From Publishers Weekly
We seem to be enjoying a tribute to scholarly impedimenta lately: first Anthony Grafton's The Footnote: A Curious History (1999), then H.J. Jackson's Marginalia: Readers Writing in Books (2001) and now another study of the footnote. At the risk of deflating public excitement over the birth of a new genre, one has to wonder where this obsession with the nonessential is coming from. Zerby has rightly deduced that a study so confined in its subject has to amuse as well as inform, and his book is full of efforts to charm. But the desired manner erudite but whimsical is difficult to sustain under the best of circumstances. Zerby is so intent on manufacturing interesting annotations that his text suffers in consequence. The thread of the narrative is split so often, it becomes irreparably frayed; at times the book seems itself like one long digression. It might have had a better shot at winning a following of history-of-the-book loyalists had it not been preceded by Grafton's. As it stands, it is hard to argue that the market can bear two studies both trade-oriented, both historical, both abounding in their own parentheticals and asides. Even their design is similar from twenty feet, the books are nearly indistinguishable. Nevertheless, the scrutiny of bibliophiles, once unleashed, should not be underestimated. Perhaps the myopic pleasures of the footnote will catch on. If not, Zerby's work will, no doubt, at least be immortalized in citation for years to come.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Library Journal
Beyond their basic function as a source of information and reference at the bottom of a page, can footnotes be a source of excitement, delight, and surprise? Maybe not in the eyes of most, especially students, novice writers, and some publishers. But Zerby, a former columnist and former dean of campus at Goddard, finds a lot to say, and convincingly so, for footnotes that do more than merely cite sources. He traces footnotes back to the 16th century, relating the story of the first genuine footnote and other trivia, such as a footnote that comprised a whole volume and another that served as the clue to a murder mystery. Alas, footnotes lost prestige when they became endnotes and were relegated to the back of books beginning in the 1950s. The author takes note of their unclear status in the new 21st-century electronic environment. Hardly stuffy or trivial, this is a unique book that is also entertaining, factual, and a good read. As if to live up to its title, this lighthearted but factual small volume has footnotes on nearly every page; there is even one on its cover. Highly recommended for all literary collections, this is a very good addition to most public and academic libraries. Ali Houissa, Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
