College and Research Libraries 164 I College & Research Libraries • March 1980 Maverick John Cotton Dana, prominent in library affairs and proprietor of the Elm Tree Press, Woodstock, Vermont, suggested to Pearson that the quotable Almanack should become a literary reality. Pearson shamelessly commingled his satirical com- mentary with the astrological and meteorological contents of an authentic al- manac written by Joseph Perry in 1773. Au- thorship of the newly discovered almanac was credited to one Jared Bean. Pearson pursued the hoax with abandon, but Dana became apprehensive that the deception was too transparent. Before Dana could temporize and send a warning to readers, the New York Sun received a copy for re- view. The eighteenth-century format and sage advice of the "Old Librarian" hood- winked the reviewer. The game was on. Pearson could not resist playful parries with reviewers and other librarians who cor- responded about the almanac's credibility. The New York Sun, initially fooled by the hoax, indulged Pearson after recognizing the deception. Other gullible reviews appeared in the New York Times, Dial, Outlook, and Publishers Weekly. Helen Haines, a former editor of Library journal, easily deciphered the · hoax and joined the merry conspiracy on the pages of that periodical. Only one publication, America, labeled the Almanack an unforgivable fabrication. Dana, it con- tended, was guilty of advertising a fake vol- ume. Wiegand has scoured the relevant archi- val sources and secondary literature to pro- duce the definitive account of Pearson's hoax. The historian's craft has been well served by this highly readable contribution. Unfortunately, the chapbook's narrow spine, grainy photographs, and jarring layout mar an otherwise fine example of quality print- ing. Pearson, who always enjoyed the last word, would no doubt be pleased that his seventy-year-old divertissement was once again in the news.-Arthur P. Young, Uni- versity of Alabama. Reese, Rosemary S., comp. Documentation of Collections. A Bibliography on Histori- cal Organization "Practices, V.4. Edited by Frederick L. Rath, Jr., and Merrilyn IF YOU'VE GOI A PROBLEM WE'RE JUSI A (FREE) PHONE CALL AWAY! Phyllis and Dana are just two of Midwest Library Service's Personal Customer Ser- vice Representatives who are specially trained to solve any book ordering problem your library may encounter. Phyllis and Dana are thoroughly knowledgeable in all facets of the library jobber business, and if ~~~~~-iiil you are ever in need of their services, you PHYLLIS HUTCHISON DANALINDSEY can reach them by using our TOLL-FREE W ATS Line, 1-800-325-8833 (Missouri customers please call COLLECT: 0-314-?39-3.100) for help in solving any problem. '(.our Customer Service Repre- sentative w1ll follow the problem through to a satisfactory conclusion-without delay. Remember, Phyllis and Dana are "working" foryou and your library. It's all part of Midwest Library Service's tradition of excellence. "20 Years Of Service To College and University Libraries" MIDWEST LIBRARY SERVICE 11443 St. Charles Rock Road BRIDGETON. Mo. 63044 Rogers O'Connell. Nashville, Tenn.: American Association for State and Local History, 1979. 218p. $12.50, $9.25 to AASLH members. LC 75-26770. ISBN 0-910050-38-4. In 1975 the American Association for State and Local History began the publica- tion of a series entitled A Bibliography on Historical Organization Practices. As one of the most important historical agencies in North America, AASLH offers these compi- lations, in part, to further its own goals of "advancing knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of localized history in the United States and Canada." Previously . published volumes cover such topics as historic preservation, conservation, and interpretation of museum collections. This latest volume is an appropriate addition to the serie~. Its compiler, Rosemary S. Reese, work~d from the premise that except for large historical agencies whose staffs have specialized knowledge about most of the articles under their care, many curators, antique dealers, and private collectors ' need guidance in identifying and cataloging ar- tifacts. Documentation of Collections is divided into six sections: collections documentation, artifact collections, decorative. arts collec- tions, fine arts collection s, folk arts and crafts collections, and historical organiza- tions. The last lists eight agencies, both na- tional and international, that through their programs and publications offer assistance to whoever is involved with museum work and connoisseurship. The annotated citations, instead of referring to the process and technology of manufacturing, consider the objects only as objects. No pretense is made to all-inclusiveness; such a work would be both physically un- wieldy and difficult to use. Rather, Reese has carefully selected the most valuable books ·~md articles with the hope that re- searchers will consider them as jumping off points for further study. A very complete index, consisting of nearly 20 percent of the volume's pages, should lead the reader to any specific reference. The sources listed in Documentation of Collections are valuable for museum per- sonnel and the lay public for at least four reasons: they are useful in putting together Recent Publications I 165 and staging exhibitions; they help in deter- mining monetary values for insurance pur- poses; they provide for both casual and de- tailed study of art objects; and they are in- structive in the care, maintenance, and con- servation of materials that may be consid- ered antique. As a bibliographic tool, this compilation should be considered as a standard in its field for many years. Neither . a museum nor an interested researcher would go wrong in consulting it in any effort to examine problems encountered with ob- jects from our cultural heritage.-E. Richard McKinstry, Winterthur Museum, Winterthur, Delaware. Lee, Marshall. Bookmaking: The IUustrated Guide to Design/Production/Editing. 2d ed. New York: Bowker, 1979. 485p. $25 plus shipping & handling. LC 79-65014. ISBN 0-8352-1097-9. Marshall Lee's Bookmaking has long been recognized as a basic text for neophytes seeking a knowledge of how a manuscript becomes that physical object-a finished book. The first edition (1965) was limited to the design and production aspects of book- making; the second edition adds the editing function, thus making the book even more useful than before. Only the marketing and advertising aspects of the book trade now lie outside the purview of this basic manual, and even those topics are touched upon from time to time as they affect editing, production, and design. In order to accommodate the material on editing, the book has been reorganized, with the original book now largely forming "Part I: Design & Production." Much of the text of that part remains the same as in the earlier edition, but wherever new technol- ogy has been introduced into the industry (and that has been considerable over the fourteen-year interval) the text has been completely rewritten and new illustrations provided. Some topics have been treated in a different order, contributing to greater clarity, and one, "Co-Productions," has been added. Some readers may initially question the fact that the new "Part II: Editing" occupies only some 75 pages as against 370 pages for Part I, but the answer to that criticism probably lies ip the very technical nature of