Rare Books in Library 107 



THE LIBRARY* 

 Ralph W. Tower, Curator 



No one activity of the Library stands out in contrast to 

 another. The opening of foreign transportation has been 

 followed by an influx of periodicals and other literature dating 

 from 1914. The detail of perfecting the exchange files is one 

 which demands much care, and it will be only after some years 

 that the many lacunae can be filled. 



In a recent exhibition of the Long Expedition which the 

 Museum prepared, there was shown an original edition of 

 Peak's Report on the Mammals and Birds of the Wilkes 

 Exploring Expedition, 1848. It appears that this manuscript 

 not only possesses the body of the report intact but contains 

 the complete Introduction, which was suppressed in the 

 published report and which was supposed to have been lost. 

 In this copy there was also found an autograph letter from 

 Peale to Gambel which throws light on the exact date of 

 publication of the original volume, a date which has been 

 long in doubt. The Library thus possesses an unique in this 

 document done in the handwriting of Titian R. Peale. 



The Library added to its collections some 2,646 volumes, 



among which are many worthy of special notice. In addition 



to the accession of many volumes of foreign 

 Accessions ■ j- 1 1 • , i i i» m i 



periodicals whose receipt has been negligible 

 during the war, the year has seen the introduction of two 

 new series for which there had been a frequent demand — 

 The American Bee Journal, and Ymer the well known Swedish 

 anthropological serial. 



While gifts to the collections have been many and diversi- 

 fied, the following items were purchased from the funds 

 given to the Library by the late Anson W. Hard : 



* Under the Department of Books and Publications, 



