HE wealth of information, historical, statistical, descriptive, scientific, and

THE other, hidden, because of imperfect bibliographical record, in the publica

tions of the several States of the American Union, is second only to that in the publications of the United States Government, which also until recent years had been poorly recorded and inadequately known. Within the past decade much has been done in Government bibliography, and the organization of bibliographical work by the Superintendent of Documents brings the bibliography of national issues into a comprehensive and adequate system. Unfortunately, less progress has been made in the correlated field of State publications. The first endeavor to catalogue systematically the official issues of the several States of the Union was, so far as is known to the editor, the list of State publications given in the appendix to the American Catalogue of 1884-90. An attempt was then made to present as complete a bibliography as was possible for that period, first, by direct correspondence with the State Librarian or other State officers of the several States; second, by the use of such incidental data as could be obtained from catalogues and reports of State libraries (those of Massachusetts being by far the best in this respect); third, by personal visits to State libraries, many of them having been visited by the editor in the year 1890-91 and since. At the beginning some State Librarians, notably those of Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire, responded promptly and fully; in other cases not a word could be had from the State Librarian, in many States a perfunctory officer, or from the Secretary of State or Commissioner of Statistics, who were also addressed; and in more than one case the State Librarian replied indignantly that he could not be expected to give information for nothing. Then, and to a large extent since, the Massachusetts State Library annual lists of accessions have been a chief source of information where that could not be had from a State. Some kind of a list for the 1884-90 period was, however, presented for each State. A second list, for 1890-95, was made a similar supplement in the American Catalogue for that period, and at that time better returns from other States, particularly those of the mid-West, Kansas, and California, were obtained.

In the past five years, while there has been no other endeavor toward a general bibliography of State publications, progress has been made in two directions. In several of the States special bibliographies have appeared, either of publications within the State or of State publications proper; and State Librarians have been vitalized and brought into line with general library progress by the organization of a National Association of State Librarians and a State Library Section of the American Library Association. Nevertheless, the office of State Librarian is still in some States perfunctory or merged into that of some other State official, and in several States the State Library and its executive post have been notoriously a football of politics, although the State Librarianship is one of the positions where experience, skill, and therefore continuity, are most needed, and which should thereiii

fore be most free from removal for partisan reasons. There has already been enough progress in reform, however, to make more possible than before a general bibliography of State publications.

The researches of the editor in this field have more and more shown how valuable is the material found here and there in the unorganized heap of State publications, or rather in the many heaps which make up the great aggregate. The variety of differentiation of State publications in the several States, while increasing the difficulties of the explorer in these bibliographical labyrinths, has in itself a distinctive and definite value. It is a happy feature of our federal system, as has before been pointed out, that one State desiring to experiment in legislation or administration may profit by the experiences of sister States which have already produced good or ill results from like experiments. It is true that a large proportion of State publications are not of general interest outside or indeed within the State, yet for comparative purposes their record may be important and valuable, and, aside from perfunctory or merely administrative reports, there is surprising wealth of material in State as well as government issues. Many of the States, particularly those of the far West and "the new South," issue fact-books as to their resources, etc., which can be had for the asking by public libraries, and which should be at the disposal of readers throughout the States from which emigration sets west and south. The regular or special reports of Boards of Agriculture, of Boards of Health, of Bureaus of Labor Statistics, of Insurance or Railroad Commissioners, the records of prison and reformatory development, the historical publications of several of the States, all these are of real value to inquirers in other States, and many of them should be on the shelves of the more representative libraries.

Moreover, as the inquiry is extended back into the earlier historical periods, many documents are found which do much to complete the historical record of the nation or throw light on its development. In the present volume, which can best be described as an attempt at an endeavor toward a check-list of State publications, the editor has undertaken to provide, so far as present resources permit, a key to the State publications of each State from its beginning, including in a supplementary division colonial or territorial issues or reprints of them. It has been an impossible task to make a complete bibliography, especially as in no State can there be found a complete set of the documents of the State itself. This preliminary endeavor has had, indeed, one useful effect in calling the attention of State Librarians and historians to the gaps in their own collections and to the imperfections of their own records, and it is hoped that as the successive parts are published, librarians not only in the State Library of the State concerned, but in other libraries of the State and in libraries of other States, will make comparison of these records with their own collections or knowledge, and send promptly to the editor word of material which has so far escaped observation. This will be a patriotic service to the State concerned, as well as a professional service to all libraries. The volume is so published, with extra margin, as to invite such complementary work in each library, as well as to permit the addition in the proper place of new volumes of current series or new publications. In many cases local or historical libraries were found to have documents or information which the State Library altogether lacked, and the editor extends especial thanks to the libraries not State libraries which have thus coöperated.

It is not expected that this work will prove pecuniarily profitable, or even cover

its cost, as it was planned by the editor as a labor of love in an important field of bibliographical research, following the example which Mr. George Iles has so excellently set in his generous contribution toward the advancement of another line of bibliographical work. But it is hoped that the volume may have sufficient pecuniary support to reduce the loss within such limits as will permit the issue later of another list which will include the additions and emendations supplied by the coöperative research asked, and will make as complete a record as possible of all State publications to the year 1900. If, however, support of the present enterprise should be withheld in the hope of obtaining a better list later on, that course would make it out of the question for the present editor to undertake a bettered bibliography in this field.

In the present publication the States have been arranged, not alphabetically after the usual and preferable catalogue method, but in a geographical order, in itself partly a historical order because of State development from the Atlantic toward the Pacific, which has been for the present purpose more practicable. This method of arrangement and the plan of issue in parts were adopted to bring together at the beginning the publications of the original or older States, which have had the most comprehensive and systematized series of publications, and it is hoped that the early publication of the bibliographies of these States may inspire librarians of other States to make their records as complete or adequate as possible. The issues of each State and the names or official designations of officers vary so much, that it seemed desirable to adopt some arrangement of entries, which, even though somewhat arbitrary, would make search and comparison more easy. The plan adopted is to enter first that general publication of the State, if any, which masses into a volume, or series of volumes, its general public de uments. The CONSTITUTION, or records of constitutional conventions and commissions, makes the first general division. Then follow the EXECUTIVE AND STAFF officers, who transact the routine business of the State; the inspectors, boards, commissions, etc., who care for the INSPECTION AND REGULA TION of business in the State, as insurance, mines, railroads, etc., or record the statistics of labor, agriculture, schools, etc.; and the INSTITUTIONS in which business is carried on by the State, including its schools, library, asylums, hospitals, prisons, and reformatories, etc., as well as the societies which have State relations. The line of division is, of course, indefinite : a Superintendent of Public Instruction, for instance, is a staff officer who inspects and regulates the schools, and might go in either one of the three departments; in some cases the Land Office is an inspecting bureau, while in others it sells State lands, and thus falls into the third category. The JUDICIARY is the next division, and in this are included the leading State reports, though these are in many cases issued as a private enterprise, the State buying a portion of the edition. In the case of reports and of session laws, the individual printer or publisher from whom they can be obtained at a stated price is usually indicated. No attempt has been made in such States as Massachusetts and New York to schedule the reports of lower courts, which should be sought under the State name in the author alphabet of the American Catalogue. The LEGISLATURE follows, including codifications, session laws, etc.; compilations of laws on a special subject, as school laws, find proper place here or under the department officer, according as they merely contain laws or are edited or annotated. Finally the MISCELLANEOUS OR SPECIAL issues, unclassified, are given, and this division includes some of the most valuable publications. A SUPPLEMENTARY list covers the pre-State period, colonial or territorial, in