This 1854 supplementary catalogue of new acquisitions to the South African Public Library was compiled by the librarian Fredrick Maskew and printed by Saul Solomon, Cape Town. It is appended to a transcription of speeches given at the annual meeting of subscribers in 1854. 349 volumes were added to the library’s collections between May 1853 and May 1854 and the classification breakdown is as follows. Theology (10); politics, economy and law (16); natural history (10); belles lettres, criticism (50); arts and sciences (12); biography (23); history (31); voyages and travels (67); works of amusement and poetry (120); miscellaneous (10). The catalogue is organised alphabetically by title and occasionally author. The number of volumes of a work is also given. Notable acquisitions include a 9 volume folio Illustrated Catalogues and Juries’ Report of the Great Exhibition of 1851, with Medals . Two important US texts on slavery published in 1853-4 are also listed: Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Key to Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Solomon Northup’s (1808-1863) Twelve years a slave . Important British novels listed include Elizabeth Gaskell’s Cranford .
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