The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-12-23


 bert Putnam, the Librarian of Con- gress, says that he had purposed to consider the present state of the Lii brary's collections. but found that the inclusion of such study would add Onduly to the bulk, of the report. Con- soQuently he reserves this estimate o1 the Library's resources for later occasion. The report shows the Lii brary to contain 2,451,974 books, a gain of SS,1O1 volumes over the pre- vious year. In addition there are 164,2O0 maps and charts, 77O,248 volumes and pieces of music, and 392,905 prints. a:e
 While no considerable collection of books was received by gift during the year, the aggregate of gifts from thousands of sources, private, corpor- sto and official, reached the consider able total of 28,285 volumes. For large additions to the Chinese, Japan csc and Korean collections the L1- brary is indebted to the interest and enterprise of Dr.. Walter T. Swingle of the Bureau of Plant Industry, who visited the Far East in 1915 and pur- chased on behalf of the Library a total of 5,892 volumes. The report contains full account of the most important of these purchases as well as :of some valuable works presented through Dr. Swingle. The endeavor was 10 supplement the already exist ing resources of the Library along lines likely to prove important in the nsRr future. The additions acquired though Dr. Swingle con$ist of early Chinese books printed from blocks; Chinese historical and, descriptive works published during the four- teenth, fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, covering the period of first contacts with EuropeanS; early Chi- nese dictionaries and encyclopedias; Chinese works on natural history and p1iarmacopoeias;. Chinese geographi- cal works; the writings of Confucius and the works of famous scholars; Examples of ancient Japanese print ing and old Japanese works serving to elucidate Chinese works, or writ ten in the same general style; few very valuable early Jeapanese im- prints. including a good copy of the oldest Japanese printed work extant, probably dating from the beginning of, the thirteenth century; large collection of the writings of Kaibara, the Benjamin Franklin of Japan; several sets of modern scientific and philosophical Japanese Journals.
 The Lincoln documents which have been presented and deposited in the library are of exceptional interest. These consist of the original draft of Lincolns second inaugural address, and his two drafts of the Gettysburg address. presented by Clarence L. Hay, who had them from his father, the late John Hay; and a memoran, dunn as to the improbapility of his reelection, presented by Miss Helen Nicolay.
 As rule, and for obvious reasons, the American composer and the American music publisher are be- ginning to prefer the national to a local library as the permanent cus- todian of manuscript scores. The chief of the music division records with satisfaction not only gifts of autograph scores of American com posers butp romises of gifts to come.
 The special feature of the years activities in the document division
 
 official publications of the Latin American countries, made exception ally fruitful through visit made to these countries by the law librarian, Dr. E.. M. Borchard. The Libfary's collection of Latin American docu- ments may now be considered one of it's important features. It is hoped that the cordial relations established d with the various South American government offices will lead to still larger receipts in the future. Atten- fion is called to the lack of adequate shelf room in the Law Library at the Capitol. The need of steel shelving is becoming more evident from year to year.
 The most important of the 6,647 accessions of the year to the division of maps is a set of the Larger Atlas of Reinero Ottens, published in seven volumes probably between 1729 and 1740. The maps are by the most distinguished photographers of that period. The last volume contains the American material and has the highly prized Ottens view of New York which in itself sells as a sep
 
 amount which the Library paid for the whole set. A notable addition to the collection of American eighteenth century newspapers was mades through the purchase of 750 items from among the duplicates in the Massa- chusetts Historical society.
 The European war has interfered perhaps more with accessions of inn portance to the various collections of the Division of Prints than those in other divisions of the Library, but some noteworthy additions to books on the fine arts are reported The work of forming a collection of illus trated books has been carried for ward. It is intended to show the progress of illustration by representa- tive examples of the work of the fore most masters of this art from the Middle Ages to the present time, either by originals or reproductions. manuscripts and the best of the fifteenth and early sixteenth century illustrated books must of ne- .>essity be represented mainly by fac similes, but the constant endeavor is to secure these reproductions in as carly and perfect a state as possible. The numerous illustrated books in the Library, acquired for the most part without reference to the quality of the illustration or even the fact of are now being sifted and arranged. It has seemed advisable to make a finding list of the fifteenth and early sixteenth century illustrated books in the public collections of the