THE BOOK-ANALYST

AND

LIBRARY GUIDE.
A Weekly Journal for Readers, Teachers, and Students.

PUBLISHED EVERY FRIDAY MORNING, Price 2d.

Yearly subscription, 10/-, post free ; half-yearly subscription, 5/3 ; quarterly subscription, 28.

“The Book-Analyst and Library Guide” gives a trustworthy analysis of the contents, and indicates the general scope, of every book of any importance, whether large or small, that is sent into the British Book market, and also the principal works published on the Continent and in America. The literary reviews too often content themselves with telling the reader how a book is written, but not what is in it, while the trade periodicals barely notice a tithe of the books that are published, and even then more from the Bookseller's point of view than that of the Bookbuyer.

One of the great features of the BOOK-ANALYST AND LIBRARY GUIDE is the classification of every subject under its particular head, so that the reader, be he politician, theologian, teacher, doctor, or historian, will be able at once to light on the particular information he requires, without having to wade through an immense mass of irrelevant matter. Take, for example, a busy schoolmaster in the provinces ; he turns to the subject of Education and finds analyses of the latest school books, announcements of new ones about to appear, references to articles on Education published in the leading magazines, to Parliamentary reports, and also to educational papers read before learned societies. He is thus kept continually posted up in the information necessary for him to possess, without having to hunt for it at the cost of much time and no little patience.

THE BOOK-ANALYST AND Library Guide is the only Journal which gives a subject-index to the more important periodicals of this and other countries. This feature alone makes The Book-Analyst invaluable to every English and Foreign Librarian.

E. W. ALLEN, U AVE MARIA LANE, LONDON, E.C.

The Book-Analyst and Library Guide.

A WEEKLY JOURNAL FOR READERS, TEACHERS, AND STUDENTS.

The distinctive features of THE BOOK-ANALYST may be summarised as follows :-
I. Classified Analyses of all important books sent into the British and Foreign

Book Markets, thus forming a Guide for Library Subscribers as well as

for Book Buyers. II. Classified Index of Contents of Magazines and Reviews, thus providing

Librarians and others with a Subject-Index to Periodical Literature on

an improved plan to that adopted by Poole.
III. Classified Proceedings of the Learned Societies.
IV. Classified List of Government Blue Books.

V. Notes and Queries Column.
VI. Correspondence Column.
VII. List of Books Wanted, for Sale, or Exchange.
VIII. List of Books Issued during the week.

EXTRACTS FROM OPINIONS OF THE PRESS.
The Birmingham Daily Gazette, January 17, 1879. | The Leamington Spa Courier, December 21, 1878.

“It is no exaggeration to state that the Book “Readers, teachers, and lovers of books of every ANALYST is so admirably edited, so accurate in its class will do well to procure the BOOK-ANALYST AND well-classified arrangement, so full of concise, practical LIBRARY GUIDE. So far as the numbers already issued information, and so cheap in price, as to be quite indis go, they appear to have amply fulfilled the promises of pensable to every librarian, scholar, and student, and, the conductors, and the publication is calculated to be indeed, to everyone in any way concerned with litera exceedingly useful. It ought also to be correspondingly ture. In each issue most convenient intelligence is

popular." given respecting the contents of the volumes published during the previous week; and the titles of the various Illustrated London News, November 9, 1878. agazine articles and the names of their authors are

“It supplies a brief account of the scope and contents indicated monthly in a very handy tabular form. The

of all new books of any importance, the principal value of this system is greatly enhanced by the fact

articles in contemporary magazines and reviews, and that the contents not only of the English monthly and

the proceedings of learned societies both in England quarterly magazines are thus recorded, but the principal

and abroad. The arrangement is well designed for French, German, and American magazines are likewise

general service." treated in a similar manner. The BOOK-ANALYST should secure, as it well deserves, wide appreciation on

The Library Table, November 23, 1878. the part of the public."

"... Works are very accurately classified into The Educational Guide and Literary Review, departments, and even the titles of magazines and January 15, 1879.

review articles given under their proper heads." “The reader or student has only to examine the table given on the front page of the BOOK-ANALYST, The Guernsey Advertiser, November 16, 1878. and if any works upon the special subject in which he is

“Every student is constantly experiencing the need interested have been published during the week, he will

of a classified index to periodical literature, and that is find on the indicated page not only particulars of the

one of the wants which the BOOK-ANALYST will supply authors, publishers, prices, &c., but also an analysis of

We hail the work most cordially, and wish it every the contents of such works. The immense value of such

success.” a guide as this, both to teachers, students, and the

The Echo, November 2, 1878. reading world in general, must at once be obvious. ... The promoters of this publication deserve the universal " It bids fair to take up a position among our literar recognition due to the providers of a public benefit." weeklies."

Half

10

ADVERTISEMENTS.

SCALE OF CHARGES.
Whole Page ... .

... ... {1 15 0

... 1 0 0 Quarter,

... .., 010
Eighth Page

... ... o 6 0
Five lines and under in narrow column ...
Each additional line ...

oo 4 A deduction of 10% for a series of thirteen, 15% for twenty-six, and 20 % for fifty-two insertions

SPECIAL TERMS FOR BACK PAGE OF WRAPPER. Advertisements for Buying, Selling, or Exchanging Books, 4d. per line of about seven words.

Half-price to Annual Subscribers.
Subscriptions and Advertisements are payable in advance. Cheques and P.0.0.

to be crossed “ The London and South-Western Bank.”
E. W. ALLEN, 11 AVE MARIA LANE, LONDON, E.C.

The Book-Analyst

AND

Cotton in 1700, should be incorporated with the new establishment. In 1757 George II., moved thereto by some inexplicable inspiration, presented to the trustees of the nascent

museum the Old Royal Library of his preLIBRARY GUIDE.

decessors. The foundation-stones of the

present library are therefore four in num*** A series of articles on the principal

ber- the forty thousand printed books and

MSS. forming part of the Sloane collection, Public Libraries of England and the Con.

the Cottonian Library, the Harleian MSS., tinent is being specially prepared for this

and the Old Royal Library. In the present Journal. The first of these articles, giving a article we purpose giving our readers a brief description of the British Museum Library, account of the origin of these four collections. appears in the present number.

Being the oldest, we will take the Old Royal
Library first.

The Old Royal Library--which must not The British Museum Library. be confounded with the more modern collec.

tion made by George III. and presented to

the nation by George IV.-was virtually The British Museum, paradoxical as it may founded by Henry, Prince of Wales, the appear, was founded just at the precise eldest son of James I., whose short span of period of our national career when the govern. eighteen years was full of promise for the mental care for the interests of art, literature, brightest future. Prince Henry was born and science was at its lowest point. It would in 1594, and spent his earlier childhood in also be perhaps difficult to name two monarchs Scotland. In 1603 he arrived in England, who took less interest in learning and litera. | and was put under the tutorship of Sir ture than the first two Georges; it is not to be | Thomas Chaloner, the son of Elizabeth's wondered at, therefore, if the munificent famous ambassador. From an early age offer of a private individual, whose varied Henry showed a strong love of the pleasures collection forms the principal nucleus of our 1 of literature ; his relish for out-of-door national storehouse of “things of beauty" at sports, however, was none the less keen. His Bloomsbury, ran the narrowest possible risk of love of reading soon showed him the defici. being contemptuously ignored through the encies in the royal collection, many of the apathy of the government of the day and the volumes in which were as old as Henry VI., indifference of the monarch who then sat upon some being even older; and when Lord Lumley's the throne. In January 1753, Sir Hans library was offered for sale in 1609, Henry Sloane calmly expired at his house in wisely determined to purchase it out of his Chelsea at the age of ninety-two. Some privy purse. With the exception of Sir fifty years before he had acquired, by the be Robert Cotton's collection, the Lumley quest of his friend Mr. Courten, a valuable Library was the most valuable then existing museum of natural and historical curiosities, in England. It was originally founded by which he spent the rest of his life and the Henry Fitzalan, Earl of Arundel, Lumley's bulk of his fortune in increasing. Long before father-in-law, who had been a collector of Sir Hans Sloane's time efforts had been made choice MSS. at a time when the spoliato arouse the attention of the Government to tion of the convents and monasteries the educational value of public museums ; but gave enlightened men golden opportuniit was not until, in accordance with the terms ties of acquiring priceless treasures, and of his will, Sir Hans Sloane's executors was greatly added to during the time it reoffered his collection to the nation at less mained in Lord Lumley's possession. This than a fourth of its value, that the Govern collection must not be confounded with that ment woke up to the necessity of securing made by Fitzalan's great grandson. Prince these treasures, instead of allowing them to be Henry soon gave evidence that he had bought bought up by continental collectors, as had the books for use and not for show. His first been the case in only too many other instances. care was to have a detailed catalogue made of At last a tardy and languid consent was the collection ; but this accomplished young given, the offer was accepted, and Montague prince only remained in possession of it for House was converted into the British Museum, three years, during which time he made many the money for the purpose being raised by most important additions. He was seized lottery. The Act of Parliament passed on this with sudden illness in October, and died on occasion contained two clauses which more November 6, having barely reached the age of nearly affect the readers of the Book-Analyst eighteen. His library fell to the King, and than any others. The first of these clauses went to augment the royal collection, the authorised the purchase of the Harleian col prince thereby becoming one of the co-founders lection of MSS. for £10,000, and the other of the British Museum Library. The directed that the Cottonian Library, which had next addition made to the royal collecbeen presented to the nation by Sir John | tion was part of the valuable library of Isaac Casaubon, and about the same time their own expense, a proposal which had Sir Thomas Roe delivered into the hands of already been made to Queen Mary by Dr. the King's librarian the Coder Alexandrinus, Dee, and to Elizabeth herself by Archbishop the precious gift of the Patriarch of Constanti Parker. His collection appears to have been nople to Charles I. During the Common consulted, at one time or another, by nearly wealth the library narrowly escaped being every celebrated writer of his time, and he dispersed piecemeal by Cromwell's soldiers. was always ready and willing to give to all Charles II. added to the MSS. which had applicants the information they demanded of been collected by John and Charles Theyer, him, even if it related to such small matters and by the time of his death it had increased as the legal amount of burial fees or the gifts to more than ten thousand volumes. In the to the Church of some early ancestor of the following reigns it was successively augmented Earl of Dorset. until the time of its incorporation with the British Before coming into the possession of the Museum in 1759, when it contained about Trustees of the British , Museum the Cotton fifteen thousand separate MSS. and printed Library went through a number of strange books. The gem of this collection is un vicissitudes. It was twice shut up by royal doubtedly the Codex Alexandrinus. There is command during Sir Robert Cotton's life, on also a long series of English chronicles, many the ground that it contained documents of a of them being presentation copies to the reign. nature not to be seen by the public, and the ing monarch, as well as the group of romances unfortunate owner sent to the Tower. He which John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, caused was ultimately released, but the absence of his to be compiled for Margaret of Anjou ; also the darling library was too much for him. When autograph Basilicon written for Prince Henry. lying on his death-bed in May 1631, he sent a Amongst the printed treasures are a superb pathetic message to the Lord Privy Seal by series of illuminated books on vellum, from the Sir Henry Spelman, “that their so long depress of Anthony Verard, of Paris, given to taining his books from him is the cause of Henry VII. So far the Old Royal Library. this mortal malady.” Had he remained in

The next collection in age, and the first in quiet possession of his treasures, there is no importance, is that formed by Sir Robert doubt he would have notably increased them. Cotton, who claimed descent from Robert In 1700 his great-grandson, Sir John Cotton, Bruce in the female line. Robert Cotton was settled the Cottonian Library on the British born in 1570, and was educated at Cambridge, nation for ever, thus making his great ancestor where he took his degree in 1585. Long be a co-founder of the British Museum. This fore he left college he had shown archäological was done by Act of Parliament in 1700, thirty tastes, and while there he formed lifelong years before the death of this eminent pubfriendships with such men as Dethick, Noel, lic benefactor. In 1707 another Act was Lambarde, and Camden. He took a leading passed for the purchase of Cotton House, part in the establishment of the first Society of so that this most valuable collection might be Antiquaries, and it is as a contributor to its made available to the public. Within five “Transactions” that we first hear of him as years this unfortunate collection was once author. Before the close of the century his col. more moved to Essex House, Strand, and in lections of manuscripts and antiquities had be 1730 to Ashburnham House, in Little Dean's come so large and important as to win him a Yard, Westminster, which already contained wide reputation both at home and abroad. In the royal collection, when it was placed under 1599 he made an antiquarian tour through the charge of Dr. Bentley, the King's librarian. England in company with Camden, and not a In October 1731, a fire broke out which at few pages of the Britannia embody the one time threatened to destroy the whole col. joint researches of these faithful friends. His lection; for, instead of removing the most valugrowing fame procured him the honour of a able of the books when the fire was discovered, summons from Queen Elizabeth to decide a they began to try to extinguish it, but ineffectu. question of national precedency which had ally. Some of the works were entirely conarisen between Sir Henry Neville and the sumed, while others were irreparably damaged. Spanish ambassador at Calais, a task which There were in the library 958 volumes, but the he executed to the Queen's entire satisfaction. fire reduced this number to 861, of which 105 He now had his agents in all parts of the were more or less charred. For nearly a Continent, who sought diligently to increase century some of the most precious of the his collections, and his correspondence with MSS. remained as the fire had left them, men who were busied in like pursuits at home but in 1824 Mr. Forshall, the then keeper and abroad increased to an enormous extent. of the MSS. in the British Museum, made He was, however, as ready to impart as to col a commencement towards their restoration, lect, and while he was most occupied in forming which his successor, Sir F. Madden, successhis own library.he helped Bodley to lay the foun fully continued. More than 300 important dation of the library at Oxford which bears MSS. have been more or less perfectly restored his name. In conjunction with Camden he to a state of legibility, a considerable number unsuccessfully endeavoured to induce Queen of which were considered as being beyond hope Elizabeth to establish a national library at 1 of recovery.