"Atquartosaltemmenserediredecet。"

Thereisnosatisfactioninlendingabook;foritisrarelythatborrowers，whiletheydefaceyourvolumes，gatherhoneyfornewstores，asDeQuinceydid，andColeridge，andevenDr。Johnson，who"greasedanddogs-earedsuchvolumesaswereconfidedtohistendermercies，withthesameindifferencewherewithhesingedhisownwigs。"Butthereisaraceofmortalsmoreannoyingtoaconscientiousmanthanborrowers。Thesearethespontaneouslenders，whoinsistthatyoushallborrowtheirtomes。Formyownpart，whenIamoppressedwiththecharityofsuch，Ilocktheirbooksupinadrawer，andbeholdthemnotagaintillthedayoftheirreturn。Thereisnosecurityagainstborrowers，unlessamanlikeGuibertdePixerecourtsteadfastlyrefusestolend。ThedeviceofPixerecourtwasunlivreestunamiquinechangejamais。Butheknewthatourbookschangewhentheyhavebeenborrowed，likeourfriendswhentheyhavebeenmarried;when"aladyborrowsthem，"asthefairyqueensaysintheballadof"Tamlane。"

"ButhadIkenn’d，Tamlane，"shesays，"Aladywadborrowedthee，Iwadta’enoutthytwagrayeen，Putintwaeeno’tree！

"HadIbutkenn’d，Tamlane，"shesays，"Beforeyecamefraehame，Iwadta’enoutyourhearto’flesh，Putinahearto’stane！"

Abovethelintelofhislibrarydoor，Pixerecourthadthiscoupletcarved-

"Telestletristesortdetoutlivreprete，Souventilestperdu，toujoursilestgate。"

M。PaulLacroixsayshewouldnothavelentabooktohisowndaughter。OnceLacroixaskedfortheloanofaworkoflittlevalue。Pixerecourtfrowned，andledhisfriendbeneaththedoorway，pointingtothemotto。"Yes，"saidM。Lacroix，"butIthoughtthatverseappliedtoeveryonebutme。"SoPixerecourtmadehimapresentofthevolume。

Wecannotallimitatethis"immense"butunamiableamateur。

Therefore，bibliophileshaveconsoledthemselveswiththeinventionsofbook-plates，quaintrepresentations，perhapsheraldic，perhapsfanciful，oftheirclaimstothepossessionoftheirowndearvolumes。Mr。LeicesterWarrenandM。PouletMalassishavewrittenthehistoryoftheseslenderworksofart，andeachbibliophilemayhavehisownengraved，andmayformulatehisownanathemasonpeoplewhoborrowandrestorenotagain。Theprocessisfutile，butmaycomforttheheart，likethecursesagainstthieveswhichtheGreekswerewonttoscratchonleadentablets，anddepositinthetempleofDemeter。Eachamateurcanexercisehisowntasteinthedesignofabook-plate;andforsuchasloveandcollectrareeditionsof"Homer，"Iventuretosuggestthismotto，whichmaymovetheheartoftheborrowertosendbackanAldinecopyoftheepic-

[Greektext]{3}

Mr。WilliamBlades，inhispleasantvolume，"TheEnemiesofBooks"

（Trubner），makesnoaccountofthebook-thieforbiblioklept。"Iftheyinjuretheowners，"saysMr。Blades，withrealtolerance，"theydonoharmtothebooksthemselves，bymerelytransferringthemfromonesetofbook-shelvestoanother。"Thissentencehasnaturallycausedustoreflectontheethicalcharacterofthebiblioklept。

Heisnotalwaysabadman。Inoldtimes，whenlanguagehaditsdelicacies，andmoralistswerenotdevoidofsensibility，theFrenchdidnotsay"unvoleurdelivres，"but"unchipeurdelivres;"asthepaperscallladyshoplifters"kleptomaniacs。"Therearedistinctions。M。JulesJaninmentionsagreatParisianbooksellerwhohadanamiableweakness。Hewasabibliokleptomaniac。Hisfirstmotionwhenhesawabookwithinreachwastoputitinhispocket。Everyoneknewhishabit，andwhenavolumewaslostatasaletheauctioneerdulyannouncedit，andknockeditdowntotheenthusiast，whoregularlypaidtheprice。Whenhewenttoaprivateviewofbooksabouttobesold，theofficialsatthedoorwouldaskhim，ashewasgoingout，ifhedidnothappentohaveanElzevirHoraceoranAldineOvidinhispocket。Thenhewouldsearchthosereceptaclesandexclaim，"Yes，yes，hereitis;somuchobligedtoyou;Iamsoabsent。"M。JaninmentionsanEnglishnoble，a"SirFitzgerald，"whohadthesametastes，butwhounluckilyfellintothehandsofthepolice。YetM。Janinhasatendernessforthebook-stealer，who，afterall，isaloverofbooks。Themoralpositionofthemalefactorissodelicateanddifficultthatweshallattempttotreatofitinthesevere，thoughrococo，mannerofAristotle’s"Ethics。"HerefollowsanextractfromthelostAristoteliantreatise"ConcerningBooks"：-

"Amongthecontemplativevirtueswereckontheloveofbooks。Nowthisvirtue，likecourageorliberality，hasitsmean，itsexcess，anditsdefect。Thedefectisindifference，andthemanwhoisdefectiveastotheloveofbookshasnonameincommonparlance。

Therefore，wemaycallhimtheRobustiousPhilistine。Thismanwillcuttheleavesofhisownorhisfriend’svolumeswiththebutter-

knifeatbreakfast。Alsoheisjustthepersonwilfullytomistakethedoublesenseoftheterm’fly-leaves，’andtostickthe’fly-

leaves’ofhisvolumesfulloffly-hooks。Healsolovesdogs’-ears，andmarkshisplacewithhispipewhenheshutsabookinahurry;

orhewillsetthelegofhischaironapagetokeepitopen。Hepraisesthosewhotearoffmarginsforpipe-lights，andhemakescigaretteswiththetissue-paperthatcoversengravings。Whenhisbooksarebound，heseesthatthemarginiscuttothequick。Hetellsyoutoo，that’HEbuysbookstoreadthem。’Buthedoesnotsaywhyhethinksitneedfultospoilthem。Alsohewilldragoffbindings——orshouldweperhapscallthiscrime[Greektext]，orbrutality，ratherthanmerevice？forviceisessentiallyhuman，buttotearoffbindingsisbestial。ThustheystillspeakofacertainmonsterwholivedduringtheFrenchRevolution，andwho，havingpurchasedvolumesattiredinmorocco，andstampedwiththedevicesoftheoligarchs，wouldripofftheleatherorvellum，andthrowthemintothefireoroutofthewindow，sayingthat’nowhecouldreadwithunwashedhandsathisease。’Suchaperson，then，isthemanindifferenttobooks，andhesinsbywayofdefect，beingdeficientinthecontemplativevirtueofbook-loving。Astothemanwhoisexactlyintherightmean，wecallhimthebook-lover。Hishappinessconsistsnotinreading，whichisanactivevirtue，butinthecontemplationofbindings，andillustrations，andtitle-pages。

Thushisfelicitypartakesofthenatureoftheblissweattributetothegods，forthatalsoiscontemplative，andwecallthebook-

lover’happy，’andeven’blessed，’butwithinthelimitsofmortalhappiness。But，justasinthematterofabsenceoffearthereisameanwhichwecallcourage，andadefectwhichwecallcowardice，andanexcesswhichisknownasfoolhardiness;soitisinthecaseoftheloveofbooks。Astothemean，wehaveseenthatitisthevirtueofthetruebook-lover，whilethedefectconstitutesthesinoftheRobustiousPhilistine。Buttheextremeisfoundincovetousness，andthecovetousmanwhoisintheextremestateofbook-loving，isthebiblioklept，orbook-stealer。Nowhisviceshowsitself，notincontemplation（forofcontemplationtherecanbenoexcess），butinaction。Forbooksareprocured，aswesay，bypurchase，orbybarter，andthesearevoluntaryexchanges，boththesellerandthebuyerbeingwillingtodeal。Butbooksare，again，procuredinanotherway，byinvoluntarycontract——thatis，whentheownerofthebookisunwillingtopartwithit，buthewhoseownthebookisnotisdeterminedtotakeit。Thebook-stealerissuchamanasthis，andhepossesseshimselfofbookswithwhichtheownerdoesnotintendtopart，byvirtueofaseriesofinvoluntarycontracts。Again，thequestionmayberaised，whetheristheRobustiousPhilistinewhodespisesbooks，orthebibliokleptwhoadoresthemoutofmeasureandexcessively，theworsecitizen？Now，ifwearetolooktotheconsequencesofactionsonly（asthefollowersofBenthamadvise），clearlytheRobustiousPhilistineistheworsecitizen，forhemangles，anddirties，anddestroysbookswhichitistheinterestoftheStatetopreserve。Butthebiblioklepttreasuresandadornsthebookshehasacquired;andwhenhedies，orgoestoprison，theStatereceivesthebenefitathissale。ThusLibri，whowasthegreatestofbiblioklepts，rescuedmanyofthebookshestolefromdirtandmisuse，andhadthemboundroyallyinpurpleandgold。Also，itmaybearguedthatbooksnaturallybelongtohimwhocanappreciatethem;andifgoodbooksareinadullorindifferentman’skeeping，thisisthesortofslaverywhichwecall"unnatural"inourPOLITICS，andwhichisnottobeendured。Shallwesay，then，thattheRobustiousPhilistineistheworsecitizen，whiletheBibliokleptistheworseman？Butthisisperhapsmatterforaseparatedisquisition。"

ThisfragmentofthelostAristoteliantreatise"ConcerningBooks，"

showswhatadifficultytheStagiritehadindeterminingtheprecisenatureofthemoraloffenceofthebiblioklept。Indeed，bothasacollectorandasanintuitivemoralist，Aristotlemusthavefounditratherdifficulttocondemnthebook-thief。He，doubtless，wentontodrawdistinctionsbetweenthemanwhostealsbookstosellthemagainformerepecuniaryprofit（whichhewouldcall"chrematistic，"

or"unnatural，"book-stealing），andthemanwhostealsthembecausehefeelsthatheistheirproperandnaturalpossessor。ThesamedistinctionistakenbyJulesJanin，whowasamoreconstantstudentofHoracethanofAristotle。Inhisimaginarydialogueofbibliophiles，JaninintroducesacharacterwhoannouncesthedeathofM。Libri。Thetolerantpersonwhobringsthesadnewsproposes"tocastafewflowersonthemelancholytomb。Hewasabibliophile，afterall。Whatdoyousaytoit？Manyagoodfellowhasstolenbooks，anddiedingraceatthelast。""Yes，"repliesthepresidentoftheclub，"butthegoodfellowsdidnotsellthebookstheystole……Cestunegrandehonte，unegrandemisere。"

ThisLibriwasanInspector-GeneralofFrenchLibrariesunderLouisPhilippe。Whenhewastried，in1848，itwascalculatedthatthesumofhisknowntheftsamountedto20，000pounds。Manyofhisrobberiesescapednoticeatthetime。ItisnotlongsinceLordAshburnham，accordingtoaFrenchjournal，"LeLivre，"foundinhiscollectionsomefragmentsofaPentateuch。TheserelicshadbeeninthepossessionoftheLyonsLibrary，whenceLibristolethemin1847。ThelateLordAshburnhamboughtthem，withoutthefaintestideaofLibri’sdishonesty;andwhen，afterelevenyears，thepresentpeerdiscoveredtheproperownersofhistreasure，heimmediatelyrestoredthePentateuchtotheLyonsLibrary。

Manyeminentcharactershavebeenbiblioklepts。WhenInnocentX。

wasstillMonsignorPamphilio，hestoleabook——sosaysTallemantdesReaux——fromDuMonstier，thepainter。TheamusingthingisthatDuMonstierhimselfwasabook-thief。Heusedtotellhowhehadliftedabook，ofwhichhehadlongbeeninsearch，fromastallonthePont-Neuf;"but，"saysTallemant（whomJanindoesnotseemtohaveconsulted），"therearemanypeoplewhodon’tthinkitthievingtostealabookunlessyousellitafterwards。"ButDuMonstiertookalessliberalviewwherehisownbookswereconcerned。TheCardinalBarberinicametoParisaslegate，andbroughtinhissuiteMonsignorPamphilio，whoafterwardsbecameInnocentX。TheCardinalpaidavisittoDuMonstierinhisstudio，whereMonsignorPamphiliospied，onatable，"L’HistoireduConciledeTrent"——thegoodedition，theLondonone。"Whatapity，"thoughttheyoungecclesiastic，"thatsuchamanshouldbe，bysomeaccident，thepossessorofsovaluableabook。"WiththesesentimentsMonsignorPamphilioslippedtheworkunderhissoutane。ButlittleDuMonstierobservedhim，andsaidfuriouslytotheCardinal，thataholymanshouldnotbringthievesandrobbersinhiscompany。Withthesewords，andwithothersofaviolentandlibellouscharacter，herecoveredthe"HistoryoftheCouncilofTrent，"andkickedoutthefuturePope。AmelotdelaHoussaietracestothisincidentthehatredbornebyInnocentX。totheCrownandthepeopleofFrance。

AnotherPope，whileonlyacardinal，stoleabookfromMenage——soM。

Janinreports——butwehavenotbeenabletodiscoverMenage’sownaccountofthelarceny。Theanecdotistisnotsotruthfulthatcardinalsneedflushadeeperscarlet，liketherosesinBion’s"LamentforAdonis，"onaccountofascandalrestingontheauthorityofMenage。AmongRoyalpersons，CatherinedeMedici，accordingtoBrantome，wasabiblioklept。"TheMarshalStrozzihadaveryfinelibrary，andafterhisdeaththeQueen-Motherseizedit，promisingsomedaytopaythevaluetohisson，whonevergotafarthingofthemoney。"ThePtolemies，too，werethievesonalargescale。AdepartmentoftheAlexandrianLibrarywascalled"TheBooksfromtheShips，"andwasfilledwithrarevolumesstolenfrompassengersinvesselsthattouchedattheport。True，theownersweregivencopiesoftheirancientMSS。，buttheexchange，asAristotlesays，wasan"involuntary"one，andnotdistinctfromrobbery。

Thegreatpatternofbiblioklepts，amanwhocarriedhispassiontothemostregrettableexcesses，wasaSpanishpriest，DonVincente，oftheconventofPobla，inAragon。WhentheSpanishrevolutiondespoiledtheconventlibraries，DonVincenteestablishedhimselfatBarcelona，underthepillarsofLosEncantes，wherearethestallsofthemerchantsofbric-a-bracandtheseatsofthemthatsellbooks。InagloomydentheDonstoreduptreasureswhichhehatedtosell。Oncehewaspresentatanauctionwherehewasout-bidinthecompetitionforarare，perhapsaunique，volume。Threenightsafterthat，thepeopleofBarcelonawereawakenedbycriesof"Fire！"Thehouseandshopofthemanwhohadbought"OrdinacionsperlosgloriososreysdeArago"wereblazing。Whenthefirewasextinguished，thebodyoftheownerofthehousewasfound，withapipeinhisblackenedhand，andsomemoneybesidehim。Everyonesaid，"Hemusthavesetthehouseonfirewithasparkfromhispipe。"Timewenton，andweekbyweekthepolicefoundthebodiesofslainmen，nowinthestreet，nowinaditch，nowintheriver。

Therewereyoungmenandold，allhadbeenharmlessandinoffensiveintheirlives，and——allhadbeenbibliophiles。Adaggerinaninvisiblehandhadreachedtheirheartsbuttheassassinhadsparedtheirpurses，money，andrings。Anorganisedsearchwasmadeinthecity，andtheshopofDonVincentewasexamined。There，inahiddenrecess，thepolicediscoveredthecopyof"OrdinacionsperlosgloriosisreysdeArago，"whichoughtbyrightstohavebeenburnedwiththehouseofitspurchaser。DonVincentewasaskedhowhegotthebook。Herepliedinaquietvoice，demandedthathiscollectionshouldbemadeovertotheBarcelonaLibrary，andthenconfessedalongarrayofcrimes。Hehadstrangledhisrival，stolenthe"Ordinacions，"andburnedthehouse。Theslainmenwerepeoplewhohadboughtfromhimbookswhichhereallycouldnotbeartopartwith。Athistrialhiscounseltriedtoprovethathisconfessionwasfalse，andthathemighthavegothisbooksbyhonestmeans。ItwasobjectedthattherewasintheworldonlyonebookprintedbyLambertPalmartin1482，andthattheprisonermusthavestolenthis，theonlycopy，fromthelibrarywhereitwastreasured。Thedefendant’scounselprovedthattherewasanothercopyintheLouvre;that，therefore，theremightbemore，andthatthedefendant’smighthavebeenhonestlyprocured。HereDonVincente，previouslycallous，utteredanhystericalcry。SaidtheAlcalde：-

"Atlast，Vincente，youbegintounderstandtheenormityofyouroffence？""Ah，SenorAlcalde，myerrorwasclumsyindeed。IfyouonlyknewhowmiserableIam！""Ifhumanjusticeproveinflexible，thereisanotherjusticewhosepityisinexhaustible。Repentanceisnevertoolate。""Ah，SenorAlcalde，butmycopywasnotunique！"

Withthestoryofthisimpenitentthiefwemayclosetherollofbiblioklepts，thoughDibdinpretendsthatGarrickwasofthecompany，andstoleAlleyne’sbooksatDulwich。

Thereisathievishnaturemorehatefulthaneventhebiblioklept。

TheBook-Ghoulishewhocombinesthelarcenyofthebibliokleptwiththeabominablewickednessofbreakingupandmutilatingthevolumesfromwhichhesteals。Heisacollectoroftitle-pages，frontispieces，illustrations，andbook-plates。Heprowlsfurtivelyamongpublicandprivatelibraries，insertingwettedthreads，whichslowlyeatawaytheillustrationshecovets;andhebroods，liketheobscenedemonofArabiansuperstitions，overthefragmentsofthemightydead。Hisdisgustingtastesvary。HepreparesbooksfortheAmericanmarket。ChristmasbooksaresoldintheStatesstuffedwithpicturescutoutofhonestvolumes。HereisaquotationfromanAmericanpaper：-

"AnotherstyleofChristmasbookwhichdeservestobementioned，thoughitisoutofthereachofanybuttheveryrich，isthehistoricalorliteraryworkenrichedwithinsertedplates。Therehasnever，toourknowledge，beenanythingofferedinAmericasosupremelyexcellentasthe$5000bookonWashington，wethink——

exhibitedbyBostonlastyear，butnotafewfinespecimensofbooksofthisclassareatpresentofferedtopurchasers。ScribnerhasabeautifulcopyofForster’s’LifeofDickens，’enlargedfromthreevolumesoctavotoninevolumesquarto，bytakingtopieces，remounting，andinlaying。Itcontainssomeeighthundredengravings，portraits，views，playbills，title-pages，catalogues，proofillustrationsfromDickens’sworks，asetoftheOnwhynplates，rareengravingsbyCruikshankand’Phiz，’andautographletters。ThoughthisvolumedoesnotcomparewithHarvey’sDickens，offeredfor$1750twoyearsago，itisanexcellentspecimenofbooksofthissort，andtheveriesttyroinbibliographicalaffairsknowshowscarcearebecomingtheearlyeditionsofDickens’sworksandtheplatesillustratingthem。{4}AnythingaboutDickensinthebeginningofhiscareerisasoundinvestmentfromabusinesspointofview。Anotherworkofthesamesort，valuedat$240，isLadyTrevelyan’seditionofMacaulay，illustratedwithportraits，manyofthemveryrare。Evencheaper，allthingsconsidered，isanextra-

illustratedcopyofthe’HistoiredelaGravure，’which，besidesitsseventy-threereproductionsofoldengravings，isenrichedwithtwohundredfinespecimensoftheearlyengravers，manyoftheimpressionsbeinginfirstandsecondstates。At$155suchabookisreallyabargain，especiallyforanyonewhoisformingacollectionofengravings。AnotherdelightfulworkisthelibraryeditionofBray’s’Evelyn，’illustratedwithsometwohundredandfiftyportraitsandviews，andvaluedat$175;andstillanotherisBoydell’s’Milton，’withplatesafterWestall，andfurtherillustrationsintheshapeoftwenty-eightportraitsofthepainterandonehundredandeighty-oneplates，andmanyofthembeforeletter。Thepriceofthisbookis$325。"

Butfewbook-ghoulsareworsethanthemoralghoul。Hedefaces，withapen，thepassages，insomepreciousvolume，whichdonotmeethisideaofmoralpropriety。IhaveaPine’s"Horace，"withtheengravingsfromgems，whichhasfallenintothehandsofamoralghoul。Notonlyhasheobliteratedtheverseswhichhurthisdelicatesense，buthehasactuallyscrapedawayportionsoftheclassicalfigures，and"thebreastsofthenymphsinthebrake。"

ThesoulofTartuffehadenteredintothebodyofasinnerofthelastcentury。Theantiquarianghoulstealstitle-pagesandcolophons。Theaestheticghoulcutsilluminatedinitialsoutofmanuscripts。Thepetty，trivial，andalmostidioticghoulofourowndays，spongesthefly-leavesandboardsofbooksforthepurposeofcribbingthebook-plates。Anold"ComplaintofaBook-plate，"indreadofthewetspongeoftheenemy，hasbeendiscoveredbyMr。

AustinDobson：-{5}

THEBOOK-PLATE’SPETITION。

ByaGentlemanoftheTemple。

WhilecynicCHARLESstilltrimm’dthevane’TwixtQuerouailleandCastlemaine，IndaysthatshockedJOHNEVELYN，MyFirstPossessorfix’dmein。

IndaysofDutchmenandoffrost，ThenarrowseawithJAMESIcross’d，ReturningwhenoncemorebeganTheAgeofSaturnandofANNE。

Iamapartofallthepast;

IknewtheGEORGES，firstandlast;

IhavebeenoftwhereelsewasnoneSavethegreatwigofADDISON;

AndseenonshelvesbeneathmegropeThelittleeagerformofPOPE。

IlosttheThirdthatown’dmewhenFrenchNOAILLESfledatDettingen;

TheyearJAMESWOLFEsurpris’dQuebec，TheFourthinhuntingbrokehisneck;

ThedaythatWILLIAMHOGARTHdy’d，TheFifthonefoundmeinCheapside。

ThiswasaScholar，oneofthoseWhoseGreekissounderthantheirhose;

Helov’doldBooksandnappyale，Soliv’datStreatham，nexttoTHRALE。

’TwastherethisstainofgreaseIboastWasmadebyDr。JOHNSON’Stoast。

（Hedidit，asIthink，forSpite;

MyMastercall’dhimJacobite！）

AndnowthatIsolongto-dayHaverestedpostdiscrimina，Safeinthebrass-wir’dbook-casewhereIwatch’dtheVicar’swhit’ninghair，MustIthesetravell’dbonesinterInsomeCollector’ssepulchre！

MustIbetornfromhenceandthrownWithfrontispieceandcolophon！

WithvagrantE’s，andI’s，andO’s，Thespoilofplunder’dFolios！

WithscrapsandsnippetsthattoME

Arenaughtbutkitchencompany！

Nay，rather，FRIEND，thisfavourgrantme：

Tearmeatonce;butdon’ttransplantme。

CHELTENHAM，Sept。31，1792。

Theconceitedghoulwriteshisnotesacrossourfairwhitemargins，inpencil，orinmorebanefulink。Orhespillshisinkbottleatlargeoverthepages，asAndreChenier’sfriendservedhiscopyofMalherbe。Itisscarcelynecessarytowarntheamateuragainstthesocietyofbook-ghouls，whoaregenerallysnuffyandfoulinappearance，andbynomeanssoinsinuatingasthatfairlady-ghoul，Amina，oftheArabianNights。

Anotherenemyofbooksmustbementionedwiththedelicacythatbefitsthetopic。Almostallwomenaretheinveteratefoes，notofnovels，ofcourse，norpeeragesandpopularvolumesofhistory，butofbooksworthyofthename。ItistruethatIsabelled’Este，andMadamedePompadour，andMadamedeMaintenon，werecollectors;and，doubtless，thereareotherbrilliantexceptionstoageneralrule。

But，broadlyspeaking，womendetestthebookswhichthecollectordesiresandadmires。First，theydon’tunderstandthem;second，theyarejealousoftheirmysteriouscharms;third，bookscostmoney;anditreallyisahardthingforaladytoseemoneyexpendedonwhatseemsadingyoldbinding，oryellowpaperscoredwithcrabbedcharacters。Thusladieswageaskirmishingwaragainstbooksellers’catalogues，andhistoryspeaksofhusbandswhohavehadtopractisetheguileofsmugglerswhentheyconveyedanewpurchaseacrosstheirownfrontier。ThusmanymarriedmenarereducedtocollectingElzevirs，whichgoreadilyintothepocket，foryoucannotsmuggleafoliovolumeeasily。Thisinveteratedislikeofbooksoftenproducesaverydeplorableresultwhenanoldcollectordies。His"womankind，"astheAntiquarycalledthem，sellallhistreasuresforthepriceofwaste-paper，tothenearestcountrybookseller。Itisamelancholydutywhichforcesonetointroducesuchtopicsintoavolumeon"ArtatHome。"Butthislittleworkwillnothavebeenwritteninvainifitpersuadesladieswhoinheritbooksnottosellthemhastily，withouttakinggoodanddisinterestedopinionastotheirvalue。Theyoftendisposeoftreasuresworththousands，foratenpoundnote，andtakeprideinthebargain。Here，lethistorymentionwithduehonourtheparagonofhersexandthepatterntoallwivesofbook-collectingmen——

MadameFertiault。Itisthusthatsheaddressesherlordinacharmingtriolet（"LesAmoureuxduLivre，"p。xxxv）：-

"Lelivreatonesprit……tantmieux！

Moi，j’aitoncoeur，etsanspartage。

Puis-jedesirerdavantage？

Lelivreatonesprit……tantmieux！

Heureusedetevoirjoyeux，Jet’envoudrais……toutunetage。

Lelivreatonesprit……tantmieux！

Moi，j’aitoncoeur，etsanspartage。"

Booksrulethymind，soletitbe！

Thyheartismine，andminealone。

WhatmorecanIrequireofthee？

Booksrulethymind，soletitbe！

ContentedwhenthyblissIsee，Iwishaworldofbooksthineown。

Booksrulethymind，soletitbe！

Thyheartismine，andminealone。

Thereisonemethodofpreservingbooks，which，alas，onlytemptstheborrower，thestealer，therat，andthebook-worm;butwhichisabsolutelynecessaryasadefenceagainstdustandneglect。Thisisbinding。Thebookbinder’sarttoooftendestroysbookswhentheartistiscareless，butitistheonlymodeofpreventingourvolumesfromfallingtopieces，andfrombeingsomedaydisregardedaswaste-paper。Awell-boundbook，especiallyabookfromafamouscollection，hasitsprice，evenifitsliterarycontentsbeoftriflingvalue。AleathercoatfashionedbyDerome，orLeGascon，orDuseuil，willwinrespectandcarefulhandlingforonespecimenofaneditionwhereofalltheothershaveperished。Nothingissoslatternlyastheaspectofabookmerelystitched，intheFrenchfashion，whenthethreadsbegintostretch，andthepapercoverstocurlandbetorn。Worseconsequencesfollow，wholesheetsarelost，thevolumebecomesworthless，andtheownermustoftenbeattheexpenseofpurchasinganothercopy，ifhecan，fortheeditionmaynowbeoutofprint。Thusbindingofsomesortnotonlyaddsagracetothelibrary，presentingtotheeyethecheerfulgildedrowsofourvolumes，butisapositiveeconomy。Inthecaseofourcloth-coveredEnglishworks，theneedofbindingisnotsoimmediatelyobvious。Butourpublishershaveatasteforclothingtheireditionsintendertonesofcolour，stamped，often，withlandscapesprintedingold，inwhite，orwhatnot。Coverslikethis，mayormaynotpleasetheeyewhiletheyarenewandclean，buttheysoonbecomedirtyandhideous。Whenabookiscoveredinclothofagooddarktintitmaybeallowedtoremainunbound，buttheprimroseandlilachuessooncalloutfortheaidofthebinder。

Muchhasbeenwrittenoflateaboutbook-binding。Inalaterpartofthismanualweshallhavesomethingtosayabouthistoricalexamplesoftheart，andtheperformancesofthegreatmasters。Atpresentonemustbeginbygivingthepracticalrule，thatabookshouldbeboundinharmonywithitscharacteranditsvalue。Thebibliophile，ifhecouldgivethereintohispassions，wouldbindeverybookhecarestopossessinafullcoatofmorocco，or（ifitdidnotagesofast）ofRussialeather。Buttodothisisbeyondthepowerofmostofus。Onlyworksofgreatrarityorvalueshouldbefullboundinmorocco。IfwehavethelucktolightonaShakespearequarto，onsomemasterpieceofAldusManutius，byallmeansletusentrustittothemostcompetentbinder，andinstructhimtodojusticetothevolume。LetoldEnglishbooks，asMore’s"Utopia，"haveacoverofstampedandblazonedcalf。LetthebinderclotheanearlyRabelaisorMarotinthestylefavouredbyGrolier，inleathertooledwithgeometricalpatterns。LetaMoliereorCorneillebeboundinthegracefulcontemporarystyleofLeGascon，wherethelace-likepatternofthegildingresemblestheVenetianpoint-lace，forwhichLaFontainelikedtoruinhimself。Letabinding，alafanfare，inthestyleofThouvenin，denoteanovelistofthelastcentury，letpanelledRussialeatherarrayafolioofShakespeare，andletEnglishworksofahundredyearsagobeclothedinthesturdyfashionofRogerPayne。Again，thebibliophilemayprefertohavetheleatherstampedwithhisarmsandcrest，likedeThou，HenriIII。，D’Hoym，MadameduBarry，andmostofthecollectorsoftheseventeenthandeighteenthcenturies。Yettherearebooksofgreatpricewhichonewouldhesitatetobindinnewcovers。AnAldineoranElzevir，initsoldvellumorpaperwrapper，withuncutleaves，shouldbeleftjustasitcamefromthepressesofthegreatprinters。Inthisconditionitisafarmoreinterestingrelic。Butamoroccocasemaybemadeforthebook，andletteredproperlyontheback，sothatthevolume，thoughreallyunbound，maytakeitsplacewiththeboundbooksontheshelves。A

copyofanyofShelley’spoems，intheoriginalwrappers，shouldI

venturetothinkbetreatedthus，andsoshouldtheoriginaleditionsofKeats’sandofMr。Tennyson’sworks。Acollector，whoisalsoanauthor，willperhapsliketohavecopiesofhisownworksinmorocco，fortheircoatswillgivethemachanceofsurvivingthestormsoftime。Butmostotherbooks，notofthehighestrarityandinterest，willbesufficientlyclothedinhalf-bindings，thatis，withleatherbacksandcorners，whiletherestofthecoverisofclothorpaper，orwhateverothersubstanceseemsmostappropriate。

AnOxfordtutorusedtogivehalf-bindingasanexampleofwhatAristotlecalls[Greektext]，or"shabbiness，"andwhenwerecommendsuchcoveringsforbooksitisasacounselofexpediency，notofperfection。Butwecannotallbemillionaires;and，letitberemembered，thereallywiseamateurwillneverbeextravagant，norlethistasteleadhiminto"theignoblemelancholyofpecuniaryembarrassment。"LettheexampleofCharlesNodierbeourwarning;

nay，letusrememberthatwhileNodiercouldgetoutofdebtbysellinghiscollection，OURSwillprobablynotfetchanythinglikewhatwegaveforit。Inhalf-bindingsthereisagooddealofroomfortheexerciseofthecollector’staste。M。OctaveUzanne，inatractcalled"LesCapricesd’unBibliophile，"givessomehintsonthistopic，whichmaybetakenorletalone。M。Uzannehasnoticedthemonotony，andthewantofmeaningandsuggestioninordinaryhalf-bindings。Thepaperorclothwhichcoversthegreaterpartofthesurfaceofhalf-boundbooksisusuallyinartisticandevenugly。

Heproposestouseoldscrapsofbrocade，embroidery，Venicevelvet，orwhatnot;anddoubtlessacoveringmadeofsomedeadfairlady’straingoeswellwitharomancebyCrebillon，andengravingsbyMarillier。"VoiciuncartonnagePompadourdenotreinvention，"saysM。Uzanne，withpride;butheobservesthatitneedsastrongwilltomakeabookbinderexecutesuchorders。Foranotherclassofbooks，whichourhonestEnglishshelvesrejectwithdisgust，M。

Uzanneproposesabindingoftheskinoftheboaconstrictor;

undoubtedlyappropriateand"admonishing。"TheleathersofChinaandJapan，withtheirstrangetintsandgildeddevicesmaybeusedforbooksoffantasy，like"GasparddelaNuit，"orthe"OpiumEater，"orPoe’spoems，ortheversesofGerarddeNerval。Here，inshort，isanalmostunexploredfieldforthetasteofthebibliophile，who，withsomeexpenditureoftime，andnotmuchofmoney，maymakehalf-bindinganart，andgivemodernbooksapeculiarandappropriateraiment。

M。AmbroseFirminDidothasleftsomenotesonamoreserioustopic，——thecolourstobechosenwhenbooksarefull-boundinmorocco。Thushewouldhavethe"Iliad"clothedinred，the"Odyssey"inblue，becausetheoldGreekrhapsodistsworeascarletcloakwhentheyrecitedtheWrathofAchilles，ablueonewhentheychantedoftheReturnofOdysseus。ThewritingsofthegreatdignitariesoftheChurch，M。Didotwouldarrayinviolet;scarletgoeswellwiththeproductionsofcardinals;philosophershavetheirsobersuitofblackmorocco，poetslikePanardmaybedressedinrosecolour。Acollectorofthissortwouldlike，wereitpossible，toattireGoldsmith’spoemsina"coatofTyrianbloom，satingrain。"Asanantithesistotheseextravagantfancies，wemayaddthatforordinarybooksnobindingischeaper，neater，andmoredurable，thanacoatofbuckram。

Theconditionsofawellboundbookmaybeterselyenumerated。Thebindingshouldunitesolidityandelegance。Thebookshouldopeneasily，andremainopenatanypageyouplease。Itshouldneverbenecessary，inreading，tosqueezebackthecovers;andnobook，howeverexpensivelybound，hasbeenproperlytreated，ifitdoesnotopenwithease。Itisamistaketosendrecentlyprintedbookstothebinder，especiallybookswhichcontainengravings。Theprintinginkdriesslowly，and，intheprocesscalled"beating，"thetextisoftentransferredtotheoppositepage。M。Rouveyrerecommendsthatoneortwoyearsshouldpassbeforethebindingofanewlyprintedbook。Theownerwill，ofcourse，implorethebinderto，sparethemargins;and，almostequallyofcourse，thebinder，durusarator，willcutthemdownwithhisabominableplough。Oneisalmosttemptedtosaythatmarginsshouldalwaysbeleftuntouched，forifoncethebinderbeginstoclipheisunabletoresisttheseductivejoy，andcutsthepapertothequick，evenintotheprintedmatter。

Mr。BladestellsaverysadstoryofanoblemanwhohandedoversomeCaxtonstoaprovincialbinder，andreceivedthembackMINUS500

poundsworthofmargin。Marginsmakeabookworthperhaps400

pounds，whiletheirabsencereducesthesamevolumetotheboxmarked"alltheseatfourpence。"Intonsiscapillis，withlocksunshorn，asMotteleytheolddealerusedtosay，anElzevirinitspaperwrappermaybeworthmorethanthesametomeinmorocco，stampedwithLongepierre’sfleeceofgold。Butthesethingsareindifferenttobookbinders，newandold。Thereliesonthetable，asIwrite，"LesProvinciales，ouLesLettresEcritesparLouisdeMontalteaunProvincialdesesamis，&auxR。R。P。P。Jesuites。A

Cologne，ChesPIERREdelaVALLEE，M。DC。LVIII。"ItistheElzeviredition，orwhatpassesforsuch;butthebinderhascutdownthemarginsothatthewords"LesProvinciales"almosttouchthetopofthepage。Oftenthewretch——helived，judgingbyhisstyle，inDerome’stime，beforetheRevolution——hasslicedintothehead-

titlesofthepages。Thusthebook，withitsoldredmoroccocoverandgildedflowersontheback，isnopropercompanionfor"LesPenseesdeM。PASCAL（Wolfganck，1672），"whichsomesoberDutchmanhasleftwithafairallowanceofmargin，aninch"taller"initsvellumcoatthanitsneighbourinmorocco。Hereoncemore，is"LES

FASCHEUX，ComediedeI。B。P。MOLIERE，RepresenteesurLeTheatreduPalaisRoyal。AParis，ChezGABRIELQUINET，auPalais，danslaGaleriedesPrisonniers，al’AngeGabriel，M。DCLXIII。AvecprivilegeduRoy。"Whatacrowdofpleasantmemoriesthebibliophile，andheonly，findsinthesedrywordsofthetitle。

Quinet，thebookseller，lived"auPalais，"inthatprettyoldarcadewhereCorneillecastthesceneofhiscomedy，"LaGalerieduPalais。"IntheGenevaeditionofCorneille，1774，youcanseeGravelot’sengravingoftheplace;itisaprintfullofexquisitecharm（engravedbyLeMurein1762）。Hereisthelongarcade，inshapeexactlylikethegalleriesoftheBodleianLibraryatOxford。

Thebookseller’sboothisarchedover，andisopenatfrontandside。DorimantandCleantearelookingout;oneleansonthebooksonthewindow-sill，theotherloungesatthedoor，andtheywatchtheprettyHippolytewhoischafferingwiththelace-sellerattheoppositeshop。"Cevisagevautmieuxquetoutesvoschansons，"saysDorimanttothebookseller。Sotheyloitered，andboughtbooks，andflirtedintheirlaceruffles，andribbons，andflowinglocks，andwidecanons，whenMolierewasyoung，andwhenthislittleoldbookwasnew，andlyingontheshelvesofhonestQuinetinthePalaceGallery。Theverytitle-page，andpagination，notofthissecondedition，butofthefirstof"LesFascheux，"hadtheirownfortunes，forthededicationtoFouquetwasperforcewithdrawn。ThatfavouriteentertainedLaValliereandtheKingwiththecomedyathishouseofVaux，andtheninstantlyfellfrompowerandfavour，and，losinghisplaceandhisfreedom，naturallylosttheflatteryofadedication。Butretombonsanoscoches，asMontaignesays。

Thispleasantlittlecopyoftheplay，whichisakindofrelicofMoliereandhisoldworld，hasbeenruthlesslyboundupwithatreatise，"DesPierresPrecieuses，"publishedbyDidotin1776。Nowtheplayisnaturallyalargerbookthanthetreatiseonpreciousstones，sothebinderhascutdownthemarginstothesizeofthoseoftheworkonamethystsandrubies。AstheItaliantyrantchainedthedeadandthelivingtogether，asProcrustesmaimedhisvictimsonhiscruelbed，soahard-heartedFrenchbinderhastiedup，andmutilated，andspoiledtheoldplay，whichotherwisewouldhavehadconsiderablevalueaswellasinterest。

Wehavetriedtoteachthebeginnerhowtokeephisbooksneatandclean;whatmenandmonstersheshouldavoid;howheshouldguardhimselfagainstborrowers，book-worms，damp，anddirt。Butwearesometimescompelledtobuybooksalreadydirtyanddingy，foxed，orspottedwithred，wornbygreasyhands，stainedwithinkspots，orcoveredwithMS。notes。Theartofmanhasfoundaremedyforthesedefects。Ihavenevermyselftriedtowashabook，andthiscareisbestlefttoprofessionalhands。ButtheFrenchandEnglishwritersgivevariousrecipesforcleaningoldbooks，whichtheamateurmaytryonanyoldrubbishoutofthefourpennyboxofabookstall，tillhefindsthathecantrusthisownmanipulations。Thereare"fatstains"onbooks，asthumbmarks，tracesofoil（themidnightoil），flakesofoldpastycrustleftinoldShakespeares，andcandledrippings。Thereare"thinstains，"asofmud，scaling-wax，ink，dust，anddamp。Tocleanabookyoufirstcarefullyunbindit，takeofftheoldcovers，cuttheoldstitching，andseparatesheetfromsheet。Thentakeapagewith"fatstains"ofanykindofgrease（exceptfinger-marks），passahotflatironoverit，andpressonitacleanpieceofblottingpapertillthepapersucksupthegrease。

Thenchargeacamel-hairbrushwithheatedturpentine，andpassitovertheplacesthatwerestained。Ifthepaperlosesitscolourpresssoftlyoveritadelicatehandkerchief，soakedinheatedspiritsofwine。Finger-marksyouwillcoverwithcleansoap，leavethisonforsomehours，andthenrubwithaspongefilledwithhotwater。Afterwardsdipinweakacidandwater，andthensoakthepageinabathofcleanwater。Ink-stainedpagesyouwillfirstdipinastrongsolutionofoxalicacidandtheninhydrochloricacidmixedinsixtimesitsquantityofwater。Thenbatheincleanwaterandallowtodryslowly。

SomeEnglishrecipesmayalsobegiven。"Greaseorwaxspots，"saysHannett，in"Bibliopegia，""mayberemovedbywashingthepartwithether，chloroform，orbenzine，andplacingitbetweenpiecesofwhiteblottingpaper，thenpassahotironoverit。""Chlorinewater，"saysthesamewriter，removesinkstains，andbleachesthepaperatthesametime。Ofchlorideoflime，"apiecethesizeofanut"（acocoanutorahazelnut？）inapintofwater，maybeappliedwithacamel’shairpencil，andplentyofpatience。Topolisholdbindings，"taketheyolkofanegg，beatitupwithafork，applyitwithasponge，havingfirstcleanedtheleatherwithadryflannel。"Thefollowing，saysawriterin"NotesandQueries，"withperfecttruth，is"aneasierifnotabettermethod;

purchasesomebookbinder’svarnish，"anduseitasyoudidtherudimentaryomeletteoftheformerrecipe。Vellumcoversmaybecleanedwithsoapandwater，orinbadcasesbyaweaksolutionofsaltsoflemon。

Lastly，thecollectorshouldacquiresuchbooksasLowndes’s"Bibliography，"Brunet’s"Manuel，"andasmanypricedcataloguesashecansecure。ThecataloguesofMr。Quaritch，Mr。Bohn，M。

Fontaine，M。M。MorgandetFatout，areexcellentguidestoaknowledgeofthemarketvalueofbooks。Otherspecialworks，asRenouard’sforAldines，Willems’sforElzevirs，andCohen’sforFrenchengravings，willbementionedintheirproperplace。

Dibdin’sbooksareinaccurateandlong-winded，butmayoccasionallybedippedintowithpleasure。

THEBOOKSOFTHECOLLECTOR

Theeasiestwaytobringorderintothechaosofdesirablebooks，is，doubtless，tobeginhistoricallywithmanuscripts。Almosteveryagethathasleftanyliteraryremains，hasbequeathedtousrelicswhicharecherishedbycollectors。WemayleavetheclaybooksoftheChaldeansoutoftheaccount。Thesetomesresemblenothingsomuchassticksofchocolate，and，howeverusefultheymaybetothestudent，theclayMSS。ofAssurbanipalarenotcovetedbythecollector。Hefindshisearliestobjectsofdesireinilluminatedmanuscripts。TheartofdecoratingmanuscriptsisasoldasEgypt;

butweneednotlingeroverthebeautifulpapyri，whicharesilentbookstoallbutafewEgyptologists。Greece，outofallhertomes，hasleftusbutafewill-writtenpapyri。RomanandearlyByzantineartarerepresentedbya"Virgil，"andfragmentsofan"Iliad";thedrawingsinthelatterhavebeenreproducedinasplendidvolume（Milan1819），andshewGreekartpassingintobarbarism。TheilluminationofMSS。wasafavouriteartinthelaterempire，andissaidtohavebeenpractisedbyBoethius。TheiconoclastsoftheEasternempiredestroyedthebookswhichcontainedrepresentationsofsaintsandofthepersonsoftheTrinity，andthemonkLazarus，afamousartist，wascruellytorturedforhisskillinilluminatingsacredworks。TheartwasdecayinginWesternEuropewhenCharlemagnesoughtforpaintersofMSS。inEnglandandIreland，wherethemonks，intheirmonasteries，haddevelopedastylewithoriginalqualities。ThelibraryofCorpusChristiatCambridge，containssomeoftheearliestandmostbeautifulofextantEnglishMSS。Theseparchments，stainedpurpleorviolet，andinscribedwithcharactersofgold;aretoooftenbeyondthereachoftheamateurforwhomwewrite。TheMSS。whichhecanhopetoacquireareneitherveryearlynorverysumptuous，and，asarule，MSS。ofsecularbooksareapttobeoutofhisreach。

YetacollectionofMSS。hasthisgreatadvantageoveracollectionofprintedbooks，thateveryiteminitisabsolutelyunique，notwoMSS。beingeverreallythesame。ThiscircumstancealonewouldentitleagoodcollectionofMSS。toveryhighconsiderationonthepartofbook-collectors。But，inadditiontothegreatexpenseofsuchacollection，thereisanotherandevenmoreseriousdrawback。

Itissometimesimpossible，andisoftenextremelydifficult，totellwhetheraMS。isperfectornot。

Thisdifficultycanonlybegotoverbyanamountoflearningonthepartofthecollectortowhich，unfortunately，heistoooftenastranger。Ontheotherhand，theadvantagesofcollectingMSS。aresometimesverygreat。

Inadditiontothepleasure——apleasureatonceliteraryandartistic——whichthestudyofilluminatedMSS。affords，thereisthecertaintythat，asyearsgoon，thevalueofsuchacollectionincreasesinaproportionaltogethermarvellous。

Iwilltaketwoexamplestoprovethispoint。Someyearsagoaneminentcollectorgavethepriceof30poundsforasmallFrenchbookofHours，paintedingrisaille。Itwasinacountrytownthathemetwiththistreasure，foratreasureheconsideredthebook，inspiteofitsbeingoftheverylatestschoolofillumination。Whenhiscollectionwasdispersedafewyearsagothisonebookfetched260pounds。

InthecelebratedPerkinssale，in1873，amagnificentearlyMS。，partofwhichwaswritteningoldonapurpleground，andwhichwasdatedinthecatalogue"ninthortenthcentury，"butwasinrealityoftheendofthetenthorbeginningoftheeleventh，wassoldfor565poundstoadealer。ItfounditswayintoMr。Bragge’scollection，atwhatpriceIdonotknow，andwasresold，threeyearslater，for780pounds。

AnypersondesirousofmakingacollectionofilluminatedMSS。，shouldstudyseriouslyforsometimeattheBritishMuseum，orsomesuchplace，untilheisthoroughlyacquainted（1）withthestylesofwritinginuseintheMiddleAges，sothathecanataglancemakeafairlyaccurateestimateoftheageofthebooksubmittedtohim;

and（2）withthepropermeansofcollatingtheseveralkindsofservice-books，which，inninecasesoutoften，werethosechosenforillumination。

AknowledgeofthestylesofwritingcanbeacquiredatsecondhandinabooklatelypublishedbyMr。CharlesTriceMartin，F。S。A。，beinganeweditionof"Astle’sProgressofWriting。"Stillbetter，ofcourse，istheactualinspectionandcomparisonofbookstowhichadatecanbewithsomedegreeofcertaintyassigned。

Itisverycommonfortheageofabooktobemisstatedinthecataloguesofsales，forthesimplereasonthattheolderthewriting，theplainer，inallprobability，itis。Letthestudentcomparewritingofthetwelfthcenturywiththatofthesixteenth，andhewillbeabletojudgeatonceofthetruthofthisassertion。

Ihadoncethegoodfortuneto"pickup"asmallTestamentoftheearlypartofthetwelfthcentury，ifnotolder，whichwascataloguedasbelongingtothefifteenth，adatewhichwouldhavemadeitofverymoderatevalue。

Withregardtothesecondpoint，thecollationofMSS。，Ifearthereisnoroyalroadtoknowingwhetherabookisperfectorimperfect。

Insomecasesthecatchwordsremainatthefootofthepages。Itisthenofcourseeasytoseeifapageislost，butwherenosuchclueisgiventhestudent’sonlychanceistobefullyacquaintedwithwhatabookOUGHTtocontain。Hecanonlydothiswhenhehasaknowledgeofthedifferentkindsofservice-bookswhichwereinuse，andoftheirmostusualcontents。

Iamindebtedtoapaper，readbythelateSirWilliamTiteatameetingoftheSocietyofAntiquaries，forthecollationof"BooksofHours，"buttherearemanykindsofMSS。besidesthese，anditiswelltoknowsomethingofthem。TheHorae，orBooksofHours，werethelatestdevelopmentoftheservice-booksusedatanearlierperiod。Theycannot，infact，bestrictlycalledservice-books，beingintendedonlyforprivatedevotion。Butinthethirteenthcenturyandbeforeit，Psalterswereinuseforthispurpose，andthecollationofaPsalterisintruthmoreimportantthanthatofaBookofHours。Itwillbewellforastudent，therefore，tobeginwithPsalters，ashecanthengetuptheHoursintheirelementaryform。IsubjoinabibliographicalaccountofbothkindsofMSS。InthefamousExhibitionattheBurlingtonClubin1874，anumberofvolumeswasarrangedtoshowhowpersistentonetypeoftheagecouldbe。Theformofthedecorations，andthearrangementofthefiguresinborders，onceinvented，wasfixedforgenerations。InaPsalterofthethirteenthcenturytherewas，underthemonthofJanuaryinthecalendar，apictureofagrotesquelittlefigurewarminghimselfatastove。Thehearthbelow，thechimney-potabove，onwhichastorkwasfeedingherbrood，withtheintermediatechimneyshaftusedasaborder，lookedlikeascientificpreparationfromtheinterioranatomyofahouseoftheperiod。InoneofthelatestoftheMSS。exhibitedonthatoccasionwastheself-samedesignagain。Thelittlemanwasnolongeragrotesque，andthepicturehadallthehighfinishandcompletenessindrawingthatwemightexpectintheworkmanshipofacontemporaryofVanEyck。

Therewasafullseriesofintermediatebooks，showingthegradualgrowthofthepicture。

Withregardtochronology，itmayberoughlyassertedthattheearliestbookswhichoccurarePsaltersofthethirteenthcentury。

NexttothemcomeBibles，ofwhichanenormousissuetookplacebeforethemiddleofthefourteenthcentury。ThesearefollowedbyanendlessseriesofbooksofHours，which，asthesixteenthcenturyisreached，appearinseveralvernacularlanguages。ThoseinEnglish，beingbothveryrareandofgreatimportanceinliturgicalhistory，areofavaluealtogetheroutofproportiontothebeautyoftheirilluminations。SidebysidewiththissuccessionaretheEvangelistina，which，liketheexamplementionedabove，areofthehighestmerit，beauty，andvalue;followedbysermonsandhomilies，andtheBreviary，whichitselfshowssignsofgrowthastheyearsgoon。TherealMissal，withwhichallilluminatedbooksusedtobeconfounded，isofrareoccurrence，butIhavegivenacollationofitalso。Besidesthesedevotionalorreligiousbooks，Imustmentionchroniclesandromances，andthesemi-religiousandmoralallegories，suchasthe"Pelerinagedel’Ame，"whichissaidtohavegivenBunyanthemachineryofthe"Pilgrim’sProgress。"Chaucer’sandGower’spoetryexistsinmanyMSS。，asdoesthe"Polychronicon"

ofHigden;but，asarule，themediaevalchroniclesareofsingleorigin，andwerenotcopied。TocollateMSS。ofthesekindsisquiteimpossible，unlessbycarefullyreadingthem，andseeingthatthepagesrunonwithoutbreak。

Ishouldadvisetheyoungcollectorwhowishestomakesureofsuccessnottobetoocatholicinhistastesatfirst，buttoconfinehisattentiontoasingleperiodandasingleschool。I

shouldalsoadvisehimtomakefromtimetotimeacarefulcatalogueofwhathebuys，andtopreserveitevenafterhehasweededoutcertainitems。Hewillthenbeabletomakeaclearcomparativeestimateoftheimportanceandvalueofhiscollection，andbystudyingonespeciesatatime，tobecomethoroughlyconversantwithwhatitcanteachhim。Whenhehas，sotospeak，burnthisfingersonceortwice，hewillfindhimselfabletodistinguishatsightwhatnoamountofteachingbywordofmouthorbywritingcouldeverpossiblyimparttoanyadvantage。

OnethingIshouldlikeifpossibletoimpressverystronglyuponthereader。ThatisthefactthataMS。whichisnotabsolutelyperfect，ifitisinagenuinestate，isofmuchmorevaluethanonewhichhasbeenmadeperfectbytheskillofamodernrestorer。Themoreskilfulheis，thatistosaythebetterhecanforgethestyleoftheoriginal，themoreworthlessherendersthevolume。

PrintingseemstohavesupersededtheartoftheilluminatormorepromptlyandcompletelyinEnglandthanontheContinent。ThedamesgalantesofBrantome’smemoirstookpleasureinilluminatedBooksofHours，suitedtothenatureoftheirdevotions。AslateasthetimeofLouisXIV。，BussyRabutinhadavolumeofthesamekind，illuminatedwithportraitsof"saints，"ofhisowncanonisation。

ThemostfamousofthesemodernexamplesofcostlyMSS。was"LaGuirlandedeJulie，"acollectionofmadrigalsbyvariouscourtlyhands，presentedtotheillustriousJulie，daughteroftheMarquisedeRambouillet，mostdistinguishedofthePrecieuses，andwifeoftheDucdeMontausier，thesupposedoriginalofMoliere’sAlceste。

【推荐阅读】幽幽深宫，醒来一梦似千年，重生于下堂妃身躯中的她，将如何手刃仇人? 点击阅读