The Memory of Mankind: The Story of Libraries Since the Dawn of History

Citation

Simpson, M. (2003), "The Memory of Mankind: The Story of Libraries Since the Dawn of History", Library Review, Vol. 52 No. 9, pp. 463-464. https://doi.org/10.1108/00242530310501527

This is a physically attractive book: substantial page size (8 by 10 inches), generous margins, cream paper, interesting illustrations. Unfortunately, the contents are not so attractive. From the information on the title page, one might assume that it is a modern work on the history of libraries co‐authored by three people. The back cover flap shows “the author”, Tolzmann, but the CIP data starts to give the truth: “rev. and updated ed. of A history of libraries by Alfred Hessel, which was translated, with supplementary material added, by Reuben Peiss and published in 1950”. However, the book is not even as the CIP states. Tolzmann claims in his acknowledgements that, “the text has been thoroughly reviewed, and revisions made where necessary”, but this is not so.

The fact is that Tolzmann has provided illustrations, revised the first chapter, about ancient libraries, left the text of chapters 2 to 9 covering the Middle Ages to the mid‐twentieth century as Peiss presented it in 1950, made some slight changes to Peiss in chapter 10 (the second half of Peiss's chapter 9), and added a new chapter 11 (“Into the information age”). Further, the footnotes throughout, up to chapter 10 (including chapter 1) are exactly those of Peiss, apart from added misprints, to which I shall return. So, most of the book gives a history of libraries as seen in 1950; and even here, the basis of Peiss's work is Hessel's German work of 1925, Geschichte der Bibliotheken. Not only does the text read like a dated translation, the age of the text creates many statements which, quite acceptable in 1950, give rather ludicrous results in 2002. For example: “systematic research, in my opinion, will make clear …”; “its completion is not yet in prospect …”; “the present incumbent [of the Vatican Library], Mgr. Anselmo Albarada”. The footnotes read particularly badly: “the printing of this catalogue continues …”; “so far only 14 volumes … have appeared”; “preparations are being made …”; “after the recent war”; “both libraries may well have been demolished during the fighting”; and “The war put a stop to publication … When, if, and how it will be resumed, it is as yet impossible to say”. Well, Mr Tolzmann, why didn't you find out?

There has, however, been ample opportunity to add a number of typos not there in 1950, for example, “aris” for “Paris” on p. 48; “Magliabech” for “Magliabechi” on p. 85; “Bently” for “Bentley” on p. 92; and 16 words are missed out in the middle of p. 102, making the sentence incomprehensible. Peiss had an irritating habit of giving foreign language quotes after a translation, which this publication continues, but now frequently gets wrong. For instance, “Graetia capta jerum victorem cepit” should be “Graecia capta ferum victorem cepit”; “chacun la voit einsin et en extrait ce qu'il veut” should be “chacun la voit ainsi et on extrait ce qu'il veut”.

Tolzmann's illustrations are interesting, but unattributed: the cover illustration of a wonderful baroque library is that of the Strahov Monastery in Prague. Under the picture on p. 58 it should be “Sixtus IV” not “Sixtus V”. No fewer than three pages are completely blank, so that new chapters can start on a recto. Why? The bibliography, which in 1950 covered 38 pages, now covers one and a half. The index is risible: entries like “Augustus, Duke”, or “De Thou”, or “da Bisticci, Vespasiano” would not pass an elementary indexer's exam.

This book is a misleading work and a wasted opportunity: a thorough and authoritative revision and updating of the 1950 text would have been another matter altogether as Peiss/Hessel gave a lot of information, being particularly good on continental developments. The Middle East is fleetingly mentioned; the Far East not at all.