XJRM. A. I CO CO OH- •i^ REESE LIBRARY UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA Received v_/y4>^ said Queen Ann." Most of the famous private libraries of days gone by have left little record of their existence, but Evelyn's collection is still carefully preserved at Wotton, the house of the Diarist's later years, and Pepys's books How Men have Formed Libraries. 31 continue at Cambridge in the cases he had made for them, and in the order he fixed for them. In a long letter to Pepys, dated from Sayes Court, 12th August, 1689, Evelyn gives an account of such private libraries as he knew of in England, and in London more particularly. He first mentions Lord Chancellor Clarendon, to whom he dedi- cated his translation of Naud6's Advice, and who " furnished a very ample librar)\'* Evelyn observes that England was pecu- liarly defective in good libraries : ** Paris alone, I am persuaded, being able to show more than all the three nations of Great Britain." He describes Dr. Stillingfleet's, at Twickenham, as the very best library.^ He did not think much either of the Earl of Bristol's or of Sir Kenelm Digby's books, but he says Lord Maitland's ** was certainly the noblest, most substantial and accom- plished library that ever passed under the spear." * Narcissus Marsh, Archbishop of Armagh, is said to have given ;^2500 for Bishop Stillingfleet's Library. 32 How to Form a Library. In a useful little volume published at London in 1739, and entitled, A Critical and Historical Account of all the Celebrated Libraries in Foreign Countries ^ as well ancient as modern, which is stated to be written by **a Gentleman of the Temple," are some *' General Reflections upon the Choice of Books and the Method of furnishing Libraries and Cabinets." As these reflec- tions are interesting in themselves, and curious as the views of a writer of the middle of the eighteenth century on this important subject, I will transfer them bodily to these pages. *' Nothing can be more laudable than forming Libraries, when the founders have no other view than to improve themselves and men of letters : but it will be neces- sary, in the first place, to give some directions, which will be of great im- portance towards effecting the design, as well with regard to the choice of books as the manner of placing to advantage : nor is it sufficient in this case, to be learned, since he who would have a collection How Men have Formed Libraries. 33 worthy of the name of a library must of all things have a thorough knowledge of books, that he may distinguish such as are valuable from the trifling. He must likewise understand the price of Books, otherwise he may purchase some at too high a rate, and undervalue others : all which requires no small judgment and experience. ** Let us suppose, then, the founder pos- sessed of all those qualifications, three things fall next under consideration. ** First, the number of books ; secondly, their quality ; and, lastly, the order in which they ought to be ranged. "As to the quantity, regard must be had, as well to places as to persons ; for should a man of moderate fortune propose to have a Library for his own use only, it would be imprudent in him to embarrass his affairs in order to effect it. Under such circum- stances he must rather consider the useful- ness than the number of books, for which we have the authority of Seneca, who tells us that a multitude of books is more 34 How to Form a Library. burthensome than instructive to the under- standing. *' But if a private person has riches enough for founding a Library, as well for his own use as for the public, he ought to furnish it with the most useful volumes in all arts and sciences, and procure such as are scarcest and most valuable, from all parts, that the learned, of whom there are many classes, may instruct themselves in what may be useful to them, and may gratify their enquiries. But as the condition and abilities of such as would form Libraries are to be distinguished, so regard must likewise be had to places, for it is very difficult to procure, or collect books in some countries, without incredible expense; a design of that kind would be impractic- able in America, Africa, and some parts of Asia; so that nothing can be determined as to the number of books, that depending entirely upon a variety of circumstances, and the means of procuring them, as has been observ'd before. " As to the second topic, special care must How Men have Formed Libraries. 35 be taken in the choice of books, for upon that alone depends the value of a Library. We must not form a judgment of books either by their bulk or numbers, but by their intrinsic merit and usefulness. Alexander Sevcrus's Library consisted of no more than four volumes, that is the works of Plato, Cicero, Virgil, and Horace. Melanchthon seems to have imitated that Prince, for his collection amounted to four books only, Plato, Pliny, Plutarch, and Ptolemy. ** There is another necessary lesson for those who form designs of making libraries, that is, that they must disengage themselves from all prejudices with regard either to ancient or modern books, for such a wrong step often precipitates the judgment, with- out scrutiny or examination, as if truth and knowledge were confined to any particular times or places. The ancients and moderns should be placed in collections, indifferently, provided they have those characters we hinted before. " Let us now proceed to the third head, the manner of placing books in such order, 36 How to Form a Library, as that they may be resorted to upon any emergency, without difficulty, otherwise they can produce but little advantage either to the owners or others. "The natural method of placing books and manuscripts is to range them in separate classes or apartments, according to the science, art, or subject, of which they treat. " Here it will be necessary to observe, that as several authors have treated of various subjects, it may be difficult to place them under any particular class; Plutarch, for instance, who was an historian, a political writer, and a philosopher. The most ad- visable method then is to range them under the head of Miscellaneous Authors, with proper references to each subject, but this will be more intelligible by an example. ** Suppose, then, we would know the names of the celebrated Historians of the ancients; nothing more is necessary than to inspect the class under which the historians are placed, and so of other Faculties. By this management, one set of miscellaneous authors will be sufficient, and may be How Men have Formed Libraries. 37 resorted to with as much ease and expedition as those who have confined themselves to one subject. In choice of books regard must be had to the edition, character, paper and binding. As to the price, it is difficult to give any positive directions ; that of ordinary works is easily known, but as to such as are very scarce and curious, we can only observe that their price is as uncertain as that of medals and other monuments of antiquity, and often depends more on the caprice of the buyer than the intrinsic merit of the work, some piquing themselves upon the possession of things from no other con- sideration than their exorbitant price." Dr. Byrom's quaint library is still pre- served at Manchester in its entirety. Bishop Moore's fine collection finds a resting place in the University Library at Cambridge, and the relics of the Library of Harley, Earl of Oxford, a mine of manuscript treasure, still remain one of the chief glories of the British Museum. How much cause for regret is there that the library itself, which Osborne bought and Johnson described, did not also 38 Hozv to Form a Library. find a settled home, instead of being dis- persed over the land. It is greatly to the credit of the rich and busy man to spend his time and riches in the collection of a fine library, but still greater honour is due to the poor man who does not allow himself to be pulled down by his sordid surroundings. The once- famous small-coalman, Thomas Britton, furnishes a most remarkable instance of true greatness in a humble station, and one, moreover, which was fully recognized in his own day. He lived next door to St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, and although he gained his living by selling coals from door to door, many persons of the highest station were in the habit of attending the musical meetings held at his house. He was an excellent chemist as well as a good musician, and Thomas Hearne tells us that he left behind him "a valuable collection of musick mostly pricked by himself, which was sold upon his death for near an hundred pounds," " a considerable collection of musical instru- ments which was sold for fourscore pounds," How Men have Formed Libraries. 39 "not to mention the excellent collection of printed books that he also left behind him, both of chemistry and musick. Besides these books that he left, he had some years before his death (17 14) sold by auction a noble collection of books, most of them in the Rosicrucian faculty (of which he was a great admirer), whereof there is a printed catalogue extant, as there is of those that were sold after his death, which catalogue I have by me (by the gift of my very good friend Mr. Bagford), and have often looked over with no small surprize and wonder, and particularly for the great number of MSS. in the before-mentioned faculties that are specified in it."^ Dr. Johnson, although a great reader, was not a collector of books. He was forced to possess many volumes while he was compiling his Dictionary, but when that great labour was completed, he no longer felt the want of them. Goldsmith, on the other hand, died possessed of a considerable ^ Reliquia:. HcarniancBy by Bliss, 2nd edition, 1869, vol. ii. p. 14. 40 How to Form a Library. number of books which he required, or had at some time required, for his studies. "The Select Collection of Scarce, Curious, and Valuable Books, in English, Latin, Greek, French, Italian, and other Languages, late the Library of Dr. Gold- smith, deceased," was sold on Tuesday, the 1 2th of July, 1774, and the Catalogue will be found in the Appendix to Forster's Life. There were 30 lots in folio, 26 in quarto, and 106 in octavo and smaller sizes. Among the books of interest in this list are Chaucer's Works, 1602 ; Davenant's Works, 1673 ; Camoens, by Fanshawe, 1655 ; Cowley's Works, 1674 ; Shelton's Don Quixote ; Raleigh's History of the World, 1614; Bulwer's Artificial Changeling, 1653; Verstegan's Antiquities, 1634 ; Hartlib's Legacie, 1651 ; Sir K. Digby on the Nature of Bodies, 1645 ; Warton's History of English Poetry, 1774;, Encyclopedie, 25 vols., 1770; Fielding's Works, 12 vols., 1766; Bysshe's Art of Poetry; Hawkins's Origin of the English Drama, 3 vols., 1773; Percy's Reliques, 3 vols., Dublin, 1766 ; How Men have Formed Librai'ies. 41 Sir William Temple's Works; and De Bure, Bibliographie Instructive. A catalogue such as this, made within a few weeks of the death of the owner, can- not but have great interest for us. The library could not have been a very choice one, for there is little notice of bindings and much mention of odd volumes. It was evidently a working collection, containing the works of the poets Goldsmith loved, and of the naturalists from whom he stole his knowledge. Gibbon was a true collector, who loved his books, and he must have needed them greatly, working as he did at Lausanne away from public libraries. After his death the library was purchased by * Vathek' Beck- ford, but he kept it buried, and it was of no use to any one. Eventually it was sold by auction, a portion being bought for the Canton, and another portion going to America. There was little in the man Gibbon to be enthusiastic about, but it is impossible for any true book lover not to delight in the thoroughness of the author 42 Hoiv to Form a Library. of one of the noblest books ever written. The fine old house where the Decline and Fall was written and the noble library was stored still stands, and the traveller may stroll in the garden so beautifully described by Gibbon when he walked to the historical herceau and felt that his herculean labour was completed. His heart must be preternaturally dull which does not beat quicker as he walks on that ground. The thought of a visit some years ago forms one of the most vivid of the author's pleasures of memory. Charles Burney, the Greek scholar, is said to have expended nearly /'25,ooo on his library, which consisted of more than 13,000 printed volumes and a fine collection of MSS. The library was pur- chased for the British Museum for the sum Charles Burney probably inherited his love of collecting from his father, for Dr. Burney possessed some twenty thousand volumes. These were rather an in- cumbrance to the Doctor, and when he moved to Chelsea Hospital, he was in Hoiv Men have Formed Libraries. 43 some difficulty respecting them. Mrs. Chapone, when she heard of these troubles, proved herself no bibliophile, for she ex- claimed, '* Twenty thousand volumes ! bless me ! why, how can he so encumber him- self? Why does he not burn half? for how much must be to spare that never can be worth his looking at from such a store I and can he want to keep them all ?" The love of books will often form a tie of connection between very divergent cha- racters, and in dealing with men who have formed libraries we can bring together the names of those who had but little sympathy with each other during life. George III. was a true book collector, and the magnificent library now preserved in the British Museum owes its origin to his own judgment and enthusiastic love for the pursuit. Louis XVI. cared but little for books until his troubles came thick upon him, and then he sought solace from their pages. During that life in the Temple we all know so well from the sad reading of its incidents, books were not denied to 44 Hoiv to Form a Library, the persecuted royal family. There was a small library in the "little tower," and the king drew up a list of books to be supplied to him from the library at the Tuileries. The list included the works of Virgil, Horace, Ovid, and Terence ; of Tacitus, Livy, Caesar, Marcus Aurelius, Eutropius, Cornelius Nepos, Florus, Justin, Quintus Curtius, Sallust, Suetonius and Velleius Paterculus ; the Vies dts SaintSy the Fables de la Fontainey Tilemaq^uCy and Rollin's Traite des Eludes} The more we know of Napoleon, and anecdotes of him are continually being published in the ever-lengthening series of French memoirs, the less heroic appears his figure, but he could not have been entirely bad, for he truly loved books. He began life as an author, and would always have books about him. He complained if the printing was bad or the binding poor, and said, *' I will have fine editions and handsome binding. I am rich enough for ^ Edwards, Libraries and Founders of Libraries^ V 115- Hew Men have Formed Libraries, 45 that."^ Thus spoke the true bibliophile. Mr. Edwards has collected much interest- ing information respecting Napoleon and his libraries, and of his labours I here freely avail myself. Bourrienne affirms that the authors who chiefly attracted Napoleon in his school days were Polybius, Plutarch, and Arrian. ** Shortly before he left France for Egypt, Napoleon drew up, with his own hand, the scheme of a travelling library, the charge of collecting which was given to John Baptist Say, the Economist. It comprised about three hundred and twenty volumes, more than half of which are historical, and nearly all, as it seems, in French. The ancient historians comprised in the list are Thucydides, Plutarch, Poly- bius, Arrian, Tacitus, Livy, and Justin. The poets are Homer, Virgil, Tasso, Ariosto, the Telemaque of F6n61on, the Henriade of Voltaire, with Ossian and La Fontaine. Among the works of prose fiction are the English novelists in forty volumes, of course * Edwards, Libraries and Founders^ p. 136. 46 How to Form a Library. in translations, and the indispensable *S'^;r(y7/-^ of Werter, which, as he himself told Goethe, Napoleon had read through seven times prior to October, 1808. In this list the Bible, together with the Koran and the Vtdas, are whimsically, but significantly, entered under the heading Politics and Ethics (Politique et Morale).^ Napoleon was not, however, satisfied with the camp libraries which were provided for him ; the good editions were too bulky and the small editions too mean: so he arranged the plan of a library to be expressly printed for him in a thousand duodecimo volumes without margins, bound in thin covers and with loose oacks. *'In this new plan * Religion ' took its place as the first class. The Bible was to be there in its best trans- lation, with a selection of the most im- portant works of the Fathers of the Church, and a series of the best dissertations on those leading religious sects — their doctrines and their history — which have powerfully ^ Con'esfiondance de N'afoleon I^^, IV. pp. 37, 38, quoted by Edwards, Libraries and Founders ^ p. 130. How Men have Formed Libraries. 47 influenced the world. This section was limited to forty volumes. The Koran was to be included, together with a good book or two on mythology. One hundred and forty volumes were allotted to poetry. The epics were to embrace Homer, Lucan, Tasso, TelemachuSf and the Henriade. In the dramatic portion Corneille and Racine were of course to be included, but of Corneille, said Napoleon, you shall print for me * only what is vital ' (ce qui est rest^), and from Racine you shall omit ^ Les Freres €Tinemts, the Alexandre, and Les Plaideurs. Of Cr6billon, he would have only Rhadamiste and Airee et Thy est e. Voltaire was to be sub- ject to the same limitation as Corneille.'"^ In prose fiction Napoleon specifies the Nouvelle Heloise and Rousseau's Confessions^ the masterpieces of Fielding, Richardson and Le Sage, and Voltaire's tales. Soon after this Napoleon proposed a much larger scheme for a camp library, in which history alone would occupy three thousand volumes. ^ Edwards, Libraries and Founders, p. 133. 48 How to Form a Library. History was to be divided into these sec- tions — I. Chronology and Universal History. II. Ancient History {a. by ancient writers, h. by modern writers). HI. History of the Lower Empire (in like subdivisions). IV. History, both general and particular. V. The Modern History of the different States of Europe. The celebrated bibliographer Barbier drew up, according to the Emperor's orders, a detailed catalogue of the works which should form such a library. " He calculated that by employing a hundred and twenty compositors and twenty-five editors, the three thousand volumes could be produced, in satisfactory shape, and with- in six ^-ears, at a total cost of /'i 63,200, supposing fifty copies of each book to be printed."^ The printing was begun, but little was actually done, and in six years Napoleon was in St. Helena. In his last island home Napoleon had a library, and he read largely, often aloud, with good effect. It is an interesting fact 1 Edwards, Libraries and Founders ^ p. 135. How Men have Formed Libraries. 49 that among Napoleon's papers were found some notes on Geography written when a boy, and these close with the words — *^ Sainie-Helene — petite ile^ ^ In recapitulating here the names of a few of the famous men who have formed libraries it will be necessary to divide them into two classes, i, those whose fame arises from their habit of collecting, and 2, those authors in whose lives we are so much interested that the names of the books they possessed are welcomed by us as indications of their characters. What can be said of the libraries of the Duke of Roxburghe, Earl Spencer, Thomas Grenville, and Richard Heber that has not been said often before ? Two of these have been dispersed over the world, and two remain, one the glory of a noble family, and the other of the nation, or perhaps it would be more proper to say both are the glory of the nation, for every Englishman must be proud that the Spencer Library still remains intact. ^ Edwards, Libraries and Founders ^ p. 142. 4 50 How to Form a Library, Heber left behind him over 100,000 volumes, in eight houses, four in England and four on the Continent, and no record remains of this immense library but the volumes of the sale catalogues. Such whole- sale collection appears to be allied to mad- ness, but Heber was no selfish collector, and his practice was as liberal as Grolier's motto. His name is enshrined in lasting verse by Scott : — ** Thy volumes, open as thy heart. Delight, amusement, science, art. To every ear and eye impart ; Yet who of all that thus employ them. Can like the ov/ner's self enjoy them? — But hark ! I hear the distant drum : The day of Flodden Field is come— Adieu, dear Heber ! life and health. And store of literary wealth. " — M ARM ION, Introduction to the Sixth Canto. The Duke of Sussex was a worthy suc- cessor of his father, George HI., in the ranks of book-collectors, and his library is kept in memory by Pettigrew's fine catalogue. How Men have Formed Libraries. 5 1 Douce and Malone the critics, and Gough the antiquary, left their libraries to the Bodleian, and thus many valuable books are available to students in that much- loved resort of his at Oxford. Anthony Morris Storer, who is said to have excelled in everything he set his heart on and hand to, collected a beautiful library, which he bequeathed to Eton College, where it still remains, a joy to look at from the elegance of the bindings. His friend Lord Carlisle wrote of him — "Whether I Storer sing in hours of joy, When every look bespeaks the inward boy ; Or when no more mirth wantons in his breast, And all the man in him appears confest ; In mirth, in sadness, sing him how I will, Sense and good nature must attend him still." Jacob Bryant the antiquary left his library to King's College, Cambridge. At one time he intended to have followed Storer' s example, and have left it to Eton College, but the Provost offended him, and he changed the object of his bequest. It is said that when he was discussing the 52 How to Form a Library. matter, the Provost asked whether he would not arrange for the payment of the carriage of the books from his house to Eton. He thought this grasping, and King's gained the benefit of his change of mind. Among great authors two of the chief collectors were Scott and Southey. Scott's library still remains at Abbotsford, and no one who has ever entered that embodiment of the great man's soul can ever forget it. The library, with the entire contents of the house, were restored to Scott in 1830 by his trustees and creditors, " As the best means the creditors have of expressing their very high sense of his most honour- able conduct, and in grateful acknowledg- ment of the unparalleled and most successful exertions he has made, and continues to make for them." The library is rich in the subjects which the great author loved, such as Demonology and Witchcraft. In a volume of a collection of Ballads and Chapbooks is this note written by Scott in 1 8 10: "This little collection of stall tracts and ballads was formed by me, when a boy, How Men have Formed Libraries. 53 from the baskets of the travelling pedlars. Until put into its present decent binding, it had such charms for the servants, that it was repeatedly, and with difficulty, recovered from their clutches. It contains most of the pieces that were popular about thirty years since, and I dare say many that could not now be procured for any price." It is odd to contrast the book-loving tastes of celebrated authors. Southey cared for his books, but Coleridge would cut the leaves of a book with a butter knife, and De Quincey's extraordinary treatment of books is well described by ]\Ir. Burton in the Book Hunter, Charles Lamb's loving appreciation of his books is known to all readers of the delightful Elia. Southey collected more than 14,000 volumes, which sold in 1844 ^or nearly /"3000. He began collecting as a boy, for his father had but few books. Mr. Edwards enumerates these as follows : The Spectator^ three or four volumes of the Oxford Magazimy one volume of the Freeholder's Magazine^ and one of the Town 54 How to Form a Library. and Country Magazine ^ Pomfret's Poems, the Death of Abel, nine plays (including Julius CcEsar, The Indian Queen, and a translation of 3Ierope), and a pamphlet.^ Southey was probably one of the most representative of literary men. His feelings in his library are those of all book-lovers, although he could express these feelings in language which few of them have at command : — My days among the dead are passed ; Around me I behold, Where'er these casual eyes are cast, The mighty minds of old : My never-failing friends are they. With whom I converse day by day. With them I take delight in weal, And seek relief in woe ; And while I understand and feel How much to them I owe, My cheeks have often been bedewed W ith tears of thoughtful gratitude. ^ Libraries and Founders of Libraries, p. 95. XJNJVElis How Men have Formed Libraries. 5 5 ^^^'S^ ^^Q^^ My thoughts are with the dead j with them I live in long-past years ; Their virtues love, their faults condemn, Partake their hopes and fears, And from their lessons seek and find Instruction with a humble mind. My hopes are with the dead ; an on My place with them will be And I with them shall travel on Through all futurity ; Yet leaving here a name, I trust, That will not perish in the dust. Mr. Henry Stevens read a paper or rather delivered an address at the meeting of the Library Association held at Liverpool in 1883, containing his recollections of Mr. James Lenox, the great American book collector. I had the pleasure of listening to that address, but I have read it in its finished form with even greater delight. It is not often that he who pleases you as a speaker also pleases you as writer, but Mr. Stevens succeeds in both. If more bibliographers could write their reminis- cences with the same spirit that he does, we 56 How to Form a Libi'ary. should hear less of the dullness of biblio- graphy. I strongly recommend my readers to take an early opportunity of perusing this paper in the Liverpool volume of the Transactions of the Library Association. Mr. Stevens, among his anecdotes of Mr. Lenox, records that he ** often bought dupli- cates for immediate use, or to lend, rather than grope for the copies he knew to be in the stocks in some of his store rooms or chambers, notably Stirling's Artists of SpaiUy a high-priced book." This is a common trouble to large book collectors, who cannot find the books they know they possess. The late Mr. Crossley had his books stacked away in heaps, and he was often unable to lay his hands upon books of which he had several copies. CHAPTER II. How TO Buy. DISCUSSION has arisen lately in bibliographical journals as to how best to supply libraries with their books, the main principle agreed upon being that it is the duty of the librarian to buy his books as cheaply as possible. Some of these views are stated by Mr. H. R. Tedder in a letter printed in the Library Chronicle for July, 1884 (vol. i. p. 120). It appears that Professor Dziatzko contends that the books should always be bought as cheaply as possible, but that Dr. Julius Petzholdt holds the opinion that the chief object of the librarian should be to get his books as early as possible and not to wait until they can be had at second- hand. Mr. Tedder thinks that the two 58 How to Form a Library. plans of rapidity of supply and cheapness of cost can in some respect be united. Of course there can be no difference of opinion in respect to the duty of the librarian to get as much for his money as he can, but there are other points which require to be considered besides those brought forward before a satisfactory answer to the question — How to Buy ? can be obtained. There are three points which seem to have been very much overlooked in the discussion, which may be stated here. i. Is the librarian's valuable time well occupied by looking after cheap copies of books? 2. Will not the proposed action on the part of librarians go far to abolish the intelligent second-hand bookseller in the same way as the new bookseller has been well-nigh abolished in consequence of large dis- counts ? 3. Will not such action prevent the publication of excellent books on subjects little likely to be popular ? I. Most librarians find their time pretty well occupied by the ordinary duties of buy- ing, arranging, cataloguing, and finding the ^ How to Buy. 59 books under their charge, and it will be generally allowed that the librarian's first duty is to be in his library, ready to attend to those who wish to consult him. Now the value of his time can be roughly estimated for this purpose in money, and the value of the time spent in doing work which could be as well or better done by a bookseller should fairly be added to the cost of the books. 2. It has hitherto been thought advisable to have one or more second-hand book- sellers attached to an important library, from whom the librarian may naturally expect to obtain such books as he requires. Of course a man of knowledge and ex- perience must be paid for the exercise of these qualities, but the price of books is so variable that it is quite possible that the bookseller, from his knowledge, may buy the required books cheaper than the librarian himself would pay for them. As far as it is possible to judge from the information given us respecting the collection of libraries, bookbuyers have little to complain of as to 6o How to Form a Library. the price paid by them to such respectable booksellers as have acted as their agents. Perhaps too little stress has been laid upon that characteristic which is happily so common among honest men, viz. that the agent is as pleased to get wares cheap for a good customer as for himself. Mr. Tedder says in his letter, " For rarer books I still consider it safer and cheaper in the long run to cultivate business relations with one or more second-hand booksellers, and pay them for their knowledge and experience." But is this quite fair, and is it not likely that the rarer books will be supplied cheaper if the bookseller is allowed to pay himself partly out of the sale of the commoner books, which it is now proposed the libra- rian shall buy himself.? My contention is that it is for the advantage of libraries that intelligent booksellers, ready to place their knowledge at the service of the librarians, should exist, and it is unwise and un- economic to do that which may cause this class to cease to exist. Sellers of books must always exist, bat it is possible How to Bity. 6 1 to drive out of the trade those who do it the most honour. We see what has occurred in the new book trade, and there can be little doubt that the book- buyer loses much more than he gains by the present system of discount. When the bookseller could obtain sufficient profit by the sale of new books to keep his shop open, it was worth his while to take some trouble in finding the book required ; but now that the customer expects to buy a book at trade price, he cannot be surprised if he does not give full particulars as to the publisher of the book he requires if it is reported to him as "not known." Those only who, by taking a large quantity of copies, obtain an extra discount, can make new bookselling pay. 3. There are a large number of books which, although real additions to literature, can only be expected to obtain a small number of readers and buyers. Some of these are not taken by the circulating libraries, and publishers, in making their calculations, naturally count upon supplying some of the 62 Hozv to Form a Library, chief libraries of the country. If these libraries wait till the book is second-hand, the number of sales is likely to be so much reduced that it is not worth while to publish the book at all, to the evident damage of the cause of learning. It has been often suggested that an arrangement should be made by libraries in close proximity, so that the same ex- pensive book should not be bought by more than one of the libraries. No doubt this is advantageous in certain circumstances, but in the case of books with a limited sale it would have the same consequence as stated above, and the book would not be published at all, or be published at a loss. Selden wrote in his Table Talk: "The giving a bookseller his price for his books has this advantage ; he that will do so, shall have the refusal of whatsoever comes to his hand, and so by that means get many things which otherwise he never should have seen." And the dictum is as true now as it was in his time. Many special points arise for consideration How to Buy. 67, when we deal with the question — How to buy at sales ? and Mr. Edward Edwards gives the following four rules for the guid- ance of the young book-buyer {Memoirs of Libraries^ vol. ii. p. 645): I . The examination of books before the sale, not during it. 2. A steady unin- termittent bidding up to his predetermined limit, for all the books which he wants, from the first lot to the last ; and — if there be any signs of a "combination" — for a few others which he may «o/ want. 3. Care- ful avoidance of all interruptions and con- versation ; with especial watchfulness of the hammer immediately after the disposal of those especially seductive lots, which may have excited a keen and spirited competition. (There is usually on such occasions a sort of *Mull," very favourable to the acquisition of good bargains.) 4. The uniform preservation and storing up of priced catalogues of all important sales for future reference. A case of conscience arises as to whether it is fit and proper for two buyers to agree 64 How to Form a Library. not to oppose each other at a public sale. Mr. Edwards says, "At the sales Lord Spencer was a liberal opponent as well as a liberal bidder. When Mason's books were sold, for example, in 1798, Lord Spencer agreed with the Duke of Roxburghe that they would not oppose each other, in bidding for some books of excessive rarity, but when both were very earnest in their longings, "toss up, after the book was bought, to see who should win it." Thus it was that the Duke obtained his unique, but imperfect, copy of Caxton's Historye of Kynge Blanchardyn and Prince Eglantyne, which, however, came safely to Althorp fourteen years later, at a cost of two hundred and fifteen pounds ; the Duke having given but twenty guineas."^ It is easy to understand the inducement whicli made these two giants agree not to oppose each other, but the agreement was dangerously like a "knock-out." Mr. Henry Stevens (in his Recollections of Mr. fames * Libraries and Founders of Libraries i 1864, p. 404. How to Buy. 65 Lenox) boldly deals with this question, and condemns any such agreement. He writes, "Shortly after, in 1850, there occurred for sale at the same auction rooms a copy of ^Araius, Phaenomena,^ Paris, 1559, in 4°, with a few manuscript notes, and this autograph signature on the title, *Jo. Milton, Pre. 2S. td. 163 1.' This I thought would be a desirable acquisition for Mr. Lenox, and accordingly I ventured to bid for it as far as £^0, against my late opponent for the Drake Map, but he secured it at £^0 lo^., remarking that ' Mr. Panizzi will not thank you for thus running the British Museum.' * That remark,' I replied, * is apparently one of your gratuities. Mr. Panizzi is, I think, too much a man of the world to grumble at a fair fight. He has won this time, though at considerable cost, and I am sure Mr. Lenox will be the first to con- gratulate him on securing such a prize for the British Museum.' *I did not know you were bidding for Mr. Lenox.' ' It was not necessary that you should.' * Perhaps at another time,' said he, *we 5 66 How to Form a Library. may arrange the matter beforehand, so as not to oppose each other.' 'Very- well/ I replied, ' if you will bring me a note from Mr. Panizzi something to this eifect : * Mr. Stevens, please have a knock- out with the bearer, the agent of the British Museum, on lot * *, and greatly oblige Mr. John Bull and your obdt. servant, A. P.,* I will consider the proposition, and if Mr, Lenox, or any other of my interested cor- respondents, is not unwilling to combine or conspire to rob or cheat the proprietors, the 'thing' may possibly be done. Mean- while, until this arrangement is concluded, let us hold our tongues and pursue an honest course.' That man never again suggested to me to join him in a * knock- out.' " In another place Mr. Stevens relates his own experience as to holding two com- missions, and the necessity of buying the book above the amount of the lowest of the two. The circumstance relates to a copy of the small octavo Latin edition of the Columbus Letkr^ in eight leaves, at the first How to Buy. 6y Libri sale, Feb. ig, 1849. Mr. Stevens writes, " Mr. Brown ordered this lot with a limit of 25 guineas, and Mr. Lenox of £25. Now as my chief correspondents had been indulged with a good deal of liberty, scarcely ever considering their orders com- pletely executed till they had received the books and decided whether or not they would keep them, I grew into the habit of considering all purchases my own until accepted and paid for. Consequently when positive orders were given, which was very ' seldom, I grew likewise into the habit of buying the lot as cheaply as possible, and then awarding it to the correspondent who gave the highest limit. This is not always quite fair to the owner ; but in my case it would have been unfair to myself to make my clients compete, as not unfrequently the awarded lot was declined and had to go to another. Well, in the case of this Columbus Letter, though I had five or six orderr, I purchased it for /^ 16 10^., and, accordingly, as had been done many times before within the last five or six years without a grumble, 68 How to Form a Library. I awarded it to the highest limit, and sent the little book to Mr. John Carter Brown. Hitherto, in cases of importance, Mr. Lenox had generally been successful, because he usually gave the highest limit. But in this case he rebelled. He wrote that the book had gone under his commission of ^25, that he knew nobody else in the transaction, and that he insisted on having it, or he should at once transfer his orders to some one else. I endeavoured to vindicate my conduct by stating our long-continued practice, with which he was perfectly well acquainted, but without success. He grew more and more peremptory, insisting on having the book solely on the ground that it went under his limit. At length, after some months of negotiation, Mr. Brown, on being made acquainted with the whole correspondence, very kindly, to relieve me of the dilemma, sent the book to Mr. Lenox without a word of comment or explanation, except that, though it went also below his higher limit, he yielded it to Mr. Lenox for peace From that time I How to Btty. 69 resorted, in cases of duplicate orders from them, to the expedient of always putting the lot in at one bid above the lower limit, which, after all, I believe is the fairer way in the case of positive orders. This some- times cost one of them a good deal more money, but it abated the chafing and generally gave satisfaction. Both thought the old method the fairest when they got the prize. But I was obliged, on the new system of bidding, to insist on the purchaser keeping the book without the option of re- turning it." There can be no doubt that the latter plan was the most satisfactory. Some persons appear to be under the im- pression that whatever a book fetches at a public sale must be its true value, and that, as the encounter is open and public, too much is not likely to be paid by the buyer ; but this is a great mistake, and prices are often realized at a good sale which are greatly in advance of those at which the same books are standing unsold in second- hand booksellers' shops. Much knowledge is required by those who 70 How to Form a Library. wish to buy with success at sales. Books vary greatly in price at different periods, and it is a mistake to suppose, from the high prices realized at celebrated sales, which are quoted in all the papers, that books are constantly advancing in price. Although many have gone up, many others have gone down, and at no time probably were good and useful books to be bought so cheap as now. If we look at old sale catalogues we shall find early printed books, specimens of old English poetry and the drama, fetching merely a fraction of what would have to be given for them now ; but, on the other hand, we shall find pounds then given for standard books which would not now realize the same number of shillings; this is specially the case with classics. The following passage from Hearne's Diaries on the fluctuations in prices is of interest in this connection: — "The editions of Classicks of the first print (commonly called editones principes) that used to go at prodigious prices are now strangely lowered; occasioned in good measure by How to Buy. 71 Mr. Thomas Rawlinson, my friend, being forced to sell many of his books, in whose auction these books went cheap, tho' English history and antiquities went dear: and yet this gentleman was the chief man that raised many curious and classical books so high, by his generous and courageous way of bidding."^ These first editions, however, realize large prices at the present time, as has been seen at the sale of the Sunderland Library. It is experience only that will give the neces- sary knowledge to the book buyer, and no rules laid down in books can be of any real practical value in this case. Persons who know nothing of books are too apt to suppose that what they are inclined to consider exorbitant prices are matters of caprice, but this is not so. There is generally a very good reason for the high price. We must remember that year by year old and curious books become scarcer, and the ^ ReliquicB HaarniancB^ 1869, vol. ii. p. 1 58. 72 How to Form a Library, number of libraries where they are locked up increase ; thus while the demand is greater, the supply diminishes, and the price naturally becomes higher. A unique first edition of a great author is surely a posses- sion to be proud of, and it is no ignoble ambition to wish to obtain it. CHAPTER III. Public Libraries. IBRARIES may broadly be divided into Public and Private, and as private libraries will vary accord- ing to the special idiosyncrasies of their owners, so still more will public libraries vary in character according to the public they are intended for. The answer there- fore to the question — How to form a Public Librar}^ ? — must depend upon the character of the library which it is proposed to form. Up to the period when free town libraries were first formed, collections of books were usually intended for students ; but when the Public Libraries' Acts were passed, a great change took place, and libraries being formed for general readers, and largely 74 How to Form a Library. with the object of fostering the habit of reading, an entirely new idea of libraries came into existence. The old idea of a library was that of a place where books that were wanted could be found, but the new idea is that of an educational estab- lishment, where persons who know little or nothing of books can go to learn what to read. The new idea has naturally caused a number of points to be discussed which were never thought of before. But even in Town Libraries there will be great differences. Thus in such places as Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester, the Free Libraries should be smaller British Museums, and in this spirit their founders have worked ; but in smaller and less im- portant towns a more modest object has to be kept in view, and the wants of readers, more than those of consulters of books, have to be considered. Mr. Beriah Botfield has given a very full account of the contents of the libraries spread about the country and associated with the diiferent Cathedrals in his Notes on Public Libraries, 75 the Cathedral Libraries of England, 184^. These libraries have mostly been formed upon the same plan, and consist very largely of the works of the Fathers, and of old Divinity. Some contain also old editions of the classics, and others fine early editions of English authors. In former times these libraries were much neglected, and many of the books were lost ; but the worst instance of injury to a library occurred at Lincoln at the beginning of the present century, when a large number of Caxtons, Pynsons, Wynkyn de Wordes, etc., were sold to Dr. Dibdin, and modern books purchased for the library with the proceeds. Dibdin printed a list of his treasures under the title of "The Lincolne Nosegay." Mr. Botfield has reprinted this catalogue in his book. The first chapter of the United States Report on Public Libraries is devoted to Public Libraries a hundred years ago. Mr. H. E. Scudder there describes some American libraries which were founded in the last century. One of these was the Loganian Library of Philadelphia. Here ^6 How to Form a Library. is an extract from the will of James Logan, the founder — "In my library, which I have left to the city of Philadelphia for the advancement and facilitating of classical learning, are above one hundred volumes of authors, in folio, all in Greek, with mostly their versions. All the Roman classics without exception. All the Greek mathematicians, viz. Archi- medes, Euclid, Ptolemy, both his Geography and Almagest, which I had in Greek (with Theon's Commentary, in folio, above 700 pages) from my learned friend Fabricius, who published fourteen volumes of his Bibliotheque Grecque, in quarto, in which, after he had finished his account of Ptolemy, on my inquiring of him at Hamburgh, how I should find it, having long sought for it in vain in England, he sent it to me out of his own library, telling me it was so scarce that neither prayers nor price could purchase it ; besides, there are many of the most valuable Latin authors, and a great number of modern mathematicians, with all the three editions of Newton, Dr. Watts, Public Libraries. 'jj Halley, etc." The inscription on the house of the Philadelphia Library is well worthy of repetition here. It was prepared by Franklin, with the exception of the refer- ence to himself, which was inserted by the Committee. Be it remembered, in honor of the Philadelphia youth (then chiefly artificers), that in MDCCXXXI they cheerfully, at the instance of Benjamin Franklin, one of their number, instituted the Philadelphia Library, ■which, though small at first, is become highly valuable and extensively useful, and which the walls of this edifice are now destined to contain and preserve : the first stone of whose foundation was here placed the thirty-first day of August, 1789. Mr. F. B. Perkins, of the Boston Public Library, contributed to the Report on Public Libraries in the United States a useful chapter on ** How to make Town Libraries success- ful" (pp. 419-+30). The two chief points 78 How to Form a Library, upon which he lays particular stress, and which may be said to form the texts for his practical remarks, are: (i) that a Public Library for popular use must be managed not only as a literary institution, but also as a business concern; and (2) that it is a mistake to choose books of too thoughtful or solid a character. He says, ** It is vain to go on the principle of collecting books that people ought to read, and afterwards trying to coax them to read them. The only practical method is to begin by supply- ing books that people already want to read, and afterwards to do whatever shall be found possible to elevate their reading tastes and habits." A series of articles on *' How to Start Libraries in Small Towns" was published in the Library Journal (vol. i. pp. 161, 213, 249, 313, 355, 421), and Mr. Axon's Hints on the Formation of Small Libraries has already been mentioned. We must not be too rigid in the use of the term Public Libraries, and we should certainly include under this description those institutional Public Libraries. 79 Libraries which, although primarily intended for the use of the Members of the Societies to which they belong, can usually be consulted by students who are properly introduced. Of Public Libraries first in order come the great libraries of a nation, such as the British Museum. These are supplied by means of the Copyright Law, but the librarians are not from this cause ex- onerated from the troubles attendant on the formation of a library. There are old books and privately printed and foreign books to be bought, and it is necessary that the most catholic spirit should be dis- played by the librarians. The same may be said in a lesser degree of the great libraries of the more important towns. In England the Universities have noble libraries, more especially those of Oxford and Cambridge, but although some colleges possess fine collections of books, college libraries are not as a rule kept up to a y^yy high standard. The United States Report contains a full account of the college libraries in America (pp. 60-126). 8o How to Form a Library, The libraries of societies are to a larg-e extent special ones, and my brother, the late Mr. B. R. Wheatley, in a paper read before the Conference of Librarians, 1877, entitled " Hints on Library Management, so far as relates to the Circulation of Books," particularly alluded to this fact. He wrote, " Our library is really a medical and surgical section of a great Public Library. Taking the five great classes of literature, I suppose medicine and its allied sciences may be considered as forming a thirtieth of the whole, and, as our books number 30,000, we are, as it were, a com- plete section of a Public Library of nearly a million volumes in extent." The United States Report contains several chapters on special libraries, thus chapter 2 is devoted to those of Schools and Asylums; 4, to Theological Libraries; 5, to Law; 6, to Medical; and 7, to Scientific Libraries. For the formation of special libraries, special bibliographies will be required, and for in- formation on this subject reference should be made to Chapter VI. of the present work. Public Libraries. 8 1 When we come to deal with the Free Public Libraries, several ethical questions arise, which do not occur in respect to other libraries. One of the most pressing: of these questions refers to the amount of Fiction read by the ordinary frequenters of these libraries. This point is alluded to in the United States Report on Public Libraries. Mr. J; P. Quincy, in the chapter on Free Libraries (p. 389), writes, "Surely a state which lays heavy taxes upon the citizen in order that children may be taught to read is bound to take some interest in what they read ; and its representatives may well take cognizance of the fact that an increased facility for obtaining works of sensational fiction is not the special need of our country at the close of the first century of its independence." He mentions a free library in Germanstown, Pa., sustained by the liberality of a religious body, and frequented by artisans and work- ing people of both sexes. It had been in existence six years in 1876, and then contained 7000 volumes. No novels are 6 82 How to Form a Library, admitted into the library. The following is a passage from the librarian's report of 1874: "In watching the use of our library as it is more and more resorted to by the younger readers of our community, I have been much interested in its influence in weaning them from a desire for works of fiction. On first joining the library, the new comers often ask for such books, but failing to procure them, and having their attention turned to works of interest and instruction, in almost every instance they settle down to good reading and cease asking for novels. I am persuaded that much of this vitiated taste is cultivated by the purveyors to the reading classes, and that they are responsible for an appetite they often profess to deplore, but continue to cater to, under the plausible excuse that the public will have such works." Mr. Justin Winsor in chapter 20 (Reading in Popular Libraries) expresses a somewhat different view. He writes, '' Every year many young readers begin their experiences with the library. They find all the instructive Public Libraries. 83 reading they ought to have in their school books, and frequent the library for story books. These swell the issues of fiction, but they prevent the statistics of that better reading into which you have allured the older ones, from telling as they should in the average." At the London Conference of Librarians (1877), Mr. P. Cowell, Librarian of the Liverpool Public Library, read a paper on the admission of Fiction in Free Public Libraries, where he discussed the subject in a very fair manner, and deplored the high percentage of novel reading in these libraries. At the Second Annual Meeting of the Library Association (1879) Mr. J. Taylor Kay, Librarian of Owens College, Manchester, in his paper on the Provision of Novels in Rate-supported Libraries, more completely condemned this provision. He concluded his paper with these words : ** Clearly a hard and fast line must be drawn. A distinct refusal by the library committees to purchase a single novel or tale would be appreciated by the rate-payers. The 84 How to Form a Library. suggestion of a sub-committee to read this literature would not be tolerated, and no man whose time is of value would undergo the infliction. The libraries would attain their true position, and the donations would certainly be of a higher class, if the aims of the committees were known to be higher. Manchester has already curtailed its issues of novels. It has been in the vanguard on the education question : and let us hope it will be true to its traditions, to its noble impulses, and lead the van in directing the educational influence of the free libraries, and striking out altogether any expenditure in the dissemination of this literature." This question probably would not have come to the front if it were not that the educational value of Free Libraries, as the complement of Board Schools, has been very properly put forward by their promoters. With this aim in view, it does startle one somewhat to see the completely dispro- portionate supply of novels in the Free Libraries. This often rises to 75 per cent, of the total supply, and in some libraries Public L ibraries. 8 5 even a higher percentage has been reached. There are, however, exceptions At the Baltimore Peabody Institute Fiction did not rise to more than one-tenth of the total reading. The following are some figures of subjects circulated at that library above 1000 : — Belles Lettres 4598 Fiction 3999 Biography 2003 Greek and Latin Classics . , . 1265 History (American) 1 137 Law 1051 Natural History 1738 Theology 1168 Periodicals (Literary) .... 4728 Periodicals (Scientific) .... 1466 Mr. Cowell says that during the year ending 3 1 St August, 1877, 453,585 volumes were issued at the reference library alone (Liverpool Free Public Library) ; of these 170,531 were strictly novels. The high- percentage of novel reading is not confined to Free Public Libraries, for we find that in the Odd Fellows' Library of San Francisco, 86 How to Form a Library. in 1874, 64,509 volumes of Prose Fiction were lent out of a total of 78,219. The other high figures being Essays, 2280; History, 1823 ; Biography and Travels, 1664. In the College of the City of New York, of the books taken out by students between Nov. 1876, and Nov. 1877, 1043 volumes were Novels, the next highest numbers were Science, 153; Poetry, 133; History, 130.^ In considering this question one naturally asks if the masterpieces of our great authors, which every one should read, are to be mixed up with the worthless novels con- stantly being published in the condemnation of Fiction; but, to some extent, both Mr. Cowell and Mr. Kay answer this. The first of these gentlemen writes: "As to the better class novels, which are so graphic in their description of places, costumes, pageantry, men, and events, I regret to say that they are not the most popular with those who stand in need of their instructive * Library Journal^ vol. ii. p. 70, Public Libraries. %y descriptions. I could generally find upon the library shelves * Harold/ * The Last of the Barons,' 'Westward Ho!' * Hypatia,' 'Ivanhoe,' *Waverley/ 'Lorna Doone,' etc., when not a copy of the least popular of the works of Mrs. Henry Wood, * Ouida,' Miss Braddon, or Rhoda Broughton were to be had." Mr. Kay corroborates this opinion in his paper. Mostof us recognize the value of honest fic- tion for children and the overwrought brains of busy men, but the reading of novels of any kind can only be justified as a relaxation, and it is a sad fact that there is a large class of persons who will read nothing but novels and who call all other books dry reading. Upon the minds of this class fiction has a most enervating effect, and it is not to be ex- pected that ratepayers will desire to increase this class by the indiscriminate supply of novels to the Free Libraries. Some persons are so sanguine as to believe that readers will be gradually led from the lower species of reading to the higher ; but there is little confirmation of this hope to be found in 88 How to Form a Library. the case of the confirmed novel readers we see around us. The librarian who, with ample funds for the purpose, has the duty before him of forming a Public Library, sets forward on a pleasant task. He has the catalogues of all kinds of libraries to guide him, and he will be able to purchase the groundwork of his library at a very cheap rate, for probably at no time could sets of standard books be bought at so low a price as now. Many books that are not wanted by private persons are indispensable for a Public Library, and there being little demand for them they can be obtained cheap. When the groundwork has been carefully laid, then come some of the difficulties of collecting. Books specially required will not easily be obtained, and when they are found, the price will probably be a high one. Books of reference will be expensive, and as these soon get out of date, they will frequently need renewal. CHAPTER IV. Private Libraries. KEATING of private libraries, it will be necessary to consider their constitution under two heads, according as they are required in town or country. In London, for instance, where libraries of all kinds are easily accessible, a man need only possess books on his own particular hobby, and a good collection of books of reference ; but in the country, away from public libraries, a well-selected collection of standard books will be neces- sary. I. Town, Every one who loves books will be sure to have some favourite authors on special subjects of study respecting which he needs 90 How to Form a Library. no instruction farther than that which is ready to his hand. Books on these subjects he will need, both in town and country, if he possesses two houses. Some collectors make their town house a sort of gathering- place for the accessions to their country libraries. Here a class is completed, bound, and put in order, and then sent to the country to find its proper place in the family library. This is an age of books of reference, and as knowledge increases, and the books which impart it to readers become un- wieldy from their multitude, there are sure to be forthcoming those who will reduce the facts into a handy form. I have gathered in the following pages the titles of some of the best books of reference which are to be obtained. Many, if not all of these, are to be found in that magnificent library of reference — the Reading Room of the British Museum. In some cases where the books are constantly being reprinted, dates have been omitted. There are, doubtless, many valuable works which I have overlooked, Private Libraries. 91 and some Text-books I have had to leave out owing to the exigencies of space, but I trust that the present list will be found useful. Abbreviations. — Dictionnaire des Abreviations Latines et Fran9aises usitees dans les inscriptions lapidaires et metalliques, les manuscrits et les chartes du Moyen Age. Par L. Alph. Chassant. Quatrieme edition. Paris, 1876. Sm. 8vo. Anthropology. — Notes and Queries on Anthropology, for the use of Travellers and Residents in Uncivilized Lands. Drawn up by a Committee appointed by the British Association. London, 1874. Sm. 8vo. Antiqiiitics. — Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities. Edited by Dr. William Smith, Roy. 8vo. Dictionnaire des Antiquites Grecques et Romaines d'apres les textes et les Monuments . . Ouvrage redige . . sous la direction de Ch. Daremberg et Edm. Saglio. Paris, 1873. 4to. The Life of the Greeks and Romans de- scribed from Antique Monuments, by E. Guhl and W. Koner, translated from the third German edition by F. Hueffer. London, 1875. 8vo. Gallus or Roman Scenes of the Time of Augustus. By W. A. Becker, translated by F. Metcalfe. London. Charicles : Illustrations of the Private Life of the Ancient Greeks. By W. A. Becker, translated by F. Metcalfe. London. 92 How to Form a Library, Antiquities. — Archaeological Index to remains of an- tiquity of the Celtic, Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon Periods, Byjohn Yonge Akerman. London, 1847. 8vo. Introduction to English Antiquities. By James Eccleston. London, 1847. 8vo. The English Archaeologist's Handbook. By Henry Godwin. Oxford, 1867. 8vo. Architecture. — A Dictionary of the Architecture and Archaeology of the Middle Ages. ... By John Britton. London, 1838. History of Architecture in all countries, from the earliest times to the present day. By James Fergusson. London, 1865-76. 4 vols. 8vo. Nicholson's Dictionary of the Science and Practice of Architecture, Building, Carpentry, etc. New edition, edited by Edward Lomax and Thomas Gunyon. London. 2 vols. 4to. An Encyclopaedia of Architecture, historical, theoretical, and practical. By Joseph Gwilt, revised by Wyatt Papworth. New edition. London, 1876. 8vo. The Dictionary of Architecture, issued by the Architectural Publication Society. A to Oz. 4 vols. Roy. 4to. (In progress.) A Glossary of Terms used in Grecian, Roman, Italian, and Gothic Architecture. Fifth edition, enlarged. Oxford, 1850. 3 vols. 8vo. An Encyclopaedia of Cottage, Farm, and Villa Architecture and Furniture. ... By J. C. Loudon. London, 1833. 8vo. Private Libraries. 93 Arts, Manufactures, etc. — Ure's Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, containing a clear exposition of their Principles and Practice. By Robert Hunt, assisted by F. W. Rudler. Seventh edition. London, 1875. 3 vols. 8vo. Spons' Encyclopoedia of the Industrial Arts, Manufactures, and Commercial Products. London, 1879. 8 vols. Roy. Svo. Astronomy. — History of Physical Astronomy. By Robert Grant. London [1852]. A most valuable book, but novi^ out of print and scarce. An Historical Survey of the Astronomy of the Ancients. By G. Cornewall Lewis. London, 1862. 8vo. Bible. — Dictionary of the Bible, comprising its Antiquities, Biography, Mythology, and Geography. By Dr. William Smith. Roy. Svo. A Biblical Cyclopsedia or Dictionary ot Eastern Antiquities, Geography, Natural History, Sacred Annals and Biography, Theology and Biblical Literature, illustrative of the Old and New Testaments. Edited by John Eadie, D.D., LL.D. Twelfth edition. London, 1870. 8vo. The Bible Atlas of Maps and Plans to illustrate the Geography and Topography of the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha, with Ex- planatory Notes by Samuel Clark, M.A. Also a complete Index of the Geographical Names . . by George Grove. London, 1868. 4to. 94 Hozv to Form a Library^ Bible. See Concordances. Bibliography.— See Chapters V. and VI. Biography. — Mr. Chancellor Christie contributed a [/ very interesting article to the Quarterly Review (April, 1884) on Biographical Dictionaries, in which he details the history of the struggle between the publishers of the Biographic Universelle and Messrs. Didot, whose Dictionary was eventually entitled Nouvelle Biographic Generale, The new edition of the Biographic Univer- sellc (45 vols. Imp. 8vo. Paris, 1854) is an invaluable work. Chalmers's Biographical Dictionary (32 vols. 8vo, 1812-17) is a mine of literary wealth, from which compilers have freely dug. Rose's (12 vols- 8vo. 1848) was commenced upon a very comprehensive plan, but the lives were considerably contracted before the work was completed. It is, however, a very useful work. L. B. Phillips's " Dictionary of Biographical Reference" contains 100,000 names, and gives the dates of birth and death, which in many instances is all the information the consulter requires, and should more be required, he is referred to the authority. This book is quite indispensable for every library. There are several national Biographical Dictionaries, and at last a thoroughly satisfactory Biographia Britannica is in course of publication by Messrs. Smith & Elder. The "Dictionary of National Biography, edited by Leslie Stephen," has reached the fifth volume, and extends to Bottisham. Robert Chambers's Biographical Dictionary Private Libraries. 95 of Eminent Scotsmen (Glasgow, 1835-56. 5 vols. 8vo.) will be found useful. Biography. — Dr. William Allen's "American Bio- graphical Dictionary" was published at Boston in 1857. Biographic Nouvelle des Contemporains . . . Par A. V. Arnault [etc.]. Paris, 1820-25. 20 vols. 8vo. Mr. Edward Smith points this book out to me as specially valuable for information re« specting actors in the French Revolution. Handbook of Contemporary Biography. By Frederick Martin. London, 1870. Sm. 8vo. Men of the Time : a Dictionary of Con- temporaries. Eleventh edition. Revised by Thompson Cooper. London, 1884. Sm. 8vo. A volume of 1 168 pages should contain a fair representation of the men of the day, and yet it is ludicrously incomplete. The literary side is as much overdone as the scientific side is neglected. This is not the place to make a list of shortcomings, but it will probably astonish most of our readers to learn that such eminent Men of the Time as Sir Frederick Abel, Sir Frederick Bramwell, and the late Dr. W. B. Carpenter are not mentioned. As this book has as a high reputation, the editor should thoroughly revise it for a new edition. Men of the Reign. A Biographical Dic- tionary of Eminent Characters of both Sexes, who have died during the reign of Queen Victoria. Edited by T. Humphry Ward. (Uniform with "Men of the Time.") London, 1885. g6 How to Form a Library. Biography. — Uictionnaire Universel des Contem- porains. . . . Par G. Vapereau. Cinquieme ediuon. Paris, 1880. 8vo. Supplement. Oct. i88r. Biographic Nationale des Contemporains, redigee par une Societe de Gens de Lettres sous la direction de M. Ernest Glaeser. Paris, 1878. Royal 8vo. Dictionnaire General de Biograpliie Con- temporaine Frangaise et Etrangere. Par Ad. Bitard. Paris, 1878. 8vo. To this list of Contemporary Biography may be added the Indexes of Obituary Notices published by the Index Society. {Bishops.) — Fasti Ecclesise Anglicanje, or a Calendar of the principal Ecclesiastical Dignitaries in England and Wales, and of the chief officers in the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, from the earliest time to the year 1715. Compiled by John Le Neve. Cor- rected and continued from 1715 to the present time by T. Duffus Hardy. Oxford, 1 854. 3 vols. 8vo. Fasti Ecclesioe Hibernicae. The Succession of the Prelates and Members of Cathedral Bodies in Ireland. By Henry Cotton, D.CL. Dublin, 1847-60. 5 vols. 8vo. {Lawyers.) — Lives of the Chief Justices of England. By John Lord Campbell. Second edition. London, 1858. 3 vols. 8vo. Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers Private Libraries. 97 of the Great Seal of England. By John Lord Campbell. Fourth edition. London, 1856. 10 vols. Sm. 8vo. {Scientific Men.) — PoggendorfF (J. C). Biogra- phisch-Literarisches Handworterbuch zur Ceschichte der exacten Wissenschaften, enthaltend Nachvveis- ungen iiber Lebensverhaltnisse und Leistungen von Mathematikern, Astronomen, Physikern, Chemikern, Mineralogen, Geologen u. s. w. aller Volker und Zeiten. Leipzig, 1863. Roy. 8vo. {Cambridge.) — Athenre Cantabrigiepses. By Charles Henry Cooper, F.S.A., and Thompson Cooper. Cambridge, 1858-61. Vol. L 1500-1585. Vol. IL 15S6-1609. 8vo. GraduatiCantabrigienses, 1760-1856. Cura Josephi Romilly, A.M. Cantabrigise, 1856. GraduatiCantabrigienses, 1800-1884. Cura Henrici Richardo Luard, S.T.P. Cantabrigise, 1884. {Oxford.) — Athenae and Fasti Oxonienses. By Ant. i Wood. New edition, with Notes, Additions, and Continuation by the Rev. Dr. P. Bliss. 4 vols. 4to. 1813-20. Catalogue of all Graduates in the University of Oxford, 1659-1850. Oxford, 1851. 8vo. {Dublin.) — A Catalogue of Graduates who have proceeded to degrees in the University of Dublin from the earliest recorded Commencements to July, 1866, with Supplement to December 16, 1868. Dublin, 1869. 8vo. Vol. IL 1868-1883. Dublin, 1884. 8vo. 98 Hozv to Form a Library. {Elon.) — Alumni Etonenses, or a Catalogue of the Provosts and Fellows of Eton College and King's College, Cambridge, from the Foundation in 1443 to the Year 1797. By Thomas Harwood. Birmingham, 1797. 4to. {IVestttiinster.) — The List of the Queen's Scholars of St. Peter's College, Westminster, admitted on that Foundation since 1663, and of such as have been thence elected to Christ Church, Oxford, and Trinity- College, Cambridge, from the Foundation by Queen Elizabeth, 1561, to the present time. Collected by Joseph Welch. A new edition . . . by an old King's Scholar. London, 1852. Roy. 8vo. Botany. — An Encyclopaedia of Trees and Shrubs ; being the Arboretum et Fruticetum Biitannicum abridged ... By J. C. Loudon. London, 1842. 8vo. Loudon's Encyclopedia of Plants . . . New edition corrected to the present time. Edited by Mrs. Loudon. London, 1855. 8vo. The Vegetable Kingdom ; or the structure, classification and uses of plants, illustrate»• Arabian Nights, ^y — Anastasius. , Decameron. Amber Witch. _, Wilhelm Meister. Mary Powell. Valhek. Household of Sir T More. Corinne. Cruise of the Midge. Private Libraries. 139 Guy Mannering. ,- Antiquary. ^ Bride of Lammermoor. Legend of Montrose. ■^ Rob Roy. ^ ^ WoodstockK ■^ Ivanhoe. ^ Talisman.' Fortunes of Nigel.*^ Old Mortality. Quentin Durward. i^ Heart of Midlothian. \Kenil worth. 1/ air Maid of Perth, anity Fair,'' Pendennis. Newcomes.t smond. ^ /Adam Bede.v '' Mill on the Flossi/ > Romola. ^ ■^-^liddlemarch.v ■^Pickwick. ^ Chuzzlewit. * Nickleby. '''Copperfield. 1/ "**^Tale of Two Citiesl^ Dombey. '*' Oliver Twist. , , Ky^ Tom Cringle's Log. Japhet in Search of a Father. Peter Simple. Midshipman Easy. .--Scarlet Letter. ^ House with theSevenGables ^ Wandering Jew. Mysteries of Paris. ^ Humphry Clinker. . Eugenie Grandet. y^ Knickerbocker's New York. ^ Charles O'Malley. Harry Lorrequer. Handy Andy. y» Elsie Venner. Challenge of Barletta. Betrothed (Manzoni's). ^ Jane Eyre. "^ Counterparts. Charles Auchester. •^ Tom Brown's Schooldays """ ^Tom Brown at Oxford. ■ Lady Lee's Widowhood. Horseshoe Robinson. /'Pilot. "- ^ Spy. - Last of the Mohicans. """^ My Novel. On the Pleights. V-^^vj/w/wO^ 140 How to Form a Library. Bleak House. Tom Jones. Three Guardsmen. Monte Christo. ^ Les Miserables. ^ Notre Dame. ^ Consuelo. Fadette (Fanchon). - Woman in White. ^ Love me little love me lon^ *■ Tm'O Years Ago. Yeast. _. " Coningsbyi - Young Duke. , Hyperion. Kavanagb. Uncle Tom's Cabin, u Bachelor of the Albany. CHAPTER V. General Bibliographies. GOOD collection of bibliographies is indispensable for a public library, and will also be of great use in a private library when its possessor is a true lover of books. One of the most valuable catalogues of this class of books is the ** Hand-List of Bibliographies, Classified Catalogues, and Indexes placed in the Reading Room of the British Museum for Reference" (1881). It is not intended to give in this chapter anything like a complete account of these books, as a separate vxDlume would be required to do justice to them. Here it will be sufficient to indicate some of the foremost works in the class. The cata- logues of some of our chief libraries are 142 How to Form a Library, amongst the most valuable of bibliographies for reference. The Catalogue of the Library of the London Institution is one of the hand- somest ever produced.^ Unfortunately the cost of production was too great for the funds of the Institution, and the elaborate Catalogue of Tracts was discontinued after the letter F. The London Library being a specially well-selected one, the catalogue (which is a good example of a short-titled catalogue) is particularly useful for ready reference.^ The Royal Institution Library is very rich ^ A Catalogue of the Library of the London Insti- tution, systematically classed. [London] 1835. 5 vols, royal 8vo. Vol. i (1835), General Library; vol. 2 (1840), Tracts and Pamphlets arranged in alphabetical order as far as the letter F. (never completed) ; vol. 3 (1843), General Library, Additions ; vol. 4 (1852), Additions from 1843 to 1852. 2 Catalogue of the London Library, 12, St. James's Square, S.W. With Preface, Laws and Regulations, List of Members and Classified Index of Subjects. By Robert Harrison. Fourth edition. Sold at the Library, 1875, royal 8vo. pp. 1022. Supplemental Volume, 1 875-1 880, sold at the Library, 188 1, royal 8vo. pp. 219. General Bibliographies, 143 in British Topography, and the catalogue forms a convenient handbook.^ The Catalogue of the Patent Office Library is by no means a model, but the second volume forms a good book of reference.^ Many other catalogues might be mentioned, but these will be sufficient for our present purpose. There is great want of a good Handbook of Literature, with the prices of the different books. Until this want is supplied good booksellers' catalogues will be found the most trustworthy guides. Pre- eminent among these are the catalogues of 1 A New Classified Catalogue of the Library of the Royal Institution of Great Britain with Indexes of Authors and Subjects, and a list of Historical Pamphlets, Chronologically arranged. By Benjamin Vincent. London. Sold at the Royal Institution. 1857, 8vo. pp. xvii.-928. Vol. IL, including the Additions from 1857 to 1882. London. Sold at the Royal Institution. 1882. 8vo. pp. xvii.-388. * Catalogue of the Library of the Patent Office, arranged alphabetically. In two volumes : vol. i, Authors ; vol. 2, Subjects. London. Published and Sold at the Commissioners of Patents Sale Depart- ment. 1881-83. Royal 8vo. 144 How to Form a Library. Mr. Quaritch, and the " Catalogue of up- wards of fifty thousand volumes of ancient and modern books," published by Messrs. Willis and Sotheran in 1 862. Mr. Quaritch's catalogues are classified with an index of subjects and authors.^ A previous General Catalogue was issued in 1874, and a Supple- ment 1875-77 (pp. iv. 1672). Now Mr. Quaritch is issuing in sections a new Cata- logue on a still larger scale, which is of the greatest value. For the study of early printed books, Hain,~ Panzer,^ and Maittaire's* books are indispensable. ^ A General Catalogue of Books, offered for sale to the public at the affixed prices. By Bernard Quaritch London, 15, Piccadilly, 1880. 8vo. pp. X.-2395. "^ 1457-1500. Hain (L.). Repertorium Biblio- graphicum in quo libri omnes ab arte typographica inventa usque ad annum MD typis expressi, ordine alphabetico vel simpliciter enumerantur vel adcuratius recensentur. Stuttgartige, 1826-38. 2 vols. 8vo. '^ 1457-1536. Panzer (G. W.). Annales Typo- graphici ab artis inventse origine ad annum 1536. Norimbergae, 1 793-1 803. ii vols. 4to. * 1457-1664. Maittaire (M.). Annales Typo- graphic! ab artis inventae origine ad annum 1664, cum General Bibliographies. 145 For general literature Brunet's Manual* stands pre-eminent in its popularity. It has held its own since 18 10, when it was first published in three volumes, demy octavo. Graesse's Tresor'^ is less known out of Germany, but it also is a work of very great value. Ebert's work'* is somewhat out of date now, but it still has its use. Watt's Bibliotheca* is one of the most valuable bibliographies ever published, chiefly on Supplemento Michaelis Denisii. Hag. Com.et Viennae, 1719-89. 7 vols in II parts. 1 Brunet (J. C). Manuel du Libraire, cinquieme edition. Paris, 1860-65. 6 vols. 8vo. Supplement par P. Deschamps et G. Brunet. Paris, 1878-80, 2 vols. Royal 8vo. 3 Gkaesse (J. G. T.). Tresor de Livres rares et precieux ou Nouveau Dictionnaire Bibliographique, Dresde, 1859-69. 7 vols. 4to. ^ Ebert (F. a.). Allgemeines bibliographisches Lexikon. Leipzig, 1821-30. 2 vols. 4to. A General Bibliographical Dictionary, from the German [by A. Brown]. Oxford, 1837. 4 vols. 8vo. * Watt (R.). Bibliotheca Britannica : a General Index to British and Foreign Literature. In two parts, Authors and Subjects. Edinburgh, 1824, 4 vols. 4to. 10 146 How to Form a Library. account of the index of subjects which gives information that cannot be found else- where. The titles were largely taken from second-hand sources, and are in many instances marred by misprints. Every one who uses it must wish that it was brought down to date, but it is scarcely likely that any one will sacrifice a life to such labour as would be necessary. Moreover, the popular feeling is somewhat adverse to universal bibliographies, and it is thought that the literature of his own country is sufficiently large a subject for the bibliographer to devote his time to. English literature has not been neglected by English bibliographers, although a full bibliography of our authors is still a crying want. Complete lists of the works of some of our greatest authors have still to be made, and it is to be hoped that all those who have the cause of bibliography at heart will join to remedy the great evil. It would be quite possible to compile a really national work by a system of co-operation such as was found workable in the case of the Philological General Bibliographies. 147 Society's Dictionary of the English Lan- guage. Sub-editors of the different letters might be appointed, and to them all titles could be sent. When the question of printing arose, it would be well to commence with the chief authors. These bibliographies might be circulated, by which means many additions would be made to them, and then they could be incorporated in the general alphabet. In such a bibliography books in manuscript ought to be included, as well as printed books Although there is little doubt that many books still remain unregistered, we are well supplied with catalogues of books made for trade purposes. MaunselP was the first to publish such a list, and in 1631 was published a catalogue of books issued between 1626 and 163 1.'^ ^ Before 1595. Maunsell (A.). Catalogue of English printed Books. London, 1595. 4to. Part I, Divinitie. Part 2, Sciences Mathematical!. 2 1 626- 1 63 1. A Catalogue of certaine Bookes which have been published and (by authoritie) printed in England both in Latine and English, since the year 1626 until November, 1631. London, 163 1. 410. 148 How to Form a Library. William London^ published his Catalogue in 1658, and Clavell's his in 1696.'' Bent's Catalogue, published in 1786, went back to 1700,^ and this was continued annually as the London Catalogue. The British and * Before 1658. London (William). A Catalogue of the most vendible Books in England, orderly and alphabetically digested. "With a Supplement. 1658- 60. 4to. 2 1666-1695. Clavell (R.). General Catalogue of Books printed in England since the dreadful Fire of London, 1666. Fourth edition. London, 1696. Folio. 2 1 700- 1 786. A General Catalogue of Books in all Languages, Arts, and Sciences, printed in Great Britain and published in London. London (W. Bent), 1786. 8vo. 1811. London Catalogue of Books. London (W. Bent), 1811. 8vo. 1810-1831. London Catalogue of Books. London (W. Bent), 1831. 8vo. 1816-1851. London Catalogue of Books. London (Hodgson), 185 1. 8vo. Classified Index. London (Hodgson)^ 1853. 1 83 1 - 1 85 5 . London Catalogue of Books. London (Hodgson), 1855. General BibliograpJiies. 149 English Catalogues^ followed, and the latter is also published annually.'^ For early printed books, Ames and Herbert's great work' is of much value, but information respecting our old literature has increased so much of late that a new history of typographical antiquities is sadly needed. Mr. Blades has done the necessary work for Caxton, but the first English printer's successors require similar treat- ment. William Thomas Lowndes, the son of 1 1837-52. The British Catalogue. Sampson Low, 1853. And Index. 2 vols. 8vo. 2 1835-1880. The English Catalogue of Books. Sampson Low. And Indexes. Svo. Continued annually, '^ 1471-1600. Ames (Joseph). Typographical Antiquities : being an Historical Account of Printing in England, with some Memoirs of our Antient Printers, and a Register of the Books printed by them . . . with an Appendix concerning Printing in Scotland, Ireland to the same time. London, 1749. 4to. i vol. Considerably augmented by W. Herbert. London, 1785-90. 3 vols. 4to. Enlarged by T. F. Dibdin. London, 1810-19. 4 vols. 4to. 150 How to Form a Library. an eminent bookseller and publisher, and himself a bookseller, published in 1834 his Bibliographer's Manual,^ which has re- mained the great authority for English Literature. It had become very scarce when Henry Bohn, in 1857, brought out a new edition with additions in a series of handy volumes, which is an indis- pensable book of reference, although it is far from being the complete work that is required. Allibone's Dictionary"^ contains much that is omitted in Lowndes's Manual^ but it is more literary than bibliographical in its scope. The well-selected criticisms appended to the titles of the several books are of considerable interest and value to the reader. Mr. W. C. Hazlitt's 1 Lowndes (W, T.). The Bibliographer's Manual of English Literature. London, 1834. 4 vols. 8vo. New Edition, by H. G. Bohn. London, 1857-64. 6 vols. Sm. 8vo. * Allibone (S. a.). Dictionary of English Litera- ture, and British and American Authors. Philadelphia, 1859--71. 3 vols. Royal 8vo. General Bibliographies. 151 Handbooks ^ are exceedingly valuable as , containing information respecting a class of books which has been much neglected in bibliographical works. The compiler has been indefatigable for some years past in registering the titles of rare books as they occurred at public sales. Mr. Collier's account of rare books,' founded on his Bridgewater Catalogue (1837), is of great use for information re- specting out-of-the-way literature, as also is Mr. Corser's descriptive Catalogue of Old English Poetry.^ 1 Hazlitt (W. Carew). Handbook to the Popular, Poetical, and Dramatic Literature of Great Britain, from the Invention of Printing to the Restora- tion. London (J. Russell Smith), 1867. 8vo. Collections and Notes, 1867-1876. London (Reeves & Turner), 1876. 8vo. Second Series of Bibliographical Collections and Notes on Early English Literature, 1474-17CX). London (Bernard Quaritch), 1882. 2 Collier fj. P.). A Bibliographical and Critical Account of the rarest books in the English language, alphabetically arranged. London, 1865. 2 vols. 8vo. ^ CoRSER (T.). Collectanea Anglo-Poetica ; or a 152 How to Form a Library, Accounts of books published in Gaelic,^ in Welsh,'^ and in Irish,^ have been published. The works of American authors are included in Allibone's Dictionary, referred to under English literature, but special books have also been prepared, such as Triibner's Guide,'^ Stevens's American Books in the British bibliographical and descriptive Catalogue of a portion of a Collection of Early English Poetry. Manchester (Chetham Society), 186079. 9 vols. Sm. 4to. ^ Gaelic. Bibliotheca Scoto-Celtica ; or, an account of all the books which have been published in the Gaelic Language. By John Reid. Glasgow, 1832. 8vo. 2 Welsh. Cambrian Bibliography : containing an account of the books printed in the Welsh Language ; or relating to Wales, from the year 1 546 to the end of the i8th century. By W. Rowlands. Llanidloes, 1869. 8vo. ' Irish. Transactions of the Iberno-Celtic Society for 1820. Containing a chronological account of nearly four hundred Irish writers . . . carried down to the year 1750, with a descriptive Catalogue of such of their works as are still extant. By E. O'Reilly. Dublin, 1820. 4to. * Trubner's Bibliographical Guide to American Literature : a classed list of books published in the United States of America during the last forty years. London, 1859. Svo. General Bibhogrnphies. 153 Museum,' and Leypoldt's great book, the American Catalogue.'^ Catalogues of Books on America, such as those of Obadiah Rich, have also been compiled, but these are more properly special bibliographies. France has always stood in a foremost position in respect to bibliography, and she alone has a national work on her literature, which stands in the very first rank — this is due to the enthusiastic bibliographer Querard.' A better model as to what a national * Catalogue of the American Books in the Library of the British Museum. Christmas, 1856. By H. Stevens. London, 1866. 8vo. ^ The American Catalogue under the direction of F. Leypoldt. New York, 1880. 2 vols. 4to. Suppl. 1876-84. Compiled under the editorial direction of R. R. Bowker by Miss Appleton. New York, 1885. 3 QuERARD (J. M.). La France Litteraire, ou Dictionnaire Bibliographique des Savants qui ont ecrit en fran9ais, plus particulierement pendant les XVIIl'^ et XIX® siecles. Paris, 1827-64. 12 vols. 8vo. Litterature Fran9aise contemporaine (1826- 49). Continuation de la France Litteraire. Paris, 1842-57. 6 vols. 8vo. 154 How to Form a Library, bibliography should be could not well be found. The catalogue of current literature, which bears the name of O. Lorenz, is also an excellent work.^ German literature has been, and is, well registered. Heyse,^ Maltzahn,^ Heinsius,* and Kayser,^ have all produced valuable ^ Lorenz (O.). Catalogue de la Lib rairie Frangaise 1840-1865. 4 vols. 1866-187 5. 2 vols. 8vo. The Catalogue of Books from 1876 to 1S85 is in preparation. Tables des Matieres, 1840-1875. Paris, 1879-80. 2 vols. 8vo. 2 [Heyse (C. W.).] Biicherschatz der deutschen National-Litteratur des XVI und XVII Jahrhunderts. Systematisch geordnetes Verzeichniss einer reichhal- tigen Sammlung deutschen Biichen. Berlin, 1854. 8vo. 3 Maltzahn (W. von). Deutschen Biicherschatz des sechszehnten, siebenzehnten und achtzehnten bis um die Mitte des neunzehnten Jahrhunderts. Jena, 1875. 8vo. * Heinsius (W.). Allgemeines Biicher Lexicon, 1700-1815. Leipzig, 1812-56. 14 vols. 4to. 7th Supplement. ^ Kayser(C. G.). Index Librorum. Vollstandiges Biicher- Lexicon, enthaltend alle von 1750 bis zu Ende des Jahres (-1876) in Deutschland . . . gedruckten Biicher. Leipzig, 1S34-77. 4to. General Bihhographies. 155 works. Heinsius published his original Lexicon in 181 2, and Kayser his in 1834, and Supplements to both of these have been published about every ten years. A more condensed work was commenced by A. Kirchhoff in 1856, containing the catalogue of works published from 1851 to 1855; a second volume of the next five years ap- peared in 1 86 1, and since KirchhofF's death Hinrichs has published a volume every five years. The Leipzig Book-fairs have had their catalogues ever since 1594, and the half-yearly volumes now bearing the name of Hinrichs,^ which have been published regularly since 1798, and to which the Fair catalogues succumbed in 1855, may be considered as their legitimate successors. The Literature of Holland is well recorded ^ Hinrichs (J, C). Verzeichniss der BUcher . . . vvelche in Deutschland vom Januar, 1877, bis zum (December, 1885) neu erschienen oder neu aufgelegt worden sind. Leipzig, 1876-80. i2mo. In progress. Repertorium iiber die nach den . . . Verzeichnissen, 1871-75, erschienenen Biicher. Von E. Baldamus. {1876-80.) Leipzig, 1877-82. i2mo. 156 How to Form a Library. by Campbell ^ and Abkoude,'' and for Belgium there is the Bibliographie de Bdgique.^ Italy can boast of a Gamba* and a Bertocci/ and 1 Campbell (M.F.A.G.). Annales de la Typo- graphic Neerlandaise au XV® Siecle. La Haye, 1874. 8vo. 1**^ Supplement. La Haye, 1878. 8vo. "^ Abkoude (J. VAN). Naamregister van de be- kendste . . . Nederduitsche Boeken . . . 1600 tot 1761. Nu overzien en tot het jaar 1787 vermeerderd door R. Arrenberg. Rotterdam, 1788. 4to. Alphabetische Naamlijst van Boeken 1790 tot 1832, Amsterdam, 1835. 4to. 1833-1875. Amster- dam, 1858-78. 3 vols. 4to. Wetenschappelijk Register behoorende bij Brinkman's Alphabetische Naamlijsten van Boeken . . . 1850-75 . . . bewerkt door R. van der Meulen. Amsterdam, 1878. 4to. 3 Bibliographie de Belgique. Journal Officiel de la Librairie. Annee i. Bruxelles, 1876. 8vo. * Game A (B.). Serie dei testi di Lingua Italiana e di altri opere important! nella Italiana letteratura del Secolo XV al XIX. Quarta edizione. Venezia, 1839. 8vo. 5 Bertocci (D. G.). Repertorio bibliografico delle opere stampate in Italia nel Secolo XIX. Vol. I. Roma, 1876. 8vo. General Bibliographies. 157 a public office publishes the Bihliografia Italiana} Spain is fortunate in possessing a splendid piece of bibliography in the great works of Antonio.^ Some years ago, when I was occupied in cataloguing one of the chief collections of Spanish books in this country, I was in the daily habit of consulting these Bibliothecas, and while comparing the books themselves with the printed titles, I seldom found a mistake. Hidalgo's^ work and the Boletin* show that at the present time ^ Bihliografia Italiana: Giornale compilato sui docu- menti communicati dal Miiiistero dell' Istruzione Pub- blica. Anno 1-14. 1867-80. Firenze, 1868-81. 8vo. In progress. 2 An TONIC (N.). Bibliotheca Hispana Vetus sive Hispani Scriptores ... ad annum Christi 1500 floruerunt. Matriti, 1788. 2 vols. Folia. Bibliotheca Hispana Nova sive Hispanorura Scri])torum qui ab anno 1500 ad 1684 floruere notitia. Matriti, 1 783-1 788. 2 vols. Folio. ^ Hidalgo (D.). Diccionario general de Bihlio- grafia Espanola. Madrid, 1862-79. 6 vols. 8vo. * Boletin de la Libreria. Ano I. 1873, Madrid, 1S74. 8vo. In progress. 158 How to Form a Library. bibliography is not neglected in that country. The works of Barbosa IMachado ^ and Silva"^ show that Portugal is not behind the sister kingdom in the love for biblio- graphy. Bibliographies of other countries might be mentioned here, but space will not permit. There is one branch of general bibliography to which special attention has been paid for a long period of years. O. Placcius published his Theatrum A?iony- morum et Pseudonymorum at Hamburgh in 1674 (2nd ed. 1708). Villani continued the record of pseudonymous literature by pub- lishing at Parma, in 1689, a small volume entitled La Visiera alzaia. J- C. Mylius published his Bihliotheca Anonymormn et Pseudonymorum at Hamburgh in 1740. ^ Barbosa Machado (D.). Bibliotheca Lusitana, historica, critica e cronologica. Na qual se compre- hende a noticia dos authores Portuguezes, e das obras que compuserao. Lisboa, 1741-59. 4 vols. Folio. 2 SiLVA (J. F. da). Diccionario bibiiographico Portuguez. Lisboa, 1858-70. Tom. 1-9. 8vo. General Bibliographies, 159 Barbier's great work on the Anonymous in French Literature was first published in 1 806-8, the second edition appeared in 1822- 27, and the third in 1872-78, as a continua- tion to the second edition of Querard's Les Supercheries Litteraires. Querard's work is more curious than useful, because the author has entered into minute questions of authorship which do not really belong to the domain of bibliography. Manne's volume (1834) is not of much value. Lancetti published an octavo volume on Pseudonyms in Italian (1836), but Barbier's work was not worthily imitated in any other country until Mr. Paterson commenced the publication of the very valuable work of the late Mr. Halkett.^ * A Dictionary of the Anonymous and Pseudonym- ous Literature of Great Britain, including the works of Foreigners written in or translated into the English Language. By the late Samuel Halkett, and the late Rev. John Laing. Edinburgh (William Paterson), 1882-85. Vols. I, 2, 3 (to 'Tis). CHAPTER VI. Special Bibliographies. IBLIOGRAPHIES of special sub- jects are more useful than any other books in the formation of a library. The articles in the new edition of the EncyclopcEdia Briianiiica will be found valuable for this purpose, but those who wish for fuller information must refer to Dr. Julius Petzholdt's elaborate Bihliotheca Bihliographica (Leipzig, 1866), or to the Biblio graphic des Bibliographies of M. Leon Valine (Paris, 1885). The late Mr. Cornelius Walford contributed a paper ** On Special Collections of Books" to the Transactions of the Conference of Librarians, 1877 (pp. 45-49), in which he specially referred to the subject of Insurance. special Bibliographies. 1 6 1 In the present chapter I propose to refer to some of the most useful bibliographies, but to save space the full titles will not be given, and this is the less necessary as they can mostly be found in the above books or in that useful little volume we owe to the authorities of the British Museum — " Hand-list of Bibliographies, Classified Catalogues, and Indexes placed in the Reading-room," 1881. Ag7'iailture. — Weston's Tracts on Practical Agricul- ture and Gardening (1773), contains a Chronological Catalogue of English Authors, and Donaldson's Agricultural Biography (1854) brings the subject down to a later date. Victor Donatien de Musset-Pathay published a B ibliographie Agronotniqite in 1 8 10, and Loudon's Encyclopcedia of Agriciillure contains the Literature and Bibliography of Agriculture, British, French, German, and American. Ana. — In Peignot's Repertoire de Bibliographies Speciales (1810) will be found at pp. 211-268, a list of books of Ana, and Gabriel Antoine Joseph Hecart published at Valenciennes, 1821, under the name of J. G. Phitakaer, a bibliography entitled *'Ana- grapheana." Namur's B ibliographie dcs Ouvrages piddies sous le nom d'Ana was published at Bruxelles in 1839. The late Sir William Stirling Maxwell II 1 62 How to Form a Library. made a collection of books of Ana. a privately printed catalogue of which he issued in i860. Angling. — Sir Henry Ellis printed privately in 181 1 a small octavo pamphlet of 21 pages vi^hich he entitled •*A Catalogue of Books on Angling, with some brief notices of several of their authors," which was an extract from the British Bibliographer- In 1836, Pickering printed a Bibliotheca Fiscatoria, which was formed upon Sir Henry Ellis's corrected copy of the above Catalogue. Mr. J. Russell Smith published in 1856 "A Bibliographical Catalogue of English writers on Angling and Ichthyology," which was soon super- ceded by the following work by Mr. T. Westwood. *' A new Bibliotheca Piscatoria, or a general Catalogue of Angling and Fishing Literature." London, 1861 (another edition, edited conjointly with T. Satchell, 1883). Mr. R. Blakey published in 1855, "Anghng Literature of all Nations." London, 1855. i2mo. Mr. J. J. Manley, M.A., published in 1883, *' Literature of Sea and River Fishing," as one of the Handbooks of the International Fisheries Exhibition. Architecture. — Lacroix (E.). Bibliographic des Ingenieurs, des Architectes, des Chefs d'Usines industrielles, des Eleves des Ecoles polytechniques et professionnelles et des Agriculteurs. Premiere ( — Troisieme) Serie. Paris, 1864-67. 4to. Assurance {Life). — Lewis Pocock published "A Chronological List of Books and Single Papers" relating to this subject in 1836, a second edition of which was published in 1842. special Bibliographies, 163 Astronomy. — Lalande published his valuable "Bib- liographic Astronomique " at Paris, 1803. Otto Struve's Catalogue of the Library of the Pulkova Observatory, published at St. Petersburg in i860, is highly esteemed by astronomers. The first part of the Catalogue of the United States Naval Observatory at Washington, by Prof. E. S. Holden, is devoted to Astronomical Bibliography. HouzEAU (J. C.) and Lancaster (A.). Bibliographie generale de I'Astronomie. Bruxelles, 1880. 8vo. In progress. Mr. E. B. Knobel, Secretary of the Royal Astronomical Society, printed in the Monthly Notices of that Society for November, 1876 (pp. 365-392), a very useful short Reference Catalogue of Astro- nomical Papers and Researches, referring more especially to (i) Double Stars; (2) Variable Stars; (3) Red Stars ; (4) Nebulae and Clusters ; (5) Proper Motions of Stars ; (6) Parallax and Distance of Stars ; (7) Star Spectra. Mr. E. S. Holden's " Index Cata- logue of Books and Memoirs relating to Nebulae and Clusters of Stars" was printed in the Smithsonian Miscellaneous Collections in 1877. Bible. — The famous Le Long published at Paris, in 1713, his **Discours historiques sur les principales editions des Bibles polyglottes," and in 1723, in two volumes, folio, his great work " Bibliotheca Sacra." This was edited and continued by A. G. Masch, and published at Halae Magd. in five volumes, quarto. 164 How to Form a Library, 1774-97- T. Llewelyn published in 1768 ** Historical Account of the British or Welsh Versions and editions of the Bible." A privately printed "List of various editions of the Bible" was issued in 1778, which has been attributed to Dr. Ducarel. John Lewis's "Complete History of the several Translations of the Holy Bible and New Testament into English" was published in 1818, and Dr. Henry Cotton's "List of Editions" (Oxford, 182 1, 2nd edition, 1 852) was intended as an Appendix to that work. Orme's Bibliotheca Biblica was published at Edinburgh in 1824, 3-"K^Ps. (J. D.). Bibliography of Mineralogy. 1881. 8vo. 174 How to Fo7in a Library, Mining. — Wigan Free Public Library Index Cata- logue of Books and Papers relating to Mining, Metallurgy, and Manufactures. By Henry Tennyson Folkard, Librarian. Southport, 1 880. Roy. 8vo. Motion (/5?r^^^«a/).— Perpetuum Mobile; or, search for Self-Motive Power during the 17th, i8th, and 19th centuries, illustrated from various authentic sources in papers, essays, letters, paragraphs, and numerous Patent Specifications, v^^ith an Introductory Essay. By Henry Dircks, C.E. London, 1861. Sm. 8vo. Second Series. London, 1870. Sm. 8vo, il/w«V.— Engel- (C). The Literature of National Music. London, 1879. 8vo. Catalogue of the Library of the Sacred Harmonic Society. A new edition [by W. H. Husk], London, 1872. 8vo. RiMBAULT (F.). Bibliotheca Madrigaliana, a Bibliographical Account of the Musical and Poetical Works published in England during the i6th and 17th centuries, under the titles of Madrigals, Ballets, Ayres, Canzonets, etc. London, 1847. 8vo. There are bibliographies of the subject in F. L. Ritter's History of Music, London, 1876, and F. Clement, Histoire generale de la Musique Religieuse. Paris, 1 86 1. Natural History. — Dryander's Catalogue of Sir Joseph Banks's Library, now in the British Museum, is the most famous bibliography of this subject, although made so many years ago. It consists of special Bibliographies. 175 5 vols. 8vo. (1798-1800). Vol. I, General Writers ; Vol. 2, Zoology ; Vol. 3, Botany ; Vol. 4, Mineralogy ; Vol. 5, Supplement. Natural History. — Engelm ANN (W. ). Bibliotheca Historico-Naturalis. Leipzig, 1 846. ZUCKOLD (E. A.). Bibliotheca Historico- Naturalis, Physico-Chemica et Mathematica. Got- tingen, 1852, See Zoology. Philology. — Marsden (W. ) Bibliotheca Marsdenia, Philologica et Orientalis. London, 1827. 4to. Engelmann (W.). Bibliotheca Philo- logica. Leipzig, 1853. See Dictionaries. Political Economy.— yiQ.Q\i\Aj:>Q\\ (J. R.) The Literature of Political Economy, London, 1845. — This is a very valuable work up to the date of publication, but a good bibliography of the subject is still a desideratum. The late Professor Stanley Jevons proposed to draw up a Handy Book of the Literature for the Index Society, but, to the great loss of bibliography, was prevented by other work from undertaking it. He contributed a list of ^^5^ Selected Books in Political Economy to the Monthly iV^/ t)y the publication of twenty-two Com- mentaries, etc., of the great reformer in fifty-two volumes. The Ray Society was founded in 1844 for the publication of works on Natural History (Zoology and Botany), and a large number of valuable books, fully illustrated, have been produced, many of them translations from foreign works. Many of the later publications are more elaborately coloured than the earlier ones. The Wernerian Club was instituted in 1844 for the republication of standard works of Scientific Authors of old date. The Handel Society iszs, founded at London in 1844, for the purpose of printing the Works of Handel in full score. Sixteen volumes were issued, and in 1858 the Society was dissolved, the German Handel Society resuming the publication. The Hanserd Knollys Society was instituted in 1845 for the publication of the works of early English and other Baptist writers, and one of these was an edition of Bunyan's Pilgrim Progress from the text of the first edition. The Society was dissolved about 1851. The Caxton Society was instituted in 1845 lor Publishing Societies. 199 the publication of Chronicles and other writings hitherto unpublished, illustrative of the history and miscellaneous literature of the middle ages. This Society was formed on a somewhat original basis. The members were to pay no annual subscription, but they engaged to purchase one copy of all books published by the Society. The expense of printing and publishing to be defrayed out of the proceeds of the sale, and the money remaining over to be paid to the editors. The Cavendish Society was instituted in 1846 for the promotion of Chemical Science by the translation and publication of valuable works and papers on Chemistry not likely to be undertaken by ordinary publishers. During its last years the Society existed for the publication of Gmelin's voluminous ** Hand- book of Chemistry," and when this work was com- pleted, with a general Index, the Society ceased to exist. The Ecclesiastical History Society was instituted in 1846, and one of its early publications was the first volume of Wood's " Athenge Oxoniensis," edited by Dr. Bliss, but this only contained the life of Anthony Wood himself. The Society was dissolved in 1854, after publishing the Book of Common Prayer ac- 200 How to Form a Library, cording to a MS. in the Rolls Office, Dublin (3 vols.), and sundry other works. The Hakluyt Society, named after Richard Hakluyt (born 1553, died 1 6 16), was founded at the end of 1846 for the purpose of printing the most rare and valuable Voyages, Travels and Geographical Records, from an early period of exploratory enter- prise to the circumnavigation of Dampier. The first two volumes ("Sir Richard Hawkins's Voyage into the South Sea, 1593," and "Select Letters of Columbus") were issued in 1847, and the Society still flourishes. Between 1847 and 1885 the Society has presented to its members an important series of books of travel, at the rate of about two volumes a year for an annual subscription of one guinea. The Pal(2ontographical Society was founded in 1847 for the purpose of figuring and describing a stratigraphical series of British Fossils. The annual volumes consist of portions of works by the most eminent palaeontologists, and these works are com- pleted as soon as circumstances allow, but several of them are still incomplete. The Arundel Society is so important an institution that it cannot be passed over in silence, although, as PtiblisJiing Societies. 201 the publications chiefly consist of engravings, chromo- lithographs, etc., it scarcely comes within the scope of this chapter. The Society takes its name from Thomas Howard Earl of Arundel, in the reigns of James I. and Charles I., who has been styled the "Father of vertu in England." It was founded in 1849, and its purpose is to diffuse more widely, by means of suitable publications, a knowledge both of the history and true principles of Painting, Sculpture, and the higher forms of ornamental design, to call attention to such masterpieces of the arts as are unduly neglected, and to secure some transcript or memorial of those which are perishing from ill-treatment or decay. The publi- cations of the Society have been very successful, and many of them cannot now be obtained. Most of the societies above described have appealed to a large public, and endeavoured to obtain a large amount of public support ; but in 1853 was formed an exclusive society, with somewhat the same objects as the Roxburghe Club. The Philobiblon Society was instituted chiefly through the endeavours of Mr. R. Monckton Milnes (the late Lord Houghton) and the late Mons. Sylvain Van de Weyer. The number of members was at first fixed at thirty-five, but was raised in 1857 to forty, including the patron and honorary 202 How to Form a Library, secretaries. The publications consist chiefly of a series of Bibliographical and Historical Miscellanies, contributed by the members, which fill several volumes. Besides these there are '* The Expedition to the Isle of Rhe by Lord Herbert of Cherbury," edited and presented to the members by the Earl of Towis ; "Inventaire de tous les meubles du Cardinal Mazarin," edited and presented by H.R.H. the Duke d'Aumale ; " Memoires de la Cour d'Espagne sous la regne de Charles II., 1678-82," edited and presented by William Stirling (afterwards Sir William Stirling Maxwell) ; "The Biography and Bibliography of Shakespeare," compiled and presented by Henry G. Bohn ; "Analyse des Travaux de la Societe des Philobiblon de Londres," par Octave Delepierre. The Ossianic Society was instituted at Dublin in 1853 for the preservation and publication of manu- scripts in the Irish Language, illustrative of the Fenian period of Irish history, etc., with literal translations and notes. The Warton Club was instituted in 1854 and issued four volumes, after which it was dissolved. The Manx Society was instituted at Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1858, for the publication of National Documents of the Isle of Man. Publishing Societies. 203 All the Societies mentioned above are registered in Henry Bohn's Appendix to Lowndes's Bibliographer's Manual, and lists of the publications up to 1864 are there given. Most of them are also described in Hume's '* Learned Societies and Printing Clubs of the United Kingdom" (1853). Since, however, the publication of these two books, a considerable number of im- portant Printing Societies have been formed, and of these a list is not readily obtainable, except by direct application to the respective Secretaries. The newly printed General Catalogue of the British Museum in the Reading Room however contains a full list of the publi- cations of the various Societies under the heading of Academies. The foundation of the Early English Text Society in 1864 caused a renewed interest to be taken in the publications of the Printing Clubs. The origin of the Society was in this wise. When the Philological Society undertook the formation of a great English Dictionary, the want of printed copies of some of the 204 How to Form a Library. chief monuments of the language was keenly felt. Mr. F. J. Furnivall, with his usual energy, determined to supply the want, and mduced the Council of the Philological Society to produce some valuable texts. It was found, however, that these publications exhausted much of the funds of the Society, which was required for the printing of the papers read at the ordinary meetings, so that it became necessary to discontinue them. Mr. Furnivall, then, in conjunction with certain members of the Philological Society, founded the Early English Text Society. The Society possessed the inestimable advantage of having among its founders Mr. Richard Morris (afterwards the Rev. Dr. Morris), who entered with fervour into the scheme, and produced a large amount of magnificent work for the Society. Dr. Furnivall put the objects of the Society forward very tersely when he said that none of us should rest ** till Englishmen shall be able to say of their early literature what the Germans can now say with pride of theirs — 'every word of it is printed, and every word of it is glossed.' " The Society prospered, and in 1867 an Extra Series was started, in which were included books that had already been printed, but were difficult to obtain from their rarity and price. Publishing Societies. 205 One hundred and twenty-six volumes have been issued between 1864 and 1884, eighty-two volumes ot the Original Series and forty-four of the Extra Series, and there can be no doubt that the publications of the Society have had an immense influence in fostering the study of the English language. The prefaces and glossaries given with each work contain an amount ot valuable information not elsewhere to be obtained. These boohs throw light upon the growth of the language, and place within the reach of a large num- ber of readers works of great interest in the literature of the country. The greatest work undertaken by the Society is the remarkable edition of *' William's Vision of Piers the Plowman," which Prof. Skeat has produced with an expenditure of great labour during nearly twenty years. The last part, containing elaborate notes and glossary, was issued in 1884. The subjects treated of are very various. There is a fair sprinkling of Romances, which will always be amongst the most interesting of a Society's publi- cations. Manners and Customs are largely illustrated in a fair proportion of the Texts, as also are questions of Social and Political History. Perhaps the least interesting to the general reader are the Theological Texts, which are numerous, but the writers 206 How to Form a Library, of these were thoroughly imbued with the spirit of their times, and aUhough they are apt to be prosy, they are pretty sure to introduce some quaint bits which com- pensate for a considerable amount of dulness. These books help us to form a correct idea of the beliefs of our forefathers, and to disabuse our minds of many mistaken views which we have learnt from more popular but less accurate sources. The Ballad Society grew out of the publication, by special subscription, of Bishop Percy's Folio Manu- script, edited by F. J. Furnivall and J. W. Hales. This was issued in connection with the Early English Text Society (but not as one of its Texts), through the energy of Mr. Furnivall, who had many difficulties to overcome before he was able to get permission to print the manuscript, which had been very faithfully guarded from the eyes of critics. He had to pay for the privilege, and in the end the old volume was sold to the nation, and it now reposes among the treasures of the British Museum. "When this useful work was completed, Mr. Furnivall was anxious to follow it by a reprint of all the known collections of Ballads, such as the Roxburghe, Bagford, Rawlinson, Douce, etc., and for this purpose he started the Ballad Society in 1868. He himself edited some particularly interesting PuhlisJiing Societies. 207 ** Ballads from Manuscripts," and an elaborate account of Captain Cox's Ballads and Books in a new edition of Robert Laneham's Letter on the Entertainment at Kenil worth in 1575. The veteran Ballad illustrator, Mr. William Chappell, undertook to edit the ** Rox- burghe Ballads," and produced nine parts, when the Rev. J. W. Ebsworth took the work off his hands. Mr. Ebsworth had previously reproduced the "Bagford Ballads," and he is now the editor-in-chief of the Society. The following is a short list of the publica- tions of the Society : Nos. i, 2, 3, 10, ** Ballads from Manuscripts" ; Nos. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 18, 19. " The Roxburghe Ballads," edited by Wm. Chappell; No. 7, " Captain Cox, his Ballads and Books " ; No. II, "Love Poems and Humourous Ones"; Nos. 14, 15, 16, 17, *'The Bagford Ballads." No. 20, "The Amanda Group of Bagford Ballads;" Nos. 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, ** The Roxburghe Ballads," edited by the Rev. J. W. Ebsworth. No. 26 com- pletes the fifth volume of the ** Roxburghe Ballads." There are two more volumes to come, and then Mr. Ebsworth will undertake "The Civil War and Protectorate Ballads." Much of the work on these volumes is done, and they only await an increase in the subscription list. It is to be hoped that when the 2o8 Hozv to Form a Library. good work done by the Ballad Society is better known, the editor will not be kept back in his useful course by the want of funds for printmg. Mr. Ebsworth's thorough work is too well known to need praise here, but it may be noted that his volumes contain a remarkable amount of illustration of the manners of the time not to be obtained elsewhere. The value of this is the more apparent by the system of arrangement in marked periods which the editor has adopted. The Chaucer Society was founded in 1868 by Mr. Furnivall, "to do honour to Chaucer, and to let the lovers and students of him see how far the best un- printed Manuscripts of his Works differed from the printed texts." For the Canterbury Tales, Mr. Furnivall has printed the six best unprinted MSS. in two forms — (i) in large oblong parts, giving the parallel texts ; (2) in octavo, each text separately. The six manuscripts chosen are — The Ellesmere ; The Lansdowne (Brit. Mus.) ; The Hengwrt ; The Corpus, Oxford; The Cambridge (University Library); The Petworth. Dr. Furnivall has now added Harleian 7334 to complete the series. The Society's publications are issued in two series, of which the first contains the different Texts of Chaucer's Works. Publishing Societies, 209 and the second such originals of and essays on these as can be procured, with other illustrative treatises and Supplementary Tales. The Spenser Society was founded at Manchester in 1867 for the publication of well-printed editions of old English authors in limited numbers. The chief publication issued to subscribers was a reprint, in three volumes folio, of the works of John Taylor, the Water-poet, from the original folio. The other publications are in small quarto, and among them are the works of John Taylor not included in the folio, the works of "Wither, etc. The Roxburghe Library was a subscription series, commenced by Mr. W. Carew Hazlitt in 1868, with the same objects as a publishing society. It was discontinued in 1870. The following is a list of the publications : — ** Romance of Paris and Vienne " ; "William Browne's Complete Works," 2 vols, j "In- edited Tracts of the i6th and 17th Centuries (1579- 161 8)" J "The English Drama and Stage under the Tudor and Stuart Princes, 1543-1664"; "George Gascoigne's Complete Poems," 2 vols.; "Thomas Carew's Poems." The Harleian Society was founded in 1869. Their chief publication has been the late Colonel Chester's 14 210 How to Form a Library. magnificently edited Registers of Westminster Abbey. Other Registers published are those of St. Peter's,^ Cornhill ; St. Dionis Backchurch ; St. Mary Alder- mary ; St. Thomas the Apostle ; St. Michael, Corn- hill ; St. Antholin, Budge Lane ; and St. John the Baptist, on Wallbrook. Of the other publications there are Visitations of Bedfordshire, Cheshire, Corn- wall, Cumberland, Devon, Essex, Leicestershire, London 1568, 1633, Nottingham, Oxford, Rutland, Somersetshire, Warwickshire, and Yorkshire, and Le Neve's Catalogue of Knights. The Hicnterian Club was founded at Glasgow in 1871, and named after the Hunterian Library in the University. Among the publications of the Club are a Series of Tracts by Thomas Lodge and Samuel Rowlands ; the Poetical Works of Alexander Craig ; Poetical Works of Patrick Hannay ; Sir T. Over- burie's Vision by Richard Niccols, 161 6. The printing of the famous Bannatyne Manuscript, compiled by George Bannatyne, 1568, was commenced by the Society in 1873, and the seventh part, which com- pleted this invaluable collection of Scottish Poetry, was issued in 1881. The Folk Lore Society was founded by the late Mr. "W. J. Thoms (inventor of the term Folk Lore) in Publishing Societies. 211 1878, and during the seven years of its existence it has done much valuable work, chiefly through the energetic direction of Mr. G. L. Gomme, the Hon. Sec. (now Director). The object of the Society is stated to be "the preservation and publication of Popular Traditions, Legendary Ballads, Local Proverbial Sayings, Superstitions and Old Customs (British and Foreign), and all subjects relating to them." The principal publication of the Society, the Folk Lore Record^ now the Folk Lore yournal, was at first issued in volumes, and afterwards in monthly numbers. It is now a quarterly. The other publications are : — Henderson's Folk-Lore of the Northern Counties of England and the Borders, a new edition ; Aubrey's Remaines of Gentilisme and Judaisme ; Gregor's Notes on the Folk-Lore of the North-east of Scotland ; Comparetti's Book of Sindibad and Pedroso's Portu- guese Folk Tales ; Black's Folk Medicine j Call- away's Religious System of the Amazulu. The year 1873 saw the formation of several pub- lishing Societies. The Ne%v Shakspere Society was founded by Dr. F. J. Furnivall, for the reading of papers, which have been published in a Series of Transactions, and also for the publication of collations of the Quarto Plays, and 212 How to Form a Library, works illustrating the great Dramatist's times. Among the latter works are Harrison's Description of England, Stubbes's Anatomie of Abuses, Dr. Ingleby's Shake- speare's Centurie of Prayse, etc. The English Dialed Society was founded at Cam- bridge by the Rev. Professor Skeat. Its objects are stated to be (i) to bring together all those who have inade a study of any of the Provincial Dialects of England, or who are interested in the subject of Provincial English ; (2) to combine the labours of collectors of Provincial English words by providing a common centre to which they may be sent, so as to gather material for a general record of all such words ; (3) to publish (subject to proper revision) such collec- tions of Provincial English words that exist at present only in manuscript ; as well as to reprint such Glossaries of provincial words as are not generally accessible, or are inserted in books of which the main part relates to other subjects ; and (4) to supply references to sources of information which may be of material assistance to word-collectors, students, and all who have a general or particular interest in the subject. The publications are arranged under the following Series : A, Bibliographical ; B, Reprinted Glossaries ; C, Original Glossaries ; D, Miscellaneous. Publishing Societies, 213 In 1875 the Society was transferred to Manchester, and Mr. J. H. Nodal became Honorary Secretary. The PalcBo graphical Society was formed for the purpose of reproducing Specimens of Manuscripts, and it has produced a Series of Facsimiles of Ancient Manuscripts, edited by E. A. Bond and E. M. Thompson, Part I being issued in 1873. At the end of the year 1877 The Index Society was founded for the purpose of producing (i) Indexes of Standard Works ; (2) Subject Indexes of Science, Literature and Art ; and (3) a General Reference Index. The publications were commenced in 1878, and the First Annual Meeting was held in March, 1879, the Earl of Carnarvon being the first President. The first publication was "What is an Index? "by H. B. Wheatley. Among the important books issued by the Society may be mentioned Solly's *' Index of Hereditary Titles of Honour " ; Daydon Jackson's "Guide to the Literature of Botany" and ** Literature of Vegetable Technology," and Rye's ** Index of Norfolk Topography." The Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies was founded in 1879 for the following objects : (i) To advance the study of the Greek language, literature, and art, and to illustrate the history of the Greek race 214 Hozv to Form a Library. in the ancient, Byzantine, and Neo-Hellenic periods, by the publication of memoirs and inedited documents or monuments in a Journal to be issued periodically. (2) To collect drawings, facsimiles, transcripts, plans, and photographs of Greek inscriptions, MSS., works of art, ancient sites and remains, and with this view to invite travellers to communicate to the Society notes or sketches of archaeological and topographical interest. (3) To organise means by which members of the Society may have increased facilities for visiting ancient sites and pursuing arch Ecological researches in countries which, at any time, have been the sites of Hellenic civilization. Five volumes of the Journal havg been issued. The Topographical Society of London was formed in 1880. The Inaugural Meeting was held at the INIansion House, and the first Annual Meeting at Drapers' Hall on Feb. 3, 1882, with the Lord Mayor (Sir John Whitaker Ellis), President, in the chair. The following reproductions have been issued to subscribers : — Van der Wyngaerde's View of London, ab. 1550, 7 sheets; Braun & Hogenberg's Plan, of London, i sheet ; Visscher's View of London, 4 sheets. The Browning Society was founded by Dr. Fumivall Pnhlishing Societies, 215' in 1 88 1, and besides papers read at the meetings, the Society has issued Dr. Furnivall's ** Bibliogiaphy of Browning." The Wyclif Society was founded also by Dr. Fumivall in 1882, for the publication of the complete works of the great Reformer. The Pipe Roll Society was established in 1883, and in 1885 the first three volumes of its publications have been issued to the members. These are — Vol. i, Pipe Rolls, 5 Hen. II.; Vol. 2, 6 Hen. II. ; Vol. 3, Introduction. The Oxford Historical Society was formed in 1884, and four handsome volumes have been issued for that year and 1885. These are— i, "Register of , the University of Oxford" (vol. I, 1449-63, 1505-71), edited by the Rev. C. W. Boase; 2, "Remarks and Collections of Thomas Hearne" (vol. i, July 4, 1705- March, 19, 1707), edited by C. E. Doble, M.A. Both these volumes are supplied with temporary Indexes. 3, *'The Early History of Oxford, 727- lioo," by James Parker; 4, "Memories of Merton College," by the Hon. George C. Brodrick ; 5, " Collectanea." First Series. Edited by C. R. L. Fletcher. The Middlesex County Record Society was formed in 2i6 How to Form a Library. 1885 "for the pm-pose of publishing the more in- teresting portions of the old County Records of Middlesex, which have lately been arranged and calendared by order of the Justices." Nothing has been published as yet, but Mr. Cordy Jeaffreson is engaged upon the first two volumes, one of which will be issued shortly. The Rev. Dr. A. B. Grosart has himself printed by subscription more works of our Old Writers than many a Society, and therefore it is necessary to mention his labours here, although a complete list of them cannot be given. The chief series are : " The Fuller Worthies Library," 39 volumes ; " The Chertsey Worthies Library," 14 vols. 4to., and *♦ The Huth Library." CHAPTER VIII. Child's Library, HE idea of a Child's Library is to a great extent modern, and it is not altogether clear that it is a good one, except in the case of those children who have no books of their own. It is fai better that each child should have his own good books, which he can read over and over again, thus thoroughly mastering their contents. It is a rather wide-spread notion that there is some sort of virtue in reading for reading's sake, although really a reading boy may be an idle boy. When a book is read, it should be well thought over before another is begun, for reading with- out thought generates no ideas. 2i8 How to Form a Library, One advantage of a Child's Library should be that the reader is necessarily forced to be careful, so as to return the books uninjured. This is a very important point, for children should be taught from their earliest years to treat books well, and not to destroy them as they often do. We might go farther than this and say that children should be taught at school how to handle a book. It is really astonishing to see how few persons (not necessarily children) among those who have not grown up among books know how to handle them. It is positive torture to a man who loves books to see the way they are ordinarily treated. Of course it is not necessary to mention the crimes of wetting the fingers to turn over the leaves, or turning down pages to mark the place; but those who ought to know better will turn a book over on its face at the place where they have left off reading, or will turn over pages so carelessly that they give a crease to each which will never come out. For a healthy education it is probably best that a child should have the run of Child's Library. 219 a library for adults (always provided that dangerous books are carefully excluded). A boy is much more likely to enjoy and find benefit from the books he selects himself than from those selected for him. The circumstances of the child should be considered in the selection of books ; thus it is scarcely fair when children are working hard at school all day that they should be made to read so-called instructive books in the evening. They have earned the right to relaxation and should be allowed good novels. To some boys books of Travels and History are more acceptable than novels, but all children require some Fiction, and, save in a few exceptional cases, their imaginations require to be cultivated. It will soon be seen whether children have healthy or unhealthy tastes. If healthy, they are best left to themselves ; if unhealthy, they must be directed. It is easy for the seniors to neglect the children they have under them, and it is easy to direct them overmuch, but it is difficult to watch and yet let the children 220 Hozv to Form a Library. go their own way. We are apt, in arranging for others, to be too instructive ; nothing is less acceptable to children or less likely to do them good than to be preached at. Moral reflections in books are usually skipped by children, and unless somewhat out of the common, probably by grown-up persons as well. Instruction should grow naturally out of the theme itself, and form an integral part of it, so that high aims and noble thoughts may naturally present themselves to the readers. One of the chapters in the United States Libraries' Report is on "School and Asylum Libraries" (pp. 38-59), in which we are informed that New York was the pioneer in founding school libraries. "In 1827 Governor De Witt Clinton, in his message to the legislature, recommended their forma- tion ; but it was not till 1835 that the friends of free schools saw their hopes realized in the passage of a law which permitted the voters in any school district to levy a tax of g 20 to begin a library, and a tax of § i o each succeeding year to provide for its increase." Child's Library. 221 Another chapter in the same Report is on " Public Libraries and the Young " (pp. 41 2- 418), in which Mr. Wm. J. Fletcher advo- cates the use of the library as an addition to the school course. He writes, " It only remains now to say that, as we have before intimated, the public library should be viewed as an adjunct of the public school system, and to suggest that in one or two ways the school may work together with the library in directing the reading of the young. There is the matter of themes for the writing of compositions; by selecting subjects on which information can be had at the library, the teacher can send the pupil to the library as a student, and readily put him in communication with, and excite his interest in, classes of books to which he has been a stranger and indifferent." A very interesting book on this subject is entitled "Libraries and Schools. Papers selected by Samuel S. Green. New York (F. Leypoldt), 1883." It contains the fol- lowing subjects : ** The Public Library and the Public Schools;" *'The Relation of the 222 How to Form a Library. Public Library to the Public Schools"; ** Libraries as Educational Institutions"; "The Public Library as an Auxiliary to the Public Schools"; "The Relation of Libraries to the School System"; and "A Plan of Systematic Training in Reading at School." " Books for the Young, a Guide for Parents and Children. Compiled by C. M. Hewins. New York (F. Leypoldt), 1882," is an extremely useful little book. It contains a valuable list of books arranged in classes. Certain marks are used to indicate the character of the books, thus the letter {c) indicates that the book is especially suitable for children under ten, (Z") that it is especi- ally suitable for boys, and (^) that it is especially suitable for girls. Prefixed are eight sensible rules as to how to teach the right use of books. Perkins's "Best Reading" contains a good list of books for children (pp. 299- 303)- The children's books of the present day are so beautifully produced that the elders are naturally induced to exclaim, " We never Child's Library. 223 had such books as these," but probably we enjoyed our books as well as our children do theirs. What a thrill of pleasure the middle-aged man feels when a book which amused his childhood comes in his way : this, however, is seldom, for time has laid his decaying hand upon them — * All, all are gone, the old familiar faces." The children for whom Miss Kate Greenaway and Mr. Caldecott draw and Mrs. Gatty and Mrs. Ewing wrote are indeed fortunate, but we must not forget that Charles and Mary Lamb wrote delightful books for the young, that Miss Edgeworth's stories are ever fresh, and that one of the most charming children's stories ever written is Mrs. Sherwood's Little Woodman. A short list of a Child's Library is quoted in the Library Journal (vol. viii. p. 57) from the Woman's Journal. The family for whom it was chosen consisted of children from three to twelve, the two eldest being girls. The books are mostly American, and but little known in this countrv — • 224 Hozv to Fo7'm a Library, Snow-bound. Illustrated. Whittier. Life of Longfellow. Kennedy. A Summer in the Azores. Baker. Among the Isles of Shoals. Celia Thaxter. The boys of '76. Coffin. The boys of '6 1. Coffin. Story of our Countr}^ Higginson. Sir Walter Raleigh. Towle. Child's History of England. Dickens. Tales from Shakespear. Lamb. Tales from Homer. Church. TheWonder-book. Illustrated. Hawthorne. Young folks' book of poetry. Campbell. Poetry for childhood. Eliot. Bits of talk about home matters. H. H. The Seven Little Sisters. Andrews. Hans Brinker, or the Silver Skates. Dodge. Room for one more. Mary T. Higginson. King Arthur for boys. Lanier. Doings of the Bodley family. Scudder. Mother-play and Nursery-rhymes. Children's Robinson Crusoe. The four-footed lovers. Mammy Tittleback and her family. H. H. The Little Prudy books. Six volumes. Child's Lihr'ary. 225 The editor of the Library Journal remarks on the list, *' Guest's Lectures on English History is better than Dickens's, and the * Prudy * children are so mischievous, so full of young Americanisms, and so far from being * wells of English undefiled,* that they are not always good companions for boys and girls. I have known a child's English spoiled by reading the Prudy books." Some of the old-fashioned children's books have been reprinted, and these will generally be found very acceptable to healthy-minded children, but some of the old books are not easily met with. No Child's Library should be without a good collection of Fairy Tales, a careful selection of the Arabian Nights, or Robinson Crusoe Gulliver's Travels is very unsuited for children, although often treated as a child's book. Berquin's Children's Friend, Edgeworth's Parent's Assistant and the Aikins's Evenings at Home, will surely still amuse children, although some may think their teaching too didactic. It is only by practical experience that we can tell what children will like. 15 226 How to Form a Library. Sandford and Merton is, I believe, usually considered as hopelessly out of date, but I have found young hearers follow my reading of it with the greatest interest. The Pilgrim's Progress will always have as great a fascination for the young as it must have for their elders ; but there is much preach- ing in it which must be skipped, or the attention of the hearers will flag. CHAPTER IX. One Hundred Books. |]N the Fourth Chapter of this Volume two lists of selected books are given, viz. The Comtist's Library, and a list of one hundred good novels. Since that chapter was written and printed, much public attention has been drawn to this branch of our subject by the publication of Sir John Lubbock's list of books which he recommended to the members of the Working Men's College, when he lectured at that place on "Books." The comments by eminent men, which have appeared in the Pall Mall Gazelle, have also attracted attention, and it seems desirable that some note on this list should appear in these pages. 228 How to Form a Library, The list issued by the Pall Mall Gazette is as follows : Non-Christian Moralists. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Epictetus, Encheiridion, Confucius, Analects. Aristotle, Ethics. Mahomet, Koran. Theology and Devotion. Apostolic Fathers, Wake's Collection, St. Augustine, Confessions. Thomas a Kempis, Imitation Pascal, Pensees. Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus. Butler, Analogy. Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living and Holy Dying. Keble, Christian Year. ■ Bunyan, Filgrini's Progress. Classics. Aristotle, Politics. Plato, Phcedo and Republic, ^sop. Fables. Demosthenes, De Corond. Lucretius. Plutarch. Horace. Cicero, De Officiis^ De Amicitid, and De Sencctule. 07te Hundred Books. 229 Epic Poetry. Homer, Iliad and Odyssey, Hesiod. Virgil. Niebelungenlied. Malory, Morte d^ Arthur, Eastern Poetry. Mahabharata and Ramayana (epitomised by Talboys Wheeler). Firdausi, Shah-nameh (translated by Atkinson), She-king (Chinese Odes). Greek Dramatists. ^schylus, Prometheus, The House of Atreus^ Trilogy, or Perscs. Sophocles, CEdipuSy Trilogy, Euripides, Medea. Aristophanes, The Knights. History. Herodotus. Thucydides. Xenophon, Anabasis. Tacitus, Germania. Gibbon, Decline and Fall. Voltaire, Charles XII. or Louis XIV. Hume, England, Grote, Greece. Philosophy. Bacon, Novum Organum. 230 How to Form a Library, Mill, Logic and Political Economy. Darwin, Origin of Species, Smith, Wealth of Nations (selection). Berkeley, Human Knowledge. Descartes, Discourse stir la Mithode. Locke, Conduct of the Understattding* Lewes, History of Philosophy. Travels. Cook, Voyages. Darwin, Naturalist in the Beagle. Poetry and General Literature, Shakspeare. Milton. Dante. Spenser. Scott. Wordsworth. Pope. Southey. Longfellow. Goldsmith, Vicar of Wakefield. Swift, Gulliver's Travels. Defoe, Robinson Crusoe. The Arabian Nights, Don Quixote. Boswell, Johnson. Burke, Select Works. Essayists — Addison, Hume, Montaigne, INIacaulny, Emerson. Cm Hundred Books. 231 Moliere. Sheridan. Carlyle, Past and Present and French Revolution, Goethe, Faust and Wilhclvi Meister, Marivaux, La Vie de Marianne, Modern Fiction. Selections from — Thackeray, Dickens, George Eliot, KLigsley, Scolt, Bulwer-Lytton, It must be borne in mind by the reader that this list, although the one sent round for criticism by the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette, is not really Sir John Lubbock's. This will be found on p. 240. Sir John Lubbock's address was not given in full, and the list drawn up by the Pall Mall, from the reports in the daily papers, con- tained in fact only about 85 books. It seems necessary to allude particularly to this imperfect list, because it is the only one upon which the critics were asked to give an opinion, and their criticisms are peculiarly interesting, as they give us an important insight into the tastes and opinions of our teachers. In itself it is almost impossible to make a list that will 232 How to Form a Library, be practically useful, because tastes and needs differ so widely, that a course of reading suitable for one man may be quite unsuitable for another. It is also very doubtful whether a conscientious passage through a "cut-and-dried" list of books will feed the mind as a more original selec- tion by each reader himself would do. It is probably best to start the student well on his way and then leave him to pursue it according to his own tastes. Each book will help him to another, and consultation with some of the many manuals of English literature will guide him towards a good choice. This is in effect what Mr. Bond, Principal Librarian of the British Museum, says in his reply to the circular of the editor of the Fall Mall Gazette. He writes — "The result of several persons putting down the titles of books they considered *best reading' would be an interesting but very imperfect bibliography of as many sections of literature;" and, again, "The beginner should be advised to read histories of the literature of his own and other One Hundred Boohs. 233 countries — as Hallam's 'Introduction to the Literature of Europe,' Joseph Warton's * History of English Poetry,' Craik's 'History of English Literature,' Paine's History, and others of the same class. These would give him a survey of the field, and would quicken his taste for what was naturally most con- genial to him." There probably is no better course of reading than that which will naturally occur to one who makes an honest attempt to master our own noble literature. This is sufficient for the lifetime of most men with- out incursions into foreign literature. All cultivated persons will wish to become acquainted with the masterpieces of other nations, but this diversion will not be ad- visable if it takes the reader away from the study of the masterpieces of his own literature. Turning to the comments on the Pall Mall Gazettes list, we may note one or two of the most important criticisms. The Prince of Wales very justly suggested that Dryden should not be omitted from such 234 Hozv to Form a Library. a list. Mr. Chamberlain asked whether the Bible was excluded by accident or design, and Mr. Irving suggested that the Bible and Shakespeare form together a very com- prehensive library. Mr. Ruskin's reply is particularly interest- ing, for he adds but little, contenting himself with the work of destruction. He writes, *' Putting my pen lightly through the need- less — and blottesquely through the rubbish and poison of Sir John's list — I leave enough for a life's liberal reading — and choice foi any true worker's loyal reading. I have added one quite vital and essential book — Livy (the two first books), and three plays of Aristophanes {Clouds, Birds, and Pluius). Of travels, I read myself all old ones I can get hold of; of modern, Humboldt is the central model. Forbes (James Forbes in Alps) is essential to the modern Swiss tourist — of sense." Mr. Ruskin puts the word all to Plato, everything to Carlyle, and every word to Scott. Pindar's name he adds in the list of the classics, and after Bacon's name he writes " chiefly the New Atlantis ^ One Hundred Books. 235 The work of destruction is marked by the striking out of all the Non-Christian Moralists, of all the Theology and Devotion, with the exception of Jeremy Taylor and the Pilgrim's Progress. The Nibelungenlied and Malory's Morte d' Arthur (which, by the way, is in prose) go out, as do Sophocles and Euripides among the Greek Dramatists. The Knights is stmck out to make way for the three plays of Aristophanes mentioned above. Gibbon, Voltaire, Hume, and Grote all go, as do all the philosophers but Bacon. Cook's Voyages and Darwin's Naturalist in the Beagle share a similar fate. Southey, Longfellow, Swift, Hume, Macaulay, and Emerson, Goethe and Marivaux, all are so unfortunate as to have Mr. Ruskin's pen driven through their names. Among the novelists Dickens and Scott only are left. The names of Thackeray, George Eliot, Kingsley, and Bulwer-Lytton are all erased. Mr. Ruskin sent a second letter full of wisdom till he came to his reasons for striking out Grote's ** History of Greece," *' Confessions of St. Augustine," John Stuart 236 How to Form a Library* Mill, Charles Kingsley, Darwin, Gibbon, and Voltaire. With these reasons it is to be hoped that few readers will agree. Mr. Swinburne makes a new list of his own which is very characteristic. No. 3 consists of •' Selections from the Bible : comprising Job, the Psalms, Ecclesiastes, the Song of Solomon, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Joel; the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke, the Gospel and the First Epistle of St. John and Epistle of St. James." No. 12 is Villon, and Nos. 45 to 49 consist of the plays of Ford, Dekker, Tourneur, Marston, and Middleton ; names very dear to the lover of our old Drama, but I venture to think names somewhat inappropriate in a list of books for a reader who does not make the drama a speciality. Lamb's Selections would be sufficient for most readers. Mr. William Morris supplies a full list with explanations, which are of considerable interest as coming from that distinguished poet. Archdeacon Farrar gives, perhaps, the best test for a favourite author, that is, the r Orie Hundred Boohs. selection of his works in the event of all others being destroyed. He writes, "But if all the books in the world were in a blaze, the first twelve which I should snatch out of the flames would be the Bible, Imitaiio Chrisiiy Homer, iEschylus,- Thucydides, Tacitus, Virgil, Marcus Aurelius, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, Wordsworth. Of living authors I would save first the works of Tennyson, Browning and Ruskin." Another excellent test is that set up by travellers and soldiers. A book must be good when one of either of these classes decides to place it among his restricted bag- gage. Mr. H. M. Stanley writes, ** You ask me what books I carried with me to take across Africa. I carried a great many — three loads, or about i8o lbs. weight; but as my men lessened in numbers, stricken by famine, fighting and sickness, they were. one by one reluctantly thrown away, until finally, when less than 300 miles from the Atlantic, I possessed only the Bible, Shakespeare, Carlyle's Sartor Resartus, Norie's Naviga- tion, and Nautical Almanac for 1877. CAUfOg 238 Hozv to Form a Library. Poor Shakspeare was afterwards bmned by demand of the foolish people of Zinga. At Bonea, Carlyle and Norie and Nautical Almanac were pitched away, and I had only the old Bible left." He then proceeds to give a list of books which he allowed him- self when " setting out with a tidy battalion of men." Lord Wolseley writes, "During the mutiny and China war 1 carried a Testament, two volumes of Shakespeare that contained his best plays, and since then, when in the field, I have always carried : Book of Common Prayer, Thomas k Kempis, Soldier's Pocket Book , , . The book that I like reading at odd moments is * The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.' " He then adds, for any distant expedition, a few books of History (Creasy's " Decisive Battles," Plutarch's " Lives," Voltaire's " Charles XH.," " Caesar," by Froude, and Hume's " England "). His Fiction is confined to Macaulay's " History of England " and the ** Essays." Mr. Quaritch remarks that ** Sir John's * working man ' is an ideal creature. I have One Hundred Books. 239 known many working men, but none of them could have suggested such a feast as he has prepared for them." He adds, *' In my younger days I had no books whatever beyond my school books. Arrived in London in 1842, I joined a literary institution, and read all their historical works. To read fiction I had no time. A friend of mine read novels all night long, and was one morning found dead in his bed." If Mr. Quaritch intends this as a warning, he should present the fact for the consideration of those readers who swell the numbers of novels in the statistics of the Free Libraries. Looking at the Pall Mall Gazette's list, it naturally occurs to us that it would be a great error for an Englishman to arrange his reading so that he excluded Chaucer while he included Confucius. Among the names of modern novelists it is strange that Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte should have been omitted. In Sir John Lubbock's own list it will be seen that the names of Chaucer and Miss Austen occur. Among Essayists one would like to have seen at least the names 240 Hciv to Form a Library, of Charles Lamb, De Quincey, and Landor, and many will regret to find such delightful writers as Walton and Thomas Fuller omitted. We ought, however, to be grateful to Sir John Lubbock for raising a valuable dis- cussion which is likely to draw the attention of many readers to books which might otherwise have been most unjustly neglected by them.^ The following is Sir John Lubbock's list It will be sSen that several of the books, whose absence is remarked on, do really form part of the list, and that the objections of the critics are so far met. Tke Bible. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Epictetus. Confucius, Analects. Le Boitddha et sa Religion (St.-Hilairc). Aristotle, Ethics. ^ The whole of the correspondence has been re- issued as a Pall Mall ^' Extra,'''' No. 24, and tliree- pence will be well laid out by the purchaser of this very interesting pamphlet. One Hundred Books. 241 Mahomet, Koran (parts of). Apostolic Fathers, Wake's collection. St. Augustine, Confessions. Thomas a Kempis, Imitation. Pascal, Pensees. Spinoza, Iractatus Theologico-Politicus. Comte, Cat. of Positive Philosophy (Congreve). Butler, Analogy. Jeremy Taylor, Holy Living and Holy Dying. Bunyan, Pilgi'im^s Progress. Keble, Christian Year. Aristotle, Politics. Plato's Dialogues — at any rate the Phcedo and Republic. Demosthenes, De Corond. Lucretius. Plutarch. Ilorace. Cicero, De Officiis^ De Amicitid, De Senectute. Homer, Iliad 2lxA Odyssey, Hesiod. Virgil. Niebelungenlied. Malory, Morte d* Arthur. Maha-Bharata, Rainayana, epitomized by Talboys Wheeler in the first two vols, of his History of India. 16 242 How to Form a Library, Firdusi, Shah-nameh. Translated by Atkinson. She-king (Chinese Odes). ^schylus, Prometheus^ House of Atreus, Trilogy, or PerscB. Sophocles, GEdipus, Trilogy. Euripides, Medea. Aristophanes, The Knights. Herodotus. Xenophon, Anabasis. Thucydides. Tacitus, Germania. Livy. Gibbon, Decline and Fall. liume, England. Grote, Greece. Carlyle, French Revolution. Green, Short History of England. Bacon, Novum Organum. Mill, Logic and Political Economy. Darwin, Origin of Species. Smith, Wealth of Nations (part of). Berkeley, Human Knowledge. Descartes, Discours sur la Methode. Locke, Conduct of the Understanding, Lewes, History of Philosophy. Cook, Voyages. One Hundred Books. 243 Humboldt, Travels. Darwin, Naturalist in the BeagU Shakespeare. Milton, Paradise Losty and the shorter poems. Dante, Divma Conwiedia. Spenser, Faerie Queen. Dryden's Poems. Chaucer, Morris's (or, if expurgated, Clarke's or Mrs. Haweis's) edition. Gray. Burns. Scott's Poems. Wordsworth, Mr. Arnold's selection. Heine. Pope. Sou they. Goldsmith, Vicar oj Wakefield. Swift, Gulliver's Travels. Defoe, Robinson Crusoe. The Arabian Nights. Cervantes, Don Quixote. Boswell, Johnson. Burke, Select Works (Payne). Essayists : — Bacon, Addison, Hume, Montai<;ne, Macaulay, Emerson. Moliere. Sheridan. 244 Hozv to Form a Library. Voltaire, Zadig. Carlyle, Past and PrcsenU Goethe, Faust, Wilhelm Meister. White, Natural History of Selborne. Smiles, Self Help. Miss Austen, either Emvia or PHde and Prejudice* Thackeray, Vanity Fair and Pendennis. Dickens, Pickimck and David Copperiield. George Eliot, Adatn Bede. Ivingsley, Westivard Ho ! Bulwer-Lytton, Last Days of Pompeii, Scott's Novels. INDEX. Abbotsford Club, 187. Advocates' Library, Edinburgh, Indecent books turned out, 18. ^Ifric Society, 195. Arundel Society, 200. Authors, Bibliographies of particular, 181. Ballad Society, 206. Bannatyne Club, 186. Bibliographies (General), 141-159. (Special), 160-183. Bindings in Charles I.'s Cabinet, 29. Book Collectors, 23. Books, One Hundred, 227-244. Booksellers, Use of, 58. Bossange (Hector), Ma Bibliotheque Frangaise, 7. Burton's Book Hunter, 2, 53, 196. Buy, How to, 57-72. Calvin Translation Society, 197. Camden Society, 190. Catalogues of Public Libraries, 141. Cavendish Society, 199. Caxton Society, 198. Chaucer Society, 28. , Chetham Society, 195. 246 Index. Child's Library, 217-226. Comte's Positivist Library, 131. Dibdin's Library Companion, 2. Dilettanti Society, 184. Durie's Reformed Librarie Keeper, 13. Early English Text Society, 203. Ecclesiastical History Society, 199. Edwards (Edward),Report on Formation of Manchester Free Library, 4. Memoirs of Libraries, 5, 63. Libraries and Founders of Libraries, 29, 44. English Dialect Society, 212. English Historical Society, 191. Fiction in Public Libraries, 81. Folk Lore Society, 210. Franklin's foundation of the Philadelf)hia Library, 77. George HL's list of books, 14. Goodhugli's Library Manual, 3. Hakluyt Society, 200. Handel Society, 198. Hanserd Knollys Society, 198. Harleian Society, 209. Hellenic Studies, Society for the promotion of, 213 Hunterian Club, 210. Index Society, 213. lona Club, 189. Johnson's (Dr.) List of Books, 15, Libraries, How men have Formed them, 23-56. (Cathedral), 75. ' (Monastic), 25. ■ (Private), 89-140. (Public), 73-88. United States Report on, 20, 75, 220. Louis XVI., his books during his captivity, 43. Lubbock's (Sir John), List of Books, 227-244. Index. 247 Maitland Club, 187. Manx Society, 202. Middlesex County Record Society, 215. Motett Society, 194. Musical Antiquarian Society, 194. Napoleon's Libraries, 44. Naude, Gilbert, 9. Novels, One Hundred Good, 138. . in Public Libraries, 81. Oriental Texts, Society for the Publication of, 194. Oriental Translation Fund, 189. Ossianic Society, 202. Oxford Historical Society, 215. Palseographical Society, 213. Palseontographical Society, 200. Parker Society, 192. Percy Society, 193. Perkins's Best Reading, 8. Philobiblon Society, 201. Pipe Roll Society, 215. Positivist Library, 131. Printers, Bibliographies of celebrated, 176. Ray Society, 198. Reference, Books of, 91-129. Roxburghe Club, 185. Roxburghe Library, 209. Sales, How to Buy at, 63. Shakespeare Society, 193. Shakspere (New) Society, 211. Societies (Publishing), 184-216. Spalding Club, 191. Spenser Society, 209. Spottiswoode Society, 195. Stevens (Henry), "My English Library," 6. , his paper on Mr. James Lenox, 55, 64. 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LIBRARY SCHOOL LIBRARX This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewed books are subjert to immediate recall. FEB 17T960 nEB-«1969 1 General Library LD 21-50m-8,'57 University of California (.C8481sl0)476 Berkeley Nh Y.B 66473 "nt'^S^fe^ / ikV5rv.r