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Lesson 6. Bibliology Learning tasks: by completing this unit of study, the student will be able to: ¾ Define Bibliology and to highlight the key moments in its evolution as science. ¾ Reveal some moments from the History of the manuscript book and the printed book. ¾ Present a brief History of libraries. ¾ Retain some elementary notions of Bibliography and Library Science. I. Definition; The evolution of Bibliology as science Bibliology is the Auxiliary Science of History that deals with the study of the book as socio‐cultural phenomenon, treating about the History, the technical composition, the distribution and the conservation of the book. The word Bibliology comes from the Greek word βιβλιολογία. In the first years of the nineteenth century, Étienne­Gabriel Peignot (1767‐1849), writer and librarian, was the first which named the science of the book, Bibliology, and distinguished it from Bibliography. Between his many works is the Dictionnaire de bibliologie (1802–1804), in 3 volumes, which is regarded as the first encyclopedia devoted to the world of books. Bibliology is subdivided in: ¾ The History of writing, of the manuscripts and the books printed, of the libraries; ¾ Bibliography; ¾ Library science. For the first time Bibliology was introduced in Europe as a discipline of learning in Paris (1880) and then in Göttingen (1886), Berlin, Moscow, Prague, etc. The first international conference of experts in the book domain took place in Brussels in 1895. On this occasion two Belgian lawyers, Paul Marie Ghislain Otlet (1868‐1944) and Henri La Fontaine (1854‐1943), founded, in Brussels, the International Institute of Bibliography. Also, Otlet and La Fontaine began the creation of a collection of index cards that came to be known as the Universal Bibliographic Repertory. By the end of 1895 it had grown to 400,000 entries. The institute’s works were published in the Bulletin de I’Institut international de bibliographie (1895‐1914). In 1931, the institute was renamed in the International Institute for Documentation, with its headquarters in The Hague. Seven year later, the institute was reorganized as the International Federation for Documentation. Daniel Flaut, Introduction to the Auxiliary Sciences of History II. From the History of the manuscript book and the printed book The transition from orally communication at the writing communication made it necessary to be analyzed and systematized the knowledge. In Antiquity, the papyrus gave the classic form of the book. It had shape of roll, writing on longitudinal. The strip of papyrus was wrapped around a piece of wood or ivory. The oldest papyrus roll dating from 2400 BC. Longest rolls were 40 meters. The oldest collection of Antiquity, of over 500,000 rolls, was in Alexandria, in Egypt. For the writing in schools were used tablets with double hinge. Then tablets were replaced by sheets of parchment and thus in the Roman Empire was set the codex, the ancestor of today's book. In the fifth century AD appear the book shape. There exist bibliophilia, the love of books, consisting in collecting of rare manuscripts. The center was Alexandria (Egypt), where even was formed a list of classics authors. Also in Alexandria were collected tens of manuscript and were open the paths of the scientific research. In the Middle Ages, in the sixth century AD, in the Byzantine world was founded "the University" with Greek and Latin departments. A very important role in the book production played monasteries from Mount Athos. In the Byzantine world there was an intense trade books. The Byzantine book is new not only as the codex definition but also as the material. Was used the parchment for replace the papyrus. Because the parchment was used not only for writing but also for painted the Byzantine book has become a real work of art. In the eighth century, Western Europe wakes up of the cultural point of view. But, bishoprics and monasteries confined themselves only to the writing and copying of religious books. It is the period of palimpsest, being scraped many ancient manuscripts. Appear though new elements: in Charlemagne's empire, Arabs brought the paper in Europe and in Aachen (Aix de Chapelle) were created schools. The medieval book is very expensive, it becomes the object of study and form the treasure of monasteries and nobles. In eleventh and twelfth centuries appears monastic writings in Liegè, Limoges, Köln, Canterbury, York, Montecassino. In the twelfth century was changed the fate of book. It is now require of specialized books, grows the trade of books, there is a need for learning, appear schools, archives, universities, like those of Bologna, Paris, Oxford, Cambridge, etc. In the fourteenth century was founded universities in Prague, Krakow, etc. There are concerns for the book science. Now appears the first treatise on the book that includes bibliophilic information. The book was in small‐format, bound in wood covered with leather. Also it have a small writing, with or without ornaments. The University supervise the copying without mistakes of books and established their price. Book trade becomes a profession in France, Germany and Italy. Universities libraries are established in Paris, Navarre, Milan, Florence, Siena, etc. In the fifteenth century, after the fall of Constantinople (1453), are sought again the Greek studies. In this sense, trade missions from Western Europe went to buying manuscripts from Byzantium. On this occasion many Greek manuscripts arrive in Europe. The printing press is discovered. It is a technical method of achieving and multiplication of the book, that produced a revolution in the history of culture. Some specialists argue that the printing press was a Dutch invention, other specialists say that the invention would belong to somebody 2 Daniel Flaut, Introduction to the Auxiliary Sciences of History from Bruges, but most specialists chose the German Johannes Gensfleisch zur Laden zum Gutenberg (1398‐1468). Born in Mainz, Gutenberg invented the mechanical movable type printing. His invention widely regarded as the most important event of the modern period, starting the Printing Revolution. The use of movable type revolutionized European book‐making. Johannes Gutenberg's printing technology spread rapidly across Europe and later all around the world. The Gutenberg press remained nearly unchanged for more than 300 years. His most important work was the 42­line Bible (the Gutenberg Bible), printed in 1445. It is a large format book, the first book truly printed but looks like a manuscript. Then were opened printing houses in other cities from German states and the Netherlands, Rome (1465), Venice (1469) and Paris (1470). In Italy, in the sixteenth century there was a great printer and publisher, Aldo Manuzio (1449‐1515). Born in Bassiano, in the Papal States, he created the italic typeface style. Manuzio is also believed to have been the first typographer to use a semicolon. He founded the Aldine Press at Venice. Another great printer was the Dutch Lodewijk Elzevir (1540‐1617). He produced his first book at Leiden in 1583. His books were usually smaller with narrow margins. He was the founder of the House of Elzevir. In the Modern period, in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the printing press has made several improvements, but its extraordinary development is related to the Industrial Revolution. In 1810, the German printer Friedrich Koenig patented a non‐manpowered machine, using steam power, which could make 1,100 impressions per hour. In 1843, in the United States, Richard M. Hoe invented the rotary printing press, which could generate 1,000‐ 1,500 impressions per hour. The German Ottmar Mergenthaler (1854‐1899) invented the linotype machine. From the late 1800s to the 1960s and 70s, linotype was the industry standard for newspapers, magazines and posters. In the first decades of the XXI century the printing technology has made remarkable progress, allowing a great increase of the number of titles of papers and the number of copies of books. III. A brief History of libraries The term library comes from the Latin liber meaning "book" (in Greek and the Romance languages the corresponding term is bibliotheca, from the Greek biblion ‐ "book" and theke ‐ "to place"). The library is a collection or group of collections of books and/or other materials organized and maintained for use. At the same time, the library is the Institutional libraries, organized to facilitate access by a specific clientele. By extension, the library is the room, building, or facility that houses such a collection, usually but not necessarily built for that purpose The first libraries dating back to 2600 BC. There consisted of archives of the clay tablets in cuneiform script, discovered in temple rooms in Sumer. The earliest discovered private archives were kept at Ugarit. Also, there is evidence of libraries at Nippur (about 1900 BC) and Nineveh (about 700 BC). The largest and most significant great library of the Antiquity was the Library of Alexandria (Egypt). It was opened either during the reign of Ptolemy I Soter (323–283 BC) or during the reign of his son Ptolemy II (283–246 BC). In the 5th century BC, in classical Greece appeared private or personal libraries. In 3 Daniel Flaut, Introduction to the Auxiliary Sciences of History the Roman Empire, by the time of Augustus, there were public libraries (in the Porticus Octaviae, in the temple of Apollo Palatinus and in the Bibliotheca Ulpiana). There were also famous personal libraries as those of Varro, Atticus, Cicero, etc. In the Middle Ages there was a wide variety of libraries: Court libraries (of emperors, kings, great seniors), Ecclesiastical libraries (Papal libraries; Patriarchal libraries ‐Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem; Episcopal libraries; cardinals libraries; monastery libraries ‐ Montecassino, Westminster, Mount Sinai, Mount Athos, etc.); of college; of universities. Monasteries libraries had most numerous documents and had special rooms for books stored, called libraries.

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