Series and missing volumes: knowing what you lack
· 3 min read
Collected works, commentaries, dictionaries and large encyclopedias pose the same problem. You buy them over the years, a volume here, two there. One day you stand at a bookseller's table unsure what's missing.
Record the series, not just the title
Each record carries the series name and the volume number. The series then assembles itself and the gaps show: "1, 2, 4, 5".
For an Arabic work in several mujalladat, this avoids the classic mistake of assuming you own the set because the title is on the shelf.
Knowing which to look for
Once you've spotted the gap, the practical question is whether that volume is still in print, and in which edition. Note the publisher on each record. Volume 3 from another house doesn't always sit well with the rest.
At the fair, a one-line answer
Qimtar's check answers "incomplete: you are missing volume 3". It is the most useful answer a catalogue can give you at a stall.