Excerpt from Cornell University Library: Catalogue of the Petrarch Collection

The Petrarch collection, when it came to Cornell University in 1905, included a card catalogue of author entries, prepared in greater part in 188 5 - 86 by Mr. Horace Kephart, under Mr. F 1ske 5 direction. Mr. Fiske' s intention to publish a second catalogue of the collection is intimated in the preliminary note to his bibliography of De remea'zzs, printed in 1888 'the essay here attempted is to be regarded as a chapter of the still unprinted second catalogue of my'petrarch collection.' The card catalogue with its ve1y full titles and collations was thus ready to serve as the basis of the work. Of the notes or essays which might have been looked for at intervals upon its pages, had the collector been able at that time to execute his intention, the two (found among his papers) printed as the second appendix of the present catalogue may perhaps be considered specimens. But the new interests of his later years delayed the undertaking until his strength was spent. After the collection reached its final home, Professor H. S. White of Harvard University, literary executor of the Fiske estate, made arrangements for carrying out the delayed project. In 1910 Professor Arthur Livingston was appointed to the task of preparing the catalogue for printing, but relinquished it upon his call to the Faculty of Columbia University in the spring of 1911, when the work was assigned to the present compiler.

The preparation of the Dante catalogue by Mr. T. W. Koch, 1896-1900, was carried on in intimate consultation with Mr. F iske. Its plan, while showing cur tailment in certain respects - as in the fullness of title transcription and collation characterizing the Petrarch entries of the card catalogue - was extended to include analytical titles, editor and translator references, etc. Mr. Fiske's approval of this work, and its commendation by students generally, made it seem probable that he would now, have chosen to print a Petrarch catalogue on a similar plan.' This has been done. It was again thought best to include pertinent articles in periodical and general literature in the University library' not in the Fiske collection. Such articles are indicated by a press number lacking the initial Pet', which belongs to those of the collection. Certain differences of detail will be noted by the curious. Titles have been copied at greater length. Names of publishers are given in Part II as well as in Part I. The most important variation is in the expansmn of the subject index to include abbreviated titles.

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