How to Form a Library Part 5

1. _Town._

Every one who loves books will be sure to have some favourite authors on special subjects of study respecting which he needs 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 cla.s.s 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 unwieldy from their mult.i.tude, there are sure to be forthcoming those who will reduce the facts into a handy form. I have gathered in the following pages the t.i.tles 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, and some Text-books I have had to leave out owing to the exigencies of s.p.a.ce, but I trust that the present list will be found useful.

_Abbreviations._--Dictionnaire des Abreviations Latines et Francaises usitees dans les inscriptions lapidaires et metalliques, les ma.n.u.scrits et les chartes du Moyen Age. Par L. Alph. Cha.s.sant. 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 a.s.sociation.

London, 1874. Sm. 8vo.

_Antiquities._--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 described 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: Ill.u.s.trations of the Private Life of the Ancient Greeks. By W.A. Becker, translated by F. Metcalfe.

London.

_Antiquities._--Archaeological Index to remains of antiquity of the Celtic, Romano-British and Anglo-Saxon Periods. By John Yonge Akerman. London, 1847. 8vo.

---- Introduction to English Antiquities. By James Eccleston. London, 1847. 8vo.

---- The English Archaeologist's Handbook. By Henry G.o.dwin.

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.

_Arts, Manufactures_, etc.--Ure's Dictionary of Arts, Manufactures, and Mines, containing a clear exposition of their Principles and Practice. By Robert Hunt, a.s.sisted by F.W. Rudler. Seventh edition. London, 1875. 3 vols. 8vo.

---- Spons' Encyclopaedia of the Industrial Arts, Manufactures, and Commercial Products. London, 1879. 8 vols.

Roy. 8vo.

---- History of Physical Astronomy. By Robert Grant. London [1852]. A most valuable book, but now 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. 8vo.

---- A Biblical Cyclopaedia or Dictionary of Eastern Antiquities, Geography, Natural History, Sacred Annals and Biography, Theology and Biblical Literature, ill.u.s.trative 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 ill.u.s.trate the Geography and Topography of the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha, with Explanatory Notes by Samuel Clark, M.A.

Also a complete Index of the Geographical Names ... by George Grove. London, 1868. 4to.

_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 _Biographie Universelle_ and Messrs. Didot, whose Dictionary was eventually ent.i.tled _Nouvelle Biographie Generale_. The new edition of the _Biographie Universelle_ (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 of Eminent Scotsmen (Glasgow, 1835-56. 5 vols. 8vo.) will be found useful.

_Biography._--Dr. William Allen's "American Biographical Dictionary" was published at Boston in 1857.

---- Biographie 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 respecting actors in the French Revolution.

---- Handbook of Contemporary Biography. By Frederick Martin. London, 1870. Sm. 8vo.

---- Men of the Time: a Dictionary of Contemporaries.

Eleventh edition. Revised by Thompson Cooper. London, 1884.

Sm. 8vo. A volume of 1168 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 Dictionary of Eminent Characters of both s.e.xes, who have died during the reign of Queen Victoria. Edited by T. Humphry Ward. (Uniform with "Men of the Time.") London, 1885.

_Biography._--Dictionnaire Universel des Contemporains....

Par G. Vapereau. Cinquieme edition. Paris, 1880. 8vo.

---- Supplement. Oct. 1881.

---- Biographie 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 Biographie Contemporaine Francaise et Etrangere. Par Ad. Bitard. Paris, 1878. 8vo.