It May Be Said, However, That This Objection Can Easily Be Obviated, By
Distinguishing Such Works As Are Bad Or Indifferent From Such As Are Good,
Either By A Short Notice, Or By A Particular Mark.
The first plan
necessarily must increase the size of the catalogue; and it really appears
a piece of superfluous labour to introduce works not worthy to be perused,
and then, either by a notice or mark, to warn the reader from the perusal
of them.
Is it not much more direct to omit such works altogether?
As the object in view in the present catalogue is to render it useful to
the generality of readers, and not valuable to the bibliographer, those
works are omitted which have no other recommendation but their extreme
scarcity. For such works are of course accessible only to very few, and
when obtained, convey little interest or information.
A select catalogue then appears to be the most useful, and of course must
occupy less room. But to this objections start up, which it will be proper
to consider.
In the first place, What is the criterion of good works of voyages and
travels? The antiquarian will not allow merit to such as pass over, or do
not enter, _con amore_, and at great length, into the details of the
antiquities of a country: the natural historian is decidedly of opinion,
that no man ought to travel who is not minutely and accurately acquainted
with every branch of his favourite science, and complains that scarcely a
single work of travels is worthy of purchase or perusal, because natural
history is altogether omitted in them, or treated in a popular and
superficial manner.
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