Edwin Wolf (1911–1991)

Long unavailable, if you find a copy of this now, it is likely to be sold as a book. That's deceptive; it is a printed edition of a lecture, sixteen typewritten (not typeset) pages, with eight pages of endnotes. A stapled pamphlet, not a book, and likely to be pretty well worn with time (not only is the paper in my copy starting to fail, the staples came loose; it was re-stapled, and now even those staples are failing!)

Although the title refers to commonplace books, the real topic is Stuart- show more and Commonwealth-era poetry, of authors such as Jonson, Herrick, and Carew. Wolf's argument is that most of our early editions of these authors are of poor textual authority -- the poems were often collected posthumously, and even when they weren't, they were often taken from inadequate sources. This problem persists even in modern editions.

Wolf points out that many of these poets circulated or recited their poems long before the printed editions and late manuscript collections, and that copies of these poems might therefore be found in "commonplace books" -- the notebooks that people carried around with them. This provides an additional source by which we might edit at least some of the poems by these authors, and also, in some cases, determine which poems are really by these authors and which are not.

This argument is, I think, entirely correct, and Wolf is certainly right to suggest that editors should consult every source possible. Unfortunately, Wolf ends there. He does not give any examples of a poem he has re-edited on the basis of the commonplace books (though an endnote mentions a few that might so benefit), and he does not give any sort of catalog of the books themselves. This lecture was a call to action, not an action itself. The work should be done, and the evidence for that opinion is clearly marshaled -- but I am not enough of an expert on seventeenth century poets to know if anyone has followed up on the call. show less

It's sad that this book about perhaps the greatest bookseller of the 20th century is so flawed. After a too brief introduction to Rosenbach's early bookselling career, the first 150 pages quickly become a list of how much a book was bought for and at what price sold. A lot of the reasons why individual books are important is left out. When so many books are described as the "finest available" it quickly becomes repetitive.

Luckily after the first 150 pages this book gets better. You get more show more of a sense of Rosenbach as an individual, including some really funny anecdotes about the books he sold and Rosenbach's customers. It doesn't make up for the first pages but don't give up hope if you keep reading it is worth it. Unfortunately after about 150 pages in the middle it goes back to the "he bought this book for this price and sold it at this price to Mr X".

This book included a section of photos in the middle. Interestingly none of the books bought or sold are shown. show less

Wolf's excellent analysis of the early collections, catalogues, and labels used by the Library Company of Philadelphia, including a reconstruction of the (non-extant) first catalogue.

Wolf's tremendously amusing autobiographical essay and a comprehensive bibliography of his articles and other writings. A great read if you have any interest in Wolf, the Library Company of Philadelphia, or research library world generally.