THE DICTIONARY OF NATIONAL BIOGRAPHY.* THE Dictionary of National Biography
is appearing in a new edition, of which the first volume (" Abbadie—Beadon ") is now before us. Of the merits of the work itself it is scarcely necessary to speak. Every one acknowledges that it is a great boon—the term is peculiarly appropriate—to students of English history and literature. The dimensions of the undertaking are impressive. More than thirty thousand notices, occupying about the same number of pages, make up an imposing total of twenty-four millions of words. And here comes in the difficulty which has somewhat interfered with the practical utility of Mr. George Smith's great enter- prise. What has been called the too common shallowness of the human purse, and, we may add, the too narrow dimensions of the human bookshelf, made it difficult to deal with a work which ran to sixty-six volumes, and was priced at the very moderate figure of £49 10s. net in cloth, and £66 net in half-morocco. It is to remove, as far as may be, this difficulty that the new edition is issued. The matter is to be the same; there will be no abridgment or omission, though some correction and .revision will be made. But it will be compressed into twenty-two volumes, and the price of these is to be £16 10s. and £23 2s. (net). (The original edition remains, we understand, on sale.) The work is really indispensable to the student, and every public library, not to speak of private purchasers, should be supplied with a copy. If well-to-do Englishmen could persuade themselves that a great book is as valuable a possession, whether to keep or tk, give away, as a Dresden cup or a seventeenth-century tankard, the financial side of these affairs would be more satisfactory. We cordially hope that the success of this new venture will be all that its merits entitle it to. We may take the opportunity of repeating in substance what we said some little time ago about a subsidiary volume, the " Index and Epitome." Every article of the original work is represented in this, the 'epitomising being done in a quite admirable way. No biographical dictionary, as far as we know, can be ranked with it. Let any one, for example, compare " Chalmers " with it, It will be found that at least half the names are missing ; and "Chalmers," it will be remembered, does not go beyond 1814. We shall hope to speak again of this truly national work while its volumes are being issued to the public.
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