THIS second part of the Bibliotheca Grenvilliana was commenced in the year 1843, but was discontinued after fifty six pages were printed. The Trustees of the British Museum having resolved to finish the Catalogue, in order that the literary value of the whole of this noble bequest should be made public and also in accordance with the known wish of Mr. Grenville, we, at their request, completed the task. Since the Publication of the first part in 1842, Mr. Grenville added to his collection many articles of great value and rarity, which, had he previously possessed them, would have been inserted in those volumes, the object of which was to give notices of his rarer books they will now add to the interest of this volume. The list of Addenda is longer than it would otherwise have been, in consequence of acquisitions made since 1843. Those who are conversant with making alphabetical catalogues of large libraries will readily pardon the occasional erroneous entry of a book, an error which the progress of the printing discloses, and will only allow to be corrected by an insertion in the Addenda. 4 In order to render the whole catalogue more useful the Addenda of the first part is incorporated in the body of this; and the Publications of Clubs and Societies, noticed in the Preface, are now given in detail, arranged in the chronological order in which they made their appearance. An Index, upon the same plan as that in the first part, closes the Volume. We cannot conclude better, than by adopting the last paragraph in Mr. Panizzi's report made to the Trustees in March last. During his lifetime, Mr. Grenville's Library was most liberally rendered accessible to any person, however humble his condition in life, who could shew the least reason for asking the loan of any of his precious volumes. By bequeathing the whole to the Country, Mr. Grenville has secured to literary men, even after his death, that assistance, so far as relates to the use of his books, which he so generously bestowed on them in every way during his long and dignified career-the career of a man of high birth, distinguished for uniting to a powerful and cultivated intellect a warm and benevolent heart." Pall Mall, ABBREVIATIONS USED IN THE CATALOGUE. S. a. Sine anno. S. 1. Sine loco. S. 1. et a. Sine loco et anno. S. I. a. et typ. n. Sine loco, anno et typographi nomine. Bl. L. Black letter. F. P. Fine or Vellum Paper. L. P. Large Paper. B. M. Blue morocco. G. M. Green morocco. R. M. Red morocco. Y. M. Yellow morocco. |