College and Research Libraries Recent Publications COLLEGE & RESEARCH LIBRARIES Condos, Victor, Jr.]. Franklin]ameson and the Birth of the National Archives, reviewed by Nancy E. Peace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247 Wolfe, Gerard R. The House of Appleton, .reviewed by David Kaser......... .. ... ..... ....... 248 Cline, Hugh F. and Sinnott, Loraine T. Building Library Collections, reviewed by Barbara A. Rice .......................................................... 249 European Americana: A Chronological Guide to Works Printed in Europe Relating to the Americas, 1493-1776, Volume I: 1493-16250reviewed by PaulS. Koda . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250 Henry, W. M. et al. Online Searching: An Introduction, reviewed by Danuta A. Nitecki . . .............. . . .. . ... ..................... . ... ·. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254 Olson , Nancy B. Cataloging of Audiovisual Materials, reviewed by Andrew Lisowski and Judith A. Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255 McCrimmon, Barbara. Power, Politics and Print: The Publication of the British Museum Catalogue , 1881-1900, reviewed byDouglasW. Bryant.......................... 258 Hubbard, William J . Stack Management: A Practical Guide to Shelving and Maintaining a Collection, reviewed by Jean W. Farrington . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Dessauer, John P. Book Publishing: What It Is, What It Does , 2ded. , reviewed by Fred C. Lynden . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260 Abstracts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262 Other Publications of Interest to Academic Librarians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270 BOOK REVIEWS Condos, Victor, Jr.]. Franklin jameson and the Birth of the National Archives. Philadel- phia: Univ. of Pennsylvania Pr., 1981. 232p. $20. LC 80-54050. ISBN 0-8122- 7799-6. This volume is a tribute to the energy and persistence of two men-J. Franklin J ame- son, its subject, and Victor Condos, Jr., its author. After a fifteen-year career as an ar- chitect and an officer in the Coast Artillery Reserve, author Condos earned a master's degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1942 he began his twenty- three-year career with the National Ar- chives, where at the time of his retirement in 1965 he headed the Army and Navy branch. While engaging in an active professional life which included several organizations, Con- dos also pursued a doctorate at American University. In 1971, at age sixty-nine, he completed his dissertation and was awarded the Ph.D. This volume is an edited version of that dissertation, prepared posthumously for publication by James B. Rhoades, formerly Archivist of the United States. Like Condos, J. Franklin Jameson had a long and active career as historian, author, and member of various professional organi- zations. The present volume focuses on one of these activities-his twenty-five-year cam- paign for establishment of a federal archives. Condos chronicles Jameson's efforts from 1901, when the American Historical Associa- tion passed its first resolution calling for a hall of records, to 1926, when public law 281 authorized erection of various structures, in- cluding an archives building. It is a saga of vision thwarted by bureaucracy, of federal needs in conflict with local agendas. It is also a tale of one man's intelligence, commit- ment, and political acumen. This volume makes two significant contri- butions. First, it fills an important gap in the literature of American archives. The two major histories of the National Archives-H. G. Jones' Records of a Nation and Donald R. McCoy's National Archives-acknowledge I 247 248 I College & Research Libraries • May 1982 Jameson's contribution to the establishment of the institution. Indeed, Jones calls Jame- son the "most influential single force in the drive for a national archives." Neither vol- ume, however, chronicles the years of work and many disappointments that Jameson en- dured before his dream was realized. By fill- ing out the record, Condos' study documents the basis for Jones' assessment and serves as a fitting tribute to Jameson's tireless efforts. Second, Condos' study is important be- cause it reminds us that the National Ar- chives was born of the political process. The long and difficult struggle to establish the Ar- chives drew support initially from only a small portion of the citizenry. Had Jameson and his colleagues not engaged the active support of historical and patriotic groups, in particular the American Legion, one won- ders if the Archives would ever have been es- tablished. As Condos noted, "it was not until the rise of the American Legion, able to claim thousands of votes in each congressio- nal district, that any organization was in a position to compel a congressman to think twice about failing to support the archival demand." In this current period of political and fiscal assault by the Reagan administration, is there not need for a new coalition of citizen groups, commanding thousands of votes, to save the institution for which Jameson worked so long and hard? Those of us who would take up Jameson's legacy will, I be- lieve, learn much from Victor Condos' thor- oughly researched, meticulously written study.-Nancy E. Peace, Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts. Wolfe, Gerard R. The House of Appleton. Metuchen, N.J. and London: Scarecrow, 1981. 450p. $17.50. LC 81-2564. ISBN 0- 8108-1432-3. Franklin D. Roosevelt once observed that there were few businesses more intimately interwoven with the national fabric than publishing houses. Gerard Wolfe must have had that statement in mind when he wrote this book, because throughout it he strives to relate events in the history of the House of Appleton to contemporary circumstances in the development of the nation. Appleton's of course is one of the most dis- tinguished names in the history of the Ameri- can book industry. It was in 1825 that Yan- kee merchant Daniel Appleton opened his dry goods store in New York City with more than half of its floor space set aside for the re- tail marketing of books. Only six years later, however, he forsook all other selling in favor ' I r--A . •t• -y--L_b ~ ~ ~ l. A cqutst ton 1 rartans . . . . . t I I I : I ' II I j f Now is the time to try the best source for: • ANY BOOK IN PRINT • accurate invoicing • meaningful reports • rush order service • competitive discounts ;1.,. l e plus many other services i I f CALL TOLL-FREE TODAY I I -l-800-248-1146 1 I In Canada & Michigan I i CALL COLLECT (517)849-2117 ANY BOOK IN PRINT ..... means de- livery to your library of "any book in print" from any publisher or distribu- tor in the U.S. or Canada. We have no list of publishers you must check ..... 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