Bibliography and Modern Book Production provides a fascinating journey through the historic practices of librarianship and publishing. The sources and material assembled here allow one to trace key developments in both bibliographic practice and book production from 1494 to 1949. As such it serves as a rich compendium for librarians and information workers as well as students and book publishers.

How did it come about? Who was its ‘assembler’, Percy Freer, and why has Wits University Press chosen to digitise it now, 70 years after its first publication?

The 1954 book arose from Freer's encyclopaedic knowledge of the intertwined disciplines of bibliographic practice and book production. It reflected his passion for librarianship and his vision for a text which could be used in the library course he proposed to the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits) in 1953. As one of two titles he published during his tenure as librarian (1929–1953), it demonstrates Freer's contribution to the landscape of library sciences, academia and the nascent practice of scholarly publishing in South Africa during his lifetime.

Given the book's value as a historic record in an era in which digital advances are changing the nature of publishing, it seemed fitting to bring new life to this text and ensure that future scholars have access to the wealth of knowledge it contains.

Librarian

Freer was born in 1893 and although he played many roles, was first and foremost a librarian. According to Humphrey Raikes’ foreword to this volume, he ‘entered the library world as a boy, at the age of 14’, though in what capacity is not clear. After World War I he studied at the Universities of Birmingham and Heidelberg, graduating with a BA Honours in 1922, after which he worked at the Norfolk and Norwich Library. In 1926 he moved to Cape Town, where he took up the position of under-librarian at the South African Public Library. During this time, he helped establish the South African Library Association and became the editor of its official journal, South African Libraries. In 1929 he was appointed as the first librarian at Wits University, where he remained until his retirement in 1953.