Bibliographic Data Science and the History of the Book (c. 1500-1800)
Abstract
National bibliographies are a rich but undervalued resource for historical research on the dynamics of the publishing landscape. We call our approach bibliographic data science, where we address also challenges of data quality and completeness. In this paper, we briefly assess the development of book formats and the vernacularization process in early modern Europe. The work undertaken is envisioned as a platform for more extensive integration of library catalogues to help to map the history of the book.