Phil. At the outset, I entreat you, Lysander, not to overcharge the colouring of your picture. Respect the character of your auditors; and, above all things, have mercy upon the phlogistic imagination of Lisardo!
Lysand. I will endeavour to discharge the important office of a bibliomaniacal Mentor, or, perhaps, Æsculapius, to the utmost of my power: and at all events, with the best possible intentions.
Before we touch upon the Symptoms, it may be as well to say a few words respecting the General Character of the Book Disease. The ingenious Peignot[427] defines the bibliomania to be "a passion for possessing books; not so much to be instructed by them, as to gratify the eye by looking on them." This subject has amused the pens of foreigners; although we have had nothing in our own language, written expressly upon it, 'till the ingenious and elegantly-composed poem of Dr. Ferriar appeared; after which, as you well know, our friend put forth his whimsical brochure.[428]
[427] "La Birliomanie est la fureur de posséder des livres, non pas tant pour s'instruire, que pour les avoir et pour en repaître sa vue. Le bibliomane ne connait ordinairement les livres que par leur titre, leur frontispice, et leur date; il s'attache aux bonnes editiones et les poursuit à quelque titre que ce soit; la relieure le seduit aussi, soit par son ancienneté, soit par sa beauté," &c. Dictionnaire de Bibliologie. vol. i. p. 51. This is sufficiently severe: see also the extracts from the Memoires de l'Institut: [p. 25], ante. The more ancient foreign writers have not scrupled to call the bibliomania by every caustic and merciless terms: thus speaks the hard-hearted Geyler: "Tertia nola est, multos libros coacervare propter animi voluptatem curiosam. Fastidientis stomachi est multa degustare, ait Seneca. Isti per multos libros vagant legentes assidue: nimirum similles fatuis illis, qui in urbe cicumeunt domos singulas, et earum picturas dissutis malis contuentur: sicque curiositate trahuntur, &c. Contenti in hâc animi voluptate, quam pascunt per volumina varia devagando et liguriendo. Itaque gaudent hic de larga librorum copia, operosa utique sed delectabilis sarcina, et animi jucunda distractio: imo est hæc ingens librorum copia ingens simul et laboris copia, et quietis inopia—huc illucque circum agendum ingenium: his atque illis pregravanda memoria."—Navicula sive Sæculum Fatuorum, 1511, 4to. sign B. iiij rev. Thus speaks Sebastian Brandt upon the subject, through the medium of our old translation:
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Styll am I besy bokes assemblynge For to have plenty it is a pleasaunte thynge In my conceyt, and to have them ay in honde; But what they mene do I nat understonde. Shyp of Folys: see [p. 206], ante. |
There is a short, but smart and interesting, article on this head in Mr. D'Israeli's Curiosities of Literature: vol. i. 10. "Bruyere has touched on this mania with humour; of such a collector (one who is fond of superb bindings only), says he, as soon as I enter his house, I am ready to faint on the stair-case from a strong smell of Russia and Morocco leather. In vain he shews me fine editions, gold leaves, Etruscan bindings, &c.—naming them one after another, as if he were shewing a gallery of pictures!" Lucian has composed a biting invective against an ignorant possessor of a vast library. "One who opens his eyes with an hideous stare at an old book; and after turning over the pages, chiefly admires the date of its publication." But all this, it may be said, is only general declamation, and means nothing!
[428] The first work, I believe, written expressly upon the subject above discussed was a French publication, entitled La Bibliomanie. Of the earliest edition I am uninformed; but one was published at the Hague in 1762, 8vo. Dr. Ferriar's poem upon the subject, being an epistle to Richard Heber, Esq.—and which is rightly called by Lysander 'ingenious and elegant'—was published in 1809, 4to.: pp. 14: but not before an equally ingenious, and greatly more interesting, performance, by the same able pen, had appeared in the Trans. of the Manchester Literary Society, vol. iv., p. 45-87—entitled Comments upon Sterne; which may be fairly classed among the species of bibliomaniacal composition; inasmuch as it shews the author to be well read in old books; and, of these, in Burton's Anatomy of Melancholy in particular. Look for half a minute at [p. 286], ante. In the same year of Dr. Ferriar's publication of the Bibliomania, appeared the Voyage autour de ma bibliothèque Roman Bibliographique: by Ant. Caillot; in three small duodecimo volumes. There is little ingenuity and less knowledge in these meagre volumes. My own superficial work, entitled, Bibliomania, or Book-Madness: containing some account of the History, Symptoms and Cure of this fatal Disease; in an epistle addressed to Richard Heber, Esq., quickly followed Dr. Ferriar's publication. It contained 82 pages, with a tolerably copious sprinkling of notes: but it had many errors and omissions, which it has been my endeavour to correct and supply in the present new edition, or rather newly-constructed work. Vide preface. Early in the ensuing year (namely, in 1810) appeared Bibliosophia, or Book-Wisdom: containing some account of the Pride, Pleasure, and Privileges of that glorious Vocation, Book-Collecting. By an Aspirant. Also, The Twelve Labours of an Editor, separately pitted against those of Hercules, 12mo. This is a good-humoured and tersely written composition: being a sort of Commentary upon my own performance. In the ensuing pages will be found some amusing poetical extracts from it. And thus take we leave of Publications upon the Bibliomania!
Whether Peignot's definition be just or not, I will not stop to determine: but when I have described to you the various symptoms, you will be better able to judge of its propriety.
Lis. Describe them seriatim, as we were observing yesterday.
Lysand. I will; but let me put them in battle array, and select them according to their appearances. There is, first, a passion for Large Paper Copies; secondly, for Uncut Copies; thirdly, for Illustrated Copies; fourthly, for Unique Copies; fifthly, for Copies printed upon Vellum; sixthly, for First Editions; seventhly, for True Editions; and eighthly, for Books printed in the Black-Letter.