enty volumes, 8vo, of four hundred
pages to each. Among its contents we find the following. A handbook of
phraseology, with explanations; a short account of fabulous regions to
the N., S., E. and W.; notes on the plants and trees of southern
countries; biographical sketches of ninety-two wonderful personages;
an account of the choice of an empress, with standard measurements of
the height, length of limb, &c., of the ideal woman; "Pillow Notes" (a
term borrowed by the Japanese), or jottings on various subjects,
ranging from the Creation to an account of Fusang, a country where the
trees are thousands of feet high and of vast girth, thus supporting
the California, as opposed to the Mexico, identification of Fusang;
critiques on the style of various poets, and on the indebtedness of
each to earlier writers; a list of the most famous bronze vessels cast
by early emperors, with their dimensions, inscriptions, &c.; a
treatise on the bamboo; a list of famous swords, with dates of forging
and inscriptions; an account of the old Mongol palace, previous to its
destruction by the first Ming emperor; notes on the wild tribes of
China; historical episodes; biographical notices of one hundred and
four poets of the present dynasty; notes on archaeological,
supernatural and other topics, first published in the 9th century;
notes for bibliophiles on the care of books, and on paper, ink,
pictures and bric-a-brac; a collection of famous criminal cases; night
thoughts suggested by a meteor. Add to the above, numerous short
stories relating to magic, dreams, bilocation, and to almost every
possible phase of supernatural manifestation, and the reader will have
some idea of what he may expect in an ordinary "library" of a popular
character. It must always be remembered that with the Chinese, style
is of paramount importance. Documents, the subject-matter of which
would be recognized to be of no educative value, would still be
included, if written in a pleasing style, such as might be serviceable
as a model.

_Individual Authors_.--In a similar manner it has always been
customary for relatives or friends, sometimes for the trade, to
publish the "complete works" of important and often unimportant
writers; usually, soon after death. And as literary distinction has
hitherto almost invariably led to high office under the state, the
collected works of the great majority of aut