In the world of letters as in the world of society conventionality plays no unimportant part, as every student of literature knows. That there is such a thing as "conventional immortality" every biographical dictionary yields abundant evidence. Even so small a work as this must necessarily contain many names that have achieved this conventional immortality through the accident of circumstance. Some literary fames are among the legacies left by preceding centuries to the present one to account for and explain. And when all is said, "the iniquity of oblivion blindly scattereth her poppy and dealeth with the memory of men without distinction to merit of perpetuity."
OSCAR FAY ADAMS.
Erie, Pa., October 28, 1883.
PUBLISHERS REFERRED TO IN THIS VOLUME.
| Apl. | Appleton, D., & Co. | New York City |
| Arm. | Armstrong, A. C., & Son | " |
| A. T. S. | American Tract Society | " |
| A. U. A. | American Unitarian Association | Boston, Mass. |
| Bi. | Bickers & Son | London, England. |
| Ca. | Carter, Robert, & Brothers | New York City. |
| Cas. | Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co | New York, |
| London, | ||
| and Paris. | ||
| Cath. | Catholic Publication Soc. Co. | New York City. |
| Clx. | Claxton, E., & Co. | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Di. | Dick & Fitzgerald | New York City |
| Do. | Dodd, Mead & Co.. | " |
| Dra. | Draper, Warren F. | Andover, Mass. |
| Dut. | Dutton, E. P., & Co. | New York City. |
| El. | Ellis, George H. | Boston, Mass. |
| Est. | Estes & Lauriat | " |
| Fu. | Funk, I. K., & Co. | New York City. |
| Har. | Harper & Bro. | " |
| Ho. | Holt, Henry, & Co. | " |
| Hou. | Houghton, Mifflin & Co. | Boston, Mass. |
| Jo. | Johnson, T. & J. W. | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Ju. | Judd, Orange | New York City. |
| La. | Lea's, Henry C., Son & Co. | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Le. | Lee & Shepard | Boston, Mass. |
| Lip. | Lippincott, J. B., & Co. | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Lit. | Little, Brown & Co. | Boston, Mass. |
| Lo. | Lothrop, D., & Co. | " |
| Mac. | Macmillan & Co. | New York and London. |
| Mil. | Miller, James | New York City. |
| Mur. | Murphy, John | Baltimore, Md. |
| Mu. | Munsell | Albany, N. Y. |
| Nel. | Nelson, Thos., & Sons | New York, |
| London, | ||
| and Edinburgh. | ||
| Os. | Osgood, James R., & Co. | Boston, Mass. |
| P. B. | Presbyterian Bd. of Publication | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Pet. | Peterson, T. B., & Co. | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Phi. | Phillips & Hunt | New York City. |
| Pi. | Pict, John B. | Baltimore, Md. |
| Por. | Porter & Coates | Philadelphia, Pa. |
| Put. | Putnam's, G. P., Sons | New York City. |
| Ran. | Randolph, A. D. F., & Co. | " |
| Rob. | Roberts Brothers | Boston, Mass. |
| Rou. | Routledge, George, & Sons | New York and London. |
| Sad. | Sadlier D. &. J., & Co. | New York City. |
| Scr. | Scribner's, Charles, Sons | " |
| Sh. | Sheldon & Co. | " |
| Th. | Thomas, F. H. | St. Louis, Mo. |
| Wid. | Widdleton, W. J. | New York City. |
| Wiley | Wiley, John, & Son | " |
| Wor. | Worthington, R. | " |
HANDBOOK OF ENGLISH AUTHORS.
Abbott, Edwin A. 1838 ——. Shakespearean scholar. Author of a Shakespearean Grammar, a Handbook of Elizabethan English, etc. Pub. Mac. Rob.
A'Becket, Gilbert Abbot. 1811–1856. Humorist. Author Comic Hist. of England, Comic Hist. of Rome, Comic Blackstone, etc. Pub. Apl. Lip.