Mis. No. 48. 55 



APPENDIX A. 



PROSPECTUS. 



BIBLIOGRAPHIA AMERICANA 



A Bibliographical Arcount of the Sources of Early American History; 

 comprising' a description of books relating to America^ printed prior to 

 the year 1700, and of all books printed in America from 1543 to ITOO, 

 together with notices of many of the more important unpublished manu- 

 scripts. 



Prepared by Henry Stevens, and published under the direction of the Smithsonian Institution at 



Washington. 



PLAN OF THE WORK. 



1. It will contain a descriptive list of all books relating to America, 

 and of all books printed in America, prior to the year 1700, which may be 

 found in the principal public and private libraries of Europe and America, 

 or which are described in other works; together with notices of many of 

 the more important unpublished manuscripts. 



2 The descriptions will be made, as far as possible, from an examina- 

 tion of the books themselves. If any be taken from other sources of in- 

 formation they will be distinguished by some peculiar mark. 



4. The titles, including the imprint or colophon, will in all cases be 

 given in full, word for word, and letter for letter. , 



4. The collation of each book will be given; that is, such a description 



as will indicate a perfect copy. . . i • u .i , Kot.^ 



5 The market value of the books, with the prices at which they have 

 been sold at public sales, will, whenever possible be given. 



6 Different editions and various translations of the principal works will 

 be diligently compared with each other, and their variations and relative 

 merits pointid out especially of such works as the CoUections ot Voyages 

 ^nd Travels by DeBry, Hulsius, Ramusius, Hakluyt, Purchas, Thevenot 

 e^c . the cor^^^^^^ P^'-^^ «f which will be compared, not only with 

 elch other^but^vlth \hl editions of the works from which they were 



^^rBSiic^p^^'n^'wrn-be appended when deemed necessary^ 

 coLnn'^ab' tracts of the contents of the works when the titles fa. o 



value of the works. , ^ , . . . -^ a mprici will comprise a full 

 from the year 1543 to 1700. 



