THE LIBRARIES OF EUROPE.

Ashburton Guardian, Volume VII, Issue 2047, 26 January 1889, Page 2

THE LIBRARIES OF EUROPE.

The European country which po&seases the largest number cf publio libraries ia (saya the " Library Journal") Austria. In Austria there are no fewer than 577 publio libraries, containing 5,475 000 works, without reokoning maps and mannBoripte — a t >tal whloh comes oat at 29 volumes per 100 of the population. France possesses 500 public libraries, containing 4,598,000 volumes : Italy ranking next with 493 libraries, 4,349,000 volumes, and 330,000 manuscripts, or 16 volumes per hundred. Jo Germany the publio libraries namber S9B, containing 2 640,000 volumes, and 58,000 manuscripts, or 11 volumes per 100 of the population. Great Britain possesses only 200 pnblio libraries according to these atatUtlos, the Tolamea numbering 2,871,000, and the manneorlpts 26,000. There are 145 libraries m Rnaah, with 952,000 volumes and 25,000 manuaorlpts, or a fraction over one volume to 100 persons. It is noteworthy that m Bavaria alone the publio libraries number 152 with 1,368,000 volumes and 24,000 manuscripts. Reviewing the principal libraries separately it appears that the most considerable m Europe ia the Blbllothequa Nationals m Pa-is, with 2 078,000 volumes, while the British Museum, with Its million of books, assumes the next plaoe. Then o( mes tha Munich Royal Library, containing; 809 000 volumes; the Berlin, Dresden, and Vienna libraries, taking rank as follows m the same order. 700,000, 500,000, and 420,000 books. At the Vatioau the manuscripts attain almost as large a total as the printed works. The latter namber 30,000 while the manaeorlpti are returned at 26 000.