Everett exaggerates.
Say rather, Moses. As God to Moses, so Shakespeare to Bowers.
What about [roughly] "a text [literary or otherwise] may be changed /
enhanced / degraded by the method of its publication". [Including the
copying of MSS which were not his field]. He examined with a stamp
collector's eye the actual printing [composing] of works in the 16th
Century. Thus the possibilkity to distinguish between Compositor A,
Compositor B, &c in the publication of Shakespeare's plays. The value of
these distinctions lies in getting to know how the compositor worked,
and what [for example] he thought he heard or thought what a text should
read.
He might be likened to a doctor, who can give all the medical details in
the professional language for a description of a condition. It can make
for dull reading except to other experts. Us laymen do not need to know
what it all means [though we can have some idea] in order to enjoy rude
health, or a performance of KING LEAR. [You do not want to know the
complications of that text].
Gabriel A
[Is there a possibility that the first edition of the 10 Commandments
exists?].
-----Original Message-----
From: Exlibris [mailto:EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME] On Behalf Of David
Klappholz
Sent: Sunday, January 29, 2006 9:15 AM
To: EXLIBRIS@MAIL.ECW.NAME
Subject: Re: [EXLIBRIS] Second edition or second printing
That's what I thought. Can anyone indicate, in a few short sentences,
what his contribution was?
Dave
PS I did enjoy reading McKerrow, though not enough to study him
sufficiently carefully to become anywhere near expert on what he
wrote about; prefer reading what's been written about writing biography.
At 11:08 AM 1/29/2006, you wrote:
> >I've gotten only as far as *trying*
>>to read Bowers. How important/influential was/is he in the field of
>>bibliography?
>
>You might as well ask how important God was in the writing of the
>Bible.
>
>Everett Wilkie
>2006 Carey Road
>Kinston, NC 28501
>ewilkie@ix.netcom.com
>252-522-0261
>Cell: 860-712-4421
>"Big Bird Seed Sale"
>--Store sign