B OO
BOO
from the Northern buech, of buecbaus, a beech or fervice- tree, on which our anceftors ufed to write. — Vid. Rudbeck Allot. P. 3. PbiSof. Tranfall. N' 301. p. 2061. Book may be defined more precisely, a compofition of feme man of wit or learning, defigned to communicate fomewhat he has invented, experienced, or collected, to the public, and thence to pofterity ; being withal of a competent length to make a volume.— Vid. Saalbach Scbed. de Libr. Veter. §. 8. Reimm. Idea Syft. Antiq. Liter, p. 230. Trev. D. Univ. f. 3. p. 1506. voc. Livre. See alfo the article Volume. In this fenle, book is diftinguifhed from pamphlet, or fmgle paper, by its greater length ; and from tome or volume by its containing the whole writing. — Ifidore makes this diftindbion between liber and codex; that the former denotes a fmgle book, the latter, a collection of feveral a ; though, accord- ing to Scipio Maffei, codex fignifies a book in the fquare form, liber, a book in the roll form b . — a Vid. Hid. Orig. 1.6. c. 1 3. » Maffei Ijlor. Diplom. 1. 2. Bibl. Ital. T. 2. p. 244. See alfo Saalbach Lib. cit. §. 4. Reimm. ubi fupra. According to the ancients, a book differed from an epijlle, or letter, not only in bulk, but in that the latter was folded lip, the former only rolled 2 : not but that there are divers books now extant under the names of epijllcs.' — a Vid. Pitifc. L. Ant. T. 2. p. 84. voc. Libri. .See alfo Epistle. We fay an old book, a new book ; a Latin, a Greek book : to read, to write, to publifh a book ; the preface, the title, the dedication, the index of a book. See Preface, Title, Index, &c. — To collate a book, is to fee that it be perfect, and that none of the meets be either wanting or tranfpo- fed. — Book-binders fpeak of folding, fewing, beating, prejf- ing, covering, gilding, and lettering of books. See Book- binding.
A large collection of books for ufe is called a library. See Library. — An inventory of a library, in order for the readier finding any book, is called a catalogue. See Cata- logue. — Cicero calls M. Cato, helluo librorum, a glutton, or devourer of books \ Gaza holds Plutarch b , and Herm. Barbarus, Pliny, the bed of all books ' ; — Crenius d has a difcourfe on the beft or capital books of each author : Ter- tullian's beft is held to be his book De Pallio ; St. Auguftin's matter-piece is that De Civitate Dei ; that of Hippocrates, the Coacar prxnotiones ; of Cicero, dc Officii! ; of Arift otle, de Jnimalibui ; of Galen, deUfuPartium; of Virgil, the fixlh Mneid ; of Horace, the firjl and fevtntb Epiflles ; of Catul- lus, the coma Berenices ; of Juvenal, the fixth Satyr ; of Plautus, the Epidicus ; of Theocritus, the 2jtbldyl: Para- celfus's beft book is his Chirurgia ; that of Severinus, de Ab- fcefftbus ; of Budseus, Co7mnentarii Lingua Grcecce ; of Jof. Scaliger, de Emendatione lemporum; of Erafmus, the Ada- gia ; of Petavius, the Rationarinm temporum ; of Bellarmin, de Scriptorib. Ecclefiajlicis ; of Salmafius, the Exercilationes Pliniancs ; of Voflius, Inflitut. Oratorio; ; of Heinfius, Ari- Jlarcbus Sacer ; of Cafaubon, Exercitationes in Baronium. — ■ Vid. Cic. de Finib. /. 3, 8. I. b Gentzken. Hijl. Philof. p. 130. ' Harduin. Prasf. ad Plin. * Cren. de Libr. Script. Optim. Act. Erud. Lipf. an. 1704. p. 526. Barthol. de Libr. Legend, dijf. 3. p. 66.
It would be of good ufe to know which is the beft book on each fubject ; e. gr. the beft logic, beft dictionary and gram- mar, beft phyfics, beft commentary on the bible, or on the inftitutes, or Genefis, or the epiftle to the Hebrews; the beft harmony of the Evangelifts ; beft defence of the truth of Chriftianity, and the like: by which a library might be compofed of none but the beft books of each kind. The hi/lory or notitia of Books makes the chief part, accord- ing to fome, the whole of the literary fcien.ee. — The prin- cipal points in the notitia of a book, are its author, date, printer, editions, verjions, comments, epitomes, fuccefs, eloges, cenfiires, condemnation, fupprejfton, adverfaries, vindicators, continuators, and the like.
The hiftory of a book, is either of its contents, which is gi- ven by analyfing it, as is done by journalifts ; or of its appendages and accidents, which is the more immediate pro- vince of thofe called Iterators and bibliothecarians. See Journal.
The contents of a book, are the matters delivered in it; which make the province of the author. — Of thefe there is one principal matter, called the fubjecl ; in refpedt of which the reft are only incidents.
The appendages of a book, are the title, preface, epijlle dedica- tory, fummaries, table of contents, index, and the like, which are the proper province of the editor, unlefs perhaps the ti- tle-page, which is frequently ufurped by the book-feller. See Title, &c.
In the compofition of a book, there occur fentiments, which are alfo the materials of it ; method, the order wherein thefe are difpofed ; and Jlyle, or expreffun, which is the language wherein they are clothed. See Sentiment, Style, (Jc. The giving hiftories, catalogues and bibliotheca's of books, is laid to have been firft introduced by the Germans ■ : we may add, that it is they who have belt fucceeded in them ;
and to whom the chief works of this kind are owing.
J. Alb. Fabricius has given us the hiftory of the Greek and Latin booh: Wplfius that of the Hebrew books ': Boeder,
of the principal books in each fcience and faculty : Struvius of the books of hiftory, law and philofophy : the abbot Fa- bricius of the books in his own library: Lambecius of thofe in the Vienna library : Le Long of the books of fcripture :
Mattaire of the books printed before the year 1550, &c^
" Vid. Reimm. Bibl. Acroam. in p-eef §. 1. p. 3. b B f. In- trod. ad Not. Script. Ecclcf. c. 4. §. 13. p. 124. feq. Burning of Books, was a kind of punifhment much in ufe £* mong the Romans, by legal fentence : fometimes the care of the execution was committed to triumviri appointed on pur- pole " ; fometimes to the pra=tors b , and fometimes to the s- diles c : Labienus, whom from his fatirical fpirit fome cal- led Rabienus, is faid to have been the firft, who underwent the feverity of it. His enemies procured a fenatufconfultum, whereby all his books, publifhcd during feveral years, were ordered to be collected and burnt : " The thing, (fays Se- " neca) then appeared new and ftrange, to take revenge on " learning !" Res nova t? infueta ! Supplicium de Jludiis fumi '. Caflius Servius, a friend of Labienus, hearing the fentence pronounced, cried aloud, " That theymuft burn him too, " fince he had got all the books by heart : " Nunc me vivum uri oportet, qui illos didici. Labienus could not furvive his books, but {hutting himfelf up in the tomb of his anceftors, pined away and was buried alive c . — a Vid. Tacit. Agric. c. 1. n. 1. ' Valer. Max. /. 1. c. 1. n. 12. c Tacit. Annul. I. 4. c. 35. n. 4. ' Senec.Controv. in prof. §. 5. ' Rhodig. Ant. Led. c. 13. /. 2. Salmuth. ad Pancirol. P. I. tit. 22. p. 68. Pitifc. L. Ant. T. 2. p. 84. Divers other ancient tcftimo- nies concerning the burning of books are given in Reimm. Idea Syft. Antiq. Liter, p. 389. feqq. For the matter of Books.— They were at firft written on ftones, witnefs the Decalogue given to Mofes, (which is the oldeft book we have any warranted account of) then, on the parts of plants, e. gr. the leaves, chiefly of the palm- tree ; the rinds and barks, efpecially of the tilia, or philyra, and the Egyptian papyrus *• By degrees, wax, then leather were introduced, efpecially the fkins of goats and fheep, of which at length parchment was prepared : then lead came in ufe ; alfo linen, filk, horn, and laftly paper itfelf. — Vid. Calm. Dijf I. fur Genef. Comment. T. I. ejufd. D. Bibl. T. I. p. 316. Du Pin Bibl. Ecclef. T. 19. p. 381. Barthol. de legend, libr. dijf. 4. p. 70. feqq. Hijl. Acad. R. Infer. T. 3. p. 103. Schwartz de Ornam. Ubror. dijf. I. Reimm. Idea Syji. Antiq. liter, p. 235. C3" 286. feq. Montfauc. Palaogr. 1. 2. c. 8. p. 180. feq. Guiland Papyr. Memb. 3. See alfo the article Paper.
- The parts of vegetables continued long the common matter
of booh ; infomuch that moft of the names and terms be- longing to books, in molt languages, are taken thence : as the Greek bibhs, the Latin liber, codex, folium, tabula, and the Englifh book itfelf— We may add that vegetable barks appear itill in fome meafure retained for books in certain of the Northern countries, as among the Calmuc Tartars, where a library was lately difcovered by the Ruffians, of an unufual form as well as matter : the books were exceedingly long, but of no breadth j the leaves very thick, and made of barks of trees, fmeered over with a double vernifh ; the ink or wri- ting being white, on a black ground.— Vid. Hill. Acad. R. Infer. T. 3. p. 6.
The firft books were in form of blocks and tables, of which we find frequent mention in fcripture, under the appellation fepber, which the feptuagint render <j?ov. s> q. d. fquare-tables : of which form the book of the covenant, book of the law, book or bill of divorce, book of curfes, CSV. appear to have been >. — As flexible matters came to be wrote on, they found it more convenient to make their looks in form of rolls b , called by the Greeks ko«I«ii«, by the Latins volumi- na *, which appear to have been in ufe among the ancient Jews, as well as Grecians, Romans, Perfians. and even In- dians. And of fuch did the libraries chiefly confift, till fome centuries after Chrift.— The form which obtains a- mong us, is the fquare, compofed of feparate leaves ; which was alfo known, though little ufed among the ancients, having been invented by Attalus, king of Pergamus, the fame who alfo invented parchment c : but it has now been fo long in poffeffion, that the oldeft manufcripts are found in it. Montfaucon affures us, that of all the ancient Greek MSS. he has feen, there are but two in the roll-form ; the reft being made up much after the manner of the modern books ".— » Vid. Calm. lib. cit. b Du Pin Bibl. Ecclef. T. 19. p. 382. ' Barth. de Libris legend, dijf. 4. p. 95. feqq. « Montfauc. Palasogr. Greec. 1.1. c. 4. p. 26. Reimm. Idea Syft. Antiq. liter, p. 227. item, p. 242. Schwartz, de Ornam. Ubror. dijf. 2. See alfo the article Book-binding.
- The rolls, or volumes were compofed of feveral meets, fatt-
ened to each other, and rolled upon a flick, or umbilicus ; the whole making a kind of column, or cylinder, which was to be managed by the umbilicus, as a handle ; it being reputed a kind of crime to take hold of the roll itfelf. The outride of the volume, was called from ; the ends of the umbilicus comuei, horns ; which were ufually carved and a- domed likewife with bits of filver, ivory, or even gold and precious ftones. The title Zuma&os, was ituck on the out- ride. The whole volume when extended might make a yard and half wide, and fifty long. — Vid. Salmuth. ad Pancirol. P. I. tit. 4!. p. 143. feq. Walt. Parerg . Acad. p. 72. Pi- tifc.
