The World from Here: Treasures of the Great Libraries of Los Angeles

Citation

James, S. (2002), "The World from Here: Treasures of the Great Libraries of Los Angeles", Library Review, Vol. 51 No. 9, pp. 482-483. https://doi.org/10.1108/lr.2002.51.9.482.7

Bibliographic treasures can come in all shapes and sizes, and some quite unexpected guises, in addition to those we know so well. A book may be valuable for many different reasons from generic to local. So book (in the widest interpretation) exhibitions – and good catalogues or accounts of them – always have their interest, especially when they originate in other parts of the world. This is a very good catalogue of an outstanding exhibition.

The theme of the exhibition, in Los Angeles’ Hammer Museum from October 2001 to January 2003, was to display books from the special collections of some 30 libraries in Los Angeles County. We are talking here of one of the wealthiest parts of the world, so no wonder that although starting their collecting much later than the great libraries of the Old World, these New World Libraries boast collections of enormous significance and worth. The background to the exhibition and to the collections it celebrates is explained in three introductory essays: “Libraries in the west: a matter of tradition” by Anthony Grafton; “An infinity of good, singular and remarkable books” by Nicolas Barker; and “A source of sure authority: library buildings in Los Angeles during the twentieth century” by Kenneth A. Breisch.

The scene thus set, the bulk of this handsome large quarto volume then comprises a catalogue of the exhibition. It is divided into eight thematic sections, starting naturally enough at home with materials relating to the history of California and Los Angeles: some of the items seem modest enough, a trade directory or a Spanish cook book, but it is no surprise that Hollywood posters and similar motion picture materials feature in the modern era, nor that the early material is Spanish. This is followed by sections on more traditional themes: the history of printing; book illustration; history of science; discovery and geography; architecture and engineering; books in everyday life (cookery, children’s books and the like); and “fully alive”, books representing outstanding works of the mind in aesthetic and philosophical fields, as well as some artists’ books.

To have seen the exhibition must have been a powerful experience: the catalogue alone conveys that much. The range, depth and sheer quality of the exhibits are awe‐inspiring. They might start in California, but the whole world is encompassed, including a gratifying range of Asian, native American and similar material to compensate for an otherwise obvious Euro‐centrism. Even so, just look and see how much of Europe’s priceless documentary heritage has fetched up in this one area of the USA.

Physical production of the book fits its subject: a beautifully designed and equally beautifully printed – in Germany by Dr Cantz’sche Drückerei in Ostbildern – volume features superb colour reproductions of a large proportion of the exhibits (and textual entries for all of them), many of the illustrations showing the look of the open volume and almost giving a feel of the exhibit. Unobtrusive measures at the side and bottom of each reproduction indicate the true sizes of the volumes displayed, all contained in a generous quarto page (some double‐spread) to do justice to the original. Image captions are brief and to the point, although this reviewer would prefer simply factual statements: the words “famous” and “important” are certainly overworked here and almost entirely superfluous to the point almost of irritation. That is especially so since each exhibit has a more detailed text explaining its background (and yes, often enough therefore its importance) in what seems to have become a typically and refreshingly US combination of erudite scholarship with clear jargon‐free explanation for the non‐expert. These accounts also carry references and bibliographies to other material on each item, including its history and context.

The combination of enormous riches from major libraries in one of the world’s wealthiest regions, with sound scholarship and support from the Getty Foundation help make this a volume worth purchasing, not just as a record of an extraordinary exhibition (perhaps one of the most significant since Printing and the Mind of Man more than 50 years ago), but also as a record of printed and documentary achievement throughout the world.