NATURE 540 [OCTOBER 21, 1922 



Our Bookshelf. 



Catalogue of the Books, Manuscripts, Maps, and Drawings 

 in the British Museum (Natural History). Vol. 6. 

 Supplement: A-I. Pp. iv + 5u + 48. (London: 

 British Museum (Natural History), 1922.) 2l. 155. 



THE Library of the British Museum of Natural History 

 is probably one of the most complete, and certainly one 

 of the most important, libraries of works on natural 

 history in the world. The publication of a catalogue 

 of its contents has been of immense service to scientific 

 workers, who find in it a valuable guide to the literature 

 of their subject and a wealth of bibliographical detail 

 which is of the greatest value in settling vexed questions 

 of priority and ensuring accuracy of reference. The 

 first half of the supplement to the main catalogue has 



now been issued and serves to give some idea of the 

 natural growth of this splendid library. Like the pre- 

 ceding volumes, it has been prepared by Mr. B. B. 

 Woodward with the same meticulous care and accuracy, 

 and includes as before the results of much biblio- 

 graphical research by the author and Mr. C. D. Sher- 

 born. The 48 pages of " Addenda and Corrigenda " to 

 the main catalogue consist almost entirely of additional 

 bibliographical information which has accumulated 

 since the catalogue was published. 



The expenditure of public money on the publication 

 of a catalogue of this kind is more than justified by its 

 extreme value and usefulness, though it is a pity that 

 so valuable a work as this supplement should have 

 been sent out in a paper cover. For its own value and 

 for the sake of uniformity it is worth a binding similar 

 to its predecessors. Scientific workers are grateful to 

 Mr. Woodward and to the trustees of the British 

 Museum for having made the resources of their library 

 known in this readily accessible form. 



