Bernard M. Rosenthal, Dictionary of Abbreviations

"German and Italian antiquarian booksellers and auctioneers are very fond of using abbreviations in their catalogs, sometimes on a rather lavish scale. This enables them to convey a large amount of information in a relatively short space, but readers not completely fluent in those languages are likely to be left somewhat bewildered, even discouraged, by strings of vowels and consonants occurring either singly or in unfamiliar combinations in the midst of what would otherwise be a fairly comprehensible text. For them, this little dictionary, the first one of its kind, I think, may come in handy. Each abbreviation is followed by the full resolution of the German and Italian word and by its English translation, in most cases with one or more examples illustrating the context and the combinations in which the abbreviation is most likely to occur." Bernard M. Rosenthal, A Dictionary of Abbreviations Commonly Used by German and Italian Antiquarian Booksellers and Auctioneers Bernard M. Rosenthal's Dictionary was published by the League in 1993. All ILAB publications are obtainable from ILAB booksellers, from the offices of the national associations, or from our agent, Scott Brinded, 17 Greenbanks, Lyminge, CT18 8HG, Great Britain, Tel. (01303) 86 22 58, Fax (01303) 86 26 60