The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1871-06-11
LIT e r A T U r Z.


taining over lortyslX thousand articles tAulhorsh
with forty Indexes OF SUBJECTS By >. Auauh
AlDone. vols, imperial octave, PIP. ., l4o, IL
GLIDING Indexes. Philadelphia, IS5s-7o-7L
The third and last volume Of AliiDoaes "Dictonary
OF Authorsn has been Issued by J. ID. Lippincott 4
Co., OF Philadelphia. Sixteen years ago Mr.. ALI
bone published with pro 3pectus isi pages OF this
work, AMI the entire volume was published IN 1850.
Numerous presentation c)p.es, sumptnoasy bound,
were lavishy distributed IN this country and In
Europe. Presently tue work was greeted
with u prolonged and almost deafening shout
OF welcome. Seventy-twO ndiscreet 'erary
gentlemen" who had received presentation copies,
rushed frantcaly into print to pun the compiler
ana each aud every one TO Write himself down,
Dogberry-like, as generally and particularly igno-
rant OF biography photography and literary history.
Wild with excitement the publishers OF the book
issued an enticlng bull tin which announced that
the work vas to contain two millions Of words AMI
thirty thousand lives and that would be sold at
the disgustingy cheap price OF i've dollars Mr.. Ali
bone was hailed as the great literary benelactor or
the are, ana some college rewarded his industry by
conerrIng On him the Inappropriate title of LID.
It was pompously proclaimed In the preface that
the work woud satisfy the critical demands OF the
scholar; while ''honest shoemakers and carpenters
would now be ao!e 'to tel Their neghbors who
Franklin was, why Shakespeare IS SO much admired
in what year Washington was born and
when he died. when they met these names
in the village newspaper &C., 81.
During Twelve years public curiosity concerning
the progress OF The work was occasionally gratiici
by such sem-ollcal announcements In the news
papers as the foowlng:-"fhe second volume OF
Mr. Allibone's magnificent Dictionary OF Authors
will be published early in the spring. Mr.. Allibone
has Just finished recording the names OF 700 Smithsr'
At length the thrilling came that ON "TGes-
day, May 20, 1906 at precisely twenty-seven minutes
past three O'Clock In the afternoon, Mr.. Allibone
wrote the last lines OF the last page OF his Die
| tlonary," and then 'walkcd around Rlttenhouse
| squarew Shade ofGlbbon. avaunt!
The general design Of Mr.. Albone's work.. q,
| OF combining biography and photography with
| critical comments by distinguished SCHOLARSHIPS by
no means so new as he seems to think II H. Ii may
be traced as FAR back rs 154i when Tobias Maglras
published the first edition Of his "Eponymologium
| Crlticum" In 1890 Sir Thomas Pope Boun5 pub
lished his well known "Censura Ceebrlorum Auc-
torum' The fourth and best edition OF DE Thous
| 'Eloges des Hommes Swans with additions by
| Antoine reIsser, was published IN 17l5, apd the
| learned Adren Baillets "Jugemens DIES Savansr
| was printed at Paris In 1722-3o. The admirable
| "Onomastlcon Literarium," by Saylus, appeared
In l7751SG3. ia France Litleraire," by Querard,
was Published at Paris, 1s27-42, ana Dr.. Graesse's
| PROFOUNDLY learned 'Lehrbuchn &C., at Dresden In
1879. All these works contain valuable biograpli
| cal aid photographed matter relating to English
! authors, and, with the exception or Sir Thomas
| Pore Biounts "Censura,n are never alluded 10 by
| Nir. Allbone, His acquaintance with LA France
| Litt6rairenby Querard. extends apparently, no
further than the title page from which Mr. Ailibone
| Gifted the motto that decorates his 10 chers
| al .emenes Gelehrten Lexicon" with the supple
| ments by Adeung and Rotermund 10 vols. 4to.,
l75o-1s22 perfect storehouse OF biographical ana
| photographed information concerning English
authors Is not once quoted or even referred to by
| Mr.. AlllDone
The peculiar construction or Mr.. Allibone's wor.A
| may be very briefly described Il Is primarily based
| OH Watts "Bbotheca Britannica with enormous
padding from magazines aud revews-goOd, bad
ana Indifferent. Watts "Blblioneca' contains In
| round numbers, some 10000 names OF
authors ana OF these Mr.. Allibone has APP
| propriatei nearly $4,000. Bliss edition OF
Woods ..Athena Oxonienses," Lowndes' "BiolIog-
rapher's Manual" Nichols "Ihterary Anecdotes"
| the hye volumes OF indexes to the Gsnaeynall's
Magazine, the Indexes to the leading quarterly re.
views and the indexes to the Monthiv Rere,r have
| furnished Mr. Allibone a stupendous amount OF
stulllng. single reference, Tor example, to Bliss
| edition or Wood "Athena Oxonenses," or to
Nichols Literary Anecdotes VIII frequently sup
| ply "a dozen references TO other authorities. Yet
AlllDOne COOliy sets down Bliss or Nichols
ditonal references as IL they were the result OF his
1 own original and independent research. This Is q
cheap and easy method OF making an ostcntatlous
| display or learning
| The most cursory glance over Mr.. Allibonc's
Dictionary dlscoses the fact that not few OF the
"orignair articles may be correctly called, mas
much as they afford indisputaDe internal evidence
| that the materials OF which they composed and
| in cases the entire articles have been
directly contributed by the authors" whom they
commemorate. One clever young gentleman for
| example, enjoys an opportunity to NIL almost
| q column, while innumcrab.e celebrities are
| despatched In a few meagre lines, with q list not
| only OF the books which he has written compiled or
edited but also OF those which he has preparation
or which he proposes TO write, adding, moreover
catalogue of ialnerln laws sermons the title or
| a book edited by his father naws second wife and
memoranda OF his own military services during the
| late civil war;
De Quincy, after giving a sketch Of Messrs.
Bouterwek and Scniegei as prodlgios literary hum.
bugs says ut is supernuous TO add that their criti-
| cisms are utterly worthless, being all words words
words; however, with this difference, that Bouier.
| weeks are smply=o, being the mere ruDbishy
| sweepngs from the works OF Hterdtut long since
delunct: but Schlegel's, agreeably TO his natural
haughtiness ana superior talents, are bad in posi-.
tive sense being filed with such conce.s. Tancies
and nctons you would naturally expect from
clever talking about what he had never, In any
true sense OF the word read" That the impartial
eader may determine In what category
TO put Mr.. Alib0ne's own CRITICISMS, we have cuea
the following at random, rs specimens OF their
average styie:-"A FIRST rate workr"Plain, serious
ana aGectionate"-'A very amusing work OF its
kinda charming volume""A book or surpass-
ing iuterest'-"An exceedingly interesting vol
umc,-"A pleasant octavo"-Crical and practical,
sound and evangelical'-"An excellent work.
"Ingenious sketchn-"Quiet, enjoyable reading''-
"Rather snowy than useiul'-"Lvely, evangelical
and simple''--"vcry striKDg''-'Exceent ana full
OF the gospel OF the grace OF God'-"IIad pro-
dIgious rum "Highly interesting" But these
samples must suIice, and they need no comment.
Notwithstanding the colossal importance which
Mr. Anbone attaches to the "forty Indexes OF Sub