Henry Benjamin Wheatley

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838–1917) was a prolific writer on bibliography, literature and the arts. As founder of the Index Society, and editor of The Bibliographer, he was also involved in the foundation of the Library Association. In that context he wrote several works on library topics. How to Catalogue a Library (1889) was aimed at smaller library collections, as existing systems, such as the manuals of the British Museum library or the Library of Congress, were too elaborate for smaller collections. Wheatley begins by defining the differences between catalogues, indexes and bibliographies, and then compares the existing rules. He discusses the physical form of catalogues and lists the minimum requirements for the catalogue of a small library. He also discusses cataloguing manuscripts and cross-referencing, and provides a useful index of Latin place names. The book contains much on the theory of organisation of information still of relevance today.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838–1917) was an eminent bibliographer, author and editor who served as assistant secretary to the Royal Society of Arts between 1879 and his retirement in 1908. He also had a particular interest in the life of Samuel Pepys (1633–1703), founding the Samuel Pepys Club in 1903 and producing the most reliable edition of Pepys' diary until the Latham edition (1970–1983). This volume, first published in 1880, contains a detailed biography of Pepys. Using contemporary sources, Wheatley discusses Pepys' achievements during the period his diary was kept, his progression in the Navy Board and his resignation in 1689. Wheatley also provides fascinating descriptions of Restoration society, manners and customs, exploring the historical context of Samuel Pepys' life through discussions of various incidents taken from his diary. This volume remains a standard reference for the historical context of Pepys' diary and life.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838–1917) was a prolific writer on bibliography, literature and the arts. As founder of the Index Society, and editor of The Bibliographer, he was also involved in the foundation of the Library Association. In that context he wrote several works on library topics. How to Form a Library was published in 1886, when libraries were spreading rapidly throughout England. The book provides advice on the selection of material for different kinds of libraries and audiences, and suggests a list of core works. Although the choices reflect the period in which it was written - a point Wheatley makes about earlier lists - it nonetheless has a value in giving insight into the intellectual interests of the day. He was firmly against librarians acting as moral censors, and although his list of required reading is unlikely to be followed today, the book contains much valuable information on library history.

Henry Benjamin Wheatley (1838–1917) was a prolific writer on bibliography, literature and the arts. As founder of the Index Society, and editor of The Bibliographer, he was also involved in the foundation of the Library Association. In that context he wrote several works on library topics, and this volume contains two works on bookbinding, Remarkable Bindings in the British Museum (1889) and Bookbinding Considered as a Fine Art, Mechanical Art and Manufacture (1882). The former contains descriptions and illustrations of 62 examples of bookbinding then in the British Museum library, notable as beautiful examples from different countries and periods, or different materials, or for their historic interest. The second piece was a paper read to the Society of Arts in 1880. It outlines the history of bookbinding styles in different countries, and then discusses it both as an art form and from a practical point of view, with illustrations.