«The day has not yet come…» : book-jackets in library catalogue Paola Puglisi

1. «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

2. «… 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)

3. 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.

4. Book-Jacket for “The Keepsake 1833”, 1832 (for long the oldest book-jacket known)

5. 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• Bibliographers (b-j are described in analytical bibliographies) • Literature and publishing historians (b-j are historical documents) • …Librarians?

6. 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 dust-jackets, “ABA Newsletter”, n.333, 2005)

7. 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)

8. 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.

9. 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)

10. 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)

12. 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

13. ► ► ► De_Carlo, Andrea <1952- > Pura vita : romanzo / Andrea De Carlo. Milano : Mondadori, 2001. 331 p. ; 22 cm. (Scrittori italiani). Sopracc. ill. dell’A. ; sul risv. testo dell’A. ◄ ◄ ◄ ISBN 88-04-48944-8 053.914(ed. 21).BNI 2002-9758

14. Is there room forbook-jackets in cataloguing codes and bibliographic standards? ↓ • A prejudice, • lots of contradictions, • … and a small room!

15. A prejudice: AACR • «Use the part of the item supplying • themost complete information […] • excluding a separate book-jacket»

16. 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)

17. 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)

18. Contradictions: ISBD consolidated «An ISBD description describes a complete copy of a published resource» (A.2.1) «The resource described isthat 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)

19. 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!!!]

20. 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» ↓

21. 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»

22. What about FRBR ?

23. Cesare Zavattini creates Vittorio De Sica creates Totò il buono (novel) Miracolo a Milano (movie) Work Inspired by Totò il buono (original text) Miracolo a Milano (original version) Miracolo a Milano (original version) Expression Is an integral part of (Whole/Part rel.) Totò il buono 2nd Bompiani ed Manifestat. Miracolo a Milano (soundtrack) Totò il buono (Paola’s copy) Item Totò il buono (BNCR copy) Alessandro Cicognani creates

24. Cesare Zavattini creates Flap text Totò il buono (novel) Work Totò il buono (original text) Expression Attribute (extent of carrier) Is an integral part of (Whole/Part rel.) Totò il buono 2nd Bompiani ed Book-Jacket Manifestat. illustration Totò il buono (Paola’s copy) Item Totò il buono (BNCR copy*) Mino Maccari creates *Note: «Imperfect copy: missing book-jacket»

25. Thanks! paola.puglisi@beniculturali.it