A Book for All Readers Part 36

W. H. D. Adams's "Dictionary of English Literature," London, 1880, and later, in a compact volume, gives authors and t.i.tles of the more important English and American books. Also, in the same alphabet, an index to the t.i.tles, as well as authors, by the first word, and to many sayings or quotations, with their original sources. It is a highly useful book, although its small bulk leaves it far from being a comprehensive one.

Chambers' Cyclopaedia of English Literature, in 2 vols., London, 1876, has an account of the most notable British writers, with specimens of their works, and forms what may be termed an essential part of the equipment of every public library.

The Library a.s.sociation of the United Kingdom, since 1888, the date of its organization, has published Transactions and Proceedings; also, since 1889, "The Library," a periodical with bibliographical information.

It may be noted, without undue expression of pride, that America first set the example of an organized national a.s.sociation of Librarians (founded in 1876) followed the same year by a journal devoted to Library interests. That extremely useful periodical, the _Library Journal_, is now in its twenty-fourth volume. Its successive issues have contained lists of nearly all new bibliographical works and catalogues published, in whatever language.

The London Publisher's Circular, first established in 1838, is a weekly organ of the book-publis.h.i.+ng trade, aiming to record the t.i.tles of all British publications as they appear from the press. It gives, in an alphabet by authors' names, the t.i.tles in much abbreviated form, with publisher, size in inches, collation, price, and date, with a fairly good index of t.i.tles or subjects, in the same alphabet. Covering much the same ground, as a publishers' periodical, is "The Bookseller," issued monthly since 1858, with lists of the new issues of the British press, and critical notices. In addition to the English catalogue, there is the extensive Whitaker's "Reference catalogue of current literature,"

published every year, which now makes two large volumes, and embraces the trade catalogues of English publishers, bound up in alphabetical order, with a copious index, by authors and t.i.tles, in one alphabet, prefixed.

While on English bibliographies, I must note the important work on local history, by J. P. Anderson, "Book of British Topography," London, 1881.

This gives, in an alphabet of counties, t.i.tles of all county histories or descriptive works of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales, followed in each county by a list of town histories or topographical works. The arrangement under each town is chronological. Its only want is a collation of the books. British genealogy, or the history of families, is treated bibliographically in G. W. Marshall's "The Genealogist's Guide,"

London, 1893, which gives an alphabet of family names, with references in great detail to county and town histories, pedigrees, heralds'

visitations, genealogies, etc., all over Great Britain, in which any family is treated.

The wide field of foreign bibliography, by countries, cannot here be entered upon, nor can I now treat of the still more extensive range of works devoted to the bibliography of various subjects.