improvement in careful, critical editorship It embraces most of the choicest books that have appeared in the pr.n. cipal languages of Europe, and a supplement in twoumes, by P. Deschamps and G. Brunet, appeared in 14

Next to Brunet in importance to the librarian, is J G. T. Graesse's Trésor des Livres rares et précieur, wh. h.s more full than Brunet in works in the Teutonic langua, and was published at Dresden in six quarto volumes, a supplement, in 1861-69. Both of these biblogrami za aim at a universal range, though they make a selectin the best authors and editions, ancient and modern, em ting however, the most recent writers. The arrangen of both is strictly alphabetical, or a dictionary of auth names, while Brunet gives in a final volume a tion by subjects. Both catalogues are rendered ali: s ally valuable by the citation of prices at which may the works catalogued have been sold at book auctions the present century.

In 1857 was published at Piris a kind of ur versai bibliography, on the plan of a catil que raumne, op tionary of subjects, by Messrs. F. Dens, Ponçon, and i Martonne, two of whom were librarians by pr This work of over 700 pages, though printed in a microscopic type, and now about forty years in a has much value as a ready key to the best how ke ti known on nearly every subject in scence and ¦ terat It is arranged in a complete index of tops, the buss under each being described in chronological order. ! of the alphabetical. The preponderance is given to the -French in the works cited on most subjects, but the ture of other nat ons is by no means neglen teol entitled Nureau Miel de Bo'i graphic universe, an being a subjective index, while Brunet and Grace

1: ..

arranged by authors' names, it may be used to advantage in connection with these standard bibliographies.

While on this subject, let me name the books specially devoted to lists of bibliographical works-general and special. These may be termed the catalogues of catalogues, and are highly useful aids, indeed indispensable to the librarian, who seeks to know what lists of books have appeared that are devoted to the titles of publications covering any period, or country, or special subject in the whole circle of sciences or literatures. The first notably important book of reference in this field, was the work of that most industrious bibliographer, Gabriel Peignot, who published at Paris, in 1-12, his Repertoire bibliographique universelle, in one volume. This work contains the titles of most special bibliographies, of whatever subjeet or country, published up to 1812, and of many works biblographical in character, devoted to literary history.

Dr. Julius Petzholdt, one of the most learned and laborios of librarians, issued at Leipzig in 1866, a Bibliothera bh graphica, the fuller title of which was "a critical cata1gue, exhibiting in systematic order, the entire field of b.blography covering the Literature of Germany and other countries." The rather ambitious pron.se of this title is well redeemed in the contents: for very few catalogues of importance issued before 1866, are omitted in this elaborate book of 931 closely printed pages. Most titles of the bibliograph.es given are followed by critical and explanatory notes, of much value to the unskilled reader These notes are in German, while all the titles cited are in the language of the books themselves. After giving full titles of all the books in general 1 Migraphy, he takes up the national bibliographies by countries, citing both systematic catalogues and periodica's devoted to the Literature of each in any period. This is followed by a

distributive list of scientific bibliographies, so full as to leave little to be desired, except for later issues of the press. One of the curiosities of this work is its catal of all the issues of the "Index Librorum Prohibitorum", or books forbidden to be read, including 185 separate catalogues, from A. D. 1510 to A. D. 1862.

The next bibliographical work claiming to cover 1. field was in the French language, being the Bibi-graphe des bibliographies of Léon Vallee, published in 15 at Paris. This book, though beautifully printed, is ...

of errors, and still fuller of omissions, that it is regarded by competent scholars as a failure, though still having its uses to the librarian. It is amazing that any writer should put forth a book seventeen years after the and successful work of Petzholdt, purporting to be alogue of bibliographies, and yet fail to record such a multitude of printed contributions to the sciebi sciences as Vallee has overlooked.

Some ten years later, or in 1897, there came from th French press, a far better bibliographical work, cover.: 2 the modern issues of books of bibliography more espes la with greater fullness and superior plan. This is t Manuel de Bali graphie génerale, by Henri Stein. Tas work contains, in 915 well-printed pages, 1st. a list of universal biblographies: 2d. a catalogue of national b grapes, in a'p'a'etical order of countries: 34 class Ced b Mographies of subjects, divided into sever teen classes, namely, religious scences, phal scetices, jur heal, economie, Social, and el. scences, pure and applied sconces, medical sciences, ;?l» logy and belles lettres, geographical and historical sciences auxiliary to history, archaeology and

music, and biography Besides these extremely usef¿' ca'mgor es of b. lograr hical aids, in which the freshest

cations of catalogues and lists of books in each field are set forth, M. Stein gives us a complete geographical bibliography of printing, on a new plan. This he entitles "Géographie habliographique," or systematic lists of localities in every part of the world which possessed a printing press prior to the 19th century. It gives, after the modern or current name of each place, the Latin, or ancient name, the country in which located, the year in which the first printed publication appeared in each place, and finally, the authority for the statement. This handy-list of information alone, is worth the cost of the work, since it will save much time of the inquirer, in hunting over many volumes of Panzer, Maittaire, Hain, Dibd.n, Thomas, or other authors on printing, to find the origin of the art, or early name of the place where it was introduced. The work contains, in addition, a general talle of the periodicals of all countries, (of course not exhaustive) divided into classes, and filling seventy five pages. It closes with a "repertory of the principal 1braries of the entire world." and with an index to the whole work, in which the early names in Latin, of all pla es where books were printed are interspersed in the alpabet, distinguished by italie type, and with the modern name of each town or city affixed. This admirable feature will render unnecessary any reference to the Oris latas of Graesse, or to any other vocabulary of geography, to identify the place in which early-printed books appeared Stein is by no means

free from errors, and son e surprising omiss ofs. One car d.nal defect is the absence of any full ad x of authors whose books are cited

There are also quite brief catalanes of works on bibliography in J. Power's Harly Book about Books, London, 1870, and in J. Sabin's Bibliography: a hans } Aut

books which relate to books, N. Y., 1877. The latter work is an expansion of the first-named.

We come now to the second class of our bibliograph.me. viz: those of various countries. Here the reader must be on his guard not to be misled into too general an interpretation of geographical terms. Thus, he will find mary books and pamphlets ambitiously styled "Catalogue Amerscaine", which are so far from being general bibliogra phies of books relating to America, that they are merely lists of a few books for sale by some book-dealer, wh.h have something American in their subject. To know what catalogues are comprehensive, and what period they cover, as well as the limitations of nearly all of them, is a necessary part of the training of a bibliographer, and is essential to the librarian who would economize his time and enlarge his usefulness.

But

Let us begin with our own country. Here we are met at the outset by the great paucity of general catalogues of American literature, and the utter impossibility of Ending any really comprehensive lists of the books published in the United States, during certain periods. We can get along tolerably well for the publications within the last thirty years, which nearly represent the time since syste matic weekly bibliographical journals have been published, containing lists of the current issues of books. for the period just before the Civil War, back to the year 1775, or for very nearly a century, we are without any systematic bibliography of the product of the American press. The fragmentary attempts which have been made toward supplying an account of what books have been published in the United States from the beginning, w hereafter be briefly noted. At the outset, you are to ob serve the wide distinction that exists between books treating of America, or any part of it, and books printed in