A New Biographical Dictionary. By Thompson Cooper, F.S.A. (Bell and
Sons.)--Mr. Cooper, who was associated with his father, Mr. Charles Henry Cooper, in the great work of the "Athena, Cantabri- gienses," makes here a very valuable contribution to biographical literature. He does himself nothing but the barest justice when, in his preface, he speaks of this dictionary as "the most comprehensive work of the kind in the English language." It is intended to give memoirs of "eminent persons of all ages and countries, and more particularly of distinguished natives of Groat Britain and Ireland." When we have further remarked that the author has had chiefly in view the collection of literary biographies, and that regarded from this point of view his work not only excels all its predecessors, but is as nearly as possible exhaustive, our readers may have some idea of what Mr. Cooper has accomplished. The book is an octavo volume of some- what more than twelve hundred pages, closely, but clearly printed, and the mass of information which it contains, especially as regards a number of authors, more or less obscure, is indeed astonishing.
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