and laborious research which utilized all accessible collections, in a field heretofore practically ignored, this list is a valuable contribution to the literature of American bibliography and to the record of American achievement in an art important to civilization. It would have formed a suitable publication of the Library. The depletion of the Library's allotment for printing prevented us from undertaking it last year; but it has now been issued at the expense of its author as a private publication. Mr. Sonneck recommends that a union list" (short title) of music and books on music, published or in manuscript before 1800, and still extant in America, be undertaken by the Library in cooperation with other institutions having collections.

A most important acquisition to the collection of prints Gifts was received by gift from the German Government, consisting of 761 facsimile reproductions of copper and wood engravings by the old masters, published under authority of the Government and by the Government press, and edited by Dr. F. Lippmann, director of the print cabinet of the Royal Museum at Berlin. A full list of these is given in Appendix IX. Preceding is a list of the Chal

a Includes 24 medals not included in "Total accessions."

cographie du Louvre, received two years ago, which represents a correspondingly interesting and instructive undertaking on the part of the French Government.

Interesting collections of photographs, representing industries, libraries, and universities (204 prints) in France were received from the Government of France and similar photographs (88 prints) from the Government of the Argentine Republic. They were formerly on exhibition at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition.

DIVISION OF An unusual addition is that of a collection of 80 sheets

PRINTS:

Purchases

Publications

of rubbings from Chinese monuments, collected by Mr. Bayley Willis, of the United States Geological Survey, while carrying on geological investigations in China.

The chief of the Division, Mr. Parsons, gave a valuable collection of 515 etchings, by Callot and Della Bella.

The purchases of prints during the year have been limited to the following collections, viz: (a) Two hundred Arundel Society prints; (b) 2,000 photographic portraits of celebrated Americans (taken from the Brady negatives); (c) a collection formed by Mr. William Eleroy Curtis, illustrative of the life and activities of Christopher Columbus. It includes among its 1,700 items, photographic views of the various places associated with Columbus, and various portraits.

The Gardiner Greene Hubbard Catalog, descriptive of the collection of prints presented to the Library of Congress, was published in April, 1905, in an edition of 500 handmade and 1,000 antique paper copies. The volume consists of 540 pages, with an etched portrait of Mr. Hubbard, his book plate, and ten reproductions of rare prints. The arrangement of the Catalog is as follows: Prefatory note, the gift, sketch of Gardiner Greene Hubbard, abbreviations and authorities, catalogue of engravers (alphabetically arranged), original drawings, index of engravers

(chronologically arranged by schools), index of artists, portrait index, list of authorities, additions and corrections.

The paper, type, and general form are excellent, making unquestionably the best piece of work the Government Printing Office has achieved. As the edition issued was a small one, the general distribution has been limited to museums, print collections, and libraries containing over 200,000 volumes. A few copies, however, are for sale by the Superintendent of Documents at cost, and up to July 1, 41 copies had been sold.

The prints, numbering 2,707, were received in portfolios from Mrs. Hubbard. They were classified alphabetically according to engravers and arranged under their proper schools. The prints were then identified and cards written, giving as many authentic references as possible. One great difficulty always experienced in a catalogue of this kind is the many forms of the same name. Modern research has done much to confuse collectors, and it is hard sometimes to decide which is the proper form. The evidence was very carefully sifted in each case, and the form was determined by the majority of authorities. Many of the experts have not accepted the latest discovery of a different spelling, and even, in some cases, a different name, for some comparatively well-known engraver.

In some cases, as Dürer and Ryn (Rembrandt), there are references to from five to eight authorities. Over 12,000 references to authorities are given in the Catalog.

When a print had the title, this was copied exactly; but when there was no indication of the subject, this was supplied from the best book of reference, and usually in French, this. being the diplomatic language of print textbooks. As the Catalog is intended particularly for insti tutions and collectors, translations were made only when

PRINTS:

Exhibitions

the description was in Latin, Russian, or other less familiar

languages.

The Catalog has received cordial recognition for its contents and enthusiastic praise for its form. The latter has contained a note of surprise that a publication so artistic should appear as a Goyernment "document." It might be expected from the Grolier Club, but scarcely from the Government Printing Office. Our own experience with the Government Printing Office proves that it welcomes opportunity to do superior work, and does it, upon proper specification. The Hubbard Catalog and the "Journals of the Continental Congress" would require no apology from the most expert of private printers.

DIVISION OF On account of the construction of the stack in the south curtain, the reading room of the Division was moved temporarily into the southwest pavilion, necessitating the removal of the cases containing the Dürer engravings into the main hall.

A collection of mezzotint portraits of celebrated men, women, and children of the sixteenth, seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries was exhibited in the westsouth gallery. It was made up from the prints lent by Mrs. T. Harrison Garrett and Mr. George Lothrop Bradley, and from the Gardiner Greene Hubbard collection. The prints number about 400, and give an interesting illustration of portraiture for the last four hundred years.

The Japanese prints and Chinese paintings have not been changed. An exhibition of books, maps, and newspapers relating to the Oregon question and settlement of the West and Northwest has been placed in the cases devoted to books in the west-north gallery.

An interesting feature is a large collection of pamphlets containing speeches delivered in Congress on the Oregon settlement. The most important were added to

the Library exhibit at the Lewis and Clark Exposition, at Portland, Oregon.

The competitive plans for the buildings of the George Washington University were lent to the Library for exhibition. They have attracted such considerable attention that similar exhibits may be continued as a regular feature.

PRINTS:

There were in attendance 4,964 readers, who used 9,835 DIVISION OF books, 6,183 periodicals, 239,533 stereoscopic views and Attendance and prints.

THE LAW LIBRARY

The present chief of the Law Division ("Custodian of the Law Library"), Dr. Scott, submits his first annual report. As it analyzes somewhat the character of the collections, suggests lines of appropriate development, and indicates changes in procedure and new apparatus necessary to more prompt and certain administration, I give it nearly in full in Appendix V, together with its appendices which include lists of recent notable accessions. The accessions during the year were as follows:

service

LAW LIBRARY:
Accessions

During the past twelve months the increase of current material through the Periodical Division has been greater than in any previous year. The number of new titles added to the serial record was 1,939, making the present