Lucie Formanová, Jiří Gruntorád, Michal Přibáň, Exilová periodika: katalog periodik českého a slovenského exilu a krajanských tisků vydávaných po roce 1945 [ Exile periodicals: a catalogue of Czech and Slovak exile and emigré periodicals after 1945]. Prague: Libri prohibiti; Rychnov nad Kněžnou: Ježek, 1999 [ i.e. 2000]. 503 pp. Bibliography. Indexes. $ 32.85.  

    Periodicals published abroad by Czech and Slovak exiles have traditionally been a challenge to librarians to catalogue as well as researchers to find.  This bibliography should now make the life of both a little easier. Although some bibliographies covering earlier years exist ( the most comprehensive is Zahraniční krajanské noviny, časopisy a kalendáře do roku 1938 / by František Štědronský. Prague, 1958) and some basic lists have been compiled covering the second half of the tventieth century ( the most complete  were typescripts issued by Vojtěch N. Duben in the USA in the 1960s and 1970s), it was not until 1995 that the first version of the present bibliography appeared under the title České krajanské a exilové noviny a časopisy po roce 1945. It was compiled by Michal Přibáň from the University of Olomouc and issued, in a much too small print run, by the Centre for Czechoslovak exile studies at the Philosophical Faculty of Olomouc University in 1995. The original compiler was joined in this updated and much expanded edition by Jiří Gruntorád, the director of Libri prohibiti, a Prague library specializing in samizdat and exile publications, and Lucie Formanová, who provided bibliographical descriptions and compiled the indexes.  
    The bibliography comprises 1093 consecutively numbered items and is divided into six chapters under the following headings: „Periodicals in Czech published in the free world“,  „Periodicals in Czech issued in eastern countries“, „Periodicals issued under false exile imprints by the Czechoslovak Ministry of the Interior“, „Czech periodicals published abroad in foreign languages“, „Periodicals issued by Slovak publishers abroad (Slovacica)“ and a small section of „Additions“. These sections are followed by a comprehensive bibliography of literature on the subject of exile presses and finally by personal, publisher and title indexes. 
    Each chapter starts with a short introduction and the first two are further subdivided into individual countries. Arrangement within each country is in an alphabetical order of periodical titles. Considering this multi-layered division of the bibliography the title index with a quick reference to the number of the catalogue record is of course indispensable and the two name indexes - of persons and of bodies - provide not only a useful and quick finding tool but also serve as a ready-made list of Czech and Slovak exile organisations and publicists. 
    Each entry is the result of painstaking research into the publishing history of each journal, resulting in contributions that are practically encyclopaedic in character, thus providing an authoritative guide to what was until now a relatively unexplored and grey area. Knowledge has been gained not only by thorough examination of journal issues available in the Czech Republic but also through personal contacts and interviews with surviving editors and authors from all parts of the world. Information, mapping the development of individual serials, is recorded exhaustively but consistently using a well structured system. All entries start with the title and subtitle giving any possible changes, place of publication, dates of publication and frequency. This is followed by a note charting the journal’s development, with its orientation, subject coverage, editorial control and changes, information on contributors as well as physical description including details of the format, design and illustrations, and any peculiarities in numbering. In cases of the most important or longest running titles this text can be of an article length streching to a page or more. 
    Individual entries then proceed with a standard catalogue record which includes a note on holdings. What started as a catalogue of one library - the Libri prohibiti library (LP) - has grown into a union catalogue that now includes two other collections of Czech and Slovak exile materials – that of the Centre for Czechoslovak Exile Studies at Olomouc University (CES) and the Library of the Náprstek Museum in Prague (KnápM). Occasionally holdings of other libraries, when known, have also been included. Although exile publications are hard to find in Czech and Slovak libraries some more could possibly be traced. This is, however, a time consuming undertaking considering that the most likely candidates, the National libraries of the Czech and Slovak republics and The National Museum in Prague, would need to be searched manually. 
    Where secondary literature on any particular title exists citations are given at the end of the entry in addition to the list of sources listed in the general bibliography in chapter seven.  
    It is poignant to see what a small, motivated and dedicated team of three can achieve in a relatively short span of time especially when compared with the fact that some fifty years of what was considered a „well resourced“ library and bibliographic system did not manage to produce a basic bibliography of Czech mainstream serial production, the lack of which continues to hamper the work of researchers at home and abroad. 
    Compilation of this bibliography was a challenging task and the authors have succeeded admirably not only in identifying highly elusive material but also in a clear presentation resulting in a bibliograpical guide that is easy to use and that will improve enormously access to this sort of material. The authors are well aware of the fact that work of this sort is never finished and appeal to users for information on existing items not found in this catalogue and for cooperation on future updates. Although another hard copy edition is not planned the existing data base is systematically updated and its mounting on the Internet is being considered. Libraries with relevant collections worldwide are invited to  contribute information on their holdings. 

Devana Pavlik, The British Library 
Solanus, vol. 15, 2001, p.158-160