You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf From Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia

by Jack Lynch

  A great historical distance separates our world from Post’s, but at the core of all her rules, even those most alien to us, was the imperative to put people at their ease. For Post, manners were part of ethics. She summed up this principle well in the golden rule of etiquette:

  Consideration for the rights and feelings of others is not merely a rule for behavior in public but the very foundation upon which social life is built.

  Rule of etiquette the first—which hundreds of others merely paraphrase or explain or elaborate—is:

  Never do anything that is unpleasant to others.23

  “Post’s guiding precept,” wrote one commentator, “was that good manners began with consideration for the feelings of others and included good form in speech, knowledge of proper social amenities, and charm of manner. She believed that there was a right or best way to do almost everything and that that was the way that pleased the greatest number of people and offended the fewest.”24

  Post’s Etiquette—she called it her “little blue book,” a charming phrase for a work of 627 pages—was a great success. Sales were slow at first but picked up as 1922 passed. Through the autumn of that year she found herself nearly at the top of the Publishers Weekly chart, bouncing around between fifth and second place. Finally, in March 1923, she claimed the number one spot. Etiquette was America’s bestselling nonfiction book in 1923, and it remained in the top ten throughout 1924—and on the list for more than a decade. Post became a superstar. She was besieged by requests for endorsements: makers of glassware, silver, linens, even ginger ale (“a refreshing drink to serve at parties!”) were eager to get Post to promote their wares.

  The popularity of Etiquette unleashed a large number of questions—in one year alone, she received twenty-six thousand queries—and she did what she could to answer them. Most came from women, but Post estimated that around one letter in ten came from a man—mostly young men. When she realized her answers might be of interest to more than the original writers, she published them in a column syndicated in more than 150 newspapers across the United States. In answering all these unexpected queries, she began developing material for a new edition. Five years after the first edition, a second appeared in 1927, now with a subtitle: The Blue Book of Social Usage. Further editions followed in 1931 and 1934, while she was hosting a radio program on etiquette. In 1946 she opened the Emily Post Institute “to study problems of gracious living.”

  The reference books that promote the good life are a comparatively neglected genre. They deserve more attention. Books such as Joshua Poole’s dictionary for poets, The English Parnassus; or, A Helpe to English Poesie (1657), with its list of rhymes and its “excellent choice and variety of apposite Epithets,”25 and Nicolas Slonimsky’s Thesaurus of Scales and Melodic Patterns (1947), a radical synthesis of music theory that inspired classical musicians as well as John Coltrane and Frank Zappa, played a role in shaping artistic sensibilities. Ludwig von Köchel’s Chronologisch-thematisches Verzeichnis sämtlicher Tonwerke Wolfgang Amadé Mozarts (1862) is still the authoritative catalogue of all of Mozart’s compositions, and the source of the K that appears before the numbers of all his works. And the great works on food and drink, from Prosper Montagné’s Larousse gastronomique (1938) through Jancis Robinson’s Oxford Companion to Wine (1994), are more examples of the reference genre being deployed to make life a little sweeter. These and the works of Grove and Post are instances of a thriving genre that has too often been neglected by those who study reference books.

  CHAPTER 22 ½

  SOME UNLIKELY REFERENCE BOOKS

  Bibliophile Ilan Stavans reports on his own explorations in the card catalog: “Browse the catalogue web page of the Library of Congress and allow yourself to be flabbergasted.”1

  I have in fact browsed that catalog, along with the catalogs of the world’s other great libraries, and can confirm Stavans’s report. The following are some of the less likely published works of reference. All are real books, and all required someone’s interest in the subject, an author’s willingness to devote months or years to the project, and a publisher’s calculation that a substantial number of people or libraries would be willing to buy the book:

  American Rabbit Breeders Association. Standard of Perfection for Rabbits, Cavies, Mice, Rats, Skin and Fur Bearing Animals. Cleveland: American Rabbit Breeders Association, 1920.

  Baltimore Bottle Book: Being an Annotated List of 170 Years of the Collector Bottles of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, 1820–1990. 2nd ed. Baltimore: Baltimore Antique Bottle Club, 2002.

  Baron, Frank R. Commercial Fish Decoys: Identification & Value Guide: Collectible Decoys and Implements Used in the Sport of Ice Spear Fishing. Paducah, KY: Collector Books, 2002.

  Behang encyclopedie. Rijen: Behangselpapier Industrie N.V., 1970. After more than forty years, still the definitive Dutch-language encyclopedia of wallpaper.

  Brams, Koen. Encyclopedie van fictieve kunstenaars: van 1605 tot heden. Amsterdam: Nijgh & Van Ditmar, 2000. Available in translation into both German (Erfundene Kunst: Eine Enzyklopädie fiktiver Künstler von 1605 bis heute) and English (The Encyclopedia of Fictional Artists).

  Bricquet, Charles-Moïse. Papiers et filigranes des archives de Genes 1154 à 1700. Geneve: H. Georg, 1888. The authoritative guide to watermarks on Genevese paper.

  Browne, Phillis. The Dictionary of Dainty Breakfasts. London: Cassell, 1899. Breakfast food from anchovies to whiting in 131 pages.

  Bull, Donald. A Price Guide to Beer Advertising Openers and Corkscrews. Trumbull, CT: D. Bull, 1981.

  Cassin, Barbara. Dictionary of Untranslatables: A Philosophical Lexicon. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2014. A glossary of philosophical terms that cannot be translated. The whole book is, of course, a translation of Vocabulaire européen des philosophies: Dictionnaire des intraduisibles.

  Charny, Israel W. Encyclopedia of Genocide, 2 vols. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1999.

  Dan’shina, Mariia Stepanovna. Protozoogeneticheskii slovar’. Kishinev: Shtiintsa, 1990. The best protozoogenetical dictionary in the Moldovan language.

  Davidson, Gustav. A Dictionary of Angels, Including the Fallen Angels. New York: Free Press, 1967.

  De Morgan, Augustus. Encyclopedia of Eccentrics. La Salle, IL: Open Court, 1974. Originally published in 1915 as A Budget of Paradoxes.

  Erardi, Glenn, and Pauline C. Peck. Mustache Cups: Timeless Victorian Treasures: With Price Guide. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1999.

  Frasier, David K. Show Business Homicides: An Encyclopedia, 1908–2009. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. The sequel to Frasier’s Suicide in the Entertainment Industry: An Encyclopedia of 840 Twentieth Century Cases (2002).

  Galoyan, Sergey A. Harut’yunyan, and T. Khach’atryan, eds. Gogheri ashkharhe: Teghekatu. Erevan: “Areresum” Ani, 1997. “World of Thieves,” with a guide to criminals’ tattoos and a Russian–Armenian dictionary of terms associated with thieves.

  High, Will B. [pseud.]. Weed-o-pe-dia: A Totally Dank A–Z Reefer Reference. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2010. “Offers information and illustrations stoners should know, including: why the subtle flavour of bubbleberry makes it a rich pothead’s drug of choice; how to properly make a bong out of a coconut for maximum highness …”

  Hischak, Thomas S. Disney Voice Actors: A Biographical Dictionary. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2011. A 282-page guide to the nine hundred actors who provided voices for the Disney animated films from Steamboat Willie to Tangled.

  Lindenberger, Jan. Collectible Ashtrays: Information and Price Guide. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 1999. With more than 460 color photos.

  Manguel, Alberto, and Gianni Guadalupi. The Dictionary of Imaginary Places. New York: Macmillan, 1980.

  Mas, Carles Constantino, and Josep L. Siquier Virgós. Petita guia dels bolets de les Balears. Mallorca: Govern Balear, Conselleria d’Agricultura i Pesca, 1985. A Catalan-language guide to the edible wild mushrooms of the Balearic Islands.

  Muroi, Hiroshi. Takerui goi. 1968. A 290-page Japanese di
ctionary of bamboo.

  Newton, Michael. Bad Girls Do It! An Encyclopedia of Female Murderers. Port Townsend, WA: Loompanics Unlimited, 1993. Nearly all the reviews feature the word “macabre.”

  Newton, Michael, and Judy Ann Newton. The Ku Klux Klan: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland, 1991. Library Journal says “This highly specialized book will be of interest only to the most ardent students of the Ku Klux Klan.”

  Oliphant, Samuel Grant. Queer Questions and Ready Replies: A Collection of Four Hundred Questions in History, Geography, Biography, Mythology, Philosophy, Natural History, Science, Philology, Etc., Etc., with Their Answers. Boston: New England Publishing Co., 1886. “Considerable time and pains have been given to the selection of the matter herein contained, and to the verification of the same.”

  Oppenheimer, Harold L. Cowboy Arithmetic: Cattle as an Investment. Danville, IL: The Interstate, 1961.

  Østrem, Gunnar. Atlas over breer i Nord-Skandinavia. Oslo: Norges vassdrags- og elektrisitetsvesen, 1973. A Norwegian atlas of the glaciers of northern Scandinavia.

  Parker, James N., and Philip M. Parker. Rectal Bleeding: A Medical Dictionary, Bibliography, and Annotated Research Guide to Internet References. San Diego: ICON Health Publications, 2004.

  Pessemesse, Pierre. Lou voucabulàri de la massounarié. Berre l’Etang: CIEL d’Oc, 2014. A comprehensive Provençal-language guide to the vocabulary of masonry.

  Phillips, Sir Richard. A Million of Facts, Connected with the Studies, Pursuits, and Interests of Mankind: Serving as a Common-place Book of Useful Reference on All Subjects of Research and Curiosity. New York, 1839.

  Rand Corporation. A Million Random Digits with 100,000 Normal Deviates. Glencoe, IL: Free Press, 1955. Exactly what the title promises: “10097 32533 76520 13586 34673 54876 80959 09117,” and so on, for 625 pages. “One distinguishing feature of the digit table,” the introduction explains, “is its size.”

  Redfern, Nicholas. The Zombie Book: The Encyclopedia of the Living Dead. Canton, MI: Visible Ink Press, 2014. “A fascinating, informative collection that anyone interested in the history of zombies will want to read. It’s funny, scary, and sometimes shocking”—Library Journal.

  Sagastizabal, Joxean. Zorotariko euskal hiztegia. Irun: Alberdania, 1996. A dictionary of Basque humor.

  Serafini, Luigi. Codex Seraphinianus, 2 vols. Milan: F. M. Ricci, 1981. An Italian architect produced this large and elaborately illustrated encyclopedia in a language no one else can decode.

  Sifakis, Carl. Encyclopedia of Assassinations. New York: Facts on File, 2001.

  Smith, John C. The Doorstop Book: The Encyclopedia of Doorstop Collecting. Atglen, PA: Schiffer, 2006.

  Stern, Jane, and Michael Stern. The Encyclopedia of Bad Taste. New York: HarperCollins, 1990.

  Stimpson, George W. A Book about a Thousand Things. New York: Harper, 1946.

  Stone, Geo. Suicide and Attempted Suicide: Methods and Consequences. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999. “This is essentially a guide on how to commit suicide”—Kirkus Reviews.

  Taormino, Tristan. The Big Book of Sex Toys: From Vibrators and Dildos to Swings and Slings. Beverly, MA: Quiver, 2009.

  Tole, Vasil S. Sprovë për një fjalës të muzikës popullore homofonike të Shqipërisë se Veriut. Tiranë: Akademia e Shkencave e Shqiperisë, 2010. The most recent biographical dictionary of Albanian folk musicians.

  Van Boxsel, Matthijs. De Encyclopedie van de Domheid. Shanghai: Shanghai Literature and Art Publishing House, 1999. A Dutch and Chinese Encyclopedia of Stupidity.

  Vermeersch, Arthur, De castitate et de vitiis contrariis: tractatus doctrinalis et moralis (On Chastity and Its Opposing Vices: A Moral and Doctrinal Treatise). Rome: Università Gregoriana, 1919.

  Yannes, James A. Collectible Spoons of the 3rd Reich: With Extensive Historical Exposition. Victoria, BC: Trafford, 2009. By the author of the more wide-ranging Encyclopedia of Third Reich Tableware.

  Zeynal oglu Dünyamaliyev, Mämmädäli. Fitosanitariya terminlärinin izahli lügäti. Baki: Nurlan, 2008. An Azerbaijani glossary of the vocabulary of plant quarantine.

  CHAPTER 23

  PRESUMED PURITY

  Science in a Scientific Age

  Merck’s Index

  1889

  CRC Handbook of Chemistry

  and Physics

  1913

  By the middle of the nineteenth century, the modern scientific establishment was in place. Knowledge about the natural world came not from tradition, not from authority, but from empirical research no longer carried out by gentleman amateurs in potting sheds, but by white-coated specialists in academies or universities, with laboratories fitted with expensive equipment paid for by grants. The amateurs were crowded out by the professional scientists (the English word scientist was coined in 1834), and the volume of research exploded. The rapidly generated knowledge required reference works to be updated constantly.

  Pity the nineteenth-century physician or pharmacist, who had to keep pace with an overwhelming amount of new scientific and medical knowledge. Medical people had always been learned, but before modernity they could hope to keep up with all the relevant publications. By the nineteenth century, though, new scientific research was coming in a torrent. This is the world in which one of the most successful of all scientific reference books, the Merck Index, came into being.

  Merck & Co. has deep roots. In 1668, Friedrich Jacob Merck bought a small shop in Darmstadt, Germany, known as the Engel-Apotheke, or Angel’s Pharmacy, and made it his own. Merck’s nephew took it over on his death, and the business passed from generation to generation. In the late eighteenth century, it was run by Johann Heinrich Merck, a close friend and collaborator of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. (Goethe later claimed he drew the character of Mephistopheles from Merck, who committed suicide in 1791.) In 1816, Heinrich Emanuel Merck—a descendant of the original Friedrich Jacob, and the sixth of that surname to run the company—took over the store. Heinrich had studied pharmacy in Berlin and Vienna, and he had ambitious ideas about the family business.

  TITLE: Merck’s Index of Fine Chemicals and Drugs for the Materia Medica and the Arts: Comprising a Summary of Whatever Chemical Products Are To-day Adjudged as Being Useful in Either Medicine or Technology, with Average Values and Synonyms Affixed; a Guide for the Physician, Apothecary, Chemist, and Dealer

  ORGANIZATION: Alphabetical by chemical, Absinthin to Zymase

  PUBLISHED: 1889

  PAGES: 170

  ENTRIES: 6,500

  TOTAL WORDS: 50,000

  SIZE: 10″ × 7″ (25 × 18 cm)

  AREA: 82 ft2 (7.65 m2)

  PRICE: $1

  LATEST EDITION: The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals, 15th ed., 2013.

  The company was turning its attention from compounding drugs for its own purposes to manufacturing them for the rest of the profession. In 1827 they opened a manufacturing plant in Darmstadt, and by 1850, several dozen employees worked there. By this time the long-established business had ties with some of the most important scientific interests in Germany and throughout Europe—Emanuel Merck, for instance, supplied Sigmund Freud with his cocaine.1

  Merck had its eye on the American market, and they began selling in the United States under the E. Merck trademark in the nineteenth century—eventually they would incorporate there as Merck & Co. To advertise their offerings, in 1889 they released Merck’s Index of Fine Chemicals and Drugs for the Materia Medica and the Arts. Unlike so many of the reference works considered here, this one was not compiled with the improvement of humanity in mind: it began its life simply as a company’s catalog of “the full line of my products, numbering to-day upwards of 5,000 medicinal, analytical, and technical Chemicals.”2

  Whoever wrote the copy for the Index (it is signed “E. Merck,” but there is no reason to assume Emanuel wrote it himself) was a serious marketer. The tone is signaled with breathless exclamation points: “The most vital interests of your patients, gentlemen physicians!—a
nd of your customers, gentlemen of the pharmaceutical profession!—depend, as you are well aware, on the reality of the Presumed Purity, of the Prescribed Strength, and of the Correct Condition of the materials employed in filling prescriptions.” The Index looked backward to its long history—a grand-looking patent, in Gothic letters, from the Landgrave of Hesse to George Frederick Merck in 1668 was followed by a list of “a few of the HONORABLE AWARDS extended to the firm of E. MERCK” over the years, including a gold medal from the Pharmaceutical Society of Paris in 1830 “For the Relief of Mankind”3—but it also looked forward to the future. The company promised rapid delivery, taking advantage of a new American office and American factories rather than depending on steamships.

  Buy only the real thing, Merck exhorted: “I would earnestly entreat my friends, throughout both professions, to insist rigidly that Merck’s Chemicals be furnished to them, by dealers, in the original packages.”4 At the bottom of every page appeared

  When ordering, specify: “MERCK’S”!

  The American Monthly Microscopical Journal found this approach distasteful: “This indicates an advertising purpose in the volume, and seems to us an unnecessary blemish.”5 But the author reminds readers not to let the apparent hucksterism turn them off: “One remark may be needed by my professional friends, as to the Price-notes placed opposite the names of most substances in the following List. Those Price-notes are not intended to give this work the character of a commercial or business Price-list.”6