The New Student's Reference Work/Astor Library, The

Astor Library, The, New York, now embraced in the New York Public Library, was founded under the will of John Jacob Astor, who left $450,000 for a public library in the city of New York. This munificent sum was increased subsequently to a million by gifts from his son and grandsons, one of whom, Wm. Waldorf Astor in 1882–85 was United States minister to Italy. Among the first trustees appointed by Mr. Astor himself were Washington Irving and Fitz-Greene Halleck. The library was opened in 1854 with 90,000 volumes. In 1895 it had about 300,000 volumes. In some departments, as oriental languages, it is unsurpassed by any library in the country. The Astor library was in 1895 consolidated with the Lenox library, and, with the Tilden bequest, is now housed in the New York Public Library, situated in Bryant Park, 5th avenue and 42nd street. See New York Public Library.