The works we have just may fairly be set down as indispensable to every Bibliographical Collection. But they have a value, we think, inde pendent of the assistance which they afford the Bi bliographer, in his examination of the early pro. ductions of the Press ; they are also calculated to interest the Philosopher as curious registers of the extent and objects of intellectual industry, during a period when the human mind began to be acted upon by new impulses, and to receive the seeds of re• volutions destined to change the whole aspect of the intellectual world.
Rareness is a circumstance which must, generally speaking, confersome degree of value upon Books; and it is, therefore, one of the objects of Bibliography t6 indicate those Books which, in a greater or less de gree, come under this category. A passion for col. letting Books, merely because they are rare, without inquiry as to any literary purpose they may be cal• cnlated to serve, is, no doubt, a very foolish habitude g but it is just as foolish, on the other hand, to ridicule all solicitude about Books of this description ; for this implies that every valuable Book is common; a no. tion which no one can entertain who has ever had occasion to follow out any particular line of literary research, to decide upon any fact involved in doubt or in controversy, or to speculate upon the pro gress of knowledge either in the Sciences or the Arts; With regard to the Bibliographical compi lations appropriated to the description of Books of this class, it may be observed of most, if not all of them, that they have applied the epithet rare much too vaguely and lavishly. It must, indeed, in a mul titude of cases, be exceedingly difficult to speak with precision on this point ; so difficult as to ren der it impossible, we apprehend, to compile a work of this kind, which shall not frequently mislead those who consult it.
David Clement, the author of a very learned wotit of this class, which we shall immediately notice, as signs the following, as the different degrees in Books may be said to be rare. A Book, which it is difficult to find in the country where it is sought, ought to be called, simply, rare. A Book, which it is difficult to find in any country, may be called vers rare. A Book, of which there are only fifty or sixty copies existing, or which appears as seldom as if there never had been more at any time than that number of copies, ranks as extremely rare; and when the whole number of copies does not exceed ten, this constitutes excessive rarity, or rarity in the highest degree. This classification of the degrees of
rareness is copied from Clement, by all subsequent Bibliographical writers in this department. It is abundantly obvious, that the justness of the appli. cation of these classifications to particular Books, must entirely depend on the extent and precision of the knowledge with which they are used.
We cannot in this department, any more than in the others embraced in this indicate any but the most prominent and useful Books belong ing to it. The following, in this view, are par. titularly worthy of attention : 1. Beyeri, Memorise Historico-criticce Librorum rariorum, 1734, 8vo. 2. Vogt, Catalogus historico-criticus Librorum rari orum, 1732, 8vo. The last and best edition was published in 1793. In this work, the epithet rare is applied with more judgment and knowledge than in most others of the same class. 8. Gerdesii, Flori kgiumhistorko-criticum Librorumrariorum ; firstpub lished in 1740, and again in 1763, in 8vo. It was partly intended as a Supplement to the preceding work by Vogt, and, therefore, notices only those books which are not included in his Catalogue. 4. Bibliotheque curieuse,ou Catalogue raisonne des Livres Tares ; par D. Clement. 1750-60. This work, to which we have before alluded, is compiled upon a more extensive plan than any of the preceding; for, though consisting of nine volumes quarto, it comes down no farther than to the letter H in the alphabe tical arrangement of names ; terminating here in consequence of the death of the Author. Clement is generally blamed, and with justice, for a very pro fuse and inaccurate application of his own nomencla ture of rarity ; his notes, too, are crammed with cita tions, and tediously minute; but, on the other hand, it must be allowed, that they contain many curious pieces of Literary History ; and it has, upon the whole, been matter of regret to Bibliographers, that the work, voluminous as it must have proved, was not completed. 5. Bibliotheca Librorum rariorum universalis. Auctore Jo. Jac. Bawer ; 7 vols. 8vo, 1770-91. This, we believe, is the latest publica tion of its class. It contains only the titles of Books without any further notices ; and this being the case, it must be evident, that seven volumes could scarcely be occupied with titles of Books justly called rare.