A Handbook to County Bibliography, Being a Bibliography of Bibliographies Relating to the Counties and Towns of Great Britain and Ireland

Privately published, London, first edition, 1917. Cloth-backed boards, large 8vo, paper spine-label, 27 cm,. x, 501 pp. A detailed and still invaluable guide, which records some 6,000 bibliographies relevant to local history and topography. These are arranged under counties, with general works listed first and then those on individual towns and villages. The coverage extends to manuscript and periodical sources. Full bibliographical details are given. With a detailed index of authors, personal names, places and subjects. From the preface: "The purpose of this book is to provide a guide to the large amount of Bibliographical work which has been done to assist the study of the Topography of Great Britain and Ireland. ...All systematic bibliographies are included, and I have in addition called attention to source books, indexes, &c., of local, historical, or topographical material, because such books so often serve the purpose of bibliographies, and supplement them. The various local manuscript and printed collections are brought into the scheme of the book, especially those numerous and valuable collections which are lodged in the British Museum, and are easily accessible to students. I have searched the Transactions of County Antiquarian Societies, and unearthed a large amount of valuable bibliographical work buried therein. Until our libraries catalogue, as they should do, each of the various items in these collections, they must remain almost an unexplored field. Bibliographical books and pamphlets relating to Ballads, Broadsides, Chap-books, Newspapers, Maps, and Portraits are included, and also any valuable local 'Garlands,' which often contain rare Street Ballads, giving accounts of local incidents, murders, &c. Bookplate on front pastedown endpaper of G. Norman Boddy, boards a little rubbed and lightly sunned, spine-label darkened and rubbed (spare tipped in at end), Good.