In the class of General Bibliographical Diction- ' ries we must also place the following work, though its limitation to Books in the learned and Eastern languages, renders it much less general in its plan than those we have described. It is entitled, A Bibliographical Dictionary, containing a Chrono logical Account, alphabetically arranged, of the most • curious and useful Books in all departments of Learn lag, published in Latin, Greek, Hebrew, Arabic, and other Eastern languages. It was published in 1808, in six volumes duodecimo, and the author, we believe, is Dr Adam Clarke. To the princi, pal works noticed in this Dictionary, there are added Biographical Notices and Criticisms ; 'but the author would have judged more wisely, had he included Books in the modern languages, instead of deviating so largely, and with such small preten sions to novelty, into the provinces of Biography and general Criticism. The Supplement, which lie pub lished in two duodecimo volumes in 1806, under the title of The Bibliographical Miscellany, contains, among other matters, an account of English trans lations of the Classics and Theological writers ; a list of the cities and towns where printing was established in the fifteenth century ; and a list of authors on Literary History and Bibliography.
Some writers have complained, particularly M. Camus, that these Bibliographical Dictionaries have • been too exclusively devoted to the indication of rare and curious Books ; and that they notice but few com paratively, of those whose value consists only in their utility. " Je voudrois," says he, " qu'on suppleilt ii ce damn ; et que, dans une Bibliographic formee sur un, non nouveau plan, on indiquilt quell; soot, re lativement a cheque genre de connoisetuice, les livres les plus instrucufs." a The Manuel of M. Brunet, we may observe, which was published subsequent to the period of this remark, contains the titles of a much greater number of useful Books, than are to be found noticed in any of the other General Bibliographical Dictionaries ; but it certainly does not, and indeed was not intended, to realize the idea of such a Dic tionary as was wished for by M. Camus.
It has sometimes also been alleged, that these Dictionaries, by pointing out so many curious Books, and rare Editions, have contributed greatly to the dif fusion of that singular species of disease called the Bi liliontania. We do not doubt that they may have help ed to do so ; but the truth is, that this disease has a much deeper root in the vanities of human nature, and is of much more ancient date, than some per Sons seem to imagine. It gave great offence to So crates and to Lucian ;t and its prevalence among his countrymen had called forth the animadversions of Gruyere, long before the popular work of De Bare gave such an acknowledged zest and pungency to the taste for amassing literary curiosities.
several times reprinted, and two Supplements have been added to it, one by Schott, published at Leipsic in 1775, and the other by Senkenberg, also published there in 1789, making in all four volumes folio. An immense number of Books are indicated in each of these Bibliothecee of Lipenius ; of all of which the plan is, to arrange the Books alphabetically accord ing to their subjects, each Bibliotheca having also an alphabetical table of the names of the authors whose works are arranged under the alphabet of • subjects. The Bibliotheca Juridica, owing to the corrections and additions which it has received, forms by much the most valuable part of this series. In regard to Jurisprudence, we may farther mention Bridgman's Legal Bibliography ; and the valuable work of M. Camus, entitled, Lettres sur la profession d'Avocat, et Bibliotheque choisi des Livres de Droit. There are some truly excellent Catalogues of Works in the Sciences, and in Natural History. Such are Dr Young's Catalogue of Works relating to Natural Philosophy and the Mechanical Arts, annexed to his Lectures on Natural Philosophy ; the Bibliotheca Mathematics of Murhard ; the Bibliographic Astro nomic's*. of La Lando; and the Catalogs: Bibliothe ca Historia' Naturalis JOSEPISI BANKS, by Dr Dry.
ander; which, though the tide seems to promise on ly the catalogue of a private Library, is snorted to furnish the most complete and best arranged view of Books in Natural History, ever published in any coun try. In the great department of History, there have been published various Bibliothecee some of them embracing the historical works of all ages and coun tries, and others, those only which relate to particu lar countries. The Bibliotheca Historica of Meusel, an immense work, consistingof above twenty volumes, and not yet completed, is of the former class. It in cludes Voyages and Travels; but of Books of this class, there is an excellent separate Catalogue in six volumes octavo, by M. Boucher de Laaicharderie ; published at Paris in 1808. We must observe, however, that this work would have been better ;tilted to le le gitimate ends of such a compilation, had the author confined himself to Bibliographical notices, and wholly refrained from those long extracts by which his Book has been so much enlarged. Of the classof Ballot/lee& applicable to the history of particular countries, the Bibliotheque Historique de la France, originally pub lished in 1719 in one volume folio, but in the last edition published between 1768 and 1778, extended to five volumes, is by far the most splendid and per fect example. It contains nearly fifty thousand ar ticles as well in Manuscript as Priated, methodically arranged under the different heads of French history to which they relate, and accompanied with a com plete set of indexes to authors and subjects.