A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany

Dibdin, Thomas Frognall, 1776-1847Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5
Word count
640K words
Chapters
64

Tags

English Originals Travel Military PhilosophyPhilosophical ReflectionLife and MatterHuman NatureLife PhilosophyWartime ReflectionSocial CritiqueWestern ThoughtAcademic StudyIntellectual Commentary

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany,Author: Dibdin, Thomas Frognall, 1776-1847,Language: English, Class: Z: Bibliography, Library science, Release Date: Nov 19, 2005

Editor's review

This is Thomas Frognall Dibdin's travel record combining bibliography, antiquarian study, and picturesque touring, focused on France and Germany. The author and title indicate its aim: not an ordinary travelogue but a cultural inquiry tracing books, libraries, antiquities, and architecture. Readers interested in bibliography, the history of book collecting, and eighteenth- to nineteenth-century European cultural travel writing can see how people of the time viewed libraries, monasteries, churches, and private collections, and left comments colored by personal taste. The book's strength lies in its interdisciplinary vision, weaving bibliographical description, antiquarian observation, and travel impressions together, in a style of the period. The barrier to reading lies in the abundance of bibliographical terminology and historical names and places, requiring patience and reference works. It is better suited as reference material for cultural and book history than as fast-paced travel reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. First learn about Dibdin's life and bibliographical background, then read the main text, to better understand his concerns and interests.
  2. Prepare a reference table of European historical place names and bibliographical terms, and consult it whenever an unfamiliar concept appears.
  3. There is no need to read straight through; skip by country or city chapters, focusing on the collection or antiquarian entries that interest you.
  4. Record the author's evaluations of books and antiquities while reading, to facilitate later comparison with similar travel literature.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
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  11. 11
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  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
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  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
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  64. 64

FAQ

What is Dibdin's book mainly about? In the form of a travel record, the book examines libraries, private collections, antiquities, and architecture in France and Germany, combining bibliographical description, antiquarian observation, and picturesque essays. It is not a guidebook-style travelogue but a cultural inquiry with scholarly interest, focusing on books and antiquities rather than general scenery or folklore.
Can it be understood without a background in bibliography? It can be read, but you will encounter many bibliographical terms, edition descriptions, and historical names and places, which will reduce comprehension. It is advisable first to acquire basic knowledge of book history and bibliography, or to have reference works at hand for consultation. If you only wish to enjoy the travel impressions, you can skip the more technical bibliographical passages.
What are the characteristics of the book's writing style? The language carries the style of eighteenth- to nineteenth-century cultural writing, interspersing personal commentary and anecdotes within the narrative, with high information density. The author often launches discussion from books and antiquities as topics; readers need to adapt to his discursive associations and period-style expression, and should not expect the pace of a modern travelogue.
What should be noted when citing this public-domain e-book? Sources indicate that this book was released by Project Gutenberg, with limited version information. When citing, note the author, title, and electronic source, and verify the location of specific pages or chapters in the edition used. Since public-domain e-books may differ in typesetting, it is best to check quotations against multiple editions.

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About the author

Dibdin, Thomas Frognall, 1776-1847 Author

Thomas Frognall Dibdin (1776–1847) was an English bibliographer and writer known for his studies and travel accounts concerning book collecting, rare books, and prints. Four of his works are included here, with Bibliomania or Book-Madness and the multi-volume A Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in France and Germany as his representative titles. The former depicts, in a lively manner, the various manifestations of book-collecting mania, while the latter blends bibliographical inquiry, antiquarian investigation, and travel observations, combining scholarship with readability. His writing often joins the specialized knowledge of descriptive bibliography with personal observation and commentary, in an expansive and engaging style that makes him useful for understanding early nineteenth-century British book-collecting culture and the European rare-book scene. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted, and this introduction focuses on the subjects and influence of his works.