This thesaurus attempts to standardize terms used to designate intellectual genres of textual materials in general rare book libraries. Because of the nature of such libraries, it has a literary-historical bias. For the purpose of this list, genre is defined as a recognized category of works (not their physical manifestations) characterized by a particular form, purpose, or content. The list was developed to be used in conjunction with the MARC Formats for Bibliographical Data. Terms relating to maps, music, and legal works have been largely excluded. The alphabetical list includes terms and references. Terms are followed by scope notes whenever a term is thought to be obscure or ambiguous or is used in a technical sense that might not be readily apparent. Any recordings of references made to and from the term are included. Types of references used in the list are: broader term, narrower term, use, used for, and related term. Introductory materials comprise sections on history, purpose and scope, form, application, and revision. (THC)