The opening ceremony of the Booksellers' Retreat took place in 1846. The great novelist Lord Lytton presided, and a sum of £800 was collected. At this Retreat there are seven pleasantly situated houses occupied either by members or their widows, and the occupants of these houses, owing to the funds at the disposal of the Committee, have their lives not only extended but made thoroughly happy and comfortable.
In 1872 there was a great effort made by many of the London Booksellers' Assistants to found an institution which would be always open to its members for educational and social purposes. The proposal met with support, and much discussion upon details took place; but the only decision arrived at was that it should be called the Booksellers' Literary Institution. After many meetings and discussions it was given up and the committee dissolved. It was a noble object, and I sincerely hope that in the future some such organization will come into existence, for it is badly wanted both for the assistants and the trade generally.
In 1898 I had the honour of being elected a member of the Worshipful Company of Stationers, which is so associated, especially in the past, with literature and books. I am sure every one who takes the opportunity of going through the Hall will feel proud of this almost sacred building. It has a history connected with the makers and distributors of literature which is an honour not only to the trade but to the nation; I sincerely hope that the policy now being advocated by the City Livery Club, of which I am also a member, that of more closely associating the various Livery Companies with the trade or craft by which they are designated, will be successful. If this can be done, it will be better for the various City Guilds, as well as the particular trades after which the Guilds are named.
In 1897 the Prince of Wales, afterwards King Edward VII, inaugurated the Hospital Fund which still bears his name, to commemorate the sixtieth year of Queen Victoria's reign. One of the means adopted to assist in raising funds was the issue of a series of stamps which varied in price. This series met with great success, and the public issue of the stamps was entrusted to Simpkin, Marshall & Co. After it had run its course and added considerably to the Hospital funds, it was decided by the authorities that the issue should be discontinued, and that the plates from which the stamps had been printed should be destroyed. A special day was fixed for this purpose, and our present King and Queen, then the Prince and Princess of Wales, kindly consented to undertake this task. The destruction of the plates took place at the Bank of England in a small room, and another Director of our Company and myself were selected to see the operation completed. It was a most interesting occasion, and, being in so small and informal a place, the talk between the half-dozen or so witnesses and the Royal destroyers was very pleasant. With a strong file which was handed to her, the Princess of Wales, in a most business-like way, rubbed the face of the metal plates of the stamps and thereby made it impossible for any more to be printed. Though it all happened in a very short space of time, it was a delightful as well as an historic gathering.
While speaking of Royalty, I am reminded of an occasion when Edward VII, then Prince of Wales, opened the Free Library at Lambeth under the Chairmanship of Mr. Tate, who contributed largely to the Library funds. The Prince made an excellent speech, short and to the point, although his articulation was not very clear. This, I suppose, arose through the many languages which it was necessary for him to master, and it struck me at the time that his accent was more like that of a foreigner who had learned English than an Englishman's.
On the issuing of the eleventh edition of the "Encyclopædia Britannica," I was asked by the editor to write two articles on Bookselling and Publishing, with biographical notices of British and American publishers' houses. I did this with much pleasure, and afterwards received an invitation to a dinner at the Hotel Cecil to celebrate the Encyclopædia's completion and publication. Among some 600 guests who were present, there were representatives of great distinction from every department of learning, such as the Speaker of the House of Commons, Mr. Balfour, Sir W. Harcourt, Lord Brassey, Lord Bryce and Viscount Wolseley. These names are sufficiently representative of the guests, although it would be difficult to give a complete list of them. Altogether, it was a wonderful gathering, and my association with it was most gratifying to me.
The Bookselling Trade and Underselling