Aug. 31. 1850.] 



NOTES AND QUERIES. 



213 



SUGGESTIONS TOR CHEAP BOOKS OF REFEKENCE. 



Although your space is generally devoted to the 

 higher and more curious incjuiries respecting 

 antiquities and literature, I am sure you will not 

 grudge a little room for facilitating and improving 

 the means of popular inl'omiation and instruction. 



For every man, almost in any station in society, 

 I submit that the following works for reference are 

 indispensable, in tlie most convenient corner or 

 shelf of his library: — 1. A Biographical Diction- 

 ary. 2. A Gazetteer. 3. A Statistical or Com- 

 mercial Dictionary. With worlis of that descrip- 

 tion the public have been very indiiferently sup- 

 plied during the last thirty years : at least, at the 

 moderate prices calculated to bring tliem within 

 the reach of students in humbler life, forming the 

 great mass of readers. Mr. Constable, of Edin- 

 burgh, published in 1817 an abridged Gazetteer, 

 price 18a". ; but there has been no such work since. 

 Mr. A. K. Johnston's Geographical Dictionary^ at 

 36.9., lately publislied, supplies to a certain class of 

 reailers one of the works wanted. 



I bes to su22est a few observations for the ini- 

 provement of works of this description through 

 your valuable channel. 



I. I submit that none of the dictionaries of 

 reference now specified should be published with- 

 out promise of a periodical supplement every five 

 or seven years, containing later matter and in- 

 telligence. For example, how easily could this be 

 given in the case of a Biographical Dictionary! 

 Say that such a work has been published in 1830 

 (which, it is believed, is the date of Gorton's excel- 

 lent Biographical Jiictionary), the compiler of a 

 supplement has only to collect and arrange 

 monthly or annual obituaries of the common 

 magazines since 1830 to make a good and useful 

 supplemental volume. 



II. I would suggest to skilful authors and book- 

 sellers publishing Biographical Dictionaries to 

 follow the French and American custom of includ- 

 ing in them the more eminent contemporary living 

 cliaracters. That would add greatly to the use of 

 the book ; and the matter couhl easily be collected 

 from the current Books of i'eerage and Parlia- 

 mentary Companions, with aid from the numerous 

 magazines as to distinguished literary men. 



ill. The supplements for Gazetteers coulil be 

 easily compiled from the purliuinentary papers 

 and magazines of the day. I would rcler parti- 

 cidarly to the supplements pul)lishcd by Mr. 

 M'Culloch to his Commercial Dictionary as an 

 example to be followed ; while the conduct lately 

 adoi)ted in the new edition of Maunder's Biogra- 

 phical 7V6'«.i;M/7/shouI<l be avoided. The old edition 

 of that collection consisted of 839 pages, aiul it is be- 

 lieved it was slervdtyped. A new edition, or a new 

 issue, of tiie ol<l 1S31) pagt^s was l:it(;ly pulilislied, the 

 same as the original dictionary, with a supplement 



of 72 pages. That is not sold separately : so that tlie 

 holders of the old edition must purchase the wlnle 

 work a, second time in 18.50, at 10.?., to procure the 

 supplement. The jjublic should not encourage 

 such a style of publication. Any one might pub- 

 lish a suppl(?mental dictionary since 1836, which 

 would equally serve with the old edition. This 

 hint is particularly addressed to Mr. Charles 

 Knight. 



These hints are offered to the publishers and 

 encouragers oi pnpidar works for general readers, 

 at economical prices ; and tliey might be extended. 

 For example, dictionaries of medicine for family 

 use have great sale. Sometimes, it is believed, they 

 are stereotyped. Why should not later practice 

 and discoveries be published in a cheaper svpple- 

 7nent, to preserve the value of the original work ? 

 Thus, in my fiimily, I use the excellent Cyclopedia 

 of Popular Medicine published by Dr. Murray 

 in 184"2 ; but on looking into it for " Chloroform" 

 and " Cod Liver Oil," no such articles are to be 

 found, as they were not known in 1842. The skil- 

 ful will find many other omissions. 



IV. There might be a greater difficulty in con- 

 structing a popular conmiercial or statistical 

 dictionaiy, at a moderate price, to be supplied 

 with supplements at later intervals. But even as 

 to these, there is a good model in Waterston's 

 Small Dictionary of Commerce, published in 1844, 

 which, with a supplement, might aftord, for a few 

 shilling's, to give all the later information derived 

 from the free-trade measures and extension oi our 

 colonies. Waterston's original work is advertised 

 often for sale at \0s. or Vis., and a supplement at 

 3s. would bring it within the reach of the great 

 bulk of readers. 



These suggestions are offered witliout the slight- 

 est intention to depreciate or disparage the greater ' 

 and more elaborate works of Mr. M'Culloch, and 

 others who compile and ])ublish works wortliy of 

 reference, and standards of authority among men of j 

 highest science. No man who can affcjrd it would 

 ever be without the latest edition (without the i 

 aid of supplements) of large works ; but it is j 

 manifest that there has been a great neglect to 

 supply the mass of readers in ordinary circum- j 

 stances with books of common reference, at mode- 

 rate prices ; and I hope that some publishers of 

 enterprise and sagacity will see it to be their in- 

 terest to act on the advice now oll'ered. 



PuiLANTIIROPOS. 



Rin, WHY THE FIRST WOMAN FORMED FROM. 



Allow me to request a place i'or the follow- 

 ing curious and quaint exjiosition of the pro- 

 priety of tlie selection of the rih as the material <mt 

 of which our first mother Eve was formed; and 

 the ingenious illustration which it is made to idlbid 

 of the relation between wile and husband. 



