College and Research Libraries


Review Articles 

Virginia Almanacs 
A Checklist of Virginia Almanacs, 1732-1850. 

By J a m e s A. Bear, J r . , and Mary Caperton 
B e a r . Charlottesville: Bibliographical So-
ciety of the University of Virginia, 1962. 
xliv, [208]p. $7.50. 

Because the almanac played a significant 
role in the reading habits and in the history 
of p r i n t i n g of the U n i t e d States, studies such 
as that of the Bears are welcome. However, 
coming as it does, just prior to the publica-
tion of M i l t o n Drake's comprehensive bib-
liography of American almanacs, 1639-1875, 
some may wonder if it is essential. 

Checking the Bears's work against the col-
lection of Virginia almanacs at the American 
A n t i q u a r i a n Society, this reviewer found only 
o n e almanac not listed, the 1808 issue of 
The Good Old Virginia Almanack (Rich-
mond, T h o m a s Nicolson). W e also have sev-
eral issues of The Farmer's Calendar, by 
Charles Egelmann, which, although printed 
in Baltimore, nevertheless bear a Virginia 

imprint. T h e Bears, no doubt, excluded 
this on the basis of its origin, a decision 
certainly defensible. 

Proofreading slips in numbers 165 and 
290 resulted in the exclusion of the location 
symbols, although Massachusetts Worcester 
A n t i q u a r i a n Society has both. I n addition, 
M W A is not credited with owning the fol-
lowing items: 33, 36, 37, 38, 103, 147, 209, 
240, 253, 256, 284, 294, 329, 339, 348. T h i s 
library also possesses variants of 245, 336, 
340, and 354. E x c e p t for 245, they are minor. 
T h e first, however, is worthy of mention as 
the variation is to be found in the im-
print, " J ° h n W a r r o c k for Frederick A. 
M a y o . " 

Generally, the compilers have produced a 
useful work of limited scope. T h e biographi-
cal notices of the philomaths are a happy 
addition. 

I n truth, half a loaf is b e t t e r than none, 
b u t it is sad that the publications of so 
distinguished a society appear in such shabby 
r a i m e n t . — M . A. McCorison, American Anti-
quarian Society. 

Books Briefly Noted 
Annual Report of the Librarian of Con-

gress for the Fiscal Year Ending June 
30, 1961. W a s h i n g t o n : L i b r a r y of Con-
gress, 1962. 153p. $2.00. 

Calendar of Meetings of National and Re-
gional Educational Associations, 1962. 
W a s h i n g t o n : T h e N a t i o n a l C a t h o l i c Edu-
cational Association, [1962]. 44p. $1.00. 

The Catholic Bookman's Guide, a Critical 
Evaluation of Catholic Literature, edited 
by Sister M . Regis. New Y o r k : Hawthorn 
Books, Inc., [1962]. 638p. $12.95. 

The Communities of New York and the 
Civil War, the Recruiting Areas of the 
New York Civil War Regiments, com-
piled by C. E . Dornbusch. . . . New 
Y o r k : T h e New York P u b l i c Library, 
1962. 31p. $1.50. 

The Contemporary Arts, by B a r t l e t t H . 

Hayes, J r . [Chicago]: A L A in Coopera-
tion with the P u b l i c Affairs Committee, 
Inc., [1962]. 20p. ( R e a d i n g for an Age 
of Change, No. 2) $.60. 

Directory of Finnish Research Libraries, 
abridged English ed. of the Guide to the 
Research Libraries of F i n l a n d , compiled 
by E i n o Nivanka; translated by L e e n a 
Salminen. H e l s i n k i : T h e Council of Re-
search Libraries in F i n l a n d , 1962. 52p. 
300 F M K . 

Garrick and Stratford, by M a r t h a W i n b u r n 
England. New Y o r k : T h e New York Pub-
lic Library, 1962. 72p. $2.50. 

The Guide to Catholic Literature, 1961.... 
Joseph A. Placek, editor, J o s e p h i n e Riss 
Fang, assistant editor. Villanova, P e n n a . : 
T h e C a t h o l i c L i b r a r y Association, 1962. 
355p. $9.00. 

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