A Status Update
The SUBMARINE REVIEW has published six parts of T what is hoped to become a fairly lengthy bibliography of submarine-related books and articles. The aim, of course, is to compile a one-stop listing that can be referenced by members, researchers, students and those just interested in finding out more about the world of submarines, their history and workings. The Submarine Bibliography project of the Naval Submarine League is a PC-based data bank listing the author, title, publisher, date and, if possible, the location of each book. The list is sorted historically to indicate the general era of interest. For aricles the listing will include some note of the subject matter, and the publication in which it appeared. The lists published in the REVIEW are used as inputs to that data base.
The method used so far in putting together the listings can most charitably be described as informal. In fact there has been no systematic search effort as yet, and reliance has been placed on the submissions of interested readers like Dick Boyle to get the ball rolling. We have not yet audited our list against those of the major libraries, and we still have to include books published in languages other than English. In addition, the only source examined for articles has been the Naval Institute’s Proceedings.
Identification of articles of interest from that one magazine was ยท done from an index of almost 100 years of titles. It proved to be a huge task, and among the errors made it is obvious that some outstanding articles were not recognized. For that our apologies are extended to V ADM George Steele, Captain John Bryan, Captain Bruce Lemkin, and all others whom we might have missed. To make our listing complete we ask that all who know of articles not included provide us with the title, author and date of publication. If all of that is too hard, we can try to enter the index with any two of those facts.
That same plea for assistance applies to the book listing as well. As we move into a more methodical integration of the library lists, and the various individual contributions already received, we will be needing the continuing input of Submarine League members to make our compilation a truly meaningful one. Remember, at this time we make absolutely no claim to completeness; but one reason to publish the Submarine Bibliography is to provide the opportunity for the readers to make it complete.
