College and Research Libraries 326 I College & Research Libraries • july 1978 Benjamin, Curtis G. A Candid Critique of Book Publishings. New York: Bowker, 1977. 187p. $15.00. LC 77-21286. ISBN 0-8352-1033-2. A longtime spokesman for the publishing industry, Curtis G. Benjamin is former president of McGraw-Hill, member of many trade and government committees, and twice chairman of the Book Industry Joint Committee on Copyright. Still active in re- tirement, he serves as consultant to the As- sociation of American Publishers on Educa- tion for Publishing and he is still speaking for and to the industry to which he has de- voted a lifetime of energy. A Candid Critique of Book Publishing contains the ideas and opinions that he has voiced over the years, now brought to- · gether, updated, and shaped into a cohesive statement of concern for the many aspects of publishing that seem to need either clar- ification or improvement. In clear, colorful, and vigorous prose, Benjamin points out the weaknesses of the industry while affirming his devotion to it and his conviction that those who publish books will continue to perform an important intellectual and com- mercial function in our society. Composed of twenty short chapters, A Candid Critique begins, logically, with a definition of book publishing and goes on to a discussion of its "sirenic attractions" with Benjamin's sharp condemnation for the in- dustry's willingness to use a perennial over- supply of job seekers as an excuse for a low pay scale and a tolerance of the inefficiency created by high personnel turnover. Each chapter concerns a specific topic, and, while one subject may not necessarily lead di- rectly into the next, there is an overall pat- tern that generally satisfies the reader. The chapters on author-publisher rela- tionships follow naturally the discussion of publishing as a profession. Those chapters that deal with the economics of publishing, such as marketing, product promotion, un- derpricing, overprinting, and mergers, are grouped together as are those concerned with foreign markets, multinational publish- ing, and publishing in needy countries. The problem of copyright as the "key to survi- val" is included, of course, as an important issue still unresolved in many ways. Each topic is handled succinctly and di- rectly, for Benjamin has the ability to im- part a lot of background information in a few words as he selects what is essential to highlight the points he wants to make. The language is clear. The author's approach is direct, sometimes conversational. His quota- tions are appropriate. Librarians will see themselves here through a publisher's eyes. On the one hand, they are praised as in their activities to promote reading and books by National Library Week, while publishers' neglect of such product promotion is "something that should long ago have the attention of an in- dustrial psychiatrist." On the other hand, on the issue of copyright, librarians are chas- tised for "their overriding concern for their own convenience and for the facility of ser- vice to their patrons." More important, though, than any emotional reaction to praise or rebuke after reading this book will be librarians' enlarged perspective of the book publishing industry. To be sure, some issues are oversim- plified, but an annotated bibliography is provided for those who would read more deeply about particular topics. Also, this re- viewer would have enjoyed a few more pages on some subjects omitted, such as the decline in the quality of books produced, publishers' relationships with jobbers, the future of mixed-media formats, etc., for Benjamin's opinions are always interesting and his experience in publishing is a rich source to explore. Ostensibly written for book publishers, A Candid Critique of Book Publishing should have a much wider readership.-Mary E. Thatcher, University of Connecticut, Storrs. Foskett, A. C. The Subject Approach to In- formation. 3d ed. London: Clive Bingley; Hamden, Conn.: Linnet Books, 1977. 476p. $12. ISBN 0-85157-238-3 Bingley; . 0-208-01546-9 Linnet. "Perhaps librarians could solve some of the problems of recall and relevance by en- couraging some kind of literary contracep- tion" (p.19). If the reader believes Foskett's figure of speech extreme, compare the out- raging "All langauge is fascist" of Roland Barthes or George Steiner's "Often a lan- guage will filter out from the field of recog- nition even more information than it in- cludes in that field." But Foskett's measured good humor in the 3d edition of his The Subject Approach to Information (SAl) is only occasional in requiring such foils. The "lobsterbacks" re- ally are leading the way in information re- trieval, and Foskett's recapitulant style humanizes these achievements with the ap- lomb of a Times letters-to-the-editor con- tributor. Quite the weakest portion of both edi- tions (2d and 3d) of Foskett's work is epis- temology. The indefatigable scholar, at once urbane and donnish, betrays rampant idealism. What would Foskett make of Paul Weiss' assertion: "Applied with control and knowledge, classification takes the form of a disciplined discovery" (Philosophy in Proc- ess, v. 7)? When this reviewer observes the overweening faith and bias Foskett exhibits in Austin's PRECIS quincunx, he concludes that Foskett would have the generosity to agree with Weiss. Are all classifiers Platonists? Hegelians? And yet how useful for classroom use this work must be. The reviewer has been twenty-plus years out of cataloging and clas- sification tuition (with twenty years' index- ing), but its value as an introductory or in- termediate survey text he rates as quite high. Some of the tabular exemplars are either dead wrong or typos continued intact from the 2nd edition, e.g., the 3d edition's treatment on page 266 of "Peek-a-boo 383 +" index entry includes a modification line not in 3d edition index and without ci- tation. There is an observable British flavor to Mr. Foskett's prose: Are we to suppose the phrase "issue systems" on page 274 intends "circulation systems"? It does appear that photographic copy reproduction should be employed for examples of classification schedules for the 4th edition of SAl. The 3d edition is a genial introduction, a secondary reference source, and contains excellent and timely bibliographies.-Richard B. O'Keeffe, George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia. Bolte, Charles G. Libraries and the Arts and Humanities. Syracuse, N.Y.: Gaylord Professional Publications, Gaylord Bros., Inc., 1977. 239p. $12.50. LC 77-12926. Recent Publications I 327 ISBN 0-915794-13-6. This book grew out of a conference, "De- veloping Collaboration between Libraries and Other Humanities Agencies," sponsored in early 1977 by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The intent of the book is to encourage librarians to become. familiar with and to take advantage of federal and state programs supporting the arts and humanities. Following a brief summation of the con- cern the federal government showed for the arts and humanities prior to the 1960s, the author traces the main features and legisla- tive intent behind the bill that established the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Human- ities. The contrasting organizational struc- tures of each endowment are described, as well as the state councils that each endow- ment directly or indirectly sponsors. Responses to questionnaires sent by the author to each state arts and state humanities council are randomly quoted. These replies briefly outline state and local arts and humanities projects that involved librar- People Serving People! Our greatest assets are the skilled and trained people giving you "Con- cerned Service" - the personalized service that makes your problems ours. No computer gives you continu- ing errors; our people make sure that you get quick, accurate an: swers. 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