Lots of Avot, not so many ISBNs

It occurred to me this morning that many modern published commentaries on Avot lack full bibliographical details. They are often missing data such as the place and year of publication, the name of the publisher or an ISBN (International Standard Book Number, a unique number that enables each book to be identified even if shares the same title as another book written by an author with the same name. ISBNs are regulated by the International ISBN Agency.

Why are so many Avot books suffering from bibliographical deficiencies? Usually because they are privately published in limited editions as a labor of love, as a mark of respect to honor the life of a departed rabbi or relative, or because of the realities of the marketplace: their commercial publication is unlikely to show a financial return.

Sadly, one sometimes feels that there are more people wanting to write about Pirkei Avot than to read about it: the authors run to write, because of their enthusiasm for this most multifaceted of tractates, and the readers flee their writings through their natural reluctance to be told what to do and how to behave.