First Published in 1996. This encyclopedia is unique in several ways. As the first international reference source on publishing, it is a pioneering venture. Our aim is to provide comprehensive discussion and analysis of key subjects relating to books and publishing worldwide. The sixty-four essays included here feature not only factual and statistical information about the topic, but also analysis and evaluation of those facts and figures. The chapters are significantly more comprehensive than those typically found in an encyclopedia.

Bibliography and Modern Book Production is a fascinating historic journey through the fields of print history, librarianship and publishing. It covers key developments from 1494 to 1949 in bibliography and book production from the history of scripts and paper manufacture to the origins of typefaces and printing. Although not a textbook, the book was a guide for library students in the 1950s on the essential literature of librarianship. As the first librarian appointed to Wits University in 1929, Percy Freer’s near encyclopaedic knowledge of the subject of bibliography enabled him to develop a key resource for relevant library examinations in South Africa and abroad. Due to its immense value as a historic record, and to acknowledge Freer’s contributions as scholar, librarian and publisher, it is being reissued as part of the Wits University Press Re/Presents series to make it accessible to scholars in book histories, publishing studies and information science.

The heart of this working guide is the three chapters dealing with techniques and the chapter on conservation. "Basic Techniques" detail the fundamental skills that are applicable to all hand bookbinding. "General Techniques" include those practices that, with minor variations, cover the early stages in all types of bindings. "Specific Techniques" describe the steps primarily used is producing a specific type of hand binding. The basic principles of conservation work cover one of the more important areas in the field of hand bookbinding today.

Mammoth volume by one of the world's foremost practitioners. Both historical survey emphasizing decorated bindings, and eminently practical guide to hand bookbinding. 93 plates, 242 figures.

Intended for bookbinders and conservators of library and archival material and for those working in related fields, such as bibliography and librarianship, this dictionary contains definitions for the nomenclature of bookbinding and the conservation of archival material, illustrations of bookbinding equipment and processes, and biographical vignettes of notable binders. Details of the history of bookbinding and discussions of materials used are included, where applicable, in the definitions. In addition, definitions provide answers to questions, e.g., the best treatment for leather bindings, and useful items of information, e.g., the standard sizes of paper. It is noted that the definitions were drawn, whenever possible, from the most authoritative sources available. Sources for definitions are indicated by numbers which refer to the 373-item bibliography included at the end of the dictionary. A series of 13 color photographs of various bindings and endpapers is also included. (ESR)