This 1851 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 1850, the SAPL changed its London bookseller from James Malcott Richardson to Smith, Elder and co. The committee minutes note that the SAPL collections now total over 31,000 volumes. In 1850-1 482 volumes were purchased. This big increase in the number of books purchased reflects the success of the new arrangement with Smith and Elder, who were able to provide the SAPL with books at a discount. The breakdown of the new acquisitions by class is as follows. Theology (10); law, government and economics (10); belles lettres, criticism and education (87); science and arts (15); biography (40); history (51); voyages and travels (92) and works of amusement (177). Notable acquisitions include Harriet Martineau’s History of England and Agnes Strickland’s Lives of the Queens of Scotland , as well as Thomas Carlyle’s Latter-day Pamphlets . Notable fiction and poetry acquisitions include Tennyson’s In Memorium , Wordsworth’s The Prelude and Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights .
LA
