here to stay. Color reproduction is more and more
often a concern of scholars seeking to place their work
with the best journals. It is our collective
responsibility to maintain the health of our publication
and ensure that it remains a leader in its field. Your
elected Council has met regularly this past year, and
continues to do so, in efforts to control costs, balance
budgets, and raise new funds to protect the Society and
its journal. In the face of these challenges the active
engagement of all our members is much desired and
appreciated. I hope you will give to the Preservation Fund
for The Papers of the Bibliographical Society of
America. Your contribution will help secure the
ongoing heritage of our journal. Your gift is tax
deductible, and your name will be listed as a generous
donor to the Fund. As a graduate student years ago I
recall how reading each new issue of PBSA gave me
the sense—as I am sure it does to many of our longtime
members—of belonging to a supportive and international
bibliographical community. Your gift will provide the same
sense to other new and continuing members of our
community. Thank you for giving generously.
Sincerely,
John N. Hoover
President
the
pbsa endowment
donation form
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THE SOCIETY
ANNOUNCES THE
The St. Louis Mercantile Library Prize in American
Bibliography
Funded by the St.
Louis Mercantile Library at the University of Missouri, St. Louis,
an institutional member of the Society, this prize is intended to
encourage scholarship in the bibliography of American history and
literature. Awarded every three years, the prize brings a cash
award of $2,000 and a year’s membership in the Society. The
deadline for submissions for the 2011 award is 1 November 2010.
More
information
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justin g.
schiller prize
The Bibliographical
Society of America is pleased to announce
the winner of the 2010
Justin G. Schiller Prize for Bibliographical Work
in Pre-20th Century Children’s Books is Jill
Shefrin’s The Dartons: Publishers of Educational Aids,
Pastimes and Juvenile Ephemera, 1787-1876 (Los Angeles:
Cotsen Occasional Press, 2009). This new 552-page bibliography
with 284 color illustrations is the companion volume to the 2007
winner of the Schiller Prize, Lawrence Darton’s The Dartons:
An Annotated Check-list of Children’s Books Issued by the Two
Publishing Houses 1787-1876 (2004). read more |
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The Society
Announces the Publication of
The First White House Library: A History and
Annotated Bibliography
Edited by Catherine M. Parisian
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Although many early U.S. presidents were avid readers and
book collectors—George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas
Jefferson, to name a few—they usually brought their own
books to the White House and removed them at the end of
their terms. It was not until 1850 that Millard and Abigail
Fillmore established the first official White House
collection. This catalogue of the library that they
assembled not only reveals much about their own
preoccupations and interests and those of the age they lived
in, but also provides insight into American library history,
reading history, and book trade and distribution networks.
This volume also contains contributions from William Allman,
Elizabeth Thacker-Estrada, and Sean Wilentz.
Available from
Penn State University Press. BSA members (code BSA) and
others using this
form
receive a 20% discount.
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