PREFACE.

THE Library collected by the Rev. Thomas Prince, and left by him in the charge of the Old South Church in Boston, as a public trust, has been wisely deposited by its custodians in the building of the Boston Public Library.

The trustees of the City Library have caused to be prepared a thorough catalogue of all the books thus committed to their care, and in due season will print it, uniform with their previous large catalogues. By their kindness, we have been able to use the type of their edition, and in consequence the titles are given from the transcripts made by the officials at the Library. In the present catalogue, the cross-references have been omitted, and the titles thus brought together have been numbered consecutively. The object has been to present to the reader a list of the books now remaining in the Prince collection, in form and style most convenient for examination and use in references. Owing to the difficulties involved in the mode of printing, it is possible that in a few cases a book has been entered under two titles and received two numbers; possibly a few unimportant titles may have been dropped accidentally. The preliminary pages of this catalogue contain a brief memoir of Thomas Prince, and the full titles of all his publications; as many of them are not now found in his library, we believe this list will be of special value to all interested in the bibliography of New England.