Bibliographies are both products of the social contexts that have created them and
engines of social interaction in scholarly communities.
(Stephen Weldon ISIS 104:540)
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives presents here The American Society for Microbiology Bibliography of Microbiology-related Publications (Books and pamphlets) in America: 1677 to 1915:
Our purpose is to provide a comprehensive listing of publications as well as a convenient listing of the holdings of these publications at the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives. We welcome comments and the aid of others in improving and expanding this bibliography.
Background:
In 1944, Leland McClung published “Early American Publications Relating to Bacteriology” (Bacteriological Reviews 8:2, 119-16). Based on an examination of the catalogues of sixteen libraries, the review offered more than 450 bibliographic records arranged alphabetically by author, with cross-references for multi-authored works and a chronological author-only index. The current ASM Bibliography of over 600 items is based on McClung’s review, which has been edited, rearranged and expanded.
After rearranging Dr. McClung’s original bibliography to a chronological listing, it appeared that the year 1880 was a point of demarcation: earlier publications were focused on particular diseases, smallpox vaccination, hygiene or microscopy; publications dealing more broadly with bacteriology all came after that date. A search of WorldCat for English-language books with “bacteriology” as the subject term confirmed this impression. We therefore decided to work systematically through WorldCat for the period 1880-1915 in an attempt to make that section of the bibliography as complete as possible. We would be glad to accept any additions to either section.
Inclusion Criteria:
The criteria for inclusion in this listing are that the primary subject matter relates to microbiology, including all subdivisions such as bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, epidemiology and infectious diseases; that it be published before 1916; and that at least one of the following conditions is met:
* The initial focus of this bibliography is on publications relating to microbiology in the United States, from the colonial period to 1915. However, it does include some references from Mexico and Puerto Rico that were in the original McClung bibliography.
In some situations, a particular edition of a work is missing from this list. If there was not a catalog entry for it in one of the libraries used by McClung, and it has not yet been located in a specific collection, this will result in a situation where the list will include, for example, the first, second, or fourth editions only. It should also be noted that a monograph relating to pathology, public health or hygiene is included only if it contains a chapter or a section directly concerned with microbiology or microbiological techniques.
The full bibliographic entries are arranged chronologically, then by author, in two sections:
The bibliographic records have generally been pared down to include authors, title, edition, place, publisher and year. For items owned by the Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives, Library of Congress Catalog Numbers are included in red. There are two indexes, each covering both parts of the bibliography:
The Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives is currently soliciting assistance from interested persons who would like to propose additions to The American Society for Microbiology Bibliography of Microbiology-related Publications (Books and Pamphlets) in America: 1677 to 1915. In addition, we would also gratefully accept the donation of any listed items which we do not already own.
Bibliographies are both products of the social contexts that have created them and
engines of social interaction in scholarly communities.
(Stephen Weldon ISIS 104:540)
CONTACT:
Colleen Puterbaugh, Archivist,
Center for the History of Microbiology/ASM Archives
E-mail: archives@asmusa.org
Phone: 410-455-3601