Samuel Hartlib, a little book entitled, "The Reformed Librarie Keeper, with a Supplement to the Reformed School, as Subordinate to Colleges in Universities. By John Durie. London, William Du-Gard, 1650."1 John Durie's ideas on the educational value of Libraries and the high function of the Librarian are similar to those enunciated by Carlyle, when he wrote, "The true University of these days is a Collection of Books." Of this point, as elaborated in the proposal to establish Professorships of Bibliography, we shall have something more to say further on. It is always interesting to see the views of great men exemplified in the selection of books for a Library, and we may with advantage study the lists prepared by George III. and Dr. Johnson. The King was a collector of the first rank, as is evidenced by his fine library, now in the British 1 Dr. Richard Garnett read an interesting paper on this book under the title of Librarianship in the Seventeenth Century, before the Library Association. See Library Chronicle, vol. i. p. 1 (1884). Museum, and he knew his books well. When he was about to visit Weymouth, he wrote to his bookseller for the following books to be supplied to him to form a closet library at that watering place. The list was written from memory, and it was printed by Dibdin in his Library Companion, from the original document in the King's own handwriting: The Holy Bible. 2 vols. 8vo. Cambridge. Elémens de l'Histoire de France, par Millot. 3 vols. 12mo. 1770. Siècle de Louis XIV., par Voltaire. 12mo. Siècle de Louis XV., par Voltaire. 12mo. Commentaries on the Laws of England, by Sir William Blackstone. 4 vols. 8vo. Newest Edition. The Justice of the Peace and Parish Officer, by R. Burn. 4 vols. 8vo. An Abridgement of Samuel Johnson's Dictionary. 2 vols. 8vo. Dictionnaire François et Anglois, par M. A. Boyer. 8vo. The Works of the English Poets, by Sam. A Collection of Poems, by Dodsley, Pearch, 12mo. The Works of Sir William Temple. 4 vols. 8vo. The Works of Jonathan Swift. 24 vols. 12mo. Dr. Johnson recommended the following list of books to the Rev. Mr. Astle, of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, as a good working collection: Rollin's Ancient History. Universal History (Ancient). Puffendorf's Introduction to History. Vertot's History of the Knights of Malta. Vertot's Revolutions of Portugal. Vertot's Revolutions of Sweden. Carte's History of England. Present State of England. Nelson's Feasts and Fasts. Duty of Man. Gentleman's Religion. Clarendon's History. Watts's Improvement of the Mind. Watts's Logick. Nature Displayed. Lowth's English Grammar. Blackwall on the Classicks. Sherlock's Sermons. Burnet's Life of Hale. Dupin's History of the Church. Shuckford's Connection. Law's Serious Call. Walton's Complete Angler. Sandys's Travels. Sprat's History of the Royal Society. England's Gazetteer. Goldsmith's Roman History. Some Commentaries on the Bible. It is curious to notice in both these lists how of the books are now quite superseded. many In another place Boswell tells us what were Johnson's views on book collecting. "When I mentioned that I had seen in the King's Library sixty-three editions of my favourite Thomas à Kempis, amongst which it was in eight languages, Latin, German, French, Italian, Spanish, English, Arabick, and Armenian, he said he thought it unnecessary to collect many editions of a book, which were all the same, except as to the paper and print; he would have the original, and all the translations, and all the editions which had any variations in the text. approved of the famous collection of editions of Horace by Douglas, mentioned by Pope, who is said to have had a closet filled with them; and he said every man should try to collect one book in that manner, and present it to a Publick Library." He Dr. Johnson's notion as to the collection of editions which are alike except in the point of paper is scarcely sound, but it has been held by a librarian of the present day, as I know to my cost. On one occasion I was anxious to see several copies of the |