«The day has not yet come…» :
book-jackets in library catalogue
Paola Puglisi
Central National Library, Rome
FSR 2014 International Conference
Rome 27-28 February 2014
«… the day has not yet come when
one can learn anything of a library’s
holdings of jackets by consulting its
catalogue»
(G. Thomas Tanselle, Book-jackets, blurbs,
and bibliographers, “The Library”, V Ser.,
26,1971)
• The book-jacket (or dust-jacket), as
related to modern publishing, first
appeared just to protect the book, around
the1820s, so it looked like something
unrelated to it.
• Nevertheless, it became right away an
essential component of the publisher’s
design of the book itself, and since then
book-jackets are essential documents for
the history of publishing.
Book-Jacket for “The Keepsake 1833”, 1832
(for long the oldest book-jacket known)
Book-jackets are object of interest for:
Book collectors (b-j add value)
Common readers (they like them!)
Scholars (b-j have paratextual issues)
Artists, graphic designers (b-j have
aesthetic value)
 Bibliographers (b-j are described in
analytical bibliographies)
 Literature and publishing historians (b-j
are historical documents)




 …Librarians?
 Bibliographers → physical separateness of
book-jackets
«Analytical bibliography is concerned with
the whole study of the physical book: its
history, its appearance…».
(Bookcollecting: a modern guide, ed. Jean Peters, New
York; London: R.R. Bowker, 1977)
«What the book looks like is an integral
part of what it is»
(Julian Rota, The fate and state of removable dustjackets, “ABA Newsletter”, n.333, 2005)
 Art historians → justified practicing
selections
«It is understandable that libraries, which are chiefly
concerned with the contents of a book, have
neither the time nor the space to preserve the
wrappers, but jackets of artistic distinction
would no doubt be welcome in a museum such as
the Victoria and Albert, which has for long
undertaken the preservation of printed examples of
good commercial art».
(Charles Rosner, In quest of the book-jacket, “The
Times Literary Supplement”, Friday May 12, 1950)
Title: [Dust jacket cover illustration for: Herblock: a
cartoonist's life, by Herbert Block. With an introduction
by Katharine Graham]
Related Names:
Block, Herbert, 1909-2001 , artist
Block, Herbert, 1909-2001 , author
Graham, Katharine, 1917-2001.
Date Created/Published: [New York : Times Books/Random House, Inc., c1993,
1998]
Medium: 1 photomechanical print : halftone ; 23.5 x 15.9 cm.
Summary: Illustration for front panel of dust jacket shows a self-portrait of Herbert
Block sitting at his drawing table working on editorial cartoons with an
hourglass in the foreground; in the background are caricatures of Franklin D.
Roosevelt, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and Bill Clinton.
Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ppmsca-22209 (digital file from original print)
Rights Advisory: Publication may be restricted. For information see "Herbert Block
("Herblock") Rights and
Restrictions,"(http://www.loc.gov/rr/print/res/271_herb.html)
Call Number: Illus. in: BLOCK COLL. (Suppl. Archives) [P&P]
Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.
20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print
Notes: Title devised by Library staff.
 Librarians → book-jacket must be kept !
«… se, e in quale misura, potranno salvarsi
dalla distruzione esemplari di
un’espressione grafica, la cui importanza
documentaria ed estetica si fa ogni
giorno più evidente […] soltanto le
biblioteche sono responsabili della loro
sopravvivenza».
(Francesco Barberi, Conservare le sopracoperte, “AIB.
Bollettino d’informazioni”, NS, II,1962, 6)
 Librarians → book-jacket must be kept,
→ either with the book or separately
«Whether jackets are kept on the books […],
or filed separately will be decided
differently by different libraries; the
important matter is that they be carefully
and systematically preserved»
(G. Thomas Tanselle, Book-jackets: their history,
forms, and use, Charlottesville: The Bibliographical
Society of the University of Virginia, 2011, p. 81)
What about National Bibliographic
Records?
De_Carlo, Andrea <1952- >
Pura vita : romanzo / Andrea De Carlo. Milano :
Mondadori, 2001.
331 p. ; 22 cm. (Scrittori italiani).
ISBN 88-04-48944-8
053.914 (ed. 21).
BNI 2002-9758
►►►
De_Carlo, Andrea <1952- >
Pura vita : romanzo / Andrea De Carlo.
Mondadori, 2001.
331 p. ; 22 cm. (Scrittori italiani).
Milano :
Sopracc. ill. dell’A. ; sul risv. testo dell’A.
◄◄◄
ISBN 88-04-48944-8
053.914 (ed. 21).
BNI 2002-9758
Is there room for book-jackets in
cataloguing codes and bibliographic
standards?
↓
 A prejudice,
 lots of contradictions,
 … and a small room!
 A prejudice: AACR
«Use the part of the item
supplying
the most complete
information […]
excluding a separate
book-jacket»
 Contradictions: REICAT
You have to describe (if you can) a whole and
complete item:
«La descrizione bibliografica deve basarsi
sull’esame di almeno un esemplare,
possibilmente integro e perfetto,
per registrare correttamente le caratteristiche
della pubblicazione come è stata prodotta e
diffusa originariamente » (1.2.A)
 Contradictions: REICAT
As for the physical description area and the
notes related to it (including about containers):
«Può essere indicata qualsiasi informazione
ulteriore che si ritiene opportuno fornire sulle
caratteristiche materiali della pubblicazione»
(4.7.5)
«Si indica la presenza di una custodia […] se
non è usuale per il tipo di materiale» (4.7.5.8)
 Contradictions: ISBD consolidated
«An ISBD description describes a complete
copy of a published resource» (A.2.1)
«The resource described is that as issued by
the publisher, printer, distributor, etc» (A.4.3)
You can signal «other physical characteristics»
but
«any characteristic implicit in the specific
material designation is omitted» (5.2)
 Contradictions: ISBD consolidated
► On 5.3.2.1, Bibliographic format and
dimensions for older [= before 1830]
monographic resources:
«Dimensions may be given in area 5 if it can be
established that the resource being described is
in a standardized publisher’s binding or in
publisher’s wrappers» [first appearing about
1820!!!]
 A small room: ISBD consolidated
«The note area contains any descriptive information that
has not been given in other areas of the description but
that is considered to be important to users of
bibliographic records. Notes qualify and amplify the
description in area 1-6 and can deal with any aspect of a
resource. Notes may also give the bibliographic history of
the resource and indicate relationships to other
resources» (7.5)
Among the ISBD examples: «In envelop, with title on flap»
► ► ► «In book-jacket, with a photo of the Author’s
family on the front, quoted in the text of the novel» ↓
 A small room: ISBD consolidated
► ISBD example on Notes relating to the copy
in hand (7.11):
«Imperfect copy: missing cover and title page»
► ► ► «Imperfect copy: missing book-jacket»
What about FRBR ?
Vittorio
De Sica
Cesare
Zavattini
creates
creates
Totò il buono
Miracolo a Milano
(novel)
(movie)
Inspired by
Work
Expression
Manifestat.
Totò il buono
(original text)
Totò il buono
2nd Bompiani ed
Miracolo a Milano
(original version)
Is an integral part of
(Whole/Part rel.)
Miracolo a Milano
(soundtrack)
Item
Totò il buono
(Paola’s copy)
Totò il buono
(BNCR copy)
Alessandro
Cicognani
creates
Cesare
Zavattini
creates
Flap text
Totò il buono
(novel)
Work
Expression
Totò il buono
(original text)
Manifestat.
Totò il buono
Item
2nd Bompiani ed
Attribute (extent of carrier)
Book-Jacket
Is an integral part of
(Whole/Part rel.)
Totò il buono
(Paola’s copy)
Totò il buono
(BNCR copy*)
*Note: «Imperfect copy:
missing book-jacket»
illustration
Mino
Maccari
creates
Thanks!
[email protected]