The Encyclopedia of Ephemera: A Guide to the Fragmentary Documents of Everyday Life for the Collector, Curator and Historian
By Maurice Rickards, edited by Michael Twyman

Ephemera is the plural form of the Greek word ephemeron (epi = on, about, round; hemera = day). The most widely used definition of ephemera is "the minor transient documents of everyday life," although the entries in this extensive encyclopedia demonstrate that much ephemera is far from transient and everyday.

Containing over 500 hundred entries, The Encyclopedia of Ephemera is the only book to define, document and describe such a variety of ephemera. Ranging from records of the past and present (both humble and prestigious), items designed to be thrown away (bus tickets, tangerine wrappers) and to be kept (cigarette cards), and documents of considerable importance (at least to the individual concerned), nothing is considered too trivial to deserve an entry. Such variety-the lifeblood of the modern, commercial society-is the subject of this book

Compiled by Maurice Rickards, whose research on this book spanned the thirty years before his death, The Encyclopedia of Ephemera seeks to present ephemera as a subject for serious study. Underpinning it all is Rickards's view that ephemera can bring the past to life more vividly than many other forms of documentation.

Long undervalued by historians as important source material, this book demonstrates the need for ephemera to be catalogued and studied with something of the rigor applied to other kinds of documents, such as books, music, maps, prints and archival material. Illustrated throughout, in color and black-and-white, with over 370 examples of ephemera, this book is both a fascinating read and an essential reference work for all those interested in the ephemera of our everyday lives.

Author Maurice Rickards (1919-1998), graphic designer; photographer; author; and collector of ephemera, founded the Ephemera Society in 1975. Later he established the Foundation for Ephemera Studies and, with Michael Twyman, the Centre for Ephemera Studies at The University of Reading. Among his many books on ephemera are Posters of the First World War, The Public Notice, and Collecting Printed Ephemera.

Professor Michael Twyman was Professor of Typography and Graphic Communication at The University of Reading until his retirement in 1998. He is the author of many books on printing history, including Early Lithographed Books, Printing I 770-1970, and The British Library Guide to Printing History and Techniques.

416 p., 16 color illustrations, 342 black & white illustrations.

Before you're "buried in woollen," you owe yourself a copy of the Encyclopedia of Ephemera. Members get it for $10 off the retail price! Enclose a check for $80 to Ephemera Society Book Offer, P.O. Box 95, Cazenovia, NY 13035-0095. Be sure to include your name and shipping address or visit the online store.

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Members $80.00 Non-members $90.00