IMPERFECT SETS.

Recognizing the importance of periodical literature in modern libraries, THE BOSTON BOOK COMPANY established its Library Department with the idea that a definite service could be rendered overworked librarians by an intelligent effort to supply them with sets of periodicals and Society transactions bibliographically complete and materially perfect.

Under the old method, librarians were forced to buy such sets or parts of sets as appeared on booksellers' catalogues, or were privately offered to them, taking their chances as to the completeness or perfectness of the sets. Before the publication of "Poole's Index" the shortcomings of such a mode of purchase were not apparent, because the deficiencies in sets so bought were not brought to special notice; but in these days of thorough indexing the constant showing up of tantalizing defects obliges the conscientious librarian to assume the labor of collation, and the subsequent vexatious time and money cost involved in trying to make the defects good.

It is exactly this burdensome and wasteful labor which THE BOSTON BOOK COMPANY has endeavored to save librarians, by supplying only sets which have passed through the hands of a conscientious and carefully trained staff of collators

We find, however, that some librarians still prefer to buy sets by the old method, and to such librarians we wish to make it known, that while we consider our method the economical and preferable one to libraries in the end, we are entirely willing to sell uncollated sets to such as prefer to buy them.

We have always a great many uncollated sets on hand (because conscientious collation is a tedious and time-consuming work) and we can offer them as cheaply as any other dealers. In such cases we will make an offer of the volumes actually on hand, but will not undertake that every page, title-page, index, supplement, appendix, plate, or map is supplied, as we do ordinarily.

THE BOSTON BOOK COMPANY only asks that a fair comparison of price and quality be made, and is perfectly willing to sell to librarians on any method they may prefer.

Remainder Stock of Poole Sets.

We have bound up for libraries a few sets of two periodicals that are to be included in the next supplement to "Poole's Index," viz.:

"The Law Quarterly Review," of London, 12 vols., cloth, $30.00 (regular price in law sheep, $48.00, net); and "The Juridical Review," of Edinburgh, 7 vols., cloth, $24.50 (regular price in law sheep, $33.25, net).

This special price for cloth sets applies only to our stock now on hand.

These two sets are recommended to the attention of librarians of General Libraries. Sample numbers will be sent on application.

THE BOSTON BOOK CO.,

15% Beacon Street,

BOSTON, MASS.

FOR AMERICAN LIBRARIES ONLY.

FROM H. WELTER PARIS RUE BONAPARTE, 59.

RERUM GALLICARUM ET FRANCICARUM

SCRIPTORES (See Brunet 5e ed., Vol. I.,

23 volumes folio. Paris 1868-94.

col. 1174 under BOUQUET.)

Cost 1150 fr. . . for 575 francs, 115 dollars

=

BINDING EXTRA: Cloth, edges uncut: 110 francs. — Half morocco (demi-chagrin) marbled edges: 150 francs. - Half morocco (demi-chagrin) top gilt: 180 francs.- Full sheep-leather (basane racine) 180 francs. The same binding with red edges: 200 francs.

NEVER BEFORE has a work like the RECUEIL DES HISTORIENS DES GAULES ET DE LA FRANCE, been sold at such a STUPENDOUSLY LOW PRICE.

NEVER AGAIN will such an important library work appear in the market on terms only HALF AS FAVORABLE as those on which I now, and for a short time only, will supply the complete set of the learned LEOPOLD DELISLE'S reissue of the RECUEIL, or DOM BOUQUET as it is more generally called.

ONE WORK ONLY can be compared with it, viz.: the PERTZ (Monumenta Germaniæ historica), the market value of which is now 4500 francs. I have a bound copy for sale at

this price.

The RECUEIL had already been valued at, 2000 frs. in 1860 (vide BRUNET), before an enterprising Paris Publisher, M. Victor PALMÉ, had undertaken this reprint, which reproduces line for line the Original Edition, and which has been brought out under the supervision of a Commission of members of L'INSTITUT DE FRANCE. Such a control is a full guarantee for the excellency of this monumental work, the sets as well as the odd volumes of which are now my property.

HOW CAME THE WORK INTO MY HANDS?

Well! a bold Publisher produced within 12 years more than 100 folios, as many quartos, and innumerable octavos. At length he found that he had gone too fast. Difficulties ensued, I profited by them, and now propose to share those profits largely with my customers. Some other first-class works had already become my property, out of the same publisher's best productions, in the same way, and partly have been completed by me, viz.:

1° TRESOR DE CHRONOLOGIE, par le comte de Mas Latrie. (I sold 700 copies in 4 years.) Folio. 1889 Cost 100 fr., for... .....50 fr. 10 dollars 2° REVUE DES QUESTIONS HISTORIQUES, 1866-1896, and tables. 62 vols. 8° (only a few sets left). Cost 660 fr., for...... ......320 fr.=64 dollars 3° LES EPOPEES FRANCAISES, par Leon Gautier. 4 vols. 1878-93 (1300 copies sold already). Nearly out of print. Cost 80 fr., for... .65 fr.=13 dollars 4° HISTOIRE LITTERAIRE DE LA FRANCE. 32 vols. 4° (now very rare). Sells 672 fr. 134 dollars EVERY PUBLIC or CITY LIBRARY, EVERY UNIVERSITY and COLLEGE LIBRARY should possess these five works, which I offer, if taken together, instead of 2662 fr., FOR 1550 frs. unbound (330 dollars).

FOR 2000 frs. bound in substantial library binding. (For packing, consular invoice, and shipping free to the port of New York, I charge 12 dollars extra, which is half the real cost.) Other important remainders will be found in my catalogues. Here I beg to draw your attention to the following: 4° DU CANGE. Glossarium latinitatis. Last edition. 10 vols. 4o, thick paper. Cost 400 fr., for 200 fr., bound for 240 fr. 5° The same work, Dutch paper copies, cost 600 fr., for .300 fr., bound for 350 fr. 6° ENCYCLOPAEDIE DER NATURWISSENSCHAFTEN. Vols. 1 to 27. 8°. Cost 390 Marks= 487 fr. 50, for.... 36 dollars, bound for 54 dollars

7° ANNUAIRE DE LA SOCIETE FRANCAISE de numiSMATIQUE ET D'ARCHEOLOGIE, full set, 1866-96. 19 vols., large 8° numerous plates. Cost 570 fr., for 240 fr., bound for 300 fr. 8° CATALOGUE DES THESES SOUTENUES EN FRANCE de 1803 à 1890. I. and III., Pharmacie.-II. Sciences. 3 vols., 8°, with plates. Cost 22 fr. 50, for............... 15 fr., bound for 20 fr. (Important bibliographical work,completing the French General Catalogues by Lorenz and Quérard.) 9° MEYER-LUEBKE. Grammaire des langues romanes. I. Phonétique. II. Morphologie. 1890-94 Cost 45 fr., new for..... .36 fr., bound for 44 fr. CATALOGUE des Incunables de la Bibliothèque Mazarine. 8°, 1893. Cost 40 fr., for..20 fr., bound for 25 fr. HARRISSE (Henry). The Discovery of North America. 4°, 818 pp., and 23 maps, 1892. Cost 150 fr., for 100 fr. The same work Dutch paper, 250 fr. (33 % off).................. ..Japanese Vellum, 400 fr. (33% off)

This present offer is expressly intended for American Libraries. The prices are generally even under my Local Trade Prices, and my offer should therefore be understood as strictly for direct dealing with Libraries only, and not for orders sent through agents, to whom these prices will be refused.

H. WELTER, Export Bookseller and Dealer in second-hand Books. Purchasing agent for the University Libraries of Ann Arbor, Berkeley (Cal.), Madison, New Haven, Toronto, Chicago, etc,

EDW. G. ALLEN'S

London Agency for American Libraries

28 HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN, LONDON.

FOUNDED IN 1856.

APPOINTED London Agency for the Libraries of the United States and

Dominion Governments, and for Several First-class Public and Uni

versity Libraries of America.

Relations long existing with all the Booksellers and Publishers of Great Britain facilitate the prompt execution of orders for Books, Periodicals, and Scientific Serials, with their continuations.

Scarce Books Found.

Sets Made Up.

Binding of Every Class.

"We have been, for the last twenty years, personally cognizant of Mr. Allen's faithfulness to the interests of his American customers. When a resident in Washington, ten years ago, we found that the immense Congressional Library largely supplied its shelves through Mr. Allen's London Agency. Many of the extensive libraries belonging to the Universities and Colleges in the East have also secured their Foreign Books from the same source, and we have heard from the officers of these Institutions frequent testimony to the scrupulous exactness with which their orders were always filled.

"We cannot, therefore, do a greater service to the Colleges and Universities of the West, to which these presents shall come, than to advise that they employ this inexpensive agency for replenishing their Libraries with English Books."-PRESIDENT WELCH, Iowa State Agricultural College.

"No better endorsement of Mr. Allen's Agency is possible than the list of leading libraries that continue to use it. For 30 years, strict integrity and unexcelled facilities have held the old and made new patrons. The very large business built up demands only a small commission. A library can safely entrust all its London orders to Mr. Allen without getting other estimates and feel sure that it is not making a mistake.”—Melvil DewEY, State Library, New York.

EDW. G. ALLEN'S AMERICAN LIBRARY AGENCY,

28 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden, LONDON.

Member American Library Association. SPECIAL TERMS FOR LARGE orders.

BOOKS WANTED.

Any one desiring to dispose of copies of the following insurance publications will please communicate with S. S. McC., P. O. Box 555, New York City:

GEORGIA: Years ending Sept. 30 of 1869-1884, "ENQUIRER" (Baltimore): Everything after 1886-1887, 1892 and 1893.