Two familiar reference sources, Literary Market Place and International Literary Market Place, have been combined into one Web version, at http://www.literarymarketplace.com R.R. Bowker refers to it as the “Global Literary Market Place,” which is also available as a CD‐ROM product. Some parts of the Web site are free to browsers, while the majority of the site requires a subscription. Free sections include the information on small presses, trade services, and trade resources. R.R. Bowker requires all users to register for the free portion of the site. However, this does not allow you to view the subscription portion of the site even for a short trial period. This review is limited to the free portion of the site, as R.R. Bowker did not authorize a free trial to the entire site for the purpose of this review.
This site provides information on over 30,000 publishers, firms, associations, and organizations in the book publishing industry. Users may search by keyword or browse an alphabetical listing of firms and organizations. Keyword searches may be limited by region (USA, international, or both). Users may also search for publishers by the type of publications they publish. An advanced search form is provided for more complex searches. It provides four templates to help refine your search using subject, geography, company name, personnel name, ISBN prefix, and other unique criteria. The publisher’s template is used to search for specific publishers or small presses; the agent’s template for literary, lecture and illustration agents; the trade services’ template for domestic and international publishing industry services and suppliers; and the trade resources’ template for other publishing industry resources, such as book and library associations, event calendars, books and magazines for the trade, and literary awards and prizes. The templates utilize standard Windows term‐entry fields, drop‐down menus and buttons to help refine your search criteria. However, only subscribers may use the advanced search form.
Search results provide the name of the publisher, their section, and, in some cases, the name of particular publications. Publisher entries include a description of the publisher, foreign and branch addresses, year founded, related listings, phone numbers, ISBN prefixes, publication types, subject areas, subsidiaries and divisions, and names of the top personnel. URLs and E‐mail addresses are provided, some with links. Firms can easily submit entry updates and corrections by linking to the necessary online forms. It should be noted that users of the free version do not see detailed information on publishers; for them, only the publisher’s primary address is provided along with a note stating that further information requires a subscription. If the link to a particular publication is chosen, a description of the publication and contact information is provided. Also available are the date, price, and publishing information on the latest edition.
The Internet version of these established reference sources does have distinct advantages over its print counterparts. The ease of searching, continual updates, and links to cross‐references and Web sites improve the product. E‐mail links are provided to various Bowker and LMP departments, along with a feedback form for general comments. The help page provides information on using the site, searching tips, and subscribing to the site. Pages load in a timely manner and the site is easy to navigate. This is an excellent alternative to the print versions of both products for academic libraries.
