II. I would suggest to skilful authors and booksellers publishing Biographical Dictionaries to follow the French and American custom of including in them the more eminent _contemporary_ living characters. That would add greatly to the use of the book; and the matter could easily be collected from the current Books of Peerage and Parliamentary Companions, with aid from the numerous magazines as to distinguished literary men. III. The supplements for Gazetteers could be easily compiled from the _parliamentary papers_ and magazines of the day. I would refer particularly to the supplements published by Mr. McCulloch to his _Commercial Dictionary_ as an example to be followed; while the conduct lately adopted in the new edition of Maunder's _Biographical Treasury_ should be avoided. The old edition of that collection consisted of 839 pages, and it is believed it was _stereotyped_. A new edition, or a new issue, of the old 839 pages was lately published, the same as the original dictionary, with a supplement of 72 pages. That is not sold separately; so that the holders of the old edition must purchase the whole work a _second_ time in 1850, at 10s., to procure the supplement. The public should not encourage such a style of publication. Any one might publish a supplemental dictionary since 1836, which would equally serve with the old edition. This hint is particularly addressed to Mr. Charles Knight. These hints are offered to the publishers and encouragers of _popular_ works for general readers, at economical prices; and they might be extended. For example, dictionaries of medicine for family use have great sale. Sometimes, it is believed, they are stereotyped. Why should not later practice and discoveries be published in a cheaper _supplement_, to preserve the value of the original work? Thus, in my family, I use the excellent _Cyclopædia of Popular Medicine_ published by Dr. Murray in 1842; but on looking into it for "Chloroform" and "Cod Liver Oil," no such articles are to be found, as they were not known in 1842. The skilful will find many other omissions. IV. There might be a greater difficulty in constructing a popular commercial or statistical dictionary, at a moderate price, to be supplied with supplements at later intervals. But even as to these, there is a good model in Waterston's _Small Dictionary of Commerce_, published in 1844, which, with a supplement, might afford, for a few shillings, to give all the later information derived from the free-trade measures and extension of our colonies. Waterston's original work is advertised often for sale at 10s. or 12s., and a supplement at 3s. would bring it within the reach of the great bulk of readers.