Rare Book School
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Rare Book School
Preliminary Reading List

Reference Sources for Researching Rare Books

Joel Silver

Required Reading

  1. Joel Silver. “Bibliographical Citations: An Introductory Guide for the Perplexed.” (PDF) AB Bookman’s Weekly, January 6, 1997, pp. 5-9.
  2. Joel Silver. "Bibliographies, Checklists, and Catalogs: The Core of a Collector's Reference Shelf." (PDF) Beyond the Basics. Fine Books & Collections (January/February 2008).
  3. Joel Silver. "Book Censuses: Making Every Copy Count." (PDF) Beyond the Basics. Fine Books & Collections (September/October 2008).
  4. G. Thomas Tanselle. “The Literature of Book Collecting.”  In Book Collecting: A Modern Guide, edited by Jean Peters (New York & London: R. R. Bowker Company, 1977), pp. 209-271.

Those students with no experience or coursework in descriptive bibliography should also read:

  1. Terry Belanger.  “Descriptive Bibliography." In Book Collecting: A Modern Guide, edited by Jean Peters (New York & London: R. R. Bowker Company, 1997), pp. 209-271.