The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-12-16
SOME NEW BOOKS
The American CycIopmdIn,

'"is msssiVe ana comprehensive work (Ih
hmortcdn CgcloIndtd, revised edition. 10 vols
New YORK ID. Appleton & Coz has reached T.
concluding volume In this centennial Of th
countty's independence.
In the substance and maenitude OF tho wor
ITSELF In The measure OF intellectual la Or de
voted to its production, In its relation to tn
propagation Of KNOWLEDGE and Thought au,on
the American PEOPLE, in the resources empIoye,
10 secure its circulation through the country. I
u lncOmparably the most important American
| puuhehtOn OF the times. A host Of the foremos
living scholars, men OF affair, aud expcrt. If
practical pursuits nave been engaged ever sine,
the Preparation OF tho FIRST edition was beou,
by Messrs RIPLEY and DANA. In providing IN,
accumulated IN terial which IL here presented
Aud now In these volumes We have the most
comprehensive, careful, and satisfactory surve,
OF ail the fields OF human KNOWLEDGE to he foun
In auy language Of the world. The FIRST volume
opens with the history Of the first letter OF oul
alphabet nd from that to the last letter and
the words Of which 1t Is the Initial at the end
OF the work, there IL an inclusive and ORDERLY
array OF the words aud names that represent the
thoughts, things, and men which bevo been and
stu are predominant In the worlds life. The
whole work In 40 compact with the most vaiu.
able material as to give proof OF pervasiye re-
search In all directions up to date. aud 40 thor
ouRhiy freed from everything dubious or useless
a. To make 1t evident that every article has been
subjected to the most rigorous scrutiny, every
sentence to the closest revisal, and every word
to the tests Of propriety and necessity, Whether
we are concerned 10 politics. diyinity, turispru.
d. nee or literature, whether our taste Ia Tor
history biography or philosophy, whether we
are students OF any OF the hundred branches OF
modern science, whether our lives are devoted
To commerce. the mechanic arts, invention, or
other practical business, we can In this great
work ind the best and newest Intelligence
thereof. nnd 1t Ia plain and pers picuous Ian
RuaRe, and nnd It far more easily than we could
anywhere else.
nave constantly used the erioan Cvclo-
r@dis" for reference and inform alton ever since
the publication Of Its first edition, fourteen
years ago. could not tell how useful aud pro-
htAbie to me It has been. Nun berless are the
questions IL has answered, the facts IL has given
me, the theories It has explained. tho obscuri-
ties 1t has cleared up, the events IL has Informed
me o. the dates IL has fixed for me- the things
and meu and places about which IL has given
me the knowledge sought. IL would have been
hard to get along without It, and there is no
work In existence that could have been a sub.
stitute fort.
find that this new edition. which Is to a
great extent a new work In far I'm advance n,
the original edition, IL even clearer and more
compact. and Is full OF new themes new arti-
iicles, and later Information
might Illustrate one Of rs useful features by
saving that. within the past few days, have re-
ierred 10 u. respecting current events. for an
s~ers "such questions as were likely to be asked
by those who read the reports Of them Thus.
cable despatch Of Thursday last mentioned tho
election Of President Of the Republic Of syttzer
isnd and upon looking In this Cyclor mdia for
switzerland y found an explanation Of the
singular way In which Presidents are there
elected. cable despatch has Just told us OF DR.
sch'iemaDn's wonderful discoveries at Mycens
and this Cyclopedia furnishes sketches II the
dlscoverer. II his explorations In the Troat
shd OF the lonR-lost city vi Nyceng. We are
daiS receiving dispatches about the Hector
College or Colleges and IN its elaborate article
upon the United states, bis Cyclopedis gives fun
Information relative thereto. The latest British
expedition to the North Pole, which la, inst
returned from there. led me 10 see that
an excellent account Of Polar questions. Polar
discoveries, aud Polar expeditions IL in this
oNclop"lih. The history OF the Eastern
question: which now eXcites mankind. and Of
the military systems Of Turkey aud Russia. and
Of the list con6lct OF these two powers, and ~
the Treaty Of Paris, ana Of the people Ut seryia
~'"N''''t gwen ll lNls
N''o'"I'l' we nave Just had news Of an ther
'''oi""oh III Mexico, and mud that Mexico and
Us revolutions are treated IN this CyclouWdin.
ne JAPANESE Government has Just suppressed
ioVa' reoe'l'ohi ana hnd that the recent
'"si'i'na'loh7 OF japan out ot which the
ieoe''oh crew. are described in this CycloI aida.
10 mlRht Z" on multiplying illustrations to
sno" no" any man. who desires to comprehend
'Ne news OF 'he gay ana the events Of the times,
Is ".s's'eu ny haNluI TINS Cycl1p1dia ready to
''s manu.
nave aiso had OCCASION In the course Of daily
'uN'' W consult II upon mechanics. the indus
'',"' arts commercial statistics, the physical
'o'ences' geography literature. and the annals
~ our race ana Ia doing so, | have either
eS'"'u al desired to know or found refer
'n'es !" "orAs OF ruler information.
n"u oN the lists OF writers. that the editors |
ave maze II thelr duty to obtain the services |
- qu"''neu men "i eminence and experience IN |
,.,'ar,' ''' ,,ml'"''"n' ARTICLES OF the several
ne range OF cyclopedic knowledge.
""u' "lSo' 'na' tue highest degree Of fairness