PREFACE. exhaust such a library! How important is it, then, to know what to read! And how shall this knowledge be obtained? Now let us revert to our opening remarks upon the value of a dictionary of words. If there be such an advantage in full definition, in alphabetical arrangement, and consequent facility of reference, why should we not have a dictionary of books and authors as well as of words? Suppose that THE importance and value of a dictionary of a lan- | 100 volumes a year, it would require 500 years to guage are understood and appreciated by all. If I find a word in a book, or hear a word used by another, which I do not fully comprehend, I have nothing to do but refer to my dictionary, where all the needful information is before me. I have now increased my stock of knowledge, and can use the word myself in speaking or writing, and comprehend it when used by others. Another link is added to those ties which | bind me to society; my capacity for giving and re- | I wish to know whether Hume or Lingard's History ceiving valuable information and innocent pleasure is enlarged. It is now natural for me to reason with myself, that if the knowledge of only one new term of thought be so desirable, because so useful, how would my usefulness and happiness be increased by larger additions to my stock of mental wealth! A life spent in the acquisition of knowledge, surely would be a happy life! But few men can so devote their whole time, and if this were practicable, life is too short for any one man to possess himself of all the secrets of nature, the discoveries of science, and the triumphs of art. I cannot at the same time, gaze with the astronomer, explore with the voyager, calculate with the mathematician, and experiment with the philosopher. But it occurs to me that there is a mode in which I may, to a large extent, avail myself of the results of the labours of others. These have been given to mankind through the medium of the press. I can, therefore, devote my leisure time to such profitable reading as shall make me acquainted with much of which I must otherwise be ignorant. Reading is that art by which I am enabled to avail myself of the recorded wisdom of mankind. But here a practical difficulty suggests itself. The multiplicity of books, even in my own language, renders a careful selection absolutely indispensable. It has been computed that of the 650,000 (?) volumes in the English language, about 50,000 would repay a perusal! Suppose a person to read 100 pages a day, or of England, or Spenser's Poems, or Burke's Speeches, or Thomson's Seasons, are desirable works for my school, my library, my parlour table;—or suppose I wish to know the personal history of these authorsof Hume, Lingard, Burke, Thomson-what trouble I shall have in obtaining the desired information! But if I had a Dictionary of Literary History and Biography, I have nothing to do but turn to H, or L, or B, or T, and I am at once in possession of what I seek. But is there any such work to be had? It is a remarkable fact that, notwithstanding the obvious advantages of such a work, there was none such in print before the present publication. There were, indeed, meagre "Compendiums of English Literature," and "Comprehensive Cyclopædias,” the largest of which (with the exception of a book of titles of works) contains about 850 out of more than 30,000 authors! Much of such knowledge, too, is found scattered here and there in expensive biographical compilations, which can never become popular, because very costly, and are, indeed, insufficient authorities in literary history. Deeply lamenting this serious deficiency in the English Republic of Letters, the compiler determined to undertake the preparation of the long-desired work, and he now has the pleasure of presenting to the public the results of labours extending over a long period, and pursued with unwearied zeal, in "A CRITICAL DICTIONARY OF ENGLISH LITERATURE and 8 ་ BRITISH AND AMERICAN AUTHORS, LIVING AND DECEASED, FROM THE EARLIEST ACCOUNTS TO THE MIDDLE OF THE 19TH CENTURY." the King of England; in modern times, by Lord Brougham, Lord John Russell, Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Macaulay, and many others. Now, such criticisms The principal features of the work are the follow- and commendations, invaluable as they are, are floating: ing about in books and pamphlets, often difficult to 1. It is arranged in alphabetical order, to insure procure, and troublesome to examine. In the prefacility of reference. 2. While professing to chronicle only British and American authors, in our College of Letters, we have sometimes overlooked the question of nativity, and enrolled a writer whose insignia of literary nobility could properly be quartered on an English field. That, indeed, would be a prodigal parsimony which should exclude from the national coffers of intellectual wealth, the superscriptions of Anselm, Lanfranc, Benoit De Sainte-Maur, and Peter of Blois. 3. As a general rule, a succinct biography is given of each author of note. The length of such notice, of course, depends upon his prominence as an individual, and his rank as an author. Those of the first class, such as, Addison Anselm, Ascham, Bacon, Burke, Byron, Bryant, Chaucer, Chillingworth, Clarendon, Cowper, Davy, Dryden, Dwight, Edwards, Everett, Franklin, Gildas, Gibbon, Hallam, Hall, Henry, Irving, Johnson, Laud, Leighton, Locke, Milton, More, Newton, Otway, Paley, Pope, Prescott, Robertson, Roscoe, Savage, Spenser, Shakspeare, Sherlock, Southey, Sparks, Taylor, Thomson, Tyn-| dale, Usher, Vanbrugh, Wace, Warburton, Walpole, Watts, Waterland, Wood, Young, and SEVERAL THOUSAND OTHERS, are treated at considerable length. Less space is devoted to those less distinguished. The number of authors whose works are noticed is about 30,000, a far greater number of English writers than has ever before been brought together in any work, or indeed in all previous publications. sent work they will be found, in the whole or in part, arranged in a few pages under the name of Burke. Such an article alone is well worth the price of the whole book. When Mr. BRYANT was a youthful poet his effusions were most favourably noticed by that first class authority, the LONDON RETROSPECTIVE REVIEW, as well as by other periodicals and critics. Some years later, CHRISTOPHER NORTH and WASHINGTON IRVING (then in London) displayed their good taste by warmly applauding the "thoughts that breathe and words that burn" of the great American bard. In the present work the reader has only to turn to the name of BRYANT, to find an account of these and other interesting facts connected with Mr. B.'s poetical career. So a reference to the name of WASHINGTON IRVING will place him in possession of the prominent events connected with the life of this distinguished ornament of English literature. like manner are noticed the works and lives of the principal living (as well as deceased) British authors: -HALLAM, BROUGHAM, MACAULAY, DICKENS, BULWER LYTTON, &c. 4. The most valuable feature of the work is now to be mentioned. Compilers of manuals of literature have almost universally fallen into the great error of giving their own opinions, almost exclusively, upon | the merits or demerits of the authors under consideration. Now, these opinions may be valuable or not: the public generally neither ask nor care what their views may be. This capital error is avoided in the present work. The compiler occasionally ventures an opinion of his own, but this will be merely supplemental to opinions better known and more highly appreciated by the reading public. As a carefully prepared RECORD OF THE OPINIONS OF GREAT MEN upon great men, this work will prove an invaluable guide to the student of literary history. For instance, able criticisms upon the speeches and literary productions of EDMUND BURKE have been written or spoken by such men as M. Cazalés, Charles James Fox, Sir James Mackintosh, Dr. Johnson, Curran, Wilberforce, the Duke de Levis, Gerard Hamilton, Dr. French Laurence, Lord Eldon, Dr. Parr, Robert Hall, the Emperor of Germany, the Princes of France, In 5. The laudable curiosity of the bibliomaniac, or lover of rare works, is not forgotten in this volume. Occasional notices are given of "The small, rare volume, black with tarnished gold." (Ferriar's "Bibliomania," p. 11: Epistle to Richard Heber, Esq.) whilst the early ROXBURGHE FESTIVALS. the tournaments at Leigh and Sotheby's, and the triumphs of DIBDIN, HEBER, and THORPE, claim respectful remembrance. 6. The second division of this work consists of a copious index of subjects, so that the inquirer can FIND AT A GLance all the authors of any NOTE IN THE LANGUAGE, ARRANGED UNDER THE SUBJECT OR SUBJECTS UPON WHICH THEY HAVE WRITTEN. Under AGRICULTURE, the farmer will find authors' names alphabetically arranged; and by turning to each one, can see the title or titles of his work or works, and probably an estimate of the value of his labours. So in ANTIQUITIES, CHEMISTRY, DIVINITY, DRAMA, Law, POLITICAL ECONOMY, BIOGRAPHY, &c. This arrangement, the compiler considers, will confer an inestimable value upon the work. He thus presents to the public, in one volume, a COMPREHENSIVE MANUAL OF ENGLISH LITERATURE-authors and subjects—a MANUAL WHICH IS TO THE LITERATURE OF THE LANGUAGE WHAT AN ORDINARY DICTIONARY IS TO THE WORDs of the language. 7. The value of the work can be best seen by a comparison with other works of a somewhat similar character. 1. THE BIOGRAPHIA BRITANNICA (complete), in 7 folio volumes, comes down to a no later period than 1766; 5 volumes of a new edition were published, 1778-93, extending to letter E, and part of F. The number of authors noticed is few, and, of course, it excludes all those who have died within the last sixty-two years, and all recent discoveries in literary biography. These twelve bulky volumes, which are now rarely to be met with, are worth about $35 to $40. 8 2. CHALMERS'S BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, 32 vols. 1812-17, contains in all less than 9000 names, of which perhaps 2500 are those of British authors; it is sold at from $45 to $55. It contains no author who has died within about forty years. Our work gives 25,000 to 30,000 names of British and American authors (including the living) to the present time. 3. WATT'S BIBLIOTHECA BRITANNICA, 1824, 4 vols., 4to., like the other works named above, is a very valuable compilation. It contains the names of about 22,500 British, and perhaps 100 to 200 early American, authors. Of biographical notices it is almost destitute; in many cases giving a line where our work gives a column. It sells for $40 to $50. 4. LOWNDES'S BIBLIOGRAPHER'S MANUAL, 1824, 4 vols., 8vo., gives no biography of consequence, few modern names, and very meagre critical notices, where any at all are presented. It is but little more than a catalogue of titles, though a work of much value to a bibliographer. It meets with a rapid sale at $24 to $28, and is now very scarce. 5. THE NEW BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, (Rose's) 12 vols., 8vo., 1848, contains about 3700 names of British and American authors, excluding all living. It sells for $30 to $40. 6. CHAMBERS'S CYCLOPEDIA OF ENGLISH LITERATURE is a most valuable work, and should be in all libraries; but as a map of English literature it is very defective, though from no fault of the intelligent editor, Mr. Robert Chambers. He designed to give specimens of the works of a few authors, rather than a history of British and American authors and literature. The bulk of his work is made up of extracts from the few authors noticed. Of these there are 832 only, WHO Are all included in our own woRK, AND SOME 25,000 To 30,000 IN ADDITION! Not only have we all of the British authors noticed by CHAMBERS, but all included in WATT'S BIBLIOTHECA BRITANNICA, in LOWNDES'S BIBLIOGRAPHER'S MANUAL, in ROSE'S BIOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY, 1848, 12 vols., 8vo., CLEVELAND'S COMPENDIUMS OF ENGLISH LITE RATURE, &c.; all of the American authors to be found in R. W. Griswold's compilations, in Allen's American Biographical Dictionary, and many more, both British and American, never before included in a work of this kind. If it be asked, how is it possible for us to have compressed so vast a quantity of information into one volume, we answer that, though we give only one volume, yet this contains the matter of more than thirty ordinary 12mo. volumes of 350 pages each. It is needless to enlarge upon the superior convenience for reference which one large volume possesses over a number of smaller ones. We shall now proceed to show the weighty claims which our work presents to the attention of the members of the various professions, and the public generally. 1. The CLERGYMAN will find it an invaluable guide in his professional duties. How often is he at a loss to know what books to refer to, when pursuing some interesting and useful branch of study! We are bold to say that there is no work in the language, with the exception of this volume, which will answer his purpose. HORNE'S INTRODUCTION, and ORME'S BIBLIOTHECA BIBLICA, treat of works which relate to the Scriptures, only. WILLIAMS'S CHRISTIAN PREACHER, and BICKERSTETH'S CHRISTIAN STUDENT, and some other manuals of a similar character, are very defective in bibliography, and so partial to those who agree, and (unintentionally) unjust to others who disagree, with the peculiar views of the compilers, that the advocate is apparent, where the judge alone should be heard. Now our work contains almost, if not quite, all of the critical notices included in these works, and many others of a different complexion. The clergyman has only to turn to the class headed "DIVINITY," ," and the theological treasures of the English language are laid open to his view. By such guidance, instead of purchasing his books at random, and diminishing his means by the cost of works, which he finds, on examination, unsuited to his purpose, he can at once lay his hands upon exactly what he needs. If he wish to add to his library works of a miscellaneous character, he can consult this everpresent, well-informed friend at his elbow, who will indicate those works which are suitable, and those which are unsuitable, for his library shelves and parlour table. 66 2. The LAWYER will find in our work copious notices of books in his profession, from ARCHBold to VINER. The article LAW," in the Index, will enable him to discover at once the title and date of, and frequently valuable critical opinions from the highest authorities upon, the legal treatise which is to enable him to study intelligently the important case, the management of which is, perhaps, to make or mar his professional reputation. 3. The DOCTOR OF MEDICINE is often at a loss to lay his hands upon a treatise which will enable him to master the diagnosis of some disease, which has baffled his skill, or must be explained to his class. He has no medical bibliographer to consult; or he may hesitate to admit ignorance in quarters where professional rivalry may not always keep the secret. Our Library of English Literature is on his shelf, is consulted, has relieved him from his difficulty, and he commends the wisdom of the profitable purchase. Abernethy's Digestive Organs, Mede's Pestilential Con- | tagion, or Watt's Consumption, soon smiles grimly in his library; the patient is soon well enough to laugh at his doctor, the medical students are dismissed, "wiser," if not "better, men," and our Esculapius walks forth, the admiration of his fellow citizens, as a marvel of erudition. 4. In like manner, the MERCHANT who desires to be acquainted with the literature of his profession, and the ARTIST who is looking for the best manuals of his calling, or the biographies of those who have graven their names with the chisel upon the eloquent marble, or stamped their fame upon the glowing colours of the speaking canvass, has here a sure resource. 5. The AGRICULTURIST can learn the most recent improvements in the treatment of lands, and provide himself with those stimulants to production, without which, no farmer can now compete with his intelligent neighbour. 6. And let not the WORKING MAN say to such a manual as ours, "I have no need of thee. I am no scholar, and have no time to read, even if I felt the desire. I do, indeed, sometimes lament my ignorance and inability to understand much of what I read in the papers, but it is too late for me to learn." A plea of this kind confutes itself. Our MECHANIC admits that he is often mortified at his ignorance. Why then should he voluntarily remain in ignorance? As to the alleged "want of time," this is altogether an error. The excuse may be valid in one case in ten thousand: as the odds are so great, we feel justified in never admitting its validity. We will venture to assert that, almost without an exception, every man, woman, and child, who complains of want of time for the discharge of neglected duties, can find time enough when inclination becomes the manager. In the busiest season, will not time be found for that amusement, that recreation, which may be ardently desired by the one who complains of being so much burdened? We say to the working man or woman, apprentice, boy, or girl, determine to improve your mind, to add to your stock of knowledge, and you will find time enough. In time, as in money, it is neglect of the fragments which consumes the store. Who could not, if so disposed, save for reading one hour per day? Not, perhaps, in one term, but a few minutes here and there, until the aggregate should amount to the time supposed. If the working day be ten hours in length, we have the following result: One hour per day is, in a year, three hundred and sixty-five hours-thirty-six days and a half-that is, about five weeks in a year. Does not this surprise you? How much knowledge you will be possessed of next year, if you devote five weeks to its acquisition this year! In ten years you will, at the same rate, have devoted one year to reading. Here is time enough in which to learn two languages, or to read through more than one hundred volumes!* If you say that one hour is too much time per day to assume as a basis, then take half an hour, or a quarter, or five minutes only, and you will see that it is still worth saving. Be assured that the position you hold among your neighbours, your respectability, your usefulness, is mainly dependent upon the amount of knowledge you possess. If you, honest shoemaker, or carpenter, can tell your group of neighbours who Franklin was, what Burke was distinguished for, why Shakspeare is so much admired, in what year Washington was born and when he died-if you can tell them about such things, when you meet with the names of these or other men in the village newspaper, every one of your neighbours will respect you the more for your knowledge. If you, apprentice boy-you, young maiden-can inform your parents of the philanthropic labours of a Wilberforce and a Howard, of the eloquence of a Henry, a Chatham, or a Clay, of the discoveries of a Davy, or a Fulton, or a Newton, be sure your knowledge will "not fall to the ground." What, indeed, intellectually considered, distinguishes a man from a brute, but education? Before the genius of such men as Edmund Burke and John Milton, the world has bowed in heartfelt deference; but had Burke and Milton been without educationhad they been North American Indians, for instance, what would their genius have done for them? It might have enabled them to make a better canoe, or scalp more enemies, or construct handsomer wigwams, than their fellows; but if transplanted into civilized life, they would, in usefulness to society, have been many degrees inferior to the youth in the public school. Such is the importance of knowledge, which is truly "power!" Therefore, delay not to acquire so inestimable a treasure! A recent illustration of the pecuniary advantages of knowledge, may properly conclude this portion of our subject. An operative in a cotton factory subscribed three dollars a year for a magazine. In this periodical he found the designs of some patterns for goods. He thought he could copy them-did sowas eminently successful, and found that his three dollars was a most profitable investment. Had he said to the proffered magazine, as we have imagined the working man to say to our manual, "I have no need of thee," what a mistake he would have made! 7. The individual who follows no particular pur suit, will find a work most useful, which will enable him to pass his hours of retirement in entertaining improvement, and to maintain social intercourse with credit and esteem. How often are the ignorant obliged to sit by in stupid silence, whilst those better informed are discussing the merits of English and American authors, of former or present days! How many there are who |