TO
DR. JOHN BROWN
AUTHOR OF
RAB AND HIS FRIENDS.
PREFATORY NOTE
The pages in this volume on illuminated and other MSS. (with the exception of some anecdotes about Bussy Rabutin and Julie de Rambouillet) have been contributed by the Rev. W. J. Loftie, who has also written on early printed books (pp. 94–95). The pages on the Biblioklept (pp. 46–56) are reprinted, with the Editor’s kind permission, from the Saturday Review; and a few remarks on the moral lessons of bookstalls are taken from an essay in the same journal.
Mr. Ingram Bywater, Fellow of Exeter College, and lately sub-Librarian of the Bodleian, has very kindly read through the proofs of chapters I., II., and III., and suggested some alterations.
Thanks are also due to Mr. T. R. Buchanan, Fellow of All Souls College, for two plates from his “Book-bindings in All Souls Library” (printed for private circulation), which he has been good enough to lend me. The plates are beautifully drawn and coloured by Dr. J. J. Wild. Messrs. George Bell & Sons, Messrs. Bradbury, Agnew, & Co., and Messrs. Chatto & Windus, must be thanked for the use of some of the woodcuts which illustrate the concluding chapter.
A. L.
CONTENTS.
PAGE | |
CHAPTER I. | |
An Apology for theBook-hunter | |
“Every man his ownLibrarian”—Bibliography and Literature—Servicesof the French to Bibliography—A defence of the taste of theBook-collector—Should Collectors buy for the purpose ofselling again?—The sport of Book-hunting—M. deResbecq’s anecdotes—Stories of success ofBook-hunters—The lessons of oldBookstalls—Booksellers’ catalogues—Auctions ofBooks—Different forms of the taste for collecting—Thetaste serviceable to critical Science—Books considered asliterary relics—Examples—The “ImitatioChristi” of J. J. Rousseau—A brief vision of mightyBook-hunters. | |
CHAPTER II. | |
The Library | |
The size of modern collections—TheLibrary in English houses—Bookcases—Enemies ofBooks—Damp, dust, dirt—The bookworm—Carelessreaders—Book plates—Borrowers—Bookstealers—Affecting instance of the Spanish Monk—TheBook-ghoul—Women the natural foes of books—Sometouching exceptions—Homage to Madame Fertiault—Modesof preserving books; binding—Various sorts of coverings forbooks—Half-bindings—Books too good to bind, how to beentertained—Iniquities of Binders—Cruel case of acropped play of Molière—Recipes (not infallible) forcleaning books—Necessity of possessing bibliographicalworks, such as catalogues. | |
The Books of the Collector | |
Manuscripts, early and late—EarlyPrinted Books—How to recognise them—Books printed onVellum—“Uncut”copies—“Livres de Luxe,” and IllustratedBooks—Invective against “ChristmasBooks”—The “HypnerotomachiaPoliphili”—Old woodcuts—French vignettes of theeighteenth century—Books of the Aldi—Books of theElzevirs—“Curious” Books—Singular oldEnglish poems—First editions—Changes of fashion inBook-collecting—Examples of the variations inprices—Books valued for their bindings, and asrelics—Anecdotes of Madame du Barry and MarieAntoinette. | |
CHAPTER IV. | |
Illustrated Books | |
Beginnings of Modern Book-Illustration inEngland—Stothard, Blake, Flaxman—Boydell’s“Shakespeare,” Macklin’s “Bible,”Martin’s “Milton”—The“Annuals”—Rogers’s “Italy”and “Poems”—Revival ofWood-Engraving—Bewick—Bewick’s Pupils—The“London School”—Progress ofWood-Engraving—Illustrated “Christmas” andother Books—The HumorousArtists—Cruikshank—Doyle—Thackeray—Leech—Tenniel—DuMaurier—Sambourne—Keene—Minor HumorousArtists—Children’s Books—Crane—MissGreenaway—Caldecott—The “New AmericanSchool”—Conclusion. | |