This index is a remarkable work. Its pages carry some of the most splendid names in the history of the industrial development of Great Britain. It carries, too, the rare distinction that an Act of Parliament was passed to secure it for the nation. But above all, it is remarkable for the vision and determination of its compiler, Bennet Woodcroft.

The index is concerned with patents granted for inventions in Great Britain from 1617 up to the time the Patent Office was reconstituted in October 1852.