SC - Colored Broth without Fire

[margali]

> > Ok, this may be redundant, and of course I've lost
> > track of the publication date of the
> > Platina in this discussion, but have you tried
> > calling up the Special Collections
> > librarians of academic libraries in your area and
> > telling them that you are researching
> > medieval and renaissance book bindings?  
> Nope.  Hadn't thought about that, actually.  Capital
> idea.
> Problem is, I live in Bakersfield, California...which
> is about as far removed from "academic" as you can
> possibly get, without going to Taft....

Check to see if your public library has the American Library Association directory; that
will list all libraries by the town they're in, and give some information about whether
they have special collections or no. Your best bet is a small school with some history
and a decent endowment, possibly with a good history program. You can also ask at the
county library to see if they know any academic libraries in the area. (Make sure you get
a professional librarian, from the main branch, rather than a paraprofessional: the
professionals get more chance to get out once in a while.) Libdex, www.libdex.com, points
out one CS branch in Bakersfield, which has a special collections department-- though
they are unlikely to have anything of interest, calling the special collections librarian
and asking if they know any libraries within driving distance that are likely to have
such items may be another lead.

Note that a lot of items from that period are NOT in their original bindings, simply
because the Victorians who bought or inherited them had them rebound. 

- -- 
Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, mka Jennifer Heise	      jenne at mail.browser.net
disclaimer: i speak for no-one and no-one speaks for me.
"It's no use trying to be clever-- we are all clever here; just try
to be kind -- a little kind." F.J. Foakes-Jackson