The New Catalogus Catalogorum

[P. Filliozat]

    As an old user of the New Catalogus Catalogorum, I wish to give my
testimony to the extreme usefulness of this vast undertaking. I know it
since the inception of its first volumes in the fifties. Its utility is not
limited to information about the existence and availability of manuscripts.
It is a source of valuable informations on the literary history of India. I
consult it often for information about authors, dates, etc., or in search of
a clue to differentiate homonymous authors or works. There may be some flaws
and outdated matter. But there is the mark of V. Raghavan's immense
erudition in many different branches.
    Not only the published volumes are of great help to all Indologists. But
the Madras scriptorium where they are prepared contains a very rich
material. Many Indologists have probably visited it and obtained
complementary informations in and out of the range of the published volumes,
as I have many times obtained from Prof. V. Raghavan and his obliging staff.
    As it is a matter of concern to all Sanskritists, it could be a question
examined by the International Sanskrit Association whose world conference is
to be held next year.
    P.-S. Filliozat