Most Bizarre Bibliographies?

As I've become a more serious collector in the past 5 years, I'm
become fascinated with bibliographies--of all kinds. I've bought a
few famous or important ones just for interest and reference--although
I have no major collecting interest in the subject matter.

A couple of weeks ago, I had spotted on eBay a bib. of British apiary
books from the last 500 years. There are some serious bee book people
out there, so my minimal bid didn't stand a chance.

But yesterday I found what is assuredly the most bizarre bib. I've
ever owned:

E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).

Who knew there was that much literature on the subject?


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

on 30 Jul 2003 in rec.collecting.books, Art Layton chanted thus:

E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).

I have been looking for that book for years! Where did you find it?
It looks like something that should be found on oddbooks.co.uk.


I would have it, if only to keep it out of the hands of young children, who
might otherwise be inspired to take up the disgusting practice of reading
about whale-killing.

At present though I am busy tracking down the works of a man who chose to
write and self-publish text-books on subjects of which he knew very little,
in a language in which he was less than fluent. (All will be revealed.)

--
Alfred Armstrong
Now! With added Dot.Communism: http://www.oddbooks.com/
"The eye has been described by scientists as a small-sized volcano"
- Webster Edgerly

Perhaps more bizarre than collecting bibliographies is writing one. I have
spent a large portion of my energies in the last two years assembling a
bibliography of Isak Dinesen works, with no realistic hope of ever having it
published. Yet, I find myself driven to the work with an obsession similar
to that of wanting a new William Faulkner first edition. Over twelve
hundred entries so far, and any sane person would have quit long ago. But,
.. . .

--
Russell Funk



"William M. Klimon" wrote in message
om...
As I've become a more serious collector in the past 5 years, I'm
become fascinated with bibliographies--of all kinds. I've bought a
few famous or important ones just for interest and reference--although
I have no major collecting interest in the subject matter.

A couple of weeks ago, I had spotted on eBay a bib. of British apiary
books from the last 500 years. There are some serious bee book people
out there, so my minimal bid didn't stand a chance.

But yesterday I found what is assuredly the most bizarre bib. I've
ever owned:

E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).

Who knew there was that much literature on the subject?


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

"Craig Dunsville" wrote...
William M. Klimon wrote:
I'm become fascinated with bibliographies

and I'm fascinated with sunbaked toads

Self-absorbed, in other words?

Anyway, oven-baked are better--not too rich, if you get my drift.

--
Jon Meyers
[To reply,
lose your way.]

William M. Klimon wrote:

As I've become a more serious collector in the past 5 years, I'm
become fascinated with bibliographies--of all kinds. I've bought a
few famous or important ones just for interest and reference--although
I have no major collecting interest in the subject matter.

A couple of weeks ago, I had spotted on eBay a bib. of British apiary
books from the last 500 years. There are some serious bee book people
out there, so my minimal bid didn't stand a chance.

But yesterday I found what is assuredly the most bizarre bib. I've
ever owned:

E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).

Who knew there was that much literature on the subject?


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com

on 31 Jul 2003 in rec.collecting.books, Lawrence Person chanted thus:

So I take it you don't want to buy a copy of my latest project,
Queequeg's Happy Fun Time Rainy Day Whale Killing Activity Book?


When it's ready call me, Ishmael.

--
Alfred Armstrong
Now! With added Dot.Communism: http://www.oddbooks.com/
"The eye has been described by scientists as a small-sized volcano"
- Webster Edgerly

Bill Klimon wrote, and I snipped:

......But yesterday I found what is assuredly the most bizarre bib.
I've ever owned:
E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).
Who knew there was that much literature on the subject?

The most bizarre bibliography I own is the Blue Book, New Orleans
(?),1936, by Semper Idem, a Bibliographical Attempt to describe the
guide books to the houses of ill fame in New Orleans. A couple of
abebooks booksellers reveal that Semper Idem is the pseudonym of Charles
F. Heartman, a prominent bookman of his time. I rather crudely
described this book in a thread on bookjackets a few months ago.

I just acquired my most expensive (and prized) bibliography this week:
A Bibliography of the Works of Samuel Johnson by J.D. Fleeman, Oxford
University Press, 2000, two vols..

A biblio friend got a good deal on the set because the books were
"missing" their dustjackets. This friend, a fellow RCBer, offered me a
good deal that I couldn't' turn down a second time, informing me that he
didn't think the books were issued with dust jackets.

I had previously declined to buy this set because I was not impressed
with J.D. Fleeman; that is, until Sandy Malcolm researched Fleeman to
identify a 1770 Samuel Johnson Dictionary I owned that was missing its
title page, among other pages. Sandy referred to the press-figures
listed in Fleeman which identified when each page of each dictionary was
published. See the thread several months ago, titled, A Lesson in
Bibliography.

Btw, I have yet to find someone who has a set of Fleeman with
dustjackets. Bizarre? I'm not complaining! Neither is Bill Klimon,
who has already added another early edition to his St. Augustine
Collection with his profits from this sale.

Jerry Morris


Welcome to Moi's Books About Books: http://tinyurl.com/hib7
My Sentimental Library http://tinyurl.com/hisb and moislibrary.com
http://tinyurl.com/hisn

Jerry,

If really interested in finding out if there are dustjackets you might want
to contact the bookseller listed below who advertised the set on ABE.

Ed Schaeffer
visti www.jamesboswell.com
.. FLEEMAN (J.D.)
A Bibliography of the Works of Samuel Johnson.
2000. 2 Vols., 1056;1024pp., orig. cloth. A long-awaited and much needed
new bibliography of Johnson, greatly updating the hitherto standard work of
Courtney and Nichol Smith (1925) and including editions of Johnson's works
published up to 1984, the bi-centenary of his death. Bookseller Inventory
#20516
Price: US$ 483.30 (Convert Currency)
Bookseller: Forest Books, Grantham, LIN, United Kingdom (Search this
Seller's Books)(Ask Bookseller a Question)


"Jerry Morris" wrote in message
...
Bill Klimon wrote, and I snipped:

......But yesterday I found what is assuredly the most bizarre bib.
I've ever owned:
E.D. Mitchell et al., *Bibliography of Whale Killing Techniques*
(Cambridge: International Whaling Commission, 1986).
Who knew there was that much literature on the subject?

The most bizarre bibliography I own is the Blue Book, New Orleans
(?),1936, by Semper Idem, a Bibliographical Attempt to describe the
guide books to the houses of ill fame in New Orleans. A couple of
abebooks booksellers reveal that Semper Idem is the pseudonym of Charles
F. Heartman, a prominent bookman of his time. I rather crudely
described this book in a thread on bookjackets a few months ago.

I just acquired my most expensive (and prized) bibliography this week:
A Bibliography of the Works of Samuel Johnson by J.D. Fleeman, Oxford
University Press, 2000, two vols..

A biblio friend got a good deal on the set because the books were
"missing" their dustjackets. This friend, a fellow RCBer, offered me a
good deal that I couldn't' turn down a second time, informing me that he
didn't think the books were issued with dust jackets.

I had previously declined to buy this set because I was not impressed
with J.D. Fleeman; that is, until Sandy Malcolm researched Fleeman to
identify a 1770 Samuel Johnson Dictionary I owned that was missing its
title page, among other pages. Sandy referred to the press-figures
listed in Fleeman which identified when each page of each dictionary was
published. See the thread several months ago, titled, A Lesson in
Bibliography.

Btw, I have yet to find someone who has a set of Fleeman with
dustjackets. Bizarre? I'm not complaining! Neither is Bill Klimon,
who has already added another early edition to his St. Augustine
Collection with his profits from this sale.

Jerry Morris


Welcome to Moi's Books About Books: http://tinyurl.com/hib7
My Sentimental Library http://tinyurl.com/hisb and moislibrary.com
http://tinyurl.com/hisn

(paghat) wrote in message ...

I never saw the bibliography myself, but Robert Eighteen-Bisang of
Transylvania Press mentioned to me purusing an obsessive collector's
long-built bibliography of novels explicitely NOT about vampires which
mention vampires. The bibliography would cite novels that used the word
"vampire" even once, but excluded everything that were actually about
vampires.



I love it. Does that include the use of the word "vampire"
metaphorically or only references to the Dracula-like creatures?

I see, too, that Transylvania Press has some interesting resources
online, including a sample from a different Vampire Bibliography:

http://www.transylvania.com/vbib.html



I could only imagine it was a crutch to help a reader get through lots of
novels without skipping pages, because finding that one allusion was so
important to the bibliography. I know that my quest for the random ghost
story in mainstream short story collections helps me get through many a
collection, enjoying even the non-supernatural items, but I might not
quite get through them if I didn't want to find out if one or two items on
the contents page mightn't be ghostly. But that imposes my feelings; who
can really understand the obsessions of others, when we can barely even
understand our own.



A bookseller once told me about another customer, a priest, who
collected novels in which Jesuit priests appeared as characters, major
or minor. I imagine his quest was somewhat similar.


William M. Klimon
http://www.gateofbliss.com