aim of the Association and a delay ensued, which may be the cause of my project arriving too late. Please excuse that delay, and rest assured that if my work can be still of use I will be more than gratified.

"Believe me,

"Yours very truly

(Signed) "L. ALMA TADEMA."

The design was gratefully accepted by the Council, which directed the Hon. Secretary to convey its warm thanks to the distinguished artist. The drawing is highly finished in pencil and is nine inches in diameter. It represents a graceful female figure, in classical attire, distributing books to a number of eager readers. Shelves of books form the background. The composition shows all the loving attention to minute detail which characterises the art of Mr. Alma Tadema, with whose name the Association should feel proud to be thus connected. Although specially intended for a seal, the design would form a charming bookplate.

Every part of the British Empire contains members of the Library Association. Mr. Edward H. Miller, Librarian and Secretary of the Buluwayo Public Library, has lately joined us.

The Hon. Treasurer has to acknowledge the receipt of 2s. 6d. from Mr. Arkle Jude, Librarian of the Church of England Institute, Newcastle-on-Tyne, as his contribution to the Incorporation Fund. Any further donations will be gratefully accepted.

THE EDUCATION COMMITTEE.

The Examinations Committee of the Association has recently become merged into the Education Committee, which will in the future manage these two departments of the work of the Association. Dr. Garnett has been appointed as Chairman of the Committee, and Mr. Henry D. Roberts continues to act as its Secretary. The following is a list of the Committee as at present constituted: Messrs. Francis T. Barrett, Franklin T. Barrett, F. J. Burgoyne, Frank Campbell, R. C. Christie, P. Cowell, C. T. Davis, W. E. Doubleday, R. Garnett, C. B. Henry Guppy, Herbert Jones, J. Y. W. MacAlister, J. Macfarlane, J. Maclauchlan, W. May, J. J. Ogle, J. H. Quinn, Henry D. Roberts, C. W. Sutton, G. T. Shaw, W. H. K. Wright, Miss James and Miss Petherbridge; with the President (the Earl of Crawford), the Hon. Treasurer (Mr. H. R. Tedder), and the Hon. Sec. (Mr. Frank Pacy) as ex-officio members.

The Committee having considered at some length the question of the admission of students not attached to any library to the classes under its control, has reported to the Council on the matter, with the result that it has been definitely decided to make no change in its previous policy. The prospectus of the new series of classes is printed herewith, and the Committee express the hope that it will prove equally successful as the first series, which was inaugurated in February, 1898. The question of the Examinations of the Association is at present under consideration, and the Committee hope to be at an early date in a position to make several important suggestions to the Council.

An application has been made to the Technical Education Board for a grant in aid of the work of the Committee, and the reply of that body is awaited with some interest. If the answer is favourable, and the grant promised is likely to be a permanent one, the Committee will be enabled to largely extend its work for the benefit of the profession generally.

Prospectus of the Second Series of Classes-Session 1899.

The Committee has pleasure in announcing that arrangements have been made for courses of lectures, etc., as follows:

1. ELEMENTARY BIBLIOGRAPHY, by Mr. Henry Guppy Sion College), on Wednesdays at 3:30 P.M., at 20 Hanover Square, W., commencing on Wednesday, 1st February, 1899. (Ten lectures.)

SYLLABUS.

1. INTRODUCTORY: The librarian and his qualifications. The science of bibliography and what it embraces.

2. BOOKS OF THE ANCIENTS: The term "book". The history of writing and the ancestry of the English alphabet. Materials and methods employed by the ancients for the transmission of knowledge.

3. MANUSCRIPTS, I: Characteristic features which serve as guides to age. Materials: papyrus, parchment, paper. Forms of MSS. and modern terminology of books.

4. MANUSCRIPTS, 2: Illuminations. The care, collation and cataloguing of MSS. Scribes and their ways: the causes of divergent readings in biblical and classical texts.

5. PRINTED BOOKS, I: Steps towards the invention of typography. Block printing. Printing from movable types. The spread of the art in various countries. The collation and cataloguing of early printed books.

6. PRINTED BOOKS, 2: Rare and curious books: privately printed, prohibited and suppressed, anonymous and pseudonymous, etc.

7. BIBLIOGRAPHICAL AIDS: Bibliography of bibliography. General bibliography. National bibliography. Subject bibliography, etc.

8. HOW TO HELP READERS.

9. CLASSIFICATION OF LITERATURE: A glance at the various systems.
10. RECAPITULATION of the course.

2. CATALOGUING AS SUITABLE FOR FREE PUBLIC LIBRARIES, by Mr. F. J. Burgoyne (Lambeth Public Libraries), on Wednesdays at 5 P.M., at 20 Hanover Square, W., commencing Wednesday, 1st February, 1899. (Ten lectures and demonstrations.)

3. LIBRARY ADMINISTRATION AND MAINTENANCE, by Mr. Henry D. Roberts (St. Saviour's Public Library), on Thursdays at 3:30 P.M., at 20 Hanover Square, W., commencing on Thursday, 2nd February, 1899. (Ten lectures.)

SYLLABUS.

The aim of these lectures will be to give a general introduction to the subject, without going into very great detail. The following points, amongst others, will receive attention: organisation; staff; committee work; rules and regulations; purchase of books; binding; accounts; official books; compilation of statistics and reports.

4. SUBJECT CATALOGUING (Dictionary and Classified) for Public Libraries, by Mr. J. Henry Quinn (Chelsea Public Libraries), on Thursdays at 5 P.M., at 20 Hanover Square, W., commencing Thursday, 2nd February, 1899. (Six demonstrations.)

5. PUBLIC LIBRARY LEGISLATION, by Mr. Cecil T. Davis (Wandsworth Public Library), on Fridays at 3:30 P.M., at 20 Hanover Square, W., commencing on Friday, 3rd February, 1899. (Six Lectures.)

1. History.

SYLLABUS.

2. The Act of 1892, and the Acts amending the same.

3. Ditto.

4. Acts which incidently relate to Library work.

5. The Acts and provisions of Acts which relate to Scotland.

6. The Acts and provisions of Acts which relate to Ireland and Wales.

FEES.

The following Fees, in all cases payable in advance, will be charged for each course of lectures, but half fees only will be asked for each additional course taken by students. Senior assistants, 5s. Junior assistants, 2s. 6d. All other students, Ios. 6d.

NOTE.-Intending students are asked to forward their names, accompanied by the fees due, to the Honorary Secretary of the Committee as soon as possible. Special attention is drawn to this request as it is very inconvenient for students to be enrolled and fees received at the time when the classes should be at work.

All communications in connection with the classes or any other department of the work of the Education Committee should be addressed to the Honorary Secretary, Henry D. Roberts, St. Saviour's Public Library, 444 Southwark Bridge Road, S.E.

NORTH MIDLAND LIBRARY ASSOCIATION.

The thirty-second meeting of the North Midland Library Association was held at the Midland Railway Institute, Derby, on Thursday, the 8th December, by the kind permission of the Library Committee of the Institute, and was attended by Librarians from Nottingham, Leicester, Lincoln, Loughbro', and other places in the neighbouring counties. His Worship the Mayor of Derby (Councillor Ann) was also present as a member of the Derby Public Library Committee. Two hours were spent pleasantly and profitably in visiting the printing and bookbinding departments of Messrs. Bemrose & Sons' huge works, where various processes and machinery were explained by officials of the firm, and then the members adjourned to the Institute for tea.

At the business meeting which followed, the President (Mr. Ed. A. Baker, ¡M.A., Librarian of the Institute) welcomed the Association on behalf of the Library Committee, and suggested the formation of a collection of books of a technical character for the use of members of the N. M. L. A. Mr. W. Crowther, P.P., Librarian of the Derby Public Library, then gave a brief but very charming lecture on Tennyson, whose character and opinions he illustrated by many racy anecdotes, and still more appropriately by a masterly recital of some of Tennyson's most touching poetry. A paper on a purely literary subject was an innovation in the usage of the Association, but it was agreed that Mr. Crowther had set an encouraging example. The Secretary (Mr. J. Potter-Briscoe, City Librarian of Nottingham) followed with a lantern lecture on the "Genesis of a book," tracing the evolution of the arts of writing, printing and binding, from the most rudimentary stages. He exhibited several dozen slides illustrating the arts of printing and illuminating, which must have cost much time and trouble to collect. Mr. J. Croft kindly showed these pictures. The last paper was read by Mr. W. H. Walton of the Derby Public Library, and was an attempt to show how Derby has in the remote and recent past come into contact with European literature. Such local men of letters as Linacre, Cotton, Richardson, Erasmus Darwin, and Herbert Spencer were dealt with, and much curious and out-of-the-way information made this thoughtful contribution very interesting. Votes of thanks to the authorities of the Institute, to the President, and to Messrs. Bemrose & Sons concluded the business at a late hour. Before leaving, the greater part of the members visited the Midland Railway Company's admirably equipped dynamo-room in Calvert Street, one of the neatest exhibits of machinery it is possible to see.

The places of future meetings of the Association were discussed, and it was agreed that the February meeting should be held at Newark, and subsequent meetings at Loughborough and Lincoln.

THE

EXCHANGE.

HE absence of some ready medium for advertising duplicates for exchange has been often deplored, and it has occurred to us that the usefulness of our journal might be considerably increased by the opening up of a column for that purpose. There is no reason why the column should not be made to serve a double purpose by including lists of books wanted.

Librarians who may be unable through the ordinary channels to meet with any books or volumes of which they are in want, are invited to furnish full particulars, with their name and address attached, for insertion "free of cost".

Trade announcements will not, for the present, be admitted into this column.

BOOKS WANTED.

THE LIBRARIAN, Guildhall Library, London, E.C.

Monumental Brass Society. Transactions," nos. I to 7 inclusive. Any reports previous to 1894.

Royal Engineers' Institute. "Occasional Papers,” vol. i.

Cymmrodorion Society. "Y Cymmrodor," vol. iii., title and index only. Somerset Record Society. "The Custumaria of Glastonbury," vol. v. "London Directories," 1737-9, 1741-3, 1745-8, 1750-1, 1753-4, 1756-9, 1761-2.

"Library Journal," August, 1894.

Royal Institute of British Architects. "Proceedings," session 1879-80. London County Council. "Annual Report of the Proceedings of the

Council," 31st March, 1890.

London County Council. London Statistics," vol. i.

Rimmer's "Ancient Streets and Homesteads of England," 1879.

H. GUPPY, Sion College, Victoria Embankment, London, E.C.-Ballhorn (F.). "Grammatography."

De Foe (D.), Works, vol. iv.

"Moll Flanders." Oxford, Talboys, 1840.

De Foe (D.), Works, vol. xi. "Roxana," same edition.

Milton (J.), Works, vol. v. (Bohn's Standard Library,.

Schiller (W.), Works, vol. i. (Bohn's Standard Library).

66

Percy (Sholto). Anecdotes," vols. vii. and xii., 1823 edition.

66

Plato. "Scripta Græce omnia," ed. J. Bekker, vol. ii. London, 1826. Robertson (E. W.). Historical essays in connection with the Land and the Church," etc.

Taylor (Isaac). "History of the Alphabet."

Upcott (Wm.). "A bibliographical account of the principal works relating to English Topography.”

"Library Journal," August, 1894.

Halkett and Laing. Dictionary of anonymous and pseudonymous literature."

Wilson (Lea). Bibles, testaments, etc., in his collection. London,

1845.

Browning Society's Papers, parts 1, 3, 5, 7.

Have the largest assortment-over 400 Tons-of the
finest type in Scotland, in various languages, including
Bengali, German, Greek, Hebrew, Russian, etc.; also
Music, in Old and New Notation and Gregorian.

Their Machinery is of the finest make, enabling them to produce work unsurpassed for beauty and excellence.

The resources of their establishment, and the quality of their work, have placed them in the front rank of British Printers.

All Documents of a Private and Confidential nature have the personal care of the Comptroller.

Having an extensive connection with the leading Publishers, they are in a position to arrange for the publication of works of any kind.

Estimates Free.

Telegrams: " PICA, ABERDEEN".

PREMIER CODE USED.