College and Research Libraries examination of linguistics, anthropology, and theology, with some additional research in history, law, morals, ethics, aesthetics, general philosophy, sociology, psychology, and related fields. His chief objective was to demonstrate that censorship has no basis in reason and that it is "neither essential nor inevitable for man's progress and well- being." Beginning with the taboos of early civili- zations, he traces the history of sex censor- ship through Hellenism and Stoicism, the J udeo-Christian tradition, and Puritanism to modern-day America and the 1970 Re- port of the U.S. Commission on Obscenity and Pornography (COP). Fear of the Word uses copiously the quotations of contem- poraries to reveal the causes of, the reasons against, and the ineffectiveness of censor- ship since the creation of written language. One chapter, "The Psychology of Repres- sion," discusses the psychobiology of the censor. Others deal with critics as censors communities as censors, librarians as cen: sors, the law as a censor, and the U.S. Su- preme Court as a censor. It concludes with an analysis of the social and political impli- cations of the COP report and with some interesting speculations about its future im- pact. After some extensive struggling with the subject, Oboler concludes with this answer to his original question about the fear of certain words: Since the beginning of time the word has been identified with deity and, therefore, is a sacred and fearful ob- ject. Although there is, undoubtedly, gen- eral agreement among librarians about the inefficacy . and undesirability of censorship, not all will choose to accept this explana- tion for it, solely on the basis of the evi- dence which he has presented in this vol- ume. It is, however, a good compendium of quotations on sex censorship and an ade- quate general survey of this topic.-Doro- thy Bendix, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Library Science, Drexel U niver- sity, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Foreman, Lewis. Systematic Discography. Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books and Clive Bingley, 1974. 144p. $9.50. (74-8463). (ISBN 0-208-01197-8). The author, a member of the faculty of the College of Librarianship at Abery- Recent Publications j 241 stwyth, Wales, has provided us with a thorough and handy addition to the meager literature concerned with the discograph- ical art. As a matter of surprising fact, this volume is the first comprehensive guide to discographical compilation. Mr. Foreman candidly states in the introduction that there is as yet no codification of the rules for the compilation of discographies. There are but the examples which actual discog- raphies themselves provide, but nothing hard and fast. Therefore, Mr. Foreman wisely eschews offering anything other than optional solutions from which the discogra- pher may choose. The work begins with a very succinct history of sound recording and the early ap- plications of this technology. Next, Mr. Foreman discusses a number of the factors both legal and mechanical, which bea; upon the preservation (and reissuing) of recorded materials. The author then takes up the nature of discography and makes clear its relationship to bibliography in all its forms, e.g., analytical, descriptive, sys- tematic, etc. He goes deeply into methods of grading the sonic qualities of the items included in discographies. In the chapter titled "Practical Discography," the author addresses himself to the problems of de- fining and limiting the scope of the work to be undertaken and the actual collection and assembly of discographical information. Later chapters take up problems in formu- lation of the entry, elements for inclusion, typographical style and abbreviations (with many examples) , methods of arrangement (e.g., alphabetical, classified, chronological, etc.), examples of select discographies, data processing, and bibliographic control. The remaining chapters are lists of deal- ers in out-of-print materials, unusual re- cording companies and labels, journals and reviewing media, and some select discogra- phies. Following the excellent bibliography are, as an appendix, excerpts from R. D. Darrell's "Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music," and the index. Mr. Foreman's little volume recommends itself as a vade mecum to all aspiring dis- cographers and makes excellent reading not only for music librarians not thus engaged but also for the disc collector. His discus- sions, for example, on the relative merits of the Gramophone magazine, compared to 242 j College & Research Libraries • May 1975 American counterparts, and of such cata- logs as Schwann and the Gramophone Long Playing Classical Record Catalogue can prove very enlightening to anyone con- cerned with the purchase of recordings.- Kenyon C. Rosenberg, Associate Professor, School of Library Science, Kent State Uni- versity, and Classical Recordings Editor, Previews Magazine. Dessauer, John P. Book Publishing: What It Is, What It Does. New York: Bowker, 1974. 231p. $11.95. (74-12162). (ISBN 0-8352-0758-7). Book publishing today is a complex ac- tivity, making use of diversified skills and expertise. It is now and always has been a curious blend of art and business, and the role of entrepreneur is one which publishers have assumed. John Dessauer has provided us with a broad survey of the subject, and he writes out of his experience as book- seller, book club executive, and member of a consulting firm serving publishers and the communications industry. Dessauer defines the publishing process as including the following areas of respon- sibility: editorial, production, marketing, fulfillment, administration. In no sense are these topics dealt with equitably in his book. The editorial aspect of publishing is touched upon very lightly, and the real em- phasis is on the processes of manufacturing and selling a commodity, which in this case happens to be books. This emphasis may be offensive to those who are preoccupied with the literary and cosmetic aspects of books and have little interest in the market- place. On the other hand, it is well known that publishing houses have foundered and died because of ineffectual business prac- tices. It is not easy to deal effectively with the processes of typesetting, printing, and bind- ing in a few pages; but in the chapter "How Books Are Manufactured" the au- thor has handled the subject with clarity and skill, providing the layman with a good introduction to the subject. The chapter on "How Books Are Marketed" describes the complex and often cumbersome methods by which books are distributed to readers in the United States, and should be of par- ticular interest to acquisitions librarians. He cites three major problems of the book in- dustry: "the need to curtail overproduction, the need for greater standardization in man- ufacturing, and the need for an effective distribution system." He also reminds us that publishing is in sore need of ongoing research into the desires and needs of the consumers of its product. Dessauer writes in a straightforward, no- nonsense manner; there is a total absence of footnotes. A "Bibliographic Note" lists eleven well-known books on publishing and related subjects. The book is well indexed, and there is a useful glossary of terms used in publishing and book manufacturing.- Dorothy Ethlyn Cole, Associate Professor, School of Library and Information Science, State University of New York at Albany. Benewick, Anne J. Asian and African Col- lecti0<718 in British Libraries: Problems and Prospects. ( Librarianship and In- formation Studies) Stevenage, Herts., England: Peter Peregrinus Ltd., 197 4. (Distributed in the U.S. and Canada by International Scholarly Book Services, P.O. Box 4347, Portland, OR 97208). 139p. $17.00. This book is the revised version of the author's M.A. thesis for the Postgraduate School of Librarianship and Information Science, Sheffield University, England. It is a "history of developments in the organi- zation of British Asian and Mrican collec- tions" and an attempt "to describe in detail many of the problems peculiar to area col- lections and their impact on British librar- ies." The former is presented in a straight- forward fashion giving much useful infor- mation on the historical background of these collections and their achievements, especially in the years following the widely acclaimed Scarbrough Report of 1947 and the Hayter Report of 1961-two national surveys which greatly contributed to the subsequent development of area studies and area libraries in Great Britain. The latter is discussed under headings such as regional library groups, acquisitions prob- lems and techniques, the role of the area specialist, etc. In addition to being the most up-to-date, informative, and candid account of the sub- ject in hand, this reviewer finds Ms. Bene-