Bible, on Liturgiology, and on Biography are not excluded from the Index. A large proportion of the Biblical literature of the last twenty years will be found under such headings as Christianity, Jews, Prophecy, and others; works on Liturgies, under the Church of England, Eucharist, Liturgiology, and Prayer; while such biographies as serve to illustrate the history of a country, period, art or science have been carefully included. To give one or two examples, biographies of Napoleon I. will be found under the History of France; of Dante, under Italian Literature; of Shakespeare, under Drama; of Raphael, under Painting; of Wagner, under Music.

In the second place, many omissions are due to a limitation which must occur in every effort to classify literature, namely, the existence of a large number of books which deal with the "universe of thought," and of others which can only be classified under such generalizations as Belles-Lettres, Drama, Essays, Fiction, or Poetry. Such headings are necessary when the attempt is made to catalogue a Library on a classified basis, and their vagueness forms the strongest argument in favour of an alphabetical catalogue such as that of the Library of the British Museum as the main catalogue in which every book must be entered; if such a catalogue be supplemented by a subject index, a library is, in the editor's judgment, provided with all the necessary means of assisting the students who make use of it.

There are many books which, although they cannot be definitely classed as treating of a distinct subject, may be usefully included in a subject index as throwing side-lights upon the subject under which they are arranged: others -and these often in themselves books of the highest value-baffle any attempt to classify their contents. To give one or two instances: under what heading could such works as Carlyle's "Sartor Resartus," Jean Paul Richter's "Blumen- Frucht- und Dornenstücke," or Xavier de Maistre's "Voyage auteur de ma Chambre" be placed? Could the first be indexed under Tailoring, the second under Gardening, the third under Voyages? Or even supposing that an intelligent heading could be found for each of these books, would their inclusion in a subject index serve any useful purpose? This is perhaps a sufficient illustration of the reason why books which are practically unclassifiable are omitted, as are also novels, poems, plays, editions of the collected works of authors, and volumes of miscellaneous essays. The exclusion is absolute as regards the collected poems or separate poetical works of individual authors, although books containing poetical selections will be found under the heading Poetry: plays and novels, with the exception of a few used to illustrate history, are also excluded, the headings Drama and Fiction containing only historical and critical works on dramatic literature or works of fiction.

Classified Lists of imaginative literature would no doubt be useful to many students, but such Lists should certainly include the whole range of poetry, the drama and fiction, and not be confined to books published within a limited period.

In the case of essays and collected works the exclusion has been less rigid. Many essays of importance have been included, and in every case where the best version of a work is to be found in the author's complete works, reference has been made to it in preference to an inferior separately published edition.

The relation already described between this Index and the General Catalogue will also account for two further limitations. Had it stood alone, it would have been desirable to complete the work by adding an index of authors; but as all the names which would find a place there will be found in the General Catalogue, it has not been thought necessary to repeat them. It would also have been necessary, in cases where several editions of a book have appeared, to enumerate each separately, but as all can be found in the General Catalogue, it has been possible to save much space by the plan here adopted; that of referring to one edition only, usually the most recent, or, when this has been an abridged or inferior issue, to the best or most complete edition published since 1881.

The editor has had the efficient co-operation of several members of the staff of the Department of Printed Books in compiling the work. He desires especially to express his obligations to Messrs. A. W. Pollard, R. N. Bain, R. F. Sharp, R. A. Streatfeild, R. G. Proctor, and G. L. Calderon, all of whom have rendered valuable assistance both in the preparation of the work and in seeing it through the press.

G. K. FORTESCUE.

NOTE.

UNDER each country, or other geographical heading, subheadings will be found for works on the Antiquities, Army, Colonies, Constitution and Government, History, Law (general systems and codes), Navy, Politics, Social Life, Topography, Trade and Finance.

Although portions of the following subjects might have been treated as subheadings of each country, it has been found more convenient to group these portions under the general subject heading to which they belong: they will consequently be found under such headings, and not under the names of countries, towns or other geographical headings: Agriculture, Architecture, Art, Ballads, Biography, Birds, Botany, Capital and Labour, Drama, Education, Local Fauna (under Zoology), Flora (under Botany), Folk Lore, Forestry, Geology, Heraldry and Genealogy, Land Tenures, Law (Criminal, Commercial, Ecclesiastical, Maritime, Military and Naval), Law Reports, Minerals, Numismatics, Painting, Police, Railways, Sport, Succession and Probate and Typography.

Art Galleries, Exhibitions and Libraries have been grouped together under the headings "Exhibitions" and "Libraries," and have not been placed under the countries or towns in which they are situated. Private Collections of objects of Art will be found under the heading "Collections and Collectors."

In arranging the entries under each heading a chronological order has been followed whenever it has been possible, as under the history of each country, province or town; but when no such arrangement has been practicable, as in the case of works on an abstract science or other subject incapable of historical treatment, the entries have been arranged according to the date of publication, thus enabling the reader to see at a glance the more recent books on each of the subjects so treated.

Many abbreviations have been used throughout the work. Most of these are sufficiently intelligible, but the following may require explanation: