(_b_) More important is the need that the numbers of a volume shall constitute the volume in its entirety, so that as they are bought and sold there shall not be the necessity of handling also another number belonging to a different volume in order to complete the first. Now that libraries are buying periodical sets and volumes in such large numbers for use with Poole's and other indexes, it is of great importance to the book trade, as well as librarians, and must have a real bearing on the business interests of the publishers, that this matter, often trifled with, shall receive due attention. Publishers must come to feel that if it is necessary (which it generally proves not to be) to delay a completing number a day or two in its issue in order to insure its completeness in this respect, the delay is abundantly compensated for. 2. Title-pages and contents should be furnished _with every copy_ of the issue of a completing number. We earnestly believe that by inserting title-pages and contents in all cases publishers will at once put a premium on the preservation and binding of their magazines, suggesting it to many who otherwise would not think of it. In the long run the demand for back numbers to make up volumes must more than compensate for the extra expense of putting in the additional leaves. The policy of sending title-pages and contents only to those calling for them is suicidal, as it results in flooding the market with numbers from which volumes cannot be made up and by destroying the hope of making up sets weakens the demand which would otherwise exist for volumes and numbers of the periodical in question. If an alphabetical index, in addition to a table of contents, is furnished, which is the preferable practice, the former should be paged to go at the end of the volume. When such an index is furnished, and no table of contents, the index should be printed to follow the title-page. 3. As to the form in which title-pages and contents should be issued: they should be printed on a two-, four-, or eight-leaved section, separate from other printed matter, either advertising or reading. Nothing is more important in binding volumes to stand the hard wear of our public libraries than that none of the earlier leaves in the volume shall be single leaves pasted in. One of the greatest abuses of the book trade at present is the disposition to have title and other preliminary leaves pasted in. Librarians find to their cost (what is not so obvious to the book manufacturer) that this does not work. An absolute requirement for good bookmaking is that the first and last portions of the book especially shall be good solid sections--no single leaves, nor do most librarians or owners of private libraries like to include advertisements, in order to secure these solid sections for binding. We feel sure that it is abundantly worth while for the publishers to squarely meet this demand.