Reference Reviews

Lawrence Looks at Books

A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology, 1450-2000. Peter Beal. 457p. New York: Oxford University Press, 2008. 978-0-19-926544-2. $125

A Dictionary of English Manuscript Terminology, 1450-2000 The fifteenth-century appearance of moveable type did not end the importance of written records. Indeed, even in the current era, many types of records, from marriage licenses to employment contracts, still require handwritten signatures to be considered official. Account books, bonds, captain’s logs, certificates, diaries, letters, military commissions, pardons, postcards, prescriptions and wills are just a few of the many types of handwritten documents that have persisted through many centuries of printing. Documenting all aspects of contemporary society for business, legal and personal purposes, such manuscripts eventually assume equally important roles for historians. With this guide, Peter Beal, Senior Research Fellow at the University of London’s Institute of English Studies and a former Director and English Manuscript Expert at Sotheby's, explores the world of manuscripts from the invention of printing to the Internet era. Adopting the style of John Carter’s “ABC for Book Collectors” (Knopf, 1951), he defines and explains the forms and functions of manuscripts, the materials and instruments involved in their production, as well as the roles of individuals responsible for their creation, distribution and preservation. From business records and state papers to dramatic promptbooks and ephemera, the many types of manuscripts are explored. Issues of ascription and authentication also are examined. While Beal focuses on English manuscripts, most of the topics presented are reflected in European and American documents. All in all, more than 900 topics are discussed, while another 600 cross-references lead the user from related terms to the relevant entries. A unique collection of images drawn from Sotheby’s photographs of materials handled illustrate 95 concepts, while a selective bibliography suggests further reading on nearly 50 topics. The result is an excellent tool for scholars of history, literature and library science.
—John R.M. Lawrence