Books, Friends, and Bibliophilia: Reminiscences of an Antiquarian Bookseller (review)

As with similar volumes of compiled data, we are indebted to the editorial team for their dedication but are left wanting a critical analytical study, based in part upon the rich available documentation, that would provide greater insight into core basic issues of institution building in China during the past forty years. Such a study would illuminate the trials and tribulations of the Guangdong Library Association, such as the degree of centralization versus central-regional differences, the debate over foreign models of institution building, the discussion of “information science,” and the extent and role of overseas Chinese financial and other contributions and international linkages (e.g., IFLA) in institution building in post–“open and reform” China. In sum, the aim of the work is to demonstrate the success of Guangdong Library Association’s historical role in China’s library development.