isness & aboutness: Thoughts on Bibliography

By Timothy Young Based on the 2024 Sandars Readership in Bibliography lectures, delivered at Cambridge University Library in November 2024, curator Timothy Young shares his insights and puzzlements over the present direction of book history. Drawing from the experiences of—and aimed at—readers, writers, librarians, catalogers, and bibliographic workers of all ages, Young gathers curious examples and odd strategies from past centuries to explore how books resist our attempts to identify and control them. Cutting a path between 17th century Dutch fake printers, World War II tarnschriften , traditional wisdom about bibliographic practice, Art Brut philosophy, and modern identity theory, the text focuses on how to reconcile chaos and order, logic and sentiment, as well as isness and aboutness . The cover of each booklet is letterpress printed and blind embossed by Ready Mix Design + Letterpressof Troy, New York, following an original illustration by artist Christopher Brown. Each copy is handsewn and enclosed in a hand-stamped glassine envelope. Designed by Ryan McGahan Published by Publication Studio Hudson Softcover with hand-sewn binding, 30 pages, full color, 4.5 × 6.75 inches ISBN: 978-1-62-462204-5