Frederick R. Goff

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Frederick Richmond Goff
Frederick R. Goff and Gladys Harris examining two books from the Library of Congress Rare Book Division's collection.
Born(1916-04-23)April 23, 1916
Newport, Rhode Island, US
DiedSeptember 26, 1982(1982-09-26) (aged 66)
London
OccupationLibrarian
Known forIncunabula in American Libraries: A Third Census of Fifteenth-century Books Recorded in North American Collections

Frederick Richmond Goff (April 23, 1916 – September 26, 1982) was an American rare book librarian and specialist in incunabula.

Early life and education[edit]

Goff was born in Newport, Rhode Island, on April 23, 1916. He earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Brown University.[1]

Professional life[edit]

Goff joined the Library of Congress in 1940, became Assistant Chief of the Rare Book Division in 1941, and Chief of the division in 1945. [2] In 1961, he served as chair of the Rare Books and Manuscripts Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries, a division of the American Library Association, and from 1968 to 1970 as president of the Bibliographical Society of America. Goff retired in 1972.[1]

Publications[edit]

Goff was a prolific author of scholarly works on incunabula, book history, and bibliography. His magnum opus is Incunabula in American Libraries: A Third Census of Fifteenth-century Books Recorded in North American Collections (New York: Bibliographical Society of America, 1964)[3] which later formed the basis for the Incunabula Short Title Catalogue.

Dunlap broadside copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, LOC

Other publications include Catalog of Broadsides in the Rare Book Division, [4]Essays Honoring Lawrence C. Wroth,[5] Hebraica: Incunabula in Hebrew Type Only,[6] The Permanence of Johann Gutenberg, [7]and The John Dunlap Broadside: The First Printing of the Declaration of Independence. [8]


Library of Congress Intermission Broadcasts[edit]

Goff was a frequent interviewer on the Library of Congress Intermission Broadcasts during concerts of the Library of Congress Music Division. These included Christopher Columbus' letter of 1493 describing the voyage in which he discovered America,[9]Shakespeare first folios [10] and The Gutenberg Bible.[11]

Death[edit]

Goff died of kidney failure and a heart ailment at a London hospital on September 26, 1982. He was in London attending a conference on incunabula.[1] He is buried at Swan Point Cemetery.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Frederick Goff, Congress Library Rare Book Chief". Washington Post. September 28, 1982.
  2. ^ “Goff, Frederick R. (1916–82).” The Oxford Companion to the Book. Oxford University Press, 2010.
  3. ^ OCLC 480379
  4. ^ Library of Congress, and Frederick Richmond Goff. 1972. Catalog of Broadsides in the Rare Book Division. Boston: G.K. Hall,
  5. ^ Goff, Frederick Richmond, Anthoensen Press, and Lessing J. Rosenwald Collection (Library of Congress). 1951. Essays Honoring Lawrence C. Wroth. Portland, Maine.
  6. ^ Goff, Frederick Richmond, Margaret Bingham Stillwell, and Bibliographical Society of America. 1964. Hebraica: Incunabula in Hebrew Type Only. New York: Bibliographical Society of America.
  7. ^ Goff, Frederick Richmond. 1971. The Permanence of Johann Gutenberg. [Austin]: Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin; [distributed by University of Texas Press].
  8. ^ Goff, Frederick Richmond, and Library of Congress. 1976. The John Dunlap Broadside: The First Printing of the Declaration of Independence. Washington: Library of Congress.
  9. ^ Library of Congress intermission broadcasts. 1952-03-21, no. 21, "Christopher Columbus' letter of 1493 describing the voyage in which he discovered America." Authors:Frederick Richmond Goff (Speaker), Lawrence C. Wroth (Speaker), Lloyd A. Brown (Speaker)Recorded in the studios of the Library of Congress, Mar. 17, 1952, for later broadcast over radio station WGMS-FM during the intermission of the Mar. 21, 1952, Library of Congress Music Division concert.
  10. ^ Librarian of Congress Luther Evans discusses the Shakespeare first folios with Frederic Goff, chief of the Rare Book Division, Library of Congress, and James G. McManaway, asst. director of the Folger Shakespeare Library.Recorded in the studios of the Library of Congress, Oct. 10, 1951, for later broadcast over radio station WGMS-FM during the intermission of the Oct. 19, 1951, Library of Congress Music Division concert.
  11. ^ .Library of Congress intermission broadcasts. 1951-10-26, no. 3, The Gutenberg Bible. Authors:Frederick Richmond Goff (Speaker), William A. Jackson (Speaker), Frederick B. Adams (Speaker) Summary:Frederic Goff, chief of the Rare Book Division, Library of Congress, talks with Harvard University librarian William A. Jackson and Pierpoint Morgan Library director Frederick B. Adams, Jr., about the Gutenberg BibleRecorded in a studio in New York City, Sept. 19, 1951, for later broadcast over radio station WGMS-FM during the intermission of the Oct. 26, 1951, Library of Congress Music Division concert.
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