Los Angeles daily herald., 1874-03-05
Bancroft's Library and His Work.

ABOUT 1Iteen years ago, Hubert
II. Bancroft, of San Francisco, con-
ceived the idea of forming a compre-
hensive library of books and manu-
scripts relating to the western half of
North America, in which term are
included Central America, Mexico, the
Pacific States and Territories of the
United States west of the Rocky
Mountains, and the British possession
adjoining. The basis ofthe collections
he has made was gathering of books
printed in the countries named but
he soon extended his accumulations
to works of foreign origin. In 1862, he
personally visited London and Paris
for this purpose, procuring many
works, and leaving instructions to his
agents to purchase whatever offered.
After five years he again visited
Europe OH this errand, extending his
researches to Madrid, Rome, Vienna,
Leipsic, and other continental cities,
practically exhausting the floating
literature ofthe kind he sought. SUBJ
sequently, however, the library of the
unfOrtunatel Macmillan, of Mexico,
was thrown upon the market, and
from this source Mr.. Bancroft secured
about 5000 vOlumns relating to his
subject, Acquisitions from the sales
of other European collections followed,
and in 1869, ten years from the time
he began his important task, Mr.. Ban
croft found himself in possession of
10000 volumns, bound and unbound,
besides manuscripts, maps, and extern
sive files Of Pacific Coast journals.
This collection has been enlarged by
the addition of whatever new Orrecent
books have been found or published
since, by keeping up newspaper files
and by procuring ancient and con-
temporary manuscripts. 1t is now
quite unrivaled as a library of books
relating to this coast, and is at once
very curious, interesting, and valua-
bic. The works are all carefully
catalogued on an alphabetic system by
means of cards, and lists of books
wanted for the perfection of the col
lection are constantly made. 1t is
especially rich in the early standard
Spanish works on America, containing
many rare and valuable editions.
Latterly, Mr.. Bancroft has entered
upon the undertaking which he orig
inally had in view-the composition
from this rich mass of material of a
series of elaborate and exhaustive
works on the political and natural his
tory, antiquities, geography, climate,
resources, inhabitants, industries,
and productions of the whole ter
ritory mentioned, which he terms the
Pacific States of North America. To
Gallant ond ho;I dcx,yu froro <bo huOo
mass by which he is surrounded; to
sift the grains of wheat from this
mountain of chaff; to extract from
the archives of public offices, and the
libraries of converts and missions,
such facts as are ofvalue to the scholar
and of interest to the general reader;
to arrange these facts in natural or
der, and spread them out in such
manner as to be Of the most practical
benefit to inquirers in the various
branches Of knowledge is vast and
responsible labor. Mr.. Bancroft has
called to his aid large number of as
sistants, who, by indexing and copy
ing have made more available for his
purpose the salient facts embodied in
his collection. Some forty or fifty
leading subjects were selected as the
basis Of the index, on very clear and
original plan selected by Mr.. Oak,
librarian of the collection, these sub
jects embracing the whole range Of
practical knowledge ofhistory, biogra-
ply and science. The books were
then carefully examined, and reference
to the volume and page were put upon
cards, in much the same manner as
one would index a single book. This
index alone when completed will have
cost over $4,000, but its value as a
guide to Pacific Coast literature is in
estimable. BY means of it the stu
dent is directed at once to all the
sources of information concerning his
subject, and the orderly writing up of
many topics is thus made practicable
which would else be impossible. The
index will be of permanent value as o
photographed list, and useful in any
other library. If Mr.. Bancroft has
done no more than form this collection
of books and extensively list them in
a descriptive index, he would have
performed labor of very great and
lasting value. The work he is writ
ing, however. and which will be ency-
clopedic in its comprehensiveness, will
much enhance his services to the liter
airy, scientific and business world, and
and can hardly fail to take rank as the
prime authority on all matters relat-
ing to the western shore of North Amer
ica--a region of varied and unique in
terest, destined to be at no distant day
the seat of a vast population. But for
the lavish expenditure of money and
labor bestowedby single man on this
subject much of the best material forthe
Pacific States, their antiquities and the
origin of their modern condition would
be now, ifnot lost, too widely scattered
ever to be available to the student.
He has done more that any public soci-
ETY. would have done for fifty years to
to come, and what perhaps no society
could do at any later PERIOD Over