College and Research Libraries e v e r h e r e a l l y u n d e r s t a n d s . " So h e m u s t — f o r a n y b o o k . B u t f o r t h i s o n e , t h e a u t h o r a n d t h e p u b l i s h e r h a v e so c o n s p i r e d t o im- p o s e a d d e d b u r d e n s o n w h a t , i n t h i s c o n - t e x t , is n o r m a l j o i n t a u t h o r s h i p t h a t f e w r e a d e r s a r e l i k e l y t o m a k e t h e a t t e m p t — o r t o s u r v i v e it s u c c e s s f u l l y if t h e y d o . — C a r l y l e J . Frarey, School of Library Science, Uni- versity of North Carolina. Early English Serials Serial Publication in England before 1750. By R . M . W i l e s . C a m b r i d g e : U n i v e r s i t y Press, 1957. 391 p . 52s.6d. T h i s w o r k h a s s p e c i a l v a l u e f o r l i b r a r i a n s ( f o r w h o m it w a s o r i g i n a l l y i n t e n d e d " a s a m i l d l y i n t e r e s t i n g n o t e " ) a n d also f o r t h e l i t e r a r y h i s t o r i a n w h o w i l l d i s c o v e r it t o b e a t r e a t i s e o n a n i m p o r t a n t p h a s e of E n g l i s h l i t e r a r y h i s t o r y w h i c h h a d n o t h i t h e r t o b e e n f u l l y e x p l o r e d . I n a v e r y r e a l a n d s i g n i f i c a n t sense, h o w e v e r , it is a n o t a b l e c o n t r i b u t i o n t o t h e h i s t o r y of a d u l t e d u c a t i o n ; i n f a c t , t h e a u t h o r , w h o is p r o f e s s o r of E n g l i s h a t M c M a s t e r U n i v e r s i t y , b e l i e v e s t h a t t h e chief v a l u e of h i s b o o k is as a n a c c o u n t of a p r e v i o u s l y u n r e c o g n i z e d s t i m u l u s t o in- c r e a s e d l i t e r a c y a m o n g t h e E n g l i s h m i d d l e a n d l o w e r classes i n t h e s e v e n t e e n t h a n d e i g h t e e n t h c e n t u r i e s . T h e t e x t is c o m p l e m e n t e d b y a " S h o r t - t i t l e C a t a l o g u e of B o o k s P u b l i s h e d i n Fas- cicules b e f o r e 1750." O v e r t h r e e h u n d r e d t i t l e s o n a l m o s t e v e r y c o n c e i v a b l e s u b j e c t a r e l i s t e d i n t h i s b i b l i o g r a p h y w h i c h s h o u l d b e i n v a l u a b l e t o t h e r a r e b o o k l i b r a r i a n . So p r o f i t a b l e i n g e n e r a l w e r e t h e s e w e e k l y o r m o n t h l y i n e x p e n s i v e p a r t s t h a t s e r i a l p u b - l i c a t i o n of b o o k s b e c a m e c o m p e t i t i v e b i g b u s i n e s s , t h e s t o r y of w h i c h is t r a c e d f r o m 1678 t o 1750. O n l y a score of t i t l e s w e r e p u b l i s h e d i n t h i s m a n n e r p r i o r t o 1725; t h e b o o m r e a l l y b e g a n i n 1732; a n d a f t e r 1750 P r o f e s s o r W i l e s c o n t e n t s h i m s e l f w i t h a n u m b e r of h i g h s p o t s s u c h as t h e success e n j o y e d b y S m o l l e t t , T h a c k e r a y , a n d D i c k - e n s . T h e p a r a l l e l w i t h t o d a y ' s p o c k e t b o o k s d o e s n o t e s c a p e P r o f e s s o r W i l e s ' s a t t e n t i o n . H e p o i n t s o u t t h a t n o w a d a y s q u i t e o r d i n a r y p e o p l e a r e a b l e a n d w i l l i n g t o b u y e x c e l l e n t b o o k s , r e a s o n a b l y w e l l p r i n t e d , a t l o w e r p r i c e s t h a n a r e c h a r g e d f o r a h a i r c u t , a g o o d m e a l , o r t h e m o v i e s ; j u s t as t w o cen- t u r i e s a g o t h e b o o k s i n p a r t s w e r e sold p r i n - c i p a l l y t o t h o s e w h o d i d n o t m a k e u p t h e " p o l i t e " w o r l d . F o r a b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l s t u d y t h e b o o k is u n u s u a l l y w e l l w r i t t e n ; a t t i m e s i t e v e n m a k e s e n t e r t a i n i n g r e a d i n g — w i t n e s s t h e c h a p t e r h e a d i n g " T h e L a w a n d t h e P r o f i t s . " I t c o v e r s a l l a s p e c t s of t h i s t y p e of s e r i a l p u b l i c a t i o n : h i s t o r i c a l , b i b l i o g r a p h i c a l , p r i n t - ly s i g n i f i c a n t is t h a t t h i s m o d e of p u b l i c a - i n g , p r o m o t i o n , a n d d i s t r i b u t i o n . T h e con- c l u s i o n s u m m a r i z e s t h e a u t h o r ' s p h i l o s o p h y : " W h a t m a k e s t h e i s s u i n g of f a s c i c u l e s r e a l - t i o n m a d e it p o s s i b l e a n d easy f o r m i d - dle- a n d lower-class E n g l i s h m e n t o b u y a n d r e a d b o o k s . T h a t is a n a d m i r a b l e h a b i t . I t is a h a b i t w h i c h n o t e v e n t e l e v i s i o n a n d o t h e r a s t o u n d i n g t w e n t i e t h - c e n t u r y d i v e r - s i o n s h a v e b e e n a b l e t o b r e a k . " W i t h its e m p h a s i s o n r e a d i n g h a b i t s a n d m e t h o d s of p u b l i s h i n g , t h e b o o k is a m o s t w e l c o m e a d d i t i o n t o t h e l i b r a r i a n ' s a n d t h e l i b r a r y s c h o o l s t u d e n t ' s p r o f e s s i o n a l r e a d i n g . A t t h e s a m e t i m e it w i l l b e m o s t u s e f u l t o t h e r a r e b o o k l i b r a r i a n a n d t h e b i b l i o g - r a p h e r . I t s h o u l d b e i n c o l l e g e a n d u n i v e r - sity l i b r a r i e s g e n e r a l l y . — A n d r e w D. Osborn, University of Sydney Library. INFORMATION, PLEASE: Professor Roger L. Brooks, Department of English, College of Engineering, University of Colorado, Boulder, wants to locate all extant copies of the following books by Mat- thew Arnold: The Strayed Reveller, and Other Poems (1849), Empedocles on Etna and Other Poems (1852), and Poems (1853) . He would like to know about any inscriptions and the names of previous owners, if available. John B. Kaiser, School of Library Service, Columbia University, would like to locate the text in which the late Jacques Loeb, eminent biologist, referred to the library as "the essential to dis- covery." He believes that the comment was made at a library dedication (possibly in New Eng- land) prior to April 1926 but within a few years of that date. 516 COLLEGE AND RESEARCH LIBRARIES