Excerpt from Er Bibliotheca, Hugh Frederick Hornby: Catalogue of the Art Library Bequeathed by Hugh Frederick Hornby, Esq., Of Liverpool to the Free Public Library of the City of Liverpool, Compiled Under the Direction of the Chief Librarian<br><br>Authorities of the City of Liverpool my Art Library and Collection of Engravings, Autographs, &amp;c., on condition that they shall be kept as a separate collection for the use and benefit of the art-loving public of Liverpool, and, in the event of their accepting the same on these terms, I further bequeath to the City of Liverpool a sum of to assist the Authorities to provide a building in which to store this collection, and in which the engravings, books, &amp;c., may be exhibited to the public.<br><br>The importance and value of this princely benefaction has yet to be realized. In due time this will follow, and the name of Hugh Frederick Hornby will find an honoured place among the patrons of art and public benefactors.<br><br>The following Catalogue is that of the books only, which number nearly volumes. The engravings, autographs, and art bindings must be dealt with in another volume or volumes, for they are too valuable and important to be treated except with thoroughness and a true appreciation of their character and excellencies.<br><br>Only a careful study of the Catalogue can reveal the merits of the art books now in possession of the City, and of the amount of time and bibliographical research demanded for the annotations necessary to describe them adequately and do justice to their special features and artistic contents.<br><br>About the Publisher<br><br>Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com<br><br>This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.