PREFACE. 



LTHOUGH there is no doubt that an enormous 

 amount of time is lost by those who wish to 

 write upon any given subject in searching for 

 their materials, and although it is quite certain that 

 in many cases the wrong books are looked over, and the 

 right books overlooked, simply because it is impossible 

 to know what has been written on the subject, yet, among 

 the many branches of literature, there is perhaps none so 

 much neglected, or when accomplished so lightly esteemed 

 by the general public, as that dealing with bibliography and 

 the cataloguing and indexing of works already in existence. 



To those however engaged in any literary work of a 

 responsible character, to students, authors, and librarians, 

 the value of works of reference of this class is manifest and 

 incontestable, as being in a manner the tools with which 

 they work. To these a general subject index has long 

 been felt to be a crying want, a want that is impossible to 

 be supplied by any one worker. 



