A History of Bibliographies of BibliographiesTaylor, Archer
History
A History of Bibliographies of Bibliographies
Taylor, Archer
Bibliography of bibliographies -- History
He wrote _Censura Patrum_ (London, 1623. 4^o; 1614. 8^o), but it
ought to be utterly rejected, along with Rivet's _Criticus_,
Scultetus's _Medulla_, the outburst of Hottinger, and similar
commentaries of the most virulent heretics, by all holding the
Catholic faith or it ought to be put far away in the castle
of Hell, whence it is forbidden to depart, along with the
Magdeburg Centuriators, Mathias Flaccius Illyricus, and the
works of others that have been assembled in several volumes. I
hear also that a criticism of ancient writers by the same Cooke
was published at Helmstadt in octavo in 1655.
Labbé makes mistakes in details and perhaps more mistakes than a
modern bibliographer. We can easily pardon minor troublesome mistakes
in alphabetization. In an index according to Christian names it is
not fatal to have the last name of Christophorus Ferg misspelled
Freg.[65] Labbé should have eliminated many duplications like those
of Christophorus Giarda and Christophorus a Giarda or Philibertus
Fezaius and Philibertus Fresalius (the latter is an error).
A comparison of Labbé's text with the indexes discloses serious
discrepancies that reduce the value of his book. One can usually go
from the indexes to the text without much trouble, although a few
references lack the name needed as a guide.[66] A reverse comparison
of the text with the indexes is much less satisfactory and shows that
Labbé added names to the text after he had made the indexes.[67]
We can justly object to Labbé's inclusion of subject entries in an
alphabet of authors.[68] Had he given more thought to them, he would
no doubt have hit upon the idea of a dictionary catalogue of authors
and subjects and might have simplified the complicated indexes.
His plan required him to put subjects into the indexes, but he had
no good place to put an article "Bibliothecae." This contains a
classified list of catalogues and libraries that I shall discuss in
the next chapter. He put it in its alphabetical place, in a list of
names. A curious bibliography of fictitious bibliographies is entered
under "Fictae Bibliothecae." When Labbé put a bibliography of guides
to university studies at the end of his alphabet of authors, he
showed his realization of the fact that he had no place for it.
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