, 1883-01-12

Hubert Howe Bancroft, who occu-
pies a foremost place among American
historians, was born at Granville,
Ohio, on the fifth Of May, 1882, of
parents descended from a Yankee
stock and who maintained the severely
devout usages of Puritanism. Judg-
inc from his future the boy took no
harm from these. He attended school
during the winter and worked hard
in the summer. At sixteen he was
placed with his brother-in-law, Mr..
George H. Derby, Of Buffalo, n. Y,
to learn the trade of bookseller. In
four years time he had acquired such
an acquaintance with the business
that he was entrusted by his employ
er with the task of establishing a
branch store in San Francisco The
result Of this experiment is seen to-
day in the eminence of the position
occupied by the bookselling and pub
fishing house Of A. l.. Bancroft Il Co.,
San Francisco, among the most dis
tinguished firms in the United States.
With a strong disposition for literary
work, Mr.. Bancroft is also an excel.
lent business man, and not until the
year 1868 did he place in his broth
er's hands the active management of
the mercantile department of the
house, and devote himself absolutely
to the fascinating occupation of
the author.
At an early stage in his career Mr..
Bancroft began to collect and pre-.
serve'information relating to the Pa
cifc coast of the North American
continent. Beginning with such ma
terials as he found on the shelves Of
the store in which he spent his time,
and limiting his selection to what re-
lated to California and Oregon exclu-
sively, his work naturally ramifed
and extended in scope until it had
grown to comprehend the accumula-
ton of books and manuscripts CON
tanning historic detail of the western
half OF North America. In the pur-
suit Of his useful research Mr.. Ban
croft made many trips east and to
Europe, and became possessed Of
invaluable material, sparing neither
labor nor expense to make his collec-
ton as comprehensive and perfect as
possible. BY the year 1881, the Ban
croft historical library had outgrown
the practicability and safety against
tire Of its continuance along with the
stock carried in the business. Ac.
cordingly, Mr. Bancroft bought a
large lot in San Francisco and erect
ed on it two story and basement
brick building, forty by sixty feet,
had iron shutters made for all its
openings and removed into this sub
stantial structure, his precious collec-
ton of thirty-hye thousand books,
manuscripts and four hundred files
of Pacific coast newspapers.
This building is Mr.. Bancrofts
literary workshop, wherein he is pro
duclng works upon subjects kindred
to West Coast occupation and sup
Elementary to his great works The
Native Races of the Pacific States"
and History Of the Pacific States"
To assist him in his herculean toll Of
reducing his unrivaled collection of
material to the purposes of the histo
rian, he employs a corps Of skilled
linguists and literary experts, about
thirty in number, who file away in q
systematic manner their concise
statement of what they find OF ayaila
bic Information.
Mr.. Bancroft is not drv-as.drst
compiler. On the contrary hi, books
are as readable as they are trustwor.
thy and exhaustive; and their author
has achieved that high rank among
historians due to completeness of in
formation, untiring assiduity aid
care and that comprehensive scope of
il-ellectual vision and warmth of in
a@ination aud sympathy without
which the most indcfdtigahla indus
try IS inadequate 70 the production
OF history which will beread and will
live.