THE HE work, of which the first volume is now presented to the reader, makes no pretension to the title of a complete Bibliography of the County of Cornwall; it is content to be considered merely as a contribution to its literary history. An experience of several years spent in the collection of the materials has only served to show the deficiencies and imperfections which still exist. The difficulties of procuring accurate information about local and ephemeral publications are manifold, and it has only been by devoting to the subject the leisure hours of many years that the matter contained in these pages has been accumulated. When the authors first proposed to themselves the execution of this work, they recognized the desirability of furnishing a Catalogue : I. Of all works written by natives of Cornwall, members of Cornish families, and persons resident in the County. II. Of all works relating to the County, even though written by persons unconnected therewith. They further resolved that the works they would describe should be of no limited character. They determined to include within the scope of their undertaking not merely books of permanent interest, but also pamphlets, political tracts, literary and scientific papers, reports of societies, patents, dramas, music, songs, extracts from sale catalogues, maps, manuscripts, &c. One special feature of this work consists of the lists of manuscripts which will be found described under the names of the various writers; by far the larger portion of them has never before been referred to in any book on the County. All the printed catalogues of manuscripts in the British Museum and 302878 |