with a better collection of books and specimens, or with brighter prospects for the future than the Field Columbian Museum. Through the facilities offered by the various libraries and schools Chicago is becoming quite a literary centre. Students and writers come long distances for the purpose of obtaining access to books not to be found elsewhere in the West. Books are also sent long distances under proper restriction, to persons whose time or business will not permit of a visit to the city. Thus Chicago is acquiring a reputation for something besides beef and pork—something, too, which is quite as necessary- the facilities for the culture of the mind. A CLASSIFICATION OF MUNICIPAL LITERATURE. 75. Plagues. 76. Great fire. 77. Notable events. 91. Liberties. 92. Tower. 93. Inns of Court. 94. Palaces and government offices. 95. Parks and gardens. 97. Westminster Abbey. THE CATALOGUE OF THE ROYAL From the Kolnische Zeitung. and THE following scheme for the classification of London literature, devised for the collection in the Guildhall Library in London, by the librarian of that institution, Mr. Charles Wells, is here reprinted from the "Transactions" of the Bibliographical Society, vol. 2. pt. 1. It is, as Mr. Wells declares, "a development of Professor Dewey's decimal system of classification, which has been employed in the library for many THE Prussian government has appropriated years." Under the present "municipal renais- the sum of 300,000 marks for the printing of a sance," such a scheme will perhaps have its catalog of the scientific libraries of Prussia special interest to American librarians, although contained in the Royal Library and in the ten it is probable that the system here offered canUniversity libraries of the Prussian dominions. not be entirely followed, if allowance is made This amount is to be regularly drawn in sums of for the difference in conditions in American 15,000 marks per year. Two years ago a loan cities from those in London. As to this scheme system was instituted by which all the univerbeing "a development" of the decimal classi-sities had free access to the works in the Royal fication, it seems to me that the only likeness Library. Since this departure, the need of a is the arbitrary division into classes of ten sub-catalog of the royal treasures that can be placed divisions, and this arbitrary division has here been carried to a point unexcelled in the D. C. But as a rough list of subject headings that may be useful in making up a system of classification for municipal literature, the scheme may perhaps interest the readers of the LIBRARY JOUR A. G. S. JOSEPHson. 27. Amusements, theatres, music. 28. Miscellaneous. 30. Constitution. 31. Charters and customs. 35. Offices. 36. Mayoralty. 37. Livery companies. 38. Freemen and appren tices. 39. Public bodies. 40. Administration. 41. Poor. 42. Police. 43. Prisons. 44. Light and water. 45. Markets and food. 19. Non-Christian religions 46. Sanitary. 20. Social life. 21. Ceremonials. 22. Pageants and entertain 47. Roads and conveyance. 50. Commerce. 52. Bank of England, and 53. Old trading companies. in every university has been more and more felt. The Royal Library is obliged to acquire the scientific literature of every branch of learning, even works in demand only by a very small number of specialists, and the catalog, as planned, will enable all scholars to know which of the books required in their researches are at Berlin, and, according to the new rules, at their disposal in any part of the country. The British Museum began to print its catalog in 1881, and the Bibliothèque Nationale is now preparing its material for the printer; it is therefore expected that in the course of some years the three most important scientific libraries of the world will be put at the service of scholars throughout the world. Berlin claims that its catalog will be the best for the needs of scholars, because it will be a subject catalog. The British Museum catalog can only be of use to those who know what they want. But the Royal Library of Berlin will bring out a classified catalog by which a scholar may at once see all the books existing on a special subject and make sure at once that the ground he is endeavoring to cover has not already been preempted. The catalog of the Royal Library, the fruit of ten years' labor of scholars of profound scientific attainments (for the law admits no others to the position of cataloger in the Royal Library), now fills 600 massive folio volumes and BINDERY NOTES. From the Nation. represents about 850,000 publications. The chief hand, the bookbinders by trade tell us that the value of such a subject catalog will be that it leathers of 50 years ago are made now as well will make it possible for other libraries or insti- as then. If you want the Turkey morocco or tutions to procure the division of the catalog Levant morocco binding of old times, you can which meets their special needs. To buy the have it, and at the same or equivalent prices as immense catalog of the British Museum is almost then. It may be a little dearer or a little cheaper, impossible, it is too costly, there would be no as duties or wages vary, but the leather is the room for it except in a very few libraries, and same and costs the same. This, however, has its vast accumulation of information would be happened: the market is deluged with cheap wholly unnecessary in the separate universities imitations, and librarians have remade their of Germany, which are identified the world over own standard of cost to correspond with these. with special branches of learning and sought A sham morocco can be furnished at half the only by scholars devoted to the researches they price of the real article, and the volume that represent. In such universities the institute of would cost $2 to bind in the latter can be bound mineralogy will be enabled to buy the volume in the imitatation for $1.60. The librarians say of the Royal Library on mineralogy, the insti- | then that $1.60 is all they will pay; and binding tute of natural history that on natural history, done at this price will drop to pieces - there is etc. Each institute can then mark up the works no doubt about that. Forget the new comit possesses, insert any work it may possess not mercial shams, go back to the old honest leather included in the catalog, and know what works and the old prices, and you need not hanker can be found in the Royal Library. The cata- after linen or cotton covering for your books. log will be a monument to German industry and Binding in cloth has been somewhat used learning. It is an interesting fact that in the re- already by amateurs of small means. Such an port of the political convention authorizing the one, having his long rows of French novels necessary outlay for this great undertaking, the which he loved-Cherbuliez and George Sand, scholars and learned men in the house of repre- Dumas and Gautier, Daudet and About - and sentatives were severely arraigned for not dis- wishing to save his money and yet to have playing more enthusiasm over a decision of pretty books, thought of the bright printed which the full benefit can be appreciated by them calicoes which were in fashion for ladies' gowns only. that summer-those with small sprigs of flowers for their pattern. He laid in a stock of these, a different pattern for each author (and a good many yards were necessary of the styles chosen for Dumas and George Sand). The French volume of regulation size costs a franca volume in France to cover prettily in this way, or a franc and a quarter a volume with "top edge gilt," not counting the cost of the printed calico which one buys by the yard: but this is cartonnage, or cloth binding of the usual sort, and the covers, although bearing the wear and tear of years without splitting or separating from the volume, do certainly spread at the back and grow unsightly. Now, if it were indeed true that modern industrial conditions do not allow of good leather being made, why not, so long as linen and cotton are still allowed us of reasonable strength and durability, bind in these? Plain gray and brown linen are there for the serious workman and for public libraries, variously colored stuffs are accessible for those who prefer them. Stamped work, which has now grown common in what are called commercial bindings, is capable of much, if not forced beyond its limitations, and finally silk is available, and has even been used in several instances of late in the binding of whole editions of gift-books, although the binders tell us that silk does not behave as well as the humbler textiles. Velvet used to be familiar on the covers of church service books; and figured velvets, such as those made nowadays in Venice, brocades like those brought from Japan, and the heavier kind of Indian kimkhab might be used as well as printed or thread-dyed cotton. The cheviot of which our summer outing shirts are made would seem to be well adapted for book-coverings, and so would the tartan silks which are offered us this year (1895) for spring neckties. THE Boston Public Library, in its new and ample quarters, has a roomy and well-lighted bindery, wherein all the books of the library are clothed, at their need. Some little leather work is done therein, as it becomes necessary to bind volumes to match other volumes of a set, but by far the greater part of the binding is in cotton or in linen. Large folios, their valuable plates strongly and neatly mounted on onglets, or guards," in the most approved manner, and small duodecimos for free circulation alike, are covered with grayish brown cotton duck or with grayish white linen. One result of modern industrial triumphs is that good leather cannot, as a general thing, be got for binding — none that will be tolerably sure to last for twenty years, although there are plenty of bindings 300 years old still at hand whose joints are yet solid and whose corners are yet sharp. We used to be told that Russia ought not to be used, because it would turn to dust and split all along the hinge of each cover, and that was true; but it is true also of calf, and now it is beginning to be said that even the once trustworthy red morocco must be given up. Hogskin there is yet, but it is heavy and hard and makes an expensive binding; parchment and vellum, too, but they crinkle and blister and refuse to cling to the boards, unless, indeed, the work is done at a very considerable cost. at least, is what the Boston Library people urge. It is in view of these very serious drawbacks to the old custom of binding in leather that the famous Boston institution has taken up textile fabrics as its covering material. On the other This, New York State Library School. CLOSING EXERCISES FOR 1894 - 95. THE closing exercises of the New York State Library School for 1894-95 were held in the state library, June 22. The exercises were very simple, consisting only of an informal address by the director and the presentation of the diplomas. The following is a complete list of diplomas conferred since July, 1894: Degree of B.L.S.: George Franklin Bowerman, Honeoye Falls, N. Y., B.A. University of Rochester, 1892; Jennie Lind Christman, Albany, N. Y., B.S.C. Iowa State College, 1883. Diplomas with honor: Grace Fisher Leonard, Providence, R. I., Brown University, 1893; Harriet Howard Stanley, Magnolia, Mass.; Minnie Cornwell Wilson, St. Louis, Mo. Diplomas: Edna Dean Bullock, Lincoln, Neb., B.L. University of Nebraska, 1889; George Greenman Champlin, Alfred, N. Y., Ph. B. Alfred University, 1884, Ph. M., 1890; Walter Greenwood Forsyth, Providence, R. I., B. A. Harvard University, 1888; Helen Cornwell Silliman, Rutland, Vt.; Mary Louisa Sutliff, Albany, N. Y. State Library Associations. MASSACHUSETTS LIBRARY CLUB. A MEETING of the Massachusetts Library Club was held in Ames Memorial Hall at North Easton, May 22, 1895. The Boston party left the Old Colony station at 8.30 a.m. in a private car provided by the kindness of the N. Y. N. H. & H. R. R. Co., and reached North Easton at 9.17, where those who had come from the south awaited them. The whole party were then conducted to the library, visiting on the way Unity Church, which contains a beautiful stained glass window by La Farge. The library building and Memorial Hall, both designed by Richardson, are grouped effectively upon an eminence, and present a singularly attractive picture as viewed from the approach from the station. After inspecting the library the party crossed to the hall, where the meeting was called to order by the president, Mr. Foster, at 10.40. Mr. W: R. Eastman, of the Public Libraries Division of the New York State Library, opened the session with an entertaining and valuable paper upon the travelling libraries of New York. These are now familiar to readers of the LIBRARY JOURNAL, but a few quotations must nevertheless be permitted. Since Feb. 8, 1893, 223 of these libraries have been sent out, and counting the use of those now out it may be safely said that 40,000 of these books have thus been read in a little more than two years. "The effort is made to bring together books of some educational value that are deservedly popular; books that are neither trivial nor heavy; a few books to meet the wishes of a few cultivated people, but most books to meet the tastes of the many, and to meet them in such a way as to cultivate higher and better tastes." "They serve also as an object-lesson to show what a library is, how it may be arranged and handled, how many attractive and excellent books may be had, and how good and how easy it is to have them." books still find the travelling libraries a decided "Libraries that are fully able and ready to buy advantage in showing them the books they books in advance of their buying." want, and giving them the actual trial of many Several juvenile libraries of 25 vols. have been prepared, and it is the intention to add one of these to a general library for an extra charge of $1, so that the use of 125 books may be had for six months for $6. Miss Chandler, of Lancaster, said she thought it was not widely known what had been done in this state and in this direction by private enterprise, and read the circular of the Woman's Education Association, which she followed by an interesting account of the work of the association. The object of the association is to generally "promote educational interests," but it has recently taken up the special work of increasing the usefulness of the small town libraries of the state. This is done by loaning travelling libraries of about 25 volumes for periods of six months to libraries or societies applying for them. About seven libraries of varying character have been used in this way by a number of towns with most gratifying success. Mr. Foster described the plan of the state library commission to buy reference books to loan on request to libraries, with a view to acquiring a reference loaning library. Mr. Eastman said that it was one of the duties of the New York State Library to answer questions, but that for research of more than an hour in length a charge was made. Officers of any institution connected with the University were entitled to borrow books of reference, particularly from the duplicates. The morning session closed at 12 m., and after enjoying a bountiful dinner, the club, in a body, visited the greenhouses on the Ames estates, delighting in the profusion of charming and wonderful flowers and the beauty of the housing. The afternoon session opened at 2.40 p.m. such was the effect of nature and of art with a report from the executive committee upon the appointment of a special committee on lists of fiction, consisting of Mr. Jones, of Salem, chairman; Miss Nina E. Browne, of Boston, secretary; and 15 readers. Mr. Jones then spoke upon the variations in charging books under the "two-book plan," giving in the main the facts and figures printed in the LIBRARY JOURNAL for May, 1895. Some discussion of the respective merits of one and two cards followed, from which it appeared that either plan was capable of good results in hands familiar with it. Miss Thurston said that a boy of 12 who had lately applied for his first card asked for two, "one for fiction and one for truth." Miss Blanchard, of Weymouth, issues a special card stamped "not for fiction "; 300 of these had been issued, and during the period from February to April 900 more volumes had been issued than in the same period in the preceding year, while the proportion of fiction declined from 70% to 65 %. Miss Chandler said that at Lancaster there had been an increase of 20% in circulation since the plan was adopted -9% of which was in school work-and there was a marked increase in the use of magazines. Fiction percentage had declined from 68% to 60 %. Miss Thurston had found that people sometimes thought they must take fiction on the fiction card. Mr. Foster called attention to the fact that it took people longer to read solid literature than an equal amount of fiction, and said that this should be borne in mind when interpreting statistics. Mr. Gifford, librarian of the Cambridge Public Library, then gave an account of the purchase of books for the Millicent Library, at Fairhaven, which he had conducted while assistant librarian in the New Bedford Public Library. The Millicent Library was founded by Mr. H. H. Rogers, as a memorial of his daughter. The town holds the title of the land and building, but the management is in the hands of a self-perpetuating board of trustees named by Mr. Rogers, and the cost of maintaining the library is met from the income of $100,000 given by Mr. Rogers and placed in the care of the state as trustee. By the deed of gift the library must be kept open twelve hours a day every day in the year. About 10,000 volumes were bought to stock the library at the start. After selecting the reference books, with due regard to the existence in New Bedford of an unusually good reference library, two copies of the catalogs of the leading publishers were secured and in each were checked the titles desired. One copy was kept as a record, and the other sent to the purchasing agent in New York, of whom, by Mr. Rogers' wish, all the books were bought. The chief attention was paid to fiction, biography, and travel; in philosophy -philology but little was got. No texts were bought in the original, though some have since been added, but a translation of each classic was secured. A similar method was adopted with a number of good second-hand catalogs, and finally the "Trade List Annual" of 1892 was searched. The A. L. A. catalog had not been issued when this purchase was made, but on its appearance a very large proportion of its titles were found to have been bought. Mr. Faxon called attention to the standing offer of Swedenborgian Publication Society to supply a copy of Swedenborg's works to any library that would engage to pay for transportation and to place the books on the shelves. Mr. Jones stated that certain Unitarian books could be had on the same terms from the Unitarian Association. Mr. Chase then moved a vote of thanks to the trustees of the Ames Free Library, to Miss Lamprey, the librarian, and other friends who had contributed so greatly to the pleasure of the day, which was unanimously adopted, whereupon the meeting adjourned. WM. H. TILLINGHAST, Secretary. Reviews. AMERICAN LIBRARY ASSOCIATION, Publishing Section. List of books for girls and women and their clubs; edited by Augusta H. Leypoldt and George Iles. Part 1: Fiction; chosen and annotated by a reviewer for The Nation. Boston, Library Bureau, 1895. 160 p. Tt. 1O C. The Publishing Section of the American Library Association authorized in 1894 the preparation of a list of books for girls' and women's clubs, to be especially intended as a guide for readers and students. The compilation of this list was begun over a year ago by Miss Ellen M. Coe, whose progress on the work has been from time to time noted in the JOURNAL (See L. J., November, 1894, p. 381; January, 1895, p. 20). When, in the spring of the present year, Miss Coe's connection with library matters ceased, her work was taken up by Mr. George Iles, of the Publishing Section, and Mrs. Augusta H. Leypoldt, editor of the Literary News, who have largely extended and modified the original plan. The complete work, of which the present pamphlet is the first part, will contain five divisions, each of which will be published separately, as ready. Part 2, covering Biography, History, Travel, Literature and Folk-lore, will follow promptly after Fiction; the other divisions will include: Part 3, Fine Arts and Music; Part 4, Education, Self-culture, Science; Part 5, Useful Arts, Livelihoods, Country occupations, Domestic economy, Recreations and Sports. The various parts, together with lists of reference books and of periodicals, brief hints on club organization and management, and a full index, will be finally issued early in the coming autumn in a single substantial volume. The list will thus be obtainable either in separate paper-bound parts, similar in size and style to the A. L. A. Handbook and sold at ten cents each, or in the form of a classed catalog with author, title, and subject index, in pages four times the size of those of the parts, at 50 c. in paper, and $1.00 in cloth. Of course, the distinctive feature of the list is its "evaluation." In this particular Mr. Iles has been able to carry out his long-cherished purpose of bringing to the aid of the general reading and inquiring public the services of men and women who have thoroughly mastered specific fields of literature. Among the contributors of the various departments of the catalog are: for Fiction, a reviewer of The Nation; for History, R. G. Thwaites; for Travel, Miss A. R. Hasse; for Literature, G. Mercer Adam; Folklore, Stewart Culin; Fine Arts, Russell Sturgis; Music, H. E. Krehbiel, musical editor of the N. Y. Tribune; Kindergarten. Miss Angeline Brooks, of the Teachers' College, New York; Natural History, Olive Thorne Miller; and Education, Prof. E. R. Shaw, of New York University. Of the value of the list as a whole, it is as yet impossible to speak, though Part I promises well for its successors, but certainly its leading feature of authoritative critical annotation cannot fail to be widely useful. The fiction list is limited to the principal works of 250 American, British, and Čanadian authors, including, besides well-known writers, a few of the weak, frivolous and trashy novelists, whose popularity is one of the woes of the librarian, and for whom there is a word of comment or of condemnation. It is an author list; entries are made generally under real name, with references from pseudonyms, and when practicable the dates of birth and death of authors are given. Names of publishers are abbreviated; as a rule at least two low-priced editions of a book are noted—one in cloth and one in paper; and the first note after an author's name is followed by the number of his works in the D.C. The plan of the annotations has been to give to each leading writer a general characterization of his place in literature and the dominant qualities of his work, and to follow this with short comment on his best books, bringing out, as far as possible, the key-note of each. The annotations are extremely interesting and written with spirit and color. Probably no critical estimate can be made that does not show some trace of the "personal equation," but setting aside questions of personal bias, the annotations to the present list will undoubtedly prove most suggestive. For librarians it will be useful as a comprehensive critical estimate of novels in the English language, and with the call-numbers written in should serve as an excellent finding-list. Considered as "advance sheets," it promises a complete catalog of representative literature of quite unusual interest and value. Bierstadt, O. A. The library of Robert Hoe a contribution to the history of bibliophilism in America; with 110 il. taken from ms. and books in the collection. N. Y., Duprat & Co., 1895. c. 10+224 p. O. net, $15. This beautiful volume is not only a most notable contribution to American bibliographical literature, but it is undoubtedly one of the most perfect examples of typography and bookmaking that has left the press of an American printer. From the simple binding of plain blue cloth to the choice of type and the use of creamy vellum paper, no detail has been slighted, while the artotype reproductions of the 110 illustrations taken from mss. and books in the collection are veritable gems. Mr. Hoe's collection is well worthy of such a presentation, and Mr. Bierstadt, who is assistant librarian of the Astor Library, has described it with enthusiasm and trained knowledge. The collection, which ranks as one of the most remarkable private libraries in the United States, comprises, at a rough estimate, about 15,000 volumes; of early mss. upon vellum and paper there is an unusually large number, and to these hundred or more varieties the first attention is given. The early typographers of Germany, Italy, France, Switzerland, the Low Countries and England are fully represented and the connection between the varying styles and methods is interestingly traced. Then follow full and interesting descriptions of the Books of Hours of the 15th century, the Aldines, Elzevirs, and the rare books of the Renaissance epoch, embellished with quaint and curious fac-simile illustrations, beautifully reproduced. English literature also occupies a prominent place in the library, and first editions abound. There are black-letter Chaucers, folio Shakespeares, Elizabethan dramatists and dramatists of the restoration, the masters of English thought and speech of the eighteenth century, and the great writers of the Victorian era. Much space is given to the description of notable bindings and the collection is rich in specimens of the best work of the great binders of ancient and modern times. Both as a bibliographical work and as an example of artistic bookmaking this volume will long remain the most important addition "to the history of bibliophilism in America," and to the study of the private libraries of New York. LARNED, Josephus Nelson. History for ready reference, from the best historians, biographers, and specialists. In five vols. Vol. 5- Tunnage to Zyp, and Supplement. Springfield, C. A. Nichols & Co., 1894. This volume concludes Mr. Larned's great historical compendium, and it is a fitting crown and finish to what is one of the most notable and useful recent works of reference. The 3935 closely printed, double-column pages of these five volumes cover an extent and variety of information that it is difficult to estimate. In the present volume 423 pages, or more than half of the entire space, is given to the United States. This division - which might be termed an independent history in itself contains seven maps, five of them devoted to the principal theatres of the civil war. The other topics to which considerable space has been given are Turks, 27 pages; Venice, 13 pages; and Virginia, 12 pages. The volume proper ends with the entry "Zyp, Battle of the," on page 3668, and the 200 pages following are devoted to the supplement. The contents of this appendix are best given in Mr. Larned's own words. He says: "This supplement contains: 1. Some passages translated from German and French writings, touching matters less competently treated in the body of the work, where the compilation is restricted to the literature of history in the English language,' either originally or in published translations. 2. Some postscripts on recent events, and some excerpts from recent books. 3. Treatment of some topics that were omitted from their places in the body of the work, either intentionally or by accident, and which it seems best to include. 4. Some cross-references needed to complete the subject-indexing of the work throughout. 5. A complete series of chronological tables, by centuries. 6. A series of dynastic genealogies, in a form different from the usual plan of their construction, and which, it is hoped, |