A REMARKABLE BOOK.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1128, 19 January 1884, Page 3

A REMARKABLE BOOK.

We hare received one oi those extraordinary literary works which the genius, enterprise and energy of an American alone could produce. It is entitled “ Hubbard’s Newspaper and Bank Directory of the World,” but its name docs not do it anything like justice. In fact, it is a matter that we cannot understand how the brain which conceived and the enterprise which carripd to a successful issue so gigantic a project, could be satisfied with a name that gives such a meagre idea of the contents of this wonderful book. It is comprised in two well-bound volumes of 2590 png 6 ?) andis tn fact an encyclopedia ot general informing concerning every country on the earth. Newspaper literature is certainly given great prominence to. Not alone is the name, circulation, politics, and most minute information regarding 30,000 newspapers given, but also facsimiles of the most prominent of them with excellent likenesses of their editors, and photographs of the estabUshments in which they are printed. There we see an exact fascimile of the Dyttelton Times, The Press, and the

ether leading New Zealand papers, while on the next page, perhaps, are similar representations of the newspapers of China, Japan, India, France, Germany, and every country known to civilization, showing the class of type and headings employed by each. Then we get a history of the art of printing from its earliest development to tho present moment, and a splendid picture of a dove returning to the ark with the olive leaf in her mouth, under tho title of ‘The first news gatherer.’ Often since have members of the dove family rendered material assistance in the collection of news. So minute are tho details that there is an essay on the derivation of the word “ News,” and a two-year-old witticism is given which insists that the word is made up of the initial letters of the cardinal points of the earth, North, East, West, South, suggesting that its meaning is intelligence gathered from all parts of the world. Pictures of the first newspaper presses side by side with the most improved modern machines make up items of interest. The names of all the 14,000 Banks in the world and an idea of their financial stability is also given, but though the name of the book would indicate that it is a mere directory, yet it is an Atlas and a Gazetteer as well. It gives splendid maps of not only every country but of every State of America and the small Principalities of Europe and the East. It gives a sketch containing information respectingthe constitution, laws, politics, social condition, population, natural productions, exports, imports, and other details of every nation on earth. It gives the names of the principal cities and their commercial position, and a vast quantity of very useful information concerning the divisions wars have made in Europe. There is a very fall account of the various States of America, with information regarding their industries and production. Another interesting item is a verse of the Bible translated into every known tengue, and printed in type peculiar to lha country in which the language is spoken. There, beside the English Roman type can be seen the characters in which old Irish, Scotch Gaelic, Maori, and all the known tongues are printed, as well as the hen scratching of the Bast and the hieroglyphics of China and Japan. The title of the book, the names of newspapers, and other important matters are given in English, French, German and Spanish, and this extraordinary work is produced by a man who commenced business as an advertising agent, with a capUal of ten dollars, in June, 1874. Greater success has seldom been achieved, but such must be the result of the indomitable energy and enterprise that combine in the mrm who has collected together from all parts of the world the extraordinary quantity of very entertaining information contained in this book. The printing, the engravings, the binding are excellent, and without exaggeration the book may be said to be a monument of American, enterprise.