Cited in Preface---Hence the following proof-sheets--a preliminary, tentative, and incomplete catalogue, embodying the information gathered by the compiler from printed and manuscript authoritiies, by personal visits to public and private libraries throughout the United States and Canada, and by an extensive correspondence. The amount of material already obtained through outside sources during the type-setting and proof-reading, and which partly appears int he appended "Additions and Corrections,"strengthens the belief that, with the assistance of those in a position to furnish information, it will be possible to make the final issue a firely complete record of the books, pamphlets, papers in serial journals, and manuscripts, in or relating to the Indian languages of North America.

The primary purpose sought to be carried out in the following pages is analphabetic list of persons who have written in or upon the Indian languages of North America, with full and accurate titles of all editions of their writings, collations of the same, and a descriptive table of lingustic contents.

But a few departures from the ordinary rules of cataloguing have been made, the principal one being that translators of matter into te Indian tongues have been treated as authors. Anonymous works, both printed and manuscript, have been entered under the full name of the author when known, with a cross-reference in the case of printed works from the first word of the title. When the author is unknown, printed works, and manuscripts with authentic titles, appear under the first works, and manuscripts without titles, or with factitious titles, under the name of the Indian language to which they pertain. Societies have been treated as authors of the journals, transactions, proceedings, etc., issued by them, the chartered name being given whenever possible. Titles of works containing linguistics by others than the author of the work appear in full under the name of the latter, followed by brief subentry of the linguistic authors; the full titles of the linguistic portions appearing in full under their respective authors, followed by brief usb-entry of the author of the work itself. In these sub entries the name of the author, or other controlling word in the rimary alphabetic arrangement, is printed in black-face type. This use of the descriptive and commentative matter following the title.