Bibliothekordnungen etc., neueste in und ausländische Litteratur, Anzeigen etc.

Zur Besorgung aller in nachstehenden Bibliographien verzeichneten Bücher empfehle ich mich unter Zusicherung schnellster und billigster Bedienung; denen welche mich direct mit resp. Bestellungen beehren, sichere ich die grössten Vortheile zu.

T. 0. Weigel in Leipzig.

Bibliothek-Ordnungen etc.

Report

of

the Assistant Secretary

of

the Smithsonian Institution

relative to

the library.

(Fortsetzung.)

With reference to the first class of books, namely: those needed by the authors and collaborators, it is, of course, impossible to do any thing more than to meet wants as they arise.

Of the second class of books, viz: those necessary to make the Institution a centre of bibliographical knowledge, I have the honor herewith to present a list selected with great care and the best counsel which I could command. This list contains about 3,000 volumes. The work of Namur, published in 1837, purporting to be a complete catalogue of bibliographical works, contains 10.236 titles. A complete bibliographical library would contain nearly 20,000 volumes. The 3,000 volumes of the list, now presented are not therefore to be considered as constituting a complete catalogue of books in this department, but merely as a selection of those most immediately important.

X. Jahrgang.

Every list of this kind should include not only works professedly bibliographical, but also histories of literature, of science, and of art, as well as many biographical and critical works.

It is impossible to estimate too highly the value of such a collection. In a large library these works are the guides to research, showing what to read, study, or consult. In the absence of such a library, they supply to some extent the deficiency by describing books in such a way as oftentimes to enable us to dispense with the books themselves. ')

And yet the importance of bibliographical studies is in this country but too little appreciated. In truth, the neglect of them is the most fruitful source of superficial, conceited, and rash authorship. On the continent of Europe, however, they are held in the highest esteem. This is doubtless one principal cause of the acknowledged superiority of the Germans in all matters requiring wide research.

Every student worthy of the name, when about to investigate

1) "In literature and science books are the tools, and it is impossible to under-estimate the use of a critical acquaintance with them except to those who underrate knowledge itself. Of every branch of the two great subdivisions of human learning, (viz: literature and science,) its history is a constituent part, absolutely necessary to all who would be competent to form iust opinions on its present state.

"The scientific societies are not very anxious to have in their libraries the rare books belonging to their several departments. For this, one reason is want of funds; but this might be overcome if it were not for another, namely, a general indifference among the members to exact and minute knowledge of the history of science. The peu nous importe au reste with which Delambre often dismisses a secondary point, of which a satisfactory settlement does not come readily to hand, had been readily agreed to by his critics and his readers. The consequence is, that any one who proceeds to examine closely the actual records of the progress of science, finds confusion upon confusion and mistake upon mistake in all matters whith are not of general interest.

"It is worthy of note how completely several of the best histories of branches of science are on a bibliographical basis, proceeding rather from book to book than from man to man. Such are those of Weidler, Delambre, and Kästner, for though the nominal arrangement of the first is by men in order of time, yet the men are only constituent parts of their own title pages.

"In literary history books are the main facts, and none but those who have tried it can tell how many difficulties are thrown in the way of an investigator who has truth for his object and permanent rules of evidence for his guide, by the misstatements which exist upon works which, however necessary it may be to know them, it may hardly be worth while to name The date, the author's christian name, the very size of a book may be the turning points of the proof of a fact. The inquirer cannot have all the books before him, of many he wants only the proper description, and being certain of this, he could almost dispense with any knowledge of the contents.

"But let the reader think what he pleases, the historian of science knows that he cannot do well without complete and correct bibliography.“ Dublin Review, September, 1846, Art. 1, on Mathematical Bibliography.

a subject, wishes to know first what has been done by others in the same field.

Now, on almost every important branch of learning some diligent scholar has collected from the whole domain of literature the books pertaining thereto, arranged them for convenience of reference, analyzed their contents, and described their absolute and relative merit, with their external peculiarities and history. He has thus giyen a bibliography of that branch of knowledge. Such a work should manifestly be the first to be taken up, and among the last to be laid down by any one who would intelligently study that subject. A collection of such works, pertaining to all departments of knowledge, ought to be the first purchase for every general library.

Yet there is no respectable collection of them in any of our public libraries. The best is, I believe, that of Brown University, which contains but a few hundred volumes. Without question, therefore, by procuring the books necessary for carrying out the plan of making the library a centre of bibliographical reference, we shall furnish one class of books most immediately important to American scholars, as well as one most needed in making judicious selections for the future, and in aiding other libraries in the country in their choice of books.

The selection here offered is intented to cover nearly the whole ground of bibliography, and is arranged under the following divisions:

1. Bibliothecae bibliographicaE, or catalogues of bibliographical works.

2. ELEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY, including treatises of the origin and progress of writing; of ancient manuscripts, their materials, form, ornaments, preservation, and the method of deciphering them; of printing, its history, and practice; of the arts of engraving, binding, paper-making, &c.; of the forms of books; of the rights of authors, publishers, and readers; of the book trade; of the use and abuse of books; of libraries, their history, statistics, selection, arrangement, preservation and use.

3. PRACTICAL BIBLIOGRAPHY. Works designed to be used in the selection aud purchase of books. These may be

(1.) Universal, comprising books in all languages, on all subjects, and of all periods.

(2.) Limited

a To particular countries or languages.
b To particular periods of time.

c To particular branches of knowledge.

d To works classed according to some accidental peculiarity, as rare, anonymous, pseudonymous, polyonomous works, books privately printed, books prohibited, books condemned to be burned, &c.

e To particular kinds of composition, as poetry, proverbs, &c.

Under most of these heads 'are comprised works of several kinds, viz: 1. The history of the subject; 2. The bibliography, properly so called, i. e. the catalogue raisonné of all books relating to it; 3. The biography of its cultivators; 4. The journals which contain the record of its progress. Thus, in the department of natural history, would be included Cuvier's Histoire des Sciences Naturelles, Engelmann's Bibliotheca Historico-naturalis, Callisen's Mediz. Schriftsteller-Lexicon, and the Annales des Sciences Naturelles; and inasmuch as neither of these is perfect of its kind, there must be many others of each description.

(Beschluss folgt.).

Uebersicht der nenesten Litteratur.

DEUTSCHLAND.

Abhandlungen der K. Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Berlin. Aus dem Jahre 1847. gr. 4. Berlin. n. 14 Tblr. Analekten f. die Geburtshülfe. Oder Sammlung der vorzüglichsten geburtshülfl. Abhandlungen, Monographien, Preisschriften u. Dissertationen d. In- u. Auslandes. Hrsg. v. Dr. Wilh. Heinr. Wittlinger. I. Bd. 2. Hft. gr. 8. Quedlinburg. (à Hft.) 1 Thlr. 15 Ngr. Archiv f. Kunde österreichischer Geschichts- Quellen. Hrsg. v. der zur Pflege vaterländ. Geschichte aufgestellten Commission der kaiserl. Akademie der Wissenschaften. Jahrg. 1849. H. Bd. 1. u. 2. Hft. Lex.-8. Wien. n. 15 Ngr.

Barth, Dr. Heinr., Wanderungen durch die Küstenländer d. Mittelmeeres, ausgeführt in den J. 1845, 1846 u. 1847. In 2 Bdn. 1. Bd. A. u. d T.: Wanderungen durch das Punische u. Kyreuäische Küstenland oder Magreb, Afrik'îa n. Bark’a. Mit 1 (lith. u. illum.) Karte. gr. 8. Berlin. n. 4 Thlr.

Becker, Prof. Wilh. Adph., Handbuch det römischen Alterthümer nach den Quellen bearb. Fortgesetzt v. Jacob Marquardt. Il. Thl. 3. Abth. gr. 8. Leipzig. 1 Thlr. 15 Ngr. Beiträge zur Rheinischen Naturgeschichte, hrsg. v. der Gesellschaft f. Beförderung der Naturwissenschaften zu Freiburg im Breisgau. 1. Jahrgang. 1. Hft. gr. 8. Freiburg im Br. n. 15 Ngr. Bibliothek der gesammten deutschen National-Literatur. (I. Abth.) 27. Bd. A. u. d. T.: Theophilus, der Faust d. Mittelalters. Schauspiel aus dem 14. Jahrh. In niederdeutscher Sprache. Erläutert u. hrsg. v. Ludw. Ellmüller. gr. 8. Quedlinburg. 20 Ngr.; Velinp. 25 Ngr. Bibra, Dr. Ernst v., chemische Fragmente üb. die Leber u. die Galle. gr. 8.. Braunschweig. n. 1 Thlr. 10 Ngr. Bickell, Joh. Wilh.. Geschichte d. Kirchenrechts. 1. Bd. 2. Lfg. Nach dem Tode des Verf. hrsg. v. Dr. Frdr. Wilh. Röstell. gr. 8. Frankfurt a. M. (a) 1 Thlr. 10 Ngr.

Dietl, Dr. Jos,, der Aderlass in der Lungenentzündung. Klinisch und physiologisch erörtert. Lex. 8. Wien. Dietrich, Dr. Dav.), Deutschlands Flora od. Beschreibung n. Abbil1 Thlr. dung der phanerogam. in Deutschland wildwachsenden u. daselbst im Freien cultivirten Pflanzen. Ein Taschenbuch auf botan. Excursionen. 2. Hft. 8. Jena, Flora universalis in color. Abbildungen. I. Abth. 75-79. Hft., (a) n. 1 Thlr. II. Abth. 116-140. Hft. u. III. Abth. 112-133. Hft. gr. Fol. Jena 1847-49. à Hft. n. 2 Thlr. 10 Ngr. Deutschlands kryptogam. Gewächse, oder Deutschlands Flora 7. Bd. Kryptogamie: Flechten. 8-12. Hft. Mit 100 color. Kpfrtaf. gr. 8. Ebd. à n. 2 Thlr. 15 Ngr. dasselhe. 7. Bd. Kryptogamie: Flechten. 13. Hft. Mit 5 color. Kpfrtaf. gr. 8. Ebd.

dasselbe. 8. Bd. Kryptogamie: Schwämme. 13. Hft. Mit 25 color. n. 1 Thlr. Kpfrtaf. gr. 8. Ebd. n. 2 Thlr. 15 Ngr.

gae.

dasselbe. 9. Bd. Kryptogamie: Schwämme. 4-10 Hft. Mit 175 color. Kpfrtaf. gr. 8. Ebd. à n. 2 Thlr. 15 Ngr. Du Bois-Reymond, Emil, Untersuchungen üb. thierische Elektricität. II. Bd. 1. Abth. Mit 4 Kpfrtaf. gr. 8. Berlin. Düring, Dr. Adph. Nicol. de, de sclerotitide et staphylomate. Dissern. 3 Thlr. 10 Ngr. tatio inauguralis. Cum tab. aenea coloribus illustrata. gr. 4. GottinEhrenberg, Prof. Dr. Chrn. Gottfr., Passat - Staub u. Blut - Regen ein n. 12 Ngr. grosses organisches unsichtbares Wirken u. Leben in der Atmosphäre. Mehrere Vorträge. Vorgetragen in der K. Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften zn Berlin vom 23. Mai 1844 bis 1849. [Abhandlungen der Akademie 1847.] Nebst 6 color. Kpfrtaf. gr. Fol. Berlin. Leipzig. n. 5 Thlr. 10 Ngr. Encyklopädie der medicinischen Wissenschaften. Methodisch bearb v. e. Vereine v. Aerzten unter Redaction des Dr. A. Moser. IV. Abth. (2. Bd.) A. 1. d. T.: Geschichte der Medicin, bearb. v. Dr. E. Morwitz. 2. Bd., enth.: Chronologisch - systemat. Zusammenstellung der medicin. Literatur. gr. 12. Leipzig. Enumeratio plantarum novarum a cl. (Alex.) Schrenk lectarum. (Aucton. 1 Thlr. 18 Ngr. ribus F. E. L. Fischer et C. A. Meyer.) 2 Fascc. gr. 8, Petropoli 1841. 42. (Lipsiae.) Fischer, F. E. L., et C. A. Meyer, Sertum Petropolitanum seu icones et n. 22 Ngr, descriptiones plantarum, quae in horto botanico imperiali Petropolitano floruerunt. [Mit d. Umschlagstitel: Jardin de St.-Pétersbourg.] Fasc. I. Imp.-Fol. Petropoli. (Lipsiae.) n. 4 Thlr.; color. n. 6 Thlr. Fricke, Prof. Dr. G. A., Lehrbuch der Kirchengeschichte. I. Thl.: Bis zum entscheidenden Uebergange der christl. Kirche an die german. Völker [im 8. Jahrhundert]. gr. 8. Leipzig. Gauss, Carl Frdr., Beiträge zur Theorie der algebraischen Gleichungen. 2 Thlr. [Ans d. 4. Bd. der Abhandlungen der K. Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen.] gr. 4. Göttingen. Goethe's Briefe an Leipziger Freunde. n. 15 Ngr. Hrsg. v. Otto Jahn. Mit 3 lith. Bildnissen. gr. 12. Leipzig. Gregorovius, Ferd., Göthe's Wilhelm Meister in seinen socialist. Ele2 Thlr, menten entwickelt. gr. 8. Königsberg. Greverus, Prof. J. P. E., Zur Würdigung, Erklärung u. Kritik der Idyllen Theokrit's nebst einigen ausführlicheren Abhandlungen über das Leben Theokrit's u. die Authentie seiner Werke, üb. das griech. Idyll, üb. das alte u. neue Syrakus, üb. die Knabenliebe der Alten u. A. 2. verm, u. verb. Aufl. gr. 8. Oldenburg 1850, Hand, Prof. Ferd., antiquae inscriptiones latinae. gr. 4. Jenae. n. 24 Ngr. Herrich-Schäffer, Dr. G. A. W., die wanzenartigen Insecten.

1 Thlr.

6 Ngr. IX. Bd.

1. Hft. Mit 6 ausgemalten (Kpfr.)-Taf. gr. 8. Nürnberg. (à) n. 25 Ngr.