The Library World Volume 26 Issue 11

Abstract

THE Society of Bookmen have been interesting themselves in a practical manner in connection with the question of the reprinting of important non‐copyright books which do not appear on publishers' lists. The subject is one of interest to librarians, most of whom have experienced great difficulty since the war in replacing worn‐out copies of a number of important books. Doubtless as time goes on the ravages of war in this matter will be remedied, but at the moment the attitude of the Society of Bookmen deserves commendation. There is little likelihood that the Society will be faced by any serious financial obligations in the matter, as publishers are only too glad to meet a generally‐expressed demand for reprints of non‐copyright books. As a matter of fact, the ground is being slowly gone over, and every publishing season sees a succession of reprints of such works. One of the best we have seen is from the very literary house of Gowans and Gray, of Glasgow, who have done credit to themselves, to Scott, and to Scotland by issuing a long‐overdue reprint of the delightful “Tales of a Grandfather.” Saintsbury calls this “the soundest thing” that has yet been written on Scottish history, and we in turn would commend it both to our readers and to the Society of Bookmen as an example of how a library edition should be produced. From the point of view of library readers we might express the wish that there were more historical works produced in the same useful form and excitingly readable style.

Citation

(1924), "The Library World Volume 26 Issue 11", New Library World, Vol. 26 No. 11, pp. 344-376. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb009082