The Koninklijke Bibliotheek is pleased to announce the launch of Book History Online (BHO). Book History Online is a database on the history of the printed book and libraries and is posted on the website www.kb.nl/bho.
BHO contains titles of books and articles on the history of the printed book worldwide. It is based on ABHB, the Annual Bibliography of the History of the printed Book and Libraries. This annual book publication is a collaboration of book historians in more than 30 countries. Since 1989, the Department of Special Collections of the KB has formed the editorial board and maintained a cumulative database. The database contains c. 25.000 records.
Subjects covered by BHO correspond with those of ABHB: all scholarly valuable books and articles relating to the history of the printed book and libraries and to book production, distribution, conservation, description and analysis. Also included are articles referring to the history of the arts, crafts, techniques, and equipment in relation to books; and to the book and library in their economic, social and cultural environment.
As from today, the files are online and can be searched by names of authors, editors, title words of books and periodicals, classification, geographical keywords, names of persons (printers, publishers etc.), firms and institutions, and by subjects and words in annotations.
24 april 2001