,a ,,book ,,for ,,all ,,readers         
,,designed ,,as ,,an ,,aid ,,to ,,the   
,,collection1 ,,use1 ,,and              
,,preservation  ,,of ,,books  ,,and     
,,the  ,,formation ,,of ,,public ,,and  
,,private ,,libraries   ,,by            
,,ainsworth ,,rand ,,spofford  ,g4 ,p4  
,,putnam',s ,,sons ,,new ,,york         
,,london #aijj   ,,copyright #aijj  ,,by
  ,a ,r ,,spofford     ,,table ,,of     
,,contents4   ,chapter                  
,page  #a4 ,,the ,,choice ,,of ,,books1 
#c  #b4 ,,book ,,buying1                
#cc  #c4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,book        
,,binding1                              
#ej  #d4 ,,preparation ,,for ,,the      
,,shelves3 ,,book ,,plates1 ,c41        
#hh  #e4 ,,the ,,enemies ,,of ,,books1  
#aja  #f4 ,,restoration ,,and           
,,reclamation ,,of ,,books1             
#aai  #g4 ,,pamphlet ,,literature1      
#ade  #h4 ,,periodical ,,literature1    
#aeg  #i4 ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,reading1   
#aga #aj4 ,,aids ,,to ,,readers1        
#aij #aa4 ,,access ,,to ,,library       

,,shelves1                         #bae 
#ab4 ,,the ,,faculty ,,of ,,memory1     
#bbf #ac4 ,,qualifications ,,of         
,,librarians1                      #bdb 
#ad4 ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,uses ,,of      
,,libraries1                     #bge   
#ae4 ,,the ,,history ,,of ,,libraries1  
#bhg #af4 ,,library ,,buildings ,,and   
,,furnishings1                 #cba #ag4
 ,,library ,,managers ,,or ,,trustees1  
#ccc #ah4 ,,library ,,regulations1      
#cda #ai4 ,,library ,,reports ,,and     
,,advertising1                   #cdi   
#bj4 ,,the ,,formation ,,of ,,libraries1
                        #ceg #ba4       
,,classification1                       
#cfb #bb4 ,,catalogues1                 
#cgc #bc4 ,,copyright ,,and ,,libraries1
                           #djj #bd4    
,,poetry ,,of ,,the ,,library1          
#dag #be4 ,,humors ,,of ,,the ,,library1
                             #dcj #bf4  
,,rare ,,books1                         
#ddd #bg4 ,,bibliography1               
#dei     ,,index1                       

#eja     ,a ,,book ,,for ,,all ,,readers
     ,,chapter #a4  ,,the ,,choice ,,of 
,,books4   ,when we survey the really   
illimitable field of human knowledge1   
the vast accumulation of works already  
printed1 and the ever-increasing flood  
of new books poured out by the modern   
press1 the first feeling which is apt to
 arise in the mind is one of dismay1 if 
not of despair4 ,we ask--who is         
sufficient for these things8 ,what life 
is long enough--what intellect strong   
enough1 to master even a tithe of the   
learning which all these books contain8 
,but the reflection comes to our aid    
that1 after all1 the really important   
books bear but a small proportion to the
 mass4 ,most books are but repetitions1 
in a different form1 of what has already
 been many times written and printed4   
,the rarest of literary qualities is    
originality4 ,most writers are mere     
echoes1 and the greater part of         
literature is the pouring out of one    
bottle into another4 ,if you can get    

hold of the few really best books1 you  
can well afford to be ignorant of all   
the rest4 ,the reader who has mastered  
,kames's ,elements of ,criticism1 need  
not spend his time over the             
multitudinous treatises upon rhetoric4  
,he who has read ,plutarch's ,lives     
thoroughly has before him a gallery of  
heroes which will go farther to instruct
 him in the elements of character than a
 whole library of modern biographies4   
,the student of the best plays of       
,shakespeare may save his time by       
letting other and inferior dramatists   
alone4 ,he whose imagination has been   
fed upon ,homer1 ,dante1 ,milton1       
,burns1 and ,tennyson1 with a few of the
 world's master-pieces in single poems  
like ,gray's ,elegy1 may dispense with  
the whole race of poetasters4 ,until you
 have read the best fictions of ,scott1 
,thackeray1 ,dickens1 ,hawthorne1       
,george ,eliot1 and ,victor ,hugo1 you  
should not be hungry after the last new 
novel1--sure to be forgotten in a year1 

while the former are perennial4 ,the    
taste which is once formed upon models  
such as have been named1 will not be    
satisfied with the trashy book1 or the  
spasmodic school of writing4  ,what kind
 of books should form the predominant   
part in the selection of our reading1 is
 a question admitting of widely         
differing opinions4 ,rigid utilitarians 
may hold that only books of fact1 of    
history and science1 works crammed full 
of knowledge1 should be encouraged4     
,others will plead in behalf of lighter 
reading1 or for a universal range4 ,it  
must be admitted that the most          
attractive reading to the mass of people
 is not scientific or philosophical4    
,but there are many very attractive     
books outside the field of science1 and 
outside the realm of fiction1 books     
capable of yielding pleasure as well as 
instruction4 ,there are few books that  
render a more substantial benefit to    
readers of any age than good            
biographies4 ,in them we find those     

personal experiences and adventures1    
those traits of character1 that         
environment of social and domestic life1
 which form the chief interest in works 
of fiction4 ,in fact1 the novel1 in its 
best estate1 is only biography amplified
 by imagination1 and enlivened by       
dialogue4 ,and the novel is successful  
only when it succeeds in depicting the  
most truly the scenes1 circumstances1   
and characters of real life4 ,a well    
written biography1 like that of ,dr4    
,johnson1 by ,boswell1 ,walter ,scott1  
by ,lockhart1 or ,charles ,dickens1 by  
,forster1 gives the reader an insight   
into the history of the times they lived
 in1 the social1 political1 and literary
 environment1 and the impress of their  
famous writings upon their              
contemporaries4 ,in the autobiography of
 ,dr4 ,franklin1 one of the most        
charming narratives ever written1 we are
 taken into the writer's confidence1    
sympathize with his early struggles1    
mistakes1 and successes1 and learn how  

he made himself1 from a poor boy selling
 ballads on ,boston streets1 into a     
leader among men1 whom two worlds have  
delighted to honor4 ,another most       
interesting book of biography is that of
 the brothers ,william and ,robert      
,chambers1 the famous publishers of     
,edinburgh1 who did more to diffuse     
useful knowledge1 and to educate the    
people1 by their manifold cheap issues  
of improving and entertaining           
literature1 than was ever done by the   
,british ,useful ,knowledge ,society    
itself4  ,the ,french nation has1 of all
 others1 the greatest genius for        
personal memoirs1 and the past two      
centuries are brought far more vividly  
before us in these free-spoken and often
 amusing chronicles1 than in all the    
formal histories4 ,among the most       
readable of these 7comparatively few    
having been translated into ,english7   
are the ,memoirs of ,marmontel1         
,rousseau1 ,madame ,rmusat1 ,amiel1 and 
,madame ,de ,stal4 ,the recently        

published memoirs by ,imbert de ,st4    
,amand1 of court life in ,france in the 
times of ,marie ,antoinette1 ,josephine1
 ,marie ,louise1 and other periods1     
while hastily written and not always    
accurate1 are lively and entertaining4  
,the ,english people fall far behind the
 ,french in biographic skill1 and many  
of their memoirs are as heavy and dull  
as the persons whom they commemorate4   
,but there are bright exceptions1 in the
 lives of literary men and women1 and in
 some of those of noted public men in   
church and state4 ,thus1 there are few  
books more enjoyable than ,sydney       
,smith's ,memoirs and ,letters1 or      
,greville's ,journals covering the      
period including ,george ,,iv to        
,victoria1 or the ,life and ,letters of 
,macaulay1 or ,mrs4 ,gaskell's          
,charlotte ,bront1 or the memoirs of    
,harriet ,martineau1 or ,boswell's ,life
 of ,dr4 ,johnson4 ,among the briefer   
biographies worthy of special mention   
are the series of ,english ,men of      

,letters1 edited by ,john ,morley1 and  
written by some of the best of          
contemporary ,british writers4 ,they    
embrace memoirs of ,chaucer1 ,spenser1  
,bacon1 ,sidney1 ,milton1 ,de ,foe1     
,swift1 ,sterne1 ,fielding1 ,locke1     
,dryden1 ,pope1 ,johnson1 ,gray1        
,addison1 ,goldsmith1 ,burke1 ,hume1    
,gibbon1 ,bunyan1 ,bentley1 ,sheridan1  
,burns1 ,cowper1 ,southey1 ,scott1      
,byron1 ,lamb1 ,coleridge1 ,keats1      
,shelley1 ,wordsworth1 ,de ,quincey1    
,macaulay1 ,landor1 ,dickens1           
,thackeray1 ,hawthorne1 and ,carlyle4   
,these biographies1 being quite         
compendious1 and in the main very well  
written1 afford to busy readers a       
short-hand method of acquainting        
themselves with most of the notable     
writers of ,britain1 their personal     
characteristics1 their relation to their
 contemporaries1 and the quality and    
influence of their works4 ,americans    
have not as yet illustrated the field of
 biographic literature by many notably  

skilful examples4 ,we are especially    
deficient in good autobiographies1 so   
that ,dr4 ,franklin's stands almost     
alone in singular merit in that class4  
,we have an abundance of lives of       
notable generals1 professional men1 and 
politicians1 in which indiscriminate    
eulogy and partisanship too often usurp 
the place of actual facts1 and the truth
 of history is distorted to glorify the 
merits of the subject of the biography4 
,the great success of ,general ,grant's 
own ,memoirs1 too1 has led publishers to
 tempt many public men in military or   
civil life1 into the field of personal  
memoirs1 not as yet with distinguished  
success4  ,it were to be wished that    
more writers possessed of some literary 
skill1 who have borne a part in the     
wonderful drama involving men and events
 enacted in this country during the     
century now drawing to a close1 had     
given us their sincere personal         
impressions in autobiographic form4     
,such narratives1 in proportion as they 

are truthful1 are far more trustworthy  
than history written long after the     
event by authors who were neither       
observers nor participants in the scenes
 which they describe4  ,among ,american 
biographies which will help the reader  
to gain a tolerably wide acquaintance   
with the men and affairs of the past    
century in this country1 are the series 
of ,lives of ,american ,statesmen1 of   
which thirty volumes have been          
published4 ,these include ,washington1  
the ,adamses1 ,jefferson1 ,franklin1    
,hamilton1 ,jay1 ,madison1 ,marshall1   
,monroe1 ,henry1 ,gallatin1 ,morris1    
,randolph1 ,jackson1 ,van ,buren1       
,webster1 ,clay1 ,calhoun1 ,cass1       
,benton1 ,seward1 ,lincoln1 ,chase1     
,stevens1 and ,sumner4 ,while these     
,memoirs are of very unequal merit1 they
 are sufficiently instructive to be     
valuable to all students of our national
 history4  ,another very useful series  
is that of ,american ,men of ,letters1  
edited by ,charles ,dudley ,warner1 in  

fifteen volumes1 which already includes 
,franklin1 ,bryant1 ,cooper1 ,irving1   
,noah ,webster1 ,simms1 ,poe1 ,emerson1 
,ripley1 ,margaret ,fuller1 ,willis1    
,thoreau1 ,taylor1 and ,curtis4  ,in the
 department of history1 the best books  
for learners are not always the most    
famous4 ,any mere synopsis of universal 
history is necessarily dry reading1 but 
for a constant help in reference1       
guiding one to the best original        
sources1 under each country1 and with   
very readable extracts from the best    
writers treating on each period1 the    
late work of ,j4 ,n4 ,larned1 ,history  
for ,ready ,reference1 five volumes1    
will be found invaluable4 ,brewer's     
,historic ,note ,book1 in a single      
volume1 answers many historic queries in
 a single glance at the alphabet4 ,for  
the ,history of the ,united ,states1    
either ,john ,fiske's or ,eggleston's is
 an excellent compend1 while for the    
fullest treatment1 ,bancroft's covers   
the period from the discovery of        

,america up to the adoption of the      
constitution in #aghi1 in a style at    
once full1 classical1 and picturesque4  
,for continuations1 ,mc,master's        
,history of the ,people of the ,united  
,states covers the period from #aghi to 
#ahbd1 and is being continued4 ,james   
,schouler has written a ,history of the 
,united ,states from #aghi to #ahfa1 in 
five volumes1 while ,j4 ,f4 ,rhodes ably
 covers the years #ahej to the ,civil   
,war with a much more copious narrative4
  ,for the annals of ,england1 the      
,short ,history of ,england by ,j4 ,r4  
,green is a most excellent compend4 ,for
 more elaborate works1 the histories of 
,hume and ,macaulay bring the story of  
the ,british ,empire down to about      
#agjj4 ,for the more modern period1     
,lecky's ,history of ,england in the    
#ahth century is excellent1 and for the 
present century1 ,mc,carthy's ,history  
of ,our ,own ,time1 and ,miss           
,martineau's ,history of ,england1      
#ahae-eb1 are well written works4       

,french history is briefly treated in   
the ,student's ,history of ,france1     
while ,guizot's complete ,history1 in   
eight volumes1 gives a much fuller      
account1 from the beginnings of ,france 
in the ,roman period1 to the year #ahdh4
 ,carlyle's ,french ,revolution is a    
splendid picture of that wonderful      
epoch1 and ,sloane's ,history of        
,napoleon gives very full details of the
 later period4  ,for the history of     
,germany1 ,austria1 ,russia1 ,france1   
,spain1 ,italy1 ,holland1 and other     
countries1 the various works in the     
,story of the ,nations series1 are      
excellent brief histories4  ,motley's   
,rise of the ,dutch ,republic and his   
,united ,netherlands are highly         
important and well written historical   
works4  ,the annals of the ancient world
 are elaborately and ably set forth in  
,grote's ,history of ,greece1           
,merivale's ,rome1 and ,gibbon's        
,decline and ,fall of the ,roman        
,empire4  ,another class of books       

closely allied to biography and history1
 is the correspondence of public men1   
and men of letters1 with friends and    
contemporaries4 ,these familiar letters 
frequently give us views of social1     
public1 and professional life which are 
of absorbing interest4 ,among the best  
letters of this class may be reckoned   
the correspondence of ,horace ,walpole1 
,madame de ,svign1 the poets ,gray and  
,cowper1 ,lord ,macaulay1 ,lord ,byron1 
and ,charles ,dickens4 ,written for the 
most part with unstudied ease and       
unreserve1 they entertain the reader    
with constant variety of incident and   
character1 while at the same time they  
throw innumerable side-lights upon the  
society and the history of the time4    
,next1 we may come to the master-pieces 
of the essay-writers4 ,you will often   
find that the best treatise on any      
subject is the briefest1 because the    
writer is put upon condensation and     
pointed statement1 by the very form and 
limitations of the essay1 or the review 

or magazine article4 ,book-writers are  
apt to be diffuse and episodical1 having
 so extensive a canvas to cover with    
their literary designs4 ,among the      
finest of the essayists are ,montaigne1 
,lord ,bacon1 ,addison1 ,goldsmith1     
,macaulay1 ,sir ,james ,stephen1        
,cardinal ,newman1 ,de ,quincey1        
,charles ,lamb1 ,washington ,irving1    
,emerson1 ,froude1 ,lowell1 and ,oliver 
,wendell ,holmes4 ,you may spend many a 
delightful hour in the perusal of any   
one of these authors4  ,we come now to  
poetry1 which some people consider very 
unsubstantial pabulum1 but which forms  
one of the most precious and inspiring  
portions of the literature of the world4
 ,in all ages1 the true poet has        
exercised an influence upon men's minds 
that is unsurpassed by that of any other
 class of writers4 ,and the reason is   
not far to seek4 ,poetry deals with the 
highest thoughts1 in the most expressive
 language4 ,it gives utterance to all   
the sentiments and passions of humanity 

in rhythmic and harmonious verse4 ,the  
poet's lines are remembered long after  
the finest compositions of the writers  
of prose are forgotten4 ,they fasten    
themselves in the memory by the very    
flow and cadence of the verse1 and they 
minister to that sense of melody that   
dwells in every human brain4 ,what the  
world owes to its great poets can never 
be fully measured4 ,but some faint idea 
of it may be gained from the wondrous   
stimulus given through them to the      
imaginative power1 and from the fact    
that those sentiments of human sympathy1
 justice1 virtue1 and freedom1 which    
inspire the best poetry of all nations1 
become sooner or later incarnated in    
their institutions4 ,this is the real   
significance of the oft-quoted saying of
 ,andrew ,fletcher1 that stout ,scotch  
republican of two centuries ago1 that if
 one were permitted to make all the     
ballads of a nation1 he need not care   
who should make the laws4  ,in the best 
poetry1 the felicity of its expressions 

of thought1 joined with their rhythmical
 form1 makes it easy for the reader to  
lay up almost unconsciously a store in  
the memory of the noblest poetic        
sentiments1 to comfort or to divert him 
in many a weary or troubled hour4 ,hence
 time is well spent in reading over and 
over again the great poems of the world4
 ,far better and wiser is this1 than to 
waste it upon the newest trash that     
captivates the popular fancy1 for the   
last will only tickle the intellectual  
palate for an hour1 or a day1 and be    
then forgotten1 while the former will   
make one better and wiser for all time4 
,nor need one seek to read the works of 
very many writers in order to fill his  
mind with images of truth and beauty    
which will dwell with him forever4 ,the 
really great poets in the ,english      
tongue may be counted upon the fingers4 
,shakespeare fitly heads the list--a    
world's classic1 unsurpassed for reach  
of imagination1 variety of scenes and   
characters1 profound insight1 ideal     

power1 lofty eloquence1 moral purpose1  
the most moving pathos1 alternating with
 the finest humor1 and diction          
unequalled for strength and beauty of   
expression4 ,milton1 too1 in his minor  
poems1 has given us some of the noblest 
verse in the language4 ,there is poetry 
enough in his ,l',allegro and ,il       
,penseroso to furnish forth a whole     
galaxy of poets4  ,spenser and ,pope1   
,gray and ,campbell1 ,goldsmith and     
,burns1 ,wordsworth and the ,brownings1 
,tennyson and ,longfellow1--these are   
among the other foremost names in the   
catalogue of poets which none can afford
 to neglect4 ,add to these the best     
translations of ,homer1 ,virgil1        
,horace1 ,dante1 and ,goethe1 and one   
need not want for intellectual company  
and solace in youth or age4  ,among the 
books which combine entertainment with  
information1 the best narratives of     
travellers and voyagers hold an eminent 
place4 ,in them the reader enlarges the 
bounds of his horizon1 and travels in   

companionship with his author all over  
the globe4 ,while many1 if not the most1
 of the books of modern travellers are  
filled with petty incidents and personal
 observations of no importance1 there   
are some wonderfully good books of this 
attractive class4 ,such are ,kinglake's 
,eothen1 or traces of travel in the     
,east1 ,helen ,hunt ,jackson's ,bits of 
,travel1 a volume of keen and amusing   
sketches of ,german and ,french         
experiences1 the books of ,de ,amicus on
 ,holland1 ,constantinople1 and ,paris1 
those on ,england by ,emerson1          
,hawthorne1 ,william ,winter1 and       
,richard ,grant ,white1 ,curtis's ,nile 
,notes1 ,howell's ,venetian ,life1 and  
,taine's ,italy1 ,rome and ,naples4     
,the wide domain of science can be but  
cursorily touched upon4 ,many readers   
get so thorough a distaste for science  
in early life--mainly from the fearfully
 and wonderfully dry text-books in which
 our schools and colleges have          
abounded--that they never open a        

scientific book in later years4 ,this is
 a profound mistake1 since no one can   
afford to remain ignorant of the world  
in which we live1 with its myriad       
wonders1 its inexhaustible beauties1 and
 its unsolved problems4 ,and there are  
now works produced in every department  
of scientific research which give in a  
popular and often in a fascinating      
style1 the revelations of nature which  
have come through the study and         
investigation of man4 ,such books are   
,the ,stars and the ,earth1 ,kingsley's 
,glaucus1 or ,wonders of the ,shore1    
,clodd's ,story of ,creation1 7a clear  
account of the evolution theory7        
,figuier's ,vegetable ,world1 and       
,professor ,langley's ,new ,astronomy4  
,there are wise specialists whose       
published labors have illuminated for   
the uninformed reader every nook and    
province of the mysteries of creation1  
from the wing of a beetle to the orbits 
of the planetary worlds4 ,there are few 
pursuits more fascinating than those    

that bring us acquainted with the       
secrets of nature1 whether dragged up   
from the depths of the sea1 or          
demonstrated in the substance and       
garniture of the green earth1 or wrung  
from the far-off worlds in the shining  
heavens4  ,a word only can be spared to 
the wide and attractive realm of        
fiction4 ,in this field1 those are the  
best books which have longest kept their
 hold upon the public mind4 ,it is a    
wise plan to neglect the novels of the  
year1 and to read 7or to re-read in many
 cases7 the master-pieces which have    
stood the test of time1 and criticism1  
and changing fashions1 by the sure      
verdict of a call for continually new   
editions4 ,ouida and ,trilby may endure 
for a day1 but ,thackeray and ,walter   
,scott are perennial4 ,it is better to  
read a fine old book through three      
times1 than to read three new books     
through once4  ,of books more especially
 devoted to the history of literature1  
in times ancient and modern1 and in     

various nations1 the name is legion4 ,i 
count up1 of histories of ,english      
literature alone 7leaving out the       
,american7 no less than one hundred and 
thirty authors on this great field or   
some portion of it4 ,to know what ones  
of these to study1 and what to leave    
alone1 would require critical judgment  
and time not at my command4 ,i can only 
suggest a few known by me to be good4   
,for a succinct yet most skilfully      
written summary of ,english writers1    
there is no book that can compare with  
,stopford ,a4 ,brooke's ,primer of      
,english ,literature4 ,for more full and
 detailed treatment1 ,taine's ,history  
of ,english ,literature1 or ,chambers'  
,cyclopaedia of ,english ,literature1   
two volumes1 with specimens of the      
writers of every period1 are the best4  
,e4 ,c4 ,stedman's ,victorian ,poets is 
admirable1 as is also his ,poets of     
,america4 ,for a bird's eye view of     
,american authors and their works1 ,c4  
,f4 ,richardson's ,primer of ,american  

,literature can be studied to advantage1
 while for more full reference to our   
authors1 with specimens of each1        
,stedman's ,library of ,american        
,literature in eleven volumes1 should be
 consulted4 ,m4 ,c4 ,tyler's very       
interesting critical ,history of the    
,early ,american ,literature1 so little 
known1 comes down in its fourth volume  
only to the close of the revolution in  
#aghc4  ,for classical literature1 the  
importance of a good general knowledge  
of which can hardly be overrated1 ,j4   
,p4 ,mahaffy's ,history of ,greek       
,literature1 two volumes1 and ,g4 ,a4   
,simcox's ,latin ,literature1 two       
volumes1 may be commended4 ,on the      
literature of modern languages1 to refer
 only to works written in ,english1     
,saintsbury's ,primer of ,french        
,literature is good1 and ,r4 ,garnett's 
,history of ,italian ,literature is     
admirable 7by the former ,keeper of     
,printed ,books in the ,british ,museum 
,library74 ,lublin's ,primer of ,german 

,literature is excellent for a condensed
 survey of the writers of ,germany1     
while ,w4 ,scherer's ,history of ,german
 ,literature1 two volumes1 covers a far 
wider field4 ,for ,spanish ,literature  
in its full extent1 there is no work at 
all equal to ,george ,ticknor's three   
volumes1 but for a briefer history1 ,h4 
,b4 ,clark's ,hand-book of ,spanish     
,literature1 ,london1 #ahic1 may be     
used4  ,i make no allusion here to the  
many works of reference in the form of  
catalogues and bibliographical works1   
which may be hereafter noted4 ,my aim   
has been only to indicate the best and  
latest treatises covering the leading   
literatures of the world1 having no     
space for the ,scandinavian1 ,dutch1    
,portuguese1 ,russian1 or any of the    
,slavonic or oriental tongues4  ,those  
who find no time for studying the more  
extended works named1 will find much    
profit in devoting their hours to the   
articles in the ,encyclopaedia          
,britannica upon the literatures of the 

various countries4 ,these are within    
reach of everyone4  ,the select list of 
books named in this chapter does not by 
any means aim to cover those which are  
well worth reading2 but only to indicate
 a few1 a very few1 of the best4 ,it is 
based on the supposition that           
intelligent readers will give far less  
time to fiction than to the more solid  
food of history1 biography1 essays1     
travels1 literary history1 and applied  
science4 ,the select list of books in   
the fields already named is designed to 
include only the most improving and     
well-executed works4 ,many will not find
 their favorites in the list1 which is  
purposely kept within narrow limits1 as 
a suggestion only of a few of the best  
books for a home library or for general 
reading4 ,you will find it wise to own1 
as early in life as possible1 a few of  
the choicest productions of the great   
writers of the world4 ,those who can    
afford only a selection from a          
selection1 can begin with never so few  

of the authors most desired1 or which   
they have not already1 putting in       
practice the advice of ,shakespeare3    
,in brief1 sir1 study what you most     
affect4  ,says ,john ,ruskin3 ,i would  
urge upon every young man to obtain as  
soon as he can1 by the severest economy1
 a restricted and steadily increasing   
series of books1 for use through life2  
making his little library1 of all his   
furniture1 the most studied and         
decorative piece4 ,and ,henry ,ward     
,beecher urged it as the most important 
early ambition for clerks1 working men  
and women1 and all who are struggling up
 in life1 to form gradually a library of
 good books4 ,it is a man's duty1 says  
he1 to have books4 ,a library is not a  
luxury1 but one of the necessaries of   
life4  ,and says ,bishop ,hurst1 urging 
the vital importance of wise selection  
in choosing our reading3 ,if two-thirds 
of the shelves of the typical domestic  
library were emptied of their burden1   
and choice books put in their stead1    

there would be reformation in           
intelligence and thought throughout the 
civilized world4   ,,selection ,,of     
,,books ,,for ,,public ,,libraries4     
,let us now consider the subject of     
books fitted for public libraries4 ,at  
the outset1 it is most important that   
each selection should be made on a well 
considered plan4 ,no hap-hazard1 or     
fitfully1 or hastily made collection can
 answer the two ends constantly to be   
aimed at--namely1 first1 to select the  
best and most useful books1 and1        
secondly1 to economize the funds of the 
library4 ,no money should be wasted upon
 whims and experiments1 but every dollar
 should be devoted to the acquisition of
 improving books4  ,as to the principles
 that should govern and the limitations 
to be laid down1 these will depend much 
upon the scope of the library1 and the  
amount of its funds4 ,no library of the 
limited and moderate class commonly     
found in our public town libraries can  
afford to aim at the universal range of 

a national library1 nor even at the     
broad selections proper to a liberally  
endowed city library4  ,but its aims1   
while modest1 should be comprehensive   
enough to provide a complete selection  
of what may be termed standard          
literature1 for the reading public4 ,if 
the funds are inadequate to do this in  
the beginning1 it should be kept        
constantly in view1 as the months and   
years go on4 ,every great and notable   
book should be in the library sooner or 
later1 and if possible at its           
foundation4 ,thus will its utility and  
attractiveness both be well secured4    
,taking first the case of a small public
 library about to be started1 let us see
 in a few leading outlines what it will 
need4  #a4 ,a selection of the best     
works of reference should be the        
corner-stone of every library           
collection4 ,in choosing these1 regard  
must be had to secure the latest as well
 as the best4 ,never buy the first      
edition of ,soule's ,synonymes because  

it is cheap1 but insist upon the revised
 and enlarged edition of #ahib4 ,never  
acquire an antiquated ,lempriere's or   
,anthon's ,classical ,dictionary1       
because some venerable library director1
 who used it in his boyhood1 suggests   
it1 when you can get ,professor ,h4 ,t4 
,peck's ,dictionary of ,classical       
,antiquities1 published in #ahig4 ,never
 be tempted to buy an old edition of an 
encyclopaedia at half or quarter price1 
for it will be sure to lack the         
populations of the last census1 besides 
being a quarter of a century or more in 
arrears in its other information4 ,when 
consulting sale catalogues to select    
reference books1 look closely at the    
dates of publication1 and make sure by  
your ,american or ,english catalogues   
that no later edition has appeared4 ,it 
goes without saying that you will have  
these essential bibliographies1 as well 
as ,lowndes' ,manual of ,english        
,literature first of all1 whether you   
are able to buy ,watt and ,brunet or    

not4  #b4 ,without here stopping to     
treat of books of reference in detail1  
which will appear in another place1 let 
me refer to some other great classes of 
literature in which every library should
 be strong4 ,history stands fairly at   
the head1 and while a newly established 
library cannot hope to possess at once  
all the noted writers1 it should begin  
by securing a fine selection1 embracing 
general history1 ancient and modern1 and
 the history of each country1 at least  
of the important nations4 ,for          
compendious short histories1 the ,story 
of the ,nations series1 by various      
writers1 should be secured1 and the more
 extensive works of ,gibbon1 ,grote1    
,mommsen1 ,duruy1 ,fyffe1 ,green1       
,macaulay1 ,froude1 ,mc,carthy1         
,carlyle1 ,thiers1 ,bancroft1 ,motley1  
,prescott1 ,fiske1 ,schouler1           
,mc,master1 ,buckle1 ,guizot1 etc41     
should be acquired4 ,the copious lists  
of historical works appended to         
,larned's ,history for ,ready ,reference

 will be useful here4  #c4 ,biography   
stands close to history in interest and 
importance4 ,for general reference1 or  
the biography of all nations1           
,lippincott's ,universal ,pronouncing   
,dictionary of ,biography is essential1 
as well as ,appleton's ,cyclopaedia of  
,american ,biography1 for our own       
country4 ,for ,great ,britain1 the      
,dictionary of ,national ,biography is a
 mine of information1 and should be     
added if funds are sufficient4 ,certain 
sets of collective biographies which are
 important are ,american ,statesmen1 #bf
 vols41 ,englishmen of ,letters1 --     
vols41 ,autobiography1 #cc vols41       
,famous ,women series1 #ba vols41       
,heroes of the ,nation series1 #bd      
vols41 ,american ,pioneers and          
,patriots1 #ab vols41 and ,plutarch's   
,lives4 ,then of indispensable single   
biographies there are ,boswell's        
,johnson1 ,lockhart's ,scott1 ,froude's 
,carlyle1 ,trevelyan's ,macaulay1       
,froude's ,caesar1 ,lewes' ,goethe1 etc4

  #d4 ,of notable essays1 a high class  
of literature in which there are many   
names1 may be named ,addison1           
,montaigne1 ,bacon1 ,goldsmith1         
,emerson1 ,lamb1 ,de ,quincey1 ,holmes1 
,lowell1 etc4  #e4 ,poetry stands at the
 head of all the literature of          
imagination4 ,some people of highly     
utilitarian views decry poetry1 and     
desire to feed all readers upon facts4  
,but that this is a great mistake will  
be apparent when we consider that the   
highest expressions of moral and        
intellectual truth and the most finely  
wrought examples of literature in every 
nation are in poetic form4 ,take out of 
the world's literature the works of its 
great poets1 and you would leave it poor
 indeed4 ,poetry is the only great      
source for the nurture of imagination1  
and without imagination man is a poor   
creature4 ,i read the other day a dictum
 of a certain writer1 alleging that     
,dickens's ,christmas ,carol is far more
 effective as a piece of writing than   

,milton's noble ode ,on the ,morning of 
,christ's ,nativity4 ,such comparisons  
are of small value4 ,in point of fact1  
no library can spare either of them4 ,i 
need not repeat the familiar names of   
the great poets2 they are found in all  
styles of production1 and some of the   
best are among the least expensive4  #f4
 ,travels and voyages form a very       
entertaining as well as highly          
instructive part of a library4 ,a good  
selection of the more notable will prove
 a valuable resource to readers of      
nearly every age4  #g4 ,the wide field  
of science should be carefully gleaned  
for a good range of approved text-books 
in each department4 ,so progressive is  
the modern world that the latest books  
are apt to be the best in each science1 
something which is by no means true in  
literature4  #h4 ,in law1 medicine1     
theology1 political science1 sociology1 
economics1 art1 architecture1 music1    
eloquence1 and language1 the library    
should be provided with the leading     

modern works4  #i4 ,we come now to      
fiction1 which the experience of all    
libraries shows is the favorite pabulum 
of about three readers out of four4 ,the
 great demand for this class of reading 
renders it all the more important to    
make a wise and improving selection of  
that which forms the minds of           
multitudes1 and especially of the young4
 ,this selection presents to every      
librarian and library director or       
trustee some perplexing problems4 ,to   
buy indiscriminately the new novels of  
the day1 good1 bad1 and indifferent 7the
 last named greatly predominating7 would
 be a very poor discharge of the duty   
devolving upon those who are the        
responsible choosers of the reading of  
any community4 ,conceding1 as we must1  
the vast influence and untold value of  
fiction as a vehicle of entertainment   
and instruction1 the question           
arises--where can the line be drawn     
between the good and improving novels1  
and novels which are neither good nor   

improving8 ,this involves something more
 than the moral tone and influence of   
the fictions3 it involves their merits  
and demerits as literature also4 ,i hold
 it to be the bounden duty of those who 
select the reading of a community to    
maintain a standard of good taste1 as   
well as of good morals4 ,they have no   
business to fill the library with       
wretched models of writing1 when there  
are thousand of good models ready1 in   
numbers far greater than they have money
 to purchase4 ,weak and flabby and silly
 books tend to make weak and flabby and 
silly brains4 ,why should library guides
 put in circulation such stuff as the   
dime novels1 or ,old ,sleuth stories1 or
 the slip-slop novels of ,the ,duchess1 
when the great masters of romantic      
fiction have endowed us with so many    
books replete with intellectual and     
moral power8 ,to furnish immature minds 
with the miserable trash which does not 
deserve the name of literature1 is as   
blameworthy as to put before them books 

full of feverish excitement1 or stories 
of successful crime4  ,we are told1     
indeed 7and some librarians even have   
said it7 that for unformed readers to   
read a bad book is better than to read  
none at all4 ,i do not believe it4 ,you 
might as well say that it is better for 
one to swallow poison than not to       
swallow any thing at all4 ,i hold that  
library providers are as much bound to  
furnish wholesome food for the minds of 
the young who resort to them for        
guidance1 as their parents are to       
provide wholesome food for their bodies4
  ,but the question returns upon        
us--what is wholesome food8 ,in the     
first place1 it is that great body of   
fiction which has borne the test1 both  
of critical judgment1 and of popularity 
with successive generations of readers4 
,it is the novels of ,scott1 ,austen1   
,dickens1 ,thackeray1 ,george ,eliot1   
,cooper1 ,hawthorne1 ,kingsley1         
,mulock-,craik1 and many more1 such as  
no parents need blush to put into the   

hands of their daughters4 ,in the next  
place1 it is such a selection from the  
myriads of stories that have poured from
 the press of this generation as have   
been approved by the best readers1 and  
the critical judgment of a responsible  
press4  ,as to books of questionable    
morality1 ,i am aware that contrary     
opinions prevail on the question whether
 any such books should be allowed in a  
public library1 or not4 ,the question is
 a different one for the small town     
libraries and for the great reference   
libraries of the world4 ,the former are 
really educational institutions1        
supported at the people's expense1 like 
the free schools1 and should be held to 
a responsibility from which the         
extensive reference libraries in the    
city are free4 ,the latter may and ought
 to preserve every form of literature1  
and1 if national libraries1 they would  
be derelict in their duty to posterity  
if they did not acquire and preserve the
 whole literature of the country1 and   

hand it down complete to future         
generations4 ,the function of the public
 town library is different4 ,it must    
indispensably make a selection1 since   
its means are not adequate to buy       
one-tenth of the annual product of the  
press1 which amounts in only four       
nations 7,england1 ,france1 ,germany1   
and the ,united ,states7 to more than   
thirty-five thousand new volumes a year4
 ,its selection1 mainly of ,american and
 ,english books1 must be small1 and the 
smaller it is1 the greater is the need  
of care in buying4 ,in fact1 it is in   
most cases1 compelled to be a selection 
from a selection4 ,therefore1 in the    
many cases of doubt arising as to the   
fit character of a book1 let the doubt  
be resolved in favor of the fund1 thus  
preserving the chance of getting a      
better book for the money4  ,with this  
careful and limited selection of the    
best1 out of the multitude of novels    
that swarm from the press1 the reading  
public will have every reason to be     

satisfied4 ,no excuse can be alleged for
 filling up our libraries with poor     
books1 while there is no dearth whatever
 of good ones4 ,it is not the business  
of a public library to compete with the 
news stands or the daily press in       
furnishing the latest short stories for 
popular consumption2 a class of         
literature whose survival is likely to  
be quite as short as the stories        
themselves4  ,take an object lesson as  
to the mischiefs of reading the wretched
 stuff which some people pretend is     
better than no reading at all from the  
boy ,jesse ,pomeroy1 who perpetrated a  
murder of peculiar atrocity in ,boston4 
,pomeroy confessed that he had always   
been a great reader of 'blood and       
thunder' stories1 having read probably  
sixty dime novels1 all treating of      
scalping and deeds of violence4 ,the boy
 said that he had no doubt that the     
reading of those books had a great deal 
to do with his course1 and he would     
advise all boys to leave them alone4    

,in some libraries1 where the pernicious
 effect of the lower class of fiction   
has been observed1 the directors have   
withdrawn from circulation a large      
proportion of the novels1 which had been
 bought by reason of their popularity4  
,in other newly started libraries only  
fiction of the highest grade has been   
placed in the library from the start1   
and this is by far the best course4 ,if 
readers inquire for inferior or immoral 
books1 and are told that the library    
does not have them1 although they will  
express surprise and disappointment1    
they will take other and improving      
reading1 thus fulfilling the true       
function of the library as an educator4 
,librarians and library boards cannot be
 too careful about what constitutes the 
collection which is to form the pabulum 
of so many of the rising generation4    
,this does not imply that they are to be
 censors1 or prudes1 but with the vast  
field of literature before them from    
which to choose1 they are bound to      

choose the best4  ,the ,american        
,library ,association has had this      
subject under discussion repeatedly1 and
 while much difference of opinion has   
arisen from the difficulty of finding   
any absolute standard of excellence1    
nearly all have agreed that as to       
certain books1 readers should look      
elsewhere than to the public free       
library for them4 ,at one time a list of
 authors was made out1 many of whose    
works were deemed objectionable1 either 
from their highly sensational character1
 or their bad style1 or their highly    
wrought and morbid pictures of human    
passions1 or their immoral tendency4    
,this list no doubt will surprise many1 
as including writers whose books        
everybody1 almost1 has read1 or has been
 accustomed to think well of4 ,it       
embraces the following popular authors1 
many of whose novels have had a wide    
circulation1 and that principally       
through popular libraries4  ,here follow
 the names3  ,mary ,j4 ,holmes1 ,mrs4   

,henry ,wood1 ,c4 ,l4 ,hentz1 ,m4 ,p4   
,finley1 ,mrs4 ,a4 ,s4 ,stephens1 ,e4   
,d4 ,e4 ,n4 ,southworth1 ,mrs4          
,forrester1 ,rhoda ,broughton1 ,helen   
,mathers1 ,jessie ,fothergill1 ,m4 ,e4  
,braddon1 ,florence ,marryat1 ,ouida1   
,horatio ,alger1 ,mayne ,reid1 ,oliver  
,optic1 ,w4 ,h4 ,s4 ,kingston1 ,e4      
,kellogg1 ,g4 ,w4 ,m4 ,reynolds1 ,c4    
,fosdick1 ,edmund ,yates1 ,g4 ,a4       
,lawrence1 ,grenville ,murray1 ,w4 ,h4  
,ainsworth1 ,wilkie ,collins1 ,e4 ,l4   
,bulwer-,lytton1 ,w4 ,h4 ,thomes1 and   
,augusta ,evans ,wilson4  ,bear in mind1
 that only ,english and ,american novels
 are included1 and those only of the    
present century3 also1 that as to many  
which are included1 no imputation of    
immorality was made4 ,such a black list 
is obviously open to the charge of doing
 great injustice to the good repute of  
writers named1 since only a part of the 
works written by some of them can       
properly be objected to1 and these are  
not specially named4 ,bulwer-,lytton1   

for example1 whose ,paul ,clifford is a 
very improper book to go into the hands 
of young people1 has written at least a 
dozen other fictions of noble moral     
purpose1 and high literary merit4  ,out 
of seventy public libraries to which the
 list was sent1 with inquiry whether the
 authors named were admitted as books of
 circulation1 thirty libraries replied4 
,all of them admitted ,bulwer-,lytton   
and ,wilkie ,collins1 all but two       
,oliver ,optic's books1 and all but six 
,augusta ,evans ,wilson's4 ,reynolds'   
novels were excluded by twenty          
libraries1 ,mrs4 ,southworth's by       
eleven1 ,ouida's by nine1 and ,mrs4     
,stephens's and ,mrs4 ,henry ,wood's by 
eight4 ,other details cannot find space 
for notice here4  ,this instance is one 
among many of endeavors constantly being
 made by associated librarians to stem  
the ever increasing flood of poor       
fiction which threatens to submerge the 
better class of books in our public     
libraries4  ,that no such wholesome     

attempt can be wholly successful is     
evident enough4 ,the passion for reading
 fiction is both epidemic and chronic2  
and in saying this1 do not infer that ,i
 reckon it as a disease4 ,a librarian   
has no right to banish fiction because  
the appetite for it is abused4 ,he is   
not to set up any ideal and impossible  
standard of selection4 ,his most useful 
and beneficent function is to turn into 
better channels the universal hunger for
 reading which is entertaining4 ,do     
readers want an exciting novel8 ,what   
can be more exciting than ,les          
,miserables of ,victor ,hugo1 a book of 
exceptional literary excellence and     
power8 ,literature is full of           
fascinating stories1 admirably told1 and
 there is no excuse for loading our     
libraries with trash1 going into the    
slums for models1 or feeding young minds
 upon the unclean brood of pessimistic  
novels4 ,if it is said that people will 
have trash1 let them buy it1 and let the
 libraries wash their hands of it1 and  

refuse to circulate the stuff which no  
boy nor girl can touch without being    
contaminated4  ,those who claim that we 
might as well let the libraries down to 
the level of the poorest books1 because 
unformed and ignorant minds are capable 
of nothing better1 should be told that  
people are never raised by giving them  
nothing to look up to4 ,to devour       
infinite trash is not the road to learn 
wisdom1 or virtue1 or even to attain    
genuine amusement4 ,to those who are    
afraid that if the libraries are        
purified1 the masses will get nothing   
that they can read1 the answer is1 have 
they not got the entire world of        
magazines1 the weekly1 daily1 and       
,sunday newspapers1 which supply a whole
 library of fiction almost daily8 ,add  
to these plenty of imaginative          
literature in fiction and in poetry1 on 
every library's shelves1 which all who  
can read can comprehend1 and what excuse
 remains for buying what is neither     
decent nor improving8  ,take an example 

of the boundless capacity for           
improvement that exists in the human    
mind and human taste1 from the spread of
 the fine arts among the people4 ,thirty
 years ago1 their houses1 if having any 
decoration at all1 exhibited those      
fearful and wonderful colored           
lithographs and chromos in which bad    
drawing1 bad portraiture1 and bad       
coloring vied with each other to produce
 pictures which it would be a mild use  
of terms to call detestable4 ,then came 
the two great international art         
expositions at ,philadelphia and        
,chicago1 each greatly advancing by the 
finest models1 the standard of taste in 
art1 and by new economies of            
reproduction placing the most beautiful 
statues and pictures within the reach of
 the most moderate purse4 ,what has been
 the result8 ,an incalculable           
improvement in the public taste1        
educated by the diffusion of the best   
models1 until even the poor farmer of   
the backwoods will no longer tolerate   

the cheap and nasty horrors that once   
disfigured his walls4  ,the lesson in   
art is good in literature also4 ,give   
the common people good models1 and there
 is no danger but they will appreciate  
and understand them4 ,never stoop to    
pander to a depraved taste1 no matter   
what specious pleas you may hear for    
tolerating the low in order to lead to  
the high1 or for making your library    
contribute to the survival of the       
unfittest4  ,is it asked1 how can the   
librarian find out1 among the world of  
novels from which he is to select1 what 
is pure and what is not1 what is        
wholesome and what unhealthy1 what is   
improving and what is trash8 ,the answer
 is--there are some lists which will be 
most useful in this discrimination1     
while there is no list which is         
infallible4 ,mr4 ,f4 ,leypoldt's little 
catalogue of ,books for all ,time has   
nothing that any library need do        
without4 ,another compendious list is   
published by the ,american ,library     

,association4 ,and the more extensive   
catalogue prepared for the ,world's     
,fair in #ahic1 and embracing about     
#e1jjj volumes1 entitled ,catalogue of  
,a4 ,l4 ,a4 ,library3 #e1jjj vols4 for a
 popular library1 while it has many     
mistakes and omissions1 is a tolerably  
safe guide in making up a popular       
library4 ,i may note that the list of   
novels in this large catalogue put forth
 by the ,american ,library ,association 
has the names of five only out of the   
twenty-eight writers of fiction         
heretofore pronounced objectionable1 and
 names a select few only of the books of
 these five4  ,as for the later issues  
of the press1 and especially the new    
novels1 let him skim them for himself1  
unless in cases where trustworthy       
critical judgments are found in         
journals4 ,running through a book to    
test its style and moral drift is no    
difficult task for the practiced eye4   
,let us suppose that you are cursorily  
perusing a novel which has made a great 

sensation1 and you come upon the        
following sentence3 ,eighteen millions  
of years would level all in one huge1   
common1 shapeless ruin4 ,perish the     
microcosm in the limitless macrocosm6   
and sink this feeble earthly segregate  
in the boundless rushing choral         
aggregation6 ,this is in ,augusta ,j4   
,evans ,wilson's story ,macaria1 and    
many equally extraordinary examples of  
prose run mad are found in the novels of
 this once noted writer4 ,what kind of a
 model is that to form the style of the 
youthful neophyte1 to whom one book is  
as good as another1 since it was found  
on the shelves of the public library8   
,i am not insisting that all books      
admitted should be models of style2 even
 a purist must admit that one of the    
greatest charms of literature is its    
infinite variety4 ,but when book after  
book is filled with such specimens of   
literary lunacy as this1 one is tempted 
to believe that ,homer and ,shakespeare1
 to say nothing of ,thackeray and       

,hawthorne1 have lived in vain4  ,never 
fear criticism of those who find fault  
with the absence from your library of   
books that you know to be nearly        
worthless2 their absence will be a      
silent but eloquent protest against     
them1 sure to be vindicated by the utter
 oblivion into which they will fall4    
,many a flaming reputation has been     
extinguished after dazzling callow      
admirers for six months1 or even less4  
,do not dread the empty sarcasm1 that   
may grow out of the exclusion of freshly
 printed trash1 that your library is a  
back number4 ,to some poor souls every  
thing that is great and good in the     
world's literature is a back number2 and
 the ,bible itself1 with its immortal   
poetry and sublimity1 is the oldest back
 number of all4 ,it is no part of your  
business as a librarian to cater to the 
tastes of those who act as if the       
reading of endless novels of sensation  
were the chief end of man4 ,as one fed  
on highly spiced viands and stimulating 

drinks surely loses the appetite for    
wholesome and nourishing food1 so one   
who reads only exciting and highly      
wrought fictions loses the taste for the
 master-pieces of prose and poetry4     
,let not the fear of making many        
mistakes be a bug-bear in your path4 ,if
 you are told that your library is too  
exclusive1 reply that it has not means  
enough to buy all the good books that   
are wanted1 and cannot afford to spend  
money on bad or even on doubtful ones4  
,if you have excluded any               
highly-sought-for book on insufficient  
evidence1 never fail to revise the      
judgment4 ,all that can be expected of  
any library is approximately just and   
wise selection1 having regard to merit1 
interest1 and moral tone1 more than to  
novelty or popularity4  ,in the matter  
of choice1 individual opinions are of   
small value4 ,never buy a book simply   
because some reader extols it as very   
fine1 or splendid1 or perfectly lovely4 
,such praises are commonly to be        

distrusted in direct proportion to their
 extravagance4  ,a good lesson to       
libraries is furnished in the experience
 of the ,cleveland 7,ohio7 ,public      
,library4 ,in #ahgh1 out of #af1jjj     
volumes in that library1 no less than   
#f1jjj were novels4 ,the governing      
board1 on the plea of giving people what
 they wanted1 bought nearly all new     
books of fiction1 and went so far1 even1
 as to buy of ,pinkerton's ,detective   
stories1 fifteen copies each1 fifteen of
 all ,mrs4 ,southworth's novels1 etc4   
,but a change took place in the board1  
and the librarian was permitted to stop 
the growing flood of worthless fiction1 
and as fast as the books were worn out1 
they were replaced by useful reading4   
,it resulted that four years later1 with
 #dj1jjj volumes in the library1 only   
#g1jjj were novels1 or less than        
one-fifth1 instead of more than         
one-third of the whole collection1 as   
formerly4 ,in the same time1 the        
percentage of fiction drawn out was     

reduced from #fi per cent4 of the       
aggregate books read1 to #ej per cent4  
,libraries are always complaining that  
they cannot buy many valuable books from
 lack of funds4 ,yet some of them buy a 
great many that are valueless in spite  
of this lack4 ,can any thing be         
conceived more valueless than a set of  
,sylvanus ,cobb's novels1 reprinted to  
the number of thirty-five to forty1 from
 the ,new ,york ,ledger8 ,yet these have
 been bought for scores of libraries1   
which could not afford the latest books 
in science and art1 or biography1       
history1 or travel4 ,there are libraries
 in which the latest books on           
electricity1 or sewerage1 or sanitary   
plumbing1 might have saved many lives1  
but which must go without them1 because 
the money has been squandered on vapid  
and pernicious literature4  ,in almost  
every library1 while some branches of   
knowledge are fairly represented1 others
 are not represented at all4 ,nearly all
 present glaring deficiencies1 and these

 are often caused by want of systematic 
plan in building up the collection4     
,boards of managers are frequently      
changed1 and the policy of the library  
with them4 ,all the more important is it
 that the librarian should be so well   
equipped with a definite aim1 and with  
knowledge and skill competent to urge   
that aim consistently1 as to preserve   
some unity of plan4  ,i need not add    
that a librarian should be always wide  
awake to the needs of his library in    
every direction4 ,it should be taken for
 granted that its general aim is to     
include the best books in the whole     
range of human knowledge4 ,with the vast
 area of book production before him1 he 
should strengthen every year some       
department1 taking them in order of     
importance4  ,some scholarly writers    
tell us that very few books are         
essential to a good education4 ,james   
,russell ,lowell named five1 which in   
his view embraced all the essentials2   
namely1 ,homer1 ,dante1 ,shakespeare1   

,cervantes1 and ,goethe's ,faust4 ,prof4
 ,charles ,e4 ,norton of ,harvard       
remarked that this list might even be   
abridged so as to embrace only ,homer1  
,dante and ,shakespeare4 ,i can only    
regard such exclusiveness as misleading1
 though conceding the many-sidedness of 
these great writers4 ,to extend the list
 is the function of all public          
libraries1 as well as of most of the    
private ones4 ,next after the really    
essential books1 that library will be   
doing its public good service which     
acquires all the important works that   
record the history of man4 ,this will   
include biography1 travels and voyages1 
science1 and much besides1 as well as   
history4  ,special pains should be taken
 in every library to have every thing   
produced in its own town1 county1 and   
,state4 ,not only books1 but all        
pamphlets1 periodicals1 newspapers1 and 
even broadsides or circulars1 should be 
sought for and stored up as memorials of
 the present age1 tending in large part 

rapidly to disappear4  ,in selecting    
editions of standard authors1 one should
 always discriminate1 so as to secure   
for the library1 if not the best1 at    
least good1 clear type1 sound1 thick    
paper1 and durable binding4 ,cheap and  
poor editions wear out quickly1 and have
 to be thrown away for better ones1     
which wise economy should have selected 
in the first place4 ,for example1 a     
widely circulated edition of ,scott's   
novels1 found in most libraries1 has the
 type so worn and battered by the many  
large editions printed from the plates1 
that many letters and words are wanting1
 thus spoiling not only the pleasure but
 abridging the profit of the reader in  
perusing the novels4 ,the same is true  
of one edition of ,cooper4 ,then there  
are many cheap reprints of ,english     
novels in the ,seaside and other        
libraries which abound in typographical 
errors4 ,a close examination of a cheap 
edition of a leading ,english novelist's
 works revealed more than #c1jjj        

typographical errors in the one set of  
books6 ,it would be unpardonable        
carelessness to buy such books for      
general reading because they are cheap4 
,librarians should avoid what are known 
as subscription books1 as a rule1 though
 some valid exceptions exist4 ,most of  
such books are profusely illustrated and
 in gaudy bindings1 gotten up to dazzle 
the eye4 ,if works of merit1 it is      
better to wait for them1 than to        
subscribe for an unfinished work1 which 
perhaps may never reach completion4  ,a 
librarian or book collector should be   
ever observant of what he may find to   
enrich his collection4 ,when in a       
book-store1 or a private or public      
library1 he should make notes of such   
works seen as are new to him1 with any  
characteristics which their custodian   
may remark upon4 ,such personal         
examination is more informing than any  
catalogue4  ,i think each public library
 should possess1 besides a complete set 
of the ,english translations of the     

,greek and ,latin classics1 a full set  
of the originals1 for the benefit of    
scholarly readers4 ,these classic texts 
can be had complete in modern editions  
for a very moderate price4  ,how far    
duplicate volumes should be bought      
should depend upon demand1 and the views
 of the purchasing powers4 ,there is a  
real need of more than one copy of      
almost every standard work1 else it will
 be perpetually out1 giving occasion for
 numerous complaints from those who use 
the library4 ,it would be a good rule to
 keep one copy always in1 and at the    
service of readers1 of every leading    
history1 standard poet1 or popular      
novel4 ,then the duplicate copies for   
circulation may be one or more1 as      
experience and ability to provide may   
determine4 ,a library which caters to   
the novel-reading habit as extensively  
as the ,new ,york ,mercantile 7a        
subscription library7 has to buy fifty  
to one hundred copies of ,trilby1 for   
example1 to keep up with the demand4 ,no

 such obligation exists for the free    
public libraries4 ,they1 however1 often 
buy half a dozen to a dozen copies of a 
very popular story1 when new1 and sell  
them out after the demand has slackened 
or died away4  ,the methods of selection
 and purchase in public libraries are   
very various4 ,in the ,worcester        
7,mass47 ,public ,library1 the librarian
 makes a list of desiderata1 has it     
manifolded1 and sends a copy to each of 
the thirteen members of the ,board of   
directors4 ,this list is reported on by 
the members at the next monthly meeting 
of the ,board1 and generally1 in the    
main1 approved4 ,novels and stories are 
not bought until time has shown of what 
value they may be4 ,the aim is mainly   
educational at the ,worcester library1  
very special pains being taken to aid   
all the pupils and teachers in the      
public schools1 by careful selection1   
and providing duplicate or more copies  
of important works4  ,in the ,public    
,library of ,cleveland1 ,ohio1 there is 

appointed out of the governing ,board a 
book-committee of three4 ,to one of     
these are referred ,english books       
wanted1 to another ,french1 and to the  
third ,german books4 ,this sub-committee
 approves or amends the ,librarian's    
recommendations1 at its discretion2 but 
expensive works are referred to the     
whole board for determination4  ,in the 
,new ,york ,mercantile ,library1 which  
must keep continually up to date in its 
supply of new books1 the announcements  
in all the morning papers are daily     
scanned1 and books just out secured by  
immediate order4 ,many publishers send  
in books on approval1 which are         
frequently bought4 ,an agent in ,london 
is required to send on the day of       
publication all new books on certain    
subjects4  ,the library boards of       
management meet weekly in ,new ,york and
 ,philadelphia1 but monthly in most     
country libraries4 ,the selection of    
books made by committees introduces     
often an element of chance1 not quite   

favorable to the unity of plan in       
developing the resources of the library4
 ,but with a librarian of large         
information1 discretion1 and skill1     
there need seldom be any difficulty in  
securing approval of his selections1 or 
of most of them4 ,in some libraries the 
librarian is authorized to buy at       
discretion additions of books in certain
 lines1 to be reported at the next      
meeting of the board2 and to fill up all
 deficiencies in periodicals that are   
taken4 ,this is an important concession 
to his judgment1 made in the interest of
 completeness in the library1 saving a  
delay of days and sometimes weeks in    
waiting for the board of directors4     
,all orders sent out for accessions     
should previously be compared with the  
alphabeted order-card list1 as well as  
with the general catalogue of the       
library1 to avoid duplication4 ,after   
this the titles are to be incorporated  
in the alphabet of all outstanding      
orders1 to be withdrawn only on receipt 

of the books4  ,the library should      
invite suggestions from all frequenting 
it1 of books recommended and not found  
in the collection4 ,a blank record-book 
for this purpose1 or an equivalent in   
order-cards1 should be always kept on   
the counter of the library4             
,,chapter #b4  ,,book ,,buying4   ,the  
buying of books is to some men a        
pastime2 to others it is a passion2 but 
to the librarian and the intelligent    
book collector it is both a business and
 a pleasure4 ,the man who is endowed    
with a zeal for knowledge is eager to be
 continually adding to the stores which 
will enable him to acquire and to       
dispense that knowledge4 ,hence the     
perusal of catalogues is to him an ever 
fresh and fascinating pursuit4 ,however 
hampered he may be by the lack of funds1
 the zest of being continually in quest 
of some coveted volumes gives him an    
interest in every sale catalogue1       
whether of bookseller or of auctioneer4 
,he is led on by the perennial hope that

 he may find one or more of the         
long-wished for and waited-for          
desiderata in the thin pamphlet whose   
solid columns bristle with book-titles  
in every variety of abbreviation and    
arrangement4 ,it is a good plan1 if one 
can possibly command the time1 to read  
every catalogue of the book auctions1   
and of the second-hand book dealers1    
which comes to hand4 ,you will thus find
 a world of books chronicled and offered
 which you do not want1 because you have
 got them already3 you will find many1  
also1 which you want1 but which you know
 you cannot have2 and you may find some 
of the very volumes which you have      
sought through many years in vain4 ,in  
any case1 you will have acquired        
valuable information--whether you       
acquire any books or not2 since there is
 hardly a priced catalogue1 of any      
considerable extent1 from which you     
cannot reap knowledge of some           
kind--knowledge of editions1 knowledge  
of prices1 and knowledge of the         

comparative scarcity or full supply of  
many books1 with a glimpse of titles    
which you may never have met before4    
,the value of the study of catalogues as
 an education in bibliography can never 
be over-estimated4  ,the large number of
 active and discriminating book-buyers  
from ,america has for years past        
awakened the interest and jealousy of   
collectors abroad1 where it has very    
largely enhanced the price of all       
first-class editions1 and rare works4   
,no longer1 as in the early days of     
,dibdin and ,heber1 is the competition  
for the curiosities of old ,english     
literature confined to a half-score of  
native amateurs4 ,true1 we have no such 
omnivorous gatherers of literary rubbish
 as that magnificent helluo librorum1   
,richard ,heber1 who amassed what was   
claimed to be the largest collection of 
books ever formed by a single           
individual4 ,endowed with a princely    
fortune1 and an undying passion for the 
possession of books1 he spent nearly a  

million dollars in their acquisition4   
,his library1 variously stated at from  
#aje1jjj volumes 7by ,dr4 ,dibdin7 to   
#adf1jjj volumes 7by ,dr4 ,allibone7 was
 brought to the hammer in #ahcd4 ,the   
catalogue filled #ac octavo volumes1 and
 the sale occupied #baf days4 ,the      
insatiable owner 7who was a brother of  
,reginald ,heber1 ,bishop of ,calcutta7 
died while still collecting1 at the age 
of sixty1 leaving his enormous library1 
which no single house of ordinary size  
could hold1 scattered in half a dozen   
mansions in ,london1 ,oxford1 ,paris1   
,antwerp1 ,brussels and ,ghent4  ,yet   
the owner of this vast mass of mingled  
nonsense and erudition1 this library of 
the curiosities of literature1 was as   
generous in imparting as in acquiring   
his literary treasures4 ,no ,english    
scholar but was freely welcome to the   
loan of his volumes2 and his own taste  
and critical knowledge are said to have 
been of the first order4  ,from this1   
probably the most extensive private     

library ever gathered1 let us turn to   
the largest single purchase1 in number  
of volumes1 made at one time for a      
public library4 ,when ,dr4 ,j4 ,g4      
,cogswell went abroad in #ahdh1 to lay  
the foundations of the ,astor ,library1 
he took with him credentials for the    
expenditure of #ajj1jjj2 and1 what was  
of even greater importance1 a thoroughly
 digested catalogue of desiderata1      
embracing the most important books in   
every department of literature and      
science4 ,no such opportunity of buying 
the finest books at the lowest prices is
 likely ever to occur again1 as the     
fortuitous concourse of events brought  
to ,dr4 ,cogswell4 ,it was the year of  
revolutions--the year when the thrones  
were tottering or falling all over      
,europe1 when the wealthy and privileged
 classes were trembling for their       
possessions1 and anxious to turn them   
into ready money4 ,in every time of     
panic1 political or financial1 the      
prices of books1 as well as of all      

articles of luxury1 are the first to    
fall4 ,many of the choicest collections 
came to the hammer2 multitudes were     
eager to sell--but there were few buyers
 except the book merchants1 who were all
 ready to sell again4 ,the result was   
that some #hj1jjj volumes were gathered 
for the ,astor ,library1 embracing a    
very large share of the best editions   
and the most expensive works1 with many 
books strictly denominated rare1 and    
nearly all bound in superior style1 at  
an average cost of about #a4dj per      
volume4 ,this extraordinary good fortune
 enabled the ,astor ,library to be      
opened on a very small endowment1 more  
splendidly equipped for a library of    
reference than any new institution could
 be today with four or five times the   
money4  ,compared with such             
opportunities as these1 you may consider
 the experiences of the little          
libraries1 and the narrow means of      
recruitment generally found1 as very    
literally the day of small things4 ,but 

a wise apportionment of small funds1    
combined with a good knowledge of the   
commercial value of books1 and perpetual
 vigilance in using opportunities1 will 
go very far toward enlarging any        
collection in the most desirable        
directions4  ,compare for a moment with 
the results stated of the ,astor        
,library's early purchases1 the average 
prices paid by ,british ,libraries for  
books purchased from #ahbf to #ahed1 as 
published in a parliamentary return4    
,the average cost per volume varied from
 #afs or about #d a volume1 for the     
,university ,library of ,edinburgh1 to  
#ds #f;d1 or #a4aj a volume for the     
,manchester ,free ,library4 ,the latter1
 however1 were chiefly popular new      
books1 published at low prices1 while   
the former included many costly old     
works1 law books1 etc4 ,the ,british    
,museum ,library's average was #hs #e;d 
or about #b4jj per volume4 ,those       
figures represent cloth binding1 while  
the ,astor's purchases were mostly in   

permanent leather bindings4  ,averages  
are very uncertain standards of         
comparison1 as a single book rarity     
often costs more than a hundred volumes 
of the new books of the day2 but in a   
library filled with the best editions of
 classical and scientific works1 and    
reference books1 ,i presume that two    
dollars a volume is not too high an     
estimate of average cost1 in these days 
represented by the last twenty years4   
,for a circulating library1 on the other
 hand1 composed chiefly of what the     
public most seek to read1 half that     
average would perhaps express the full  
commercial value of the collection4 ,of 
its intrinsic value ,i will not here    
pause to speak4  ,there are many methods
 of book buying1 of which we may        
indicate the principal as follows3      
#a4 ,by direct orders from book dealers4
     #b4 ,by competition on select lists
 of wants4     #c4 ,by order from priced
 catalogues4     #d4 ,by purchase at    
auction sales4     #e4 ,by personal     

research among book stocks4     #f4 ,by 
lists and samples of books sent on      
approval4  ,each of these methods has   
its advantages--and1 ,i may add1 its    
disadvantages likewise4 ,the collector  
who combines them1 as opportunity       
presents1 is most likely to make his    
funds go the farthest1 and to enrich his
 collection the most4 ,direct orders for
 purchase are necessary for most new    
books wanted1 except in the case of the 
one government library1 which in most   
countries1 receives them under copyright
 provision4 ,an advantageous arrangement
 can usually be made with one or more   
book-dealers1 to supply all new books at
 a fairly liberal discount from retail  
prices4 ,and it is wise management to   
distribute purchases where good terms   
are made1 as thereby the trade will feel
 an interest in the library1 and a      
mutuality of interest will secure more  
opportunities and better bargains4  ,the
 submission of lists of books wanted1 to
 houses having large stocks or good     

facilities1 helps to make funds go as   
far as possible through competition4 ,by
 the typewriter such lists can now be   
manifolded much more cheaply than they  
can be written or printed4  ,selection  
from priced catalogues presents a       
constantly recurring opportunity of     
buying volumes of the greatest          
consequence1 to fill gaps in any        
collection1 and often at surprisingly   
low prices4 ,much as book values have   
been enhanced of late years1 there are  
yet catalogues issued by ,american1     
,english and continental dealers which  
quote books both of the standard and    
secondary class at very cheap rates4    
,even now ,english books are sold by the
 ,mudie and the ,w4 ,h4 ,smith lending  
libraries in ,london1 after a very few  
months1 at one-half to one-fourth their 
original publishing price4 ,these must  
usually be rebound1 but by instructing  
your agent to select copies which are   
clean within1 all the soil of the edges 
will disappear with the light trimming  

of the binder4  ,purchase at auction    
supplies a means of recruiting libraries
 both public and private with many rare 
works1 and with the best editions of the
 standard authors1 often finely bound4  
,the choice private libraries of the    
country1 as well as the poor ones1 tend 
to pour themselves sooner or later into 
public auctions4 ,the collectors of     
books1 whose early avidity to amass     
libraries of fine editions was          
phenomenal1 rarely persist in           
cultivating the passion through life4   
,sometimes they are overtaken by        
misfortune--sometimes by                
indifference--the bibliomania not being 
a perennial inspiration1 but often an   
acute and fiery attack1 which in a few  
years burns out4 ,even if the library   
gathered with so much money and pains   
descends to the heirs of the collector1 
the passion for books is very seldom an 
inherited one4 ,thus the public         
libraries are constantly recruited by   
the opportunities of selection furnished

 by the forced sale of the private ones4
 ,here1 public competition frequently   
runs up the price of certain books to an
 exorbitant degree1 while those not     
wanted often sell for the merest trifle4
 ,one should have a pretty clear idea of
 the approximate commercial value of    
books1 before competing for them at     
public sale4 ,he may1 however1 if well  
persuaded in his own mind as to the     
importance or the relative unimportance 
to his own collection of any work1      
regulate his bids by that standard1     
regardless of commercial value1 except  
as a limit beyond which he will not go4 
,few librarians can personally attend   
auction sales--nor is it needful1 when  
limits can so easily be set to orders4  
,it is never safe to send an unlimited  
bid1 as there may be others without     
limit1 in which case the book is        
commonly awarded to the most remote     
bidder4  ,there are many curiosities of 
the auction room1 one of them being the 
frequent re-appearance of book rarities 

which have been through several         
auctions1 sometimes at intervals of     
years1 keenly competed for by rival     
bibliophiles1 and carried off in triumph
 by some ardent collector1 who little   
thought at the time how soon his own    
collection would come to the hammer4    
,there are also many curiosities of     
compilation in auction catalogues4 ,not 
to name errors of commission1 like      
giving the authorship of books to the   
wrong name1 and errors of omission1 like
 giving no author's name at all1 some   
catalogues are thickly strewn with the  
epithets rare--and very rare1 when the  
books are sufficiently common in one or 
the other market4 ,do not be misled by  
these surface indications4 ,books are   
often attributed in catalogues to their 
editor or translator1 and the unwary    
buyer may thus find himself saddled with
 a duplicate already in his own         
collection4 ,there has been much        
improvement in late years in the care   
with which auction catalogues are       

edited1 and no important collection at  
least is offered1 without having first  
passed through the hands of an expert1  
familiar with bibliography4 ,it is the  
minor book sales where the catalogues   
receive no careful editing1 and where   
the dates and editions are frequently   
omitted1 that it is necessary to guard  
against4 ,it is well to refrain from    
sending any bids out of such lists1     
because they furnish no certain         
identification of the books1 and if all 
would do the same1 thus diminishing the 
competition and the profit of the       
auctioneer1 he might learn never to     
print a catalogue without date1 place of
 publication1 and full name of author of
 every book offered4  ,never be too     
eager to acquire an auction book1 unless
 you are very thoroughly assured that it
 is one of the kind truly designated    
rarissimus4 ,an eminent and thoroughly  
informed book collector1 with an        
experience of forty years devoted to    
book auctions and book catalogues1      

assured me that it was his experience   
that almost every book would turn up on 
the average about every seven years4 ,of
 course there are notable               
exceptions--and especially among the    
class of books known as incunabula1 7or 
cradle-books printed in the infancy of  
printing7 and of early ,americana3 but  
it is not these which the majority of   
libraries are most in search of4        
,remember always1 if you lose a coveted 
volume1 that there will be another      
chance--perhaps many of them4 ,the      
private collector1 who carries it off   
against you1 has had no former          
opportunity to get the rare volume1 and 
may never have another4 ,he is therefore
 justified in paying what is to ordinary
 judgment an extraordinary price4       
,individual collectors die1 but public  
libraries are immortal4  ,if you become 
thoroughly conversant with priced       
catalogues1 you will make fewer mistakes
 than most private buyers4 ,not only    
catalogues of notable collections1 with 

the prices obtained at auction1 but the 
large and very copious catalogues of    
such ,london book-dealers as ,quaritch  
and ,sotheran1 are accessible in the    
great city libraries4 ,these are of the 
highest use in suggesting the proximate 
prices at which important books have    
been or may be acquired4 ,since #ahie1  
annual volumes entitled ,american ,book 
,prices ,current have been issued1      
giving the figures at which books have  
been sold at all the principal auction  
sales of the year4  ,there is no word so
 much abused as the term rare1 when     
applied to books4 ,librarians know well 
the unsophisticated citizen who wants to
 sell at a high price a rare volume of  
divinity a hundred and fifty years old  
7worth possibly twenty-five cents to    
half a dollar17 and the persistent woman
 who has the rarest old bible in the    
country1 which she values anywhere from 
fifty to five hundred dollars1 and which
 turns out on inspection to be an       
imperfect copy of one of ,barker's      

multitudinous editions of #afab to '#ah1
 which may be picked up at five to eight
 shillings in any old ,london book-shop4
 ,the confident assertions so often     
paraded1 even in catalogues1 only three 
copies known1 and the like1 are to be   
received with absolute incredulity1 and 
the claims of ignorant owners of books  
who fancy that their little pet goose is
 a fine swan1 because they never saw    
another1 are as ridiculous as the       
laudation bestowed by a sapient         
collector upon two of his most valued   
nuggets4 ,this1 sir1 is unique1 but not 
so unique as the other4  ,buying books  
by actual inspection at the book-shops  
is even more fascinating employment than
 buying them through catalogues4 ,you   
thus come upon the most unexpected      
volumes unawares4 ,you open the covers1 
scan the title-pages1 get a glimpse of  
the plates1 and flit from book to book1 
like a bee gathering honey for its hive4
 ,it is a good way to recruit your      
library economically1 to run through the

 stock of a book-dealer                 
systematically--neglecting no shelf1 but
 selecting throughout the whole stock1  
and laying aside what you think you may 
want4 ,when this is done1 you will have 
quite a pile of literature upon which to
 negotiate with the proprietor4 ,it is  
cheaper to buy thus at wholesale than by
 piecemeal1 because the bookseller will 
make you a larger discount on a round   
lot of which you relieve his shelves4   
,another method of recruiting your      
library is the examination of books on  
approval4 ,most book-dealers will be so 
obliging as to send in parcels of books 
for the inspection of a librarian or    
collector1 who can thus examine them    
leisurely and with more thoroughness    
than in a book store1 without leaving   
his business4  ,all books1 by whatever  
course they may be purchased1 are       
indispensably to be collated before they
 are accepted and paid for4 ,neglect of 
this will fill any library with         
imperfections1 since second-hand books  

are liable to have missing leaves1 or   
plates1 or maps1 while new books may    
lack signatures or plates1 or be wrongly
 bound together4 ,in the case of new    
books1 or books still in print1 the     
publisher is bound to make good an      
imperfection4  ,in old books1 this is   
usually impossible1 and the only remedy 
is to return the imperfect books upon   
the seller's hands1 unless there may be 
a reason1 such as the rarity of the     
volume1 or its comparative little cost1 
or the trifling nature of the           
imperfection1 for retaining it4 ,the    
equities in these cases are in favor of 
the buyer1 who is presumed to have      
purchased a perfect copy4 ,but the right
 of reclamation must be exercised       
promptly1 or it may be forfeited by     
lapse of time4 ,if an imperfection in   
any book you order is noted in the      
catalogue1 it is not subject to return4 
,i have ever found the book auctioneers 
most courteous and considerate in their 
dealings--and the same can be said of   

the book trade generally1 among whom    
instances of liberality to libraries are
 by no means rare4  ,one of the choicest
 pleasures of the book collector1       
whether private student or librarian1 is
 to visit the second-hand book-shops of 
any city1 and examine the stock with    
care4 ,while he may find but few notable
 treasures in one collection1 a search  
through several shops will be almost    
sure to reward him4 ,here are found many
 of the outpourings of the private      
libraries1 formed by specialists or     
amateurs1 and either purchased by the   
second-hand dealer en bloc1 or bid off  
by him at some auction sale4 ,even rare 
books are picked up in this way1 no     
copies of which can be had by order1    
because long since out of print4 ,the   
stock in these shops is constantly      
changing1 thus adding a piquant and     
sometimes exciting element to the       
book-hunter1 who is wise in proportion  
as he seizes quickly upon all           
opportunities of new finds by frequent  

visits4 ,to mourn over a lost chance in 
rare books is often more grievous to the
 zealous collector1 than to lose a large
 share out of his fortune2 while to     
exult over a literary nugget long sought
 and at length found is a pleasure to   
which few others can be compared4  ,of  
the many bouquinistes whose open-air    
shops line the quays of ,paris along the
 ,seine1 numbering once as many as a    
hundred and fifty dealers in second-hand
 books1 ,i have no room to treat2 books 
have been written about them1 and the   
littrateurs of ,france1 of ,europe1 and 
of ,america have profited by countless  
bargains in their learned wares4 ,nor   
can ,i dwell upon the literary wealth of
 ,london book-shops1 dark and dingy1 but
 ever attractive to the hungry scholar1 
or the devotee of bibliomania4  ,of the 
many second-hand booksellers 7or rather 
sellers of second-hand books7 in        
,american cities1 the more notable have 
passed from the stage of action in the  
last quarter of a century4 ,old ,william

 ,gowans1 a quaint1 intelligent         
,scotchman1 in shabby clothes and a     
strong face deeply marked with small    
pox1 was for many years the dean of this
 fraternity in ,new ,york4 ,his         
extensive book-shop in ,nassau street1  
with its dark cellar1 was crowded and   
packed with books on shelves1 on        
stairways and on the floors1 heaped and 
piled in enormous masses1 amid which the
 visitor could hardly find room to move4
 ,on one of the piles you might find the
 proprietor seated--      ,books to the 
right of him1     ,books to the left of 
him1     ,books behind him1             
,volleyed and tumbled1  while he        
answered inquiries for books from       
clergymen and students1 or gruffly      
bargained with a boy or an old woman for
 a dilapidated lot of old books4 ,he had
 a curious quizzical way with strangers1
 who at once set him down as an oddity1 
and his impatience with ignoramuses and 
bores gave him the repute of crustiness1
 which was redeemed by suavity enough   

whenever he met with people of          
intelligence4  ,gowans issued scores of 
catalogues of his stock1 in which titles
 were often illustrated by notes1 always
 curious and often amusing1 credited to 
,western ,memorabilia1 a work which no  
bookseller or man of letters had ever   
heard of1 but which was shrewdly        
suspected to have been a projected      
scrap-book of the observations and      
opinions of ,william ,gowans4  ,there   
was another eccentric book-dealer's shop
 in ,nassau street kept by one ,john    
,doyle1 who aimed so high in his        
profession as to post over his door a   
sign reading ,the ,moral ,centre of the 
,intellectual ,universe4 ,this          
establishment was notably full of old   
editions of books of ,english history   
and controversial theology4  ,the most  
famous second-hand book-shop in ,boston 
was ,burnham's1 whose fore-name was     
,thomas ,oliver ,hazard ,perry1         
shortened into ,perry ,burnham by his   
familiars4 ,he was a little1 pale-faced1

 wiry1 nervous man1 with piercing black 
eyes and very brusque manners4 ,in old  
and musty books he lived and moved and  
had his being1 for more than a          
generation4 ,he exchanged a stuffy1     
narrow shop in ,cornhill for more       
spacious quarters in ,washington street1
 near ,school street1 where he bought   
and sold books with an assiduous        
devotion to business1 never trusting to 
others what he could do himself4 ,he was
 proud of his collection and its extent4
 ,he bought books and pamphlets at      
auction literally by the cart-load1     
every thing that nobody else wanted     
being bid off to ,burnham at an         
insignificant price1 almost nominal4 ,he
 got a wide reputation for selling      
cheaply1 but he always knew when to     
charge a stiff price for a book1 and to 
stick to it4 ,once when ,i was pricing a
 lot of miscellaneous books picked out  
for purchase1 mostly under a dollar a   
volume1 we came to a copy of ,the       
,constitutions of the ,several          

,independent ,states of ,america1 #ast  
edition1 ,philadelphia1 #agha1 of which 
two hundred copies only were printed1 by
 order of ,congress4 ,this copy was in  
the original boards1 uncut1 and with the
 autograph of ,timothy ,pickering on the
 title page4 ,if the ,congress ,library 
wants that book1 said ,mr4 ,burnham1 it 
will have to pay eight dollars for it4  
,i took it1 well pleased to secure what 
years of search had failed to bring4    
,the next year my satisfaction was      
enhanced when an inferior copy of the   
same book was offered at twenty dollars4
  ,burnham died a wealthy man1 having   
amassed a million dollars in trade and  
by rise in real estate1 as he owned the 
land on which the ,parker ,house stands 
in ,boston4  ,among ,philadelphia       
dealers in second-hand books1 one ,john 
,penington was recognized as most       
intelligent and honorable4 ,he was a    
book-lover and a scholar1 and one       
instinctively ranked him not as a       
bookseller1 but as a gentleman who dealt

 in books4 ,on his shelves one always   
found books of science and volumes in   
foreign languages4  ,another notable    
dealer was ,john ,campbell1 a jolly1    
hearty ,irish-,american1 with a taste   
for good books1 and an antipathy to     
negroes1 as keen as the proverbial      
hatred of the devil for holy water4     
,campbell wrote a book entitled         
,negromania1 published in #ahea1 in     
which his creed was set forth in strong 
language4 ,he was a regular bidder at   
book auctions1 where his burly form and 
loud voice made him a prominent figure4 
,of notable auction sales of books1 and 
of the extravagant prices obtained for  
certain editions by ambitious and eager 
competition1 there is little room to    
treat4 ,the oft-told story of the       
,valdarfer ,boccaccio of #adga1 carried 
off at the ,roxburghe sale in #ahab1 at 
#b1bfj from ,earl ,spencer by the       
,marquis of ,blandford1 and re-purchased
 seven years after at another auction   
for #iah1 has been far surpassed in     

modern bibliomania4 ,the sound of that  
hammer1 wrote the melodramatic ,dibdin1 
echoed through ,europe3 but what would  
he have said of the ,mazarin ,bible of  
,gutenberg and ,fust 7#adej-ee7 sold in 
#ahig1 at the ,ashburnham sale1 for four
 thousand pounds1 or of the ,latin      
,psalter of ,fust and ,schoeffer1 #b;d  
ed4 #adei1 which brought #d1iej at the  
,syston ,park sale in #ahhd8 ,this last 
sum 7about twenty-four thousand dollars7
 is the largest price ever yet recorded 
as received for a single volume4 ,among 
books of less rarity1 though always     
eagerly sought1 is the first folio      
,shakespeare of #afbc1 a very fine and  
perfect copy of which brought #gaf4b at 
,daniel's sale in #ahfd4 ,copies        
warranted perfect have since been sold  
in ,london for #dae to #dgj4 ,in ,new   
,york1 a perfect but not tall copy      
brought #d1bjj in #ahia at auction4     
,walton's ,compleat ,angler1 ,london1   
#ast ed4 #afec1 a little book of only   
#bej pages1 sold for #caj in #ahia4 ,it 

was published for one shilling and      
sixpence4 ,the first edition of         
,robinson ,crusoe brought #ge at the    
,crampton sale in #ahif4  ,the rage for 
first editions of very modern books     
reached what might be called high-water 
mark some time since1 and has been on   
the decline4 ,shelley's ,queen ,mab1    
#ast ed4 #ahac1 was sold at ,london for 
#bb4aj1 and his ,refutation of ,deism1  
#ahad1 was sold at #cc1 at a ,london    
sale in #ahhg4 ,in ,new ,york1 many     
first editions of ,shelley's poems      
brought the following enormous prices in
 #ahig4      ,shelley's ,adonais1 #ast  
ed4 ,pisa1 ,italy1 #ahba1 #cce4         
,alastor1 ,london1 #ahaf1 #acj4     ,the
 ,cenci1 ,italy1 #ahai1 #fe4            
,hellas1 ,london1 #ahbb1 #ac4  ,but     
these were purely adventitious prices1  
as was clearly shown in the sale at the 
same auction rooms1 a year or two       
earlier1 of the following3              
,shelley's ,adonais1 #ast ed4 ,pisa1    
#ahba1 #ai4     ,alastor1 ,london1      

#ahaf1 #cb4     ,the ,cenci1 ,italy1    
#ahai1 #ba4     ,hellas1 ,london1 #ahbb1
 #b4  ,the sales occasionally made at   
auction of certain books at             
extraordinary prices1 prove nothing     
whatever as to the real market value1   
for these reasons3 7#a7 ,the auctioneer 
often has an unlimited bid1 and the     
price is carried up to an inordinate    
height4 7#b7 ,two or more bidders       
present1 infatuated by the idea of      
extreme rarity1 bid against one another 
until all but one succumb1 when the     
price has reached a figure which it is a
 mild use of terms to call absurd4 7#c7 
,descriptions in sale catalogues1 though
 often entirely unfounded1              
characterising a book as excessively    
rare2 only -- copies known1 very scarce1
 never before offered at our sales1     
etc41 may carry the bidding on a book up
 to an unheard-of price4  ,the appeal   
always lies to the years against the    
hours2 and many a poor book-mad         
enthusiast has had to rue his too easy  

credulity in giving an extravagant sum  
for books which he discovers later that 
he could have bought for as many        
shillings as he has paid dollars4 ,not  
that the rarissimi of early printed     
books can ever be purchased for a       
trifle2 but it should ever be remembered
 that even at the sales where a few--a  
very few--bring the enormous prices that
 are bruited abroad1 the mass of the    
books offered are knocked down at very  
moderate figures1 or are even sacrificed
 at rates very far below their cost4    
,the possessor of one of the books so   
advertised as sold at some auction for a
 hundred dollars or upwards1 if he      
expects to realise a tithe of the figure
 quoted1 will speedily find himself in  
the vocative4  ,while there are almost  
priceless rarities not to be found in   
the market by any buyer1 let the book   
collector be consoled by the knowledge  
that good books1 in good editions1 were 
never so easy to come by as now4 ,a fine
 library can be gathered by any one with

 very moderate means1 supplemented by a 
fair amount of sagacity and common      
sense4 ,the buyer with a carefully      
digested list of books wanted will find 
that to buy them wisely takes more time 
and less money than he had anticipated4 
,the time is required to acquaint       
himself with the many competing         
editions1 with their respective merits  
and demerits4 ,this involves a          
comparison of type1 paper1 and binding1 
as well as the comparative prices of    
various dealers for the same books4 ,no 
one who is himself gifted with good     
perceptions and good taste1 should trust
 to other hands the selection of his    
library4 ,his enjoyment of it will be   
proportioned to the extent to which it  
is his own creation4 ,the passion for   
nobly written books1 handsomely printed1
 and clothed in a fitting garb1 when it 
has once dawned1 is not to be defrauded 
of its satisfaction by hiring a         
commission merchant to appease it4 ,what
 we do for ourselves1 in the acquirement

 of any knowledge1 is apt to be well    
done3 what is done for us by others is  
of little value4  ,we have heard of some
 uninformed parvenus1 grown suddenly    
rich1 who have first ordered a          
magnificent library room fitted with    
rose-wood1 marble and gilded trappings1 
and then ordered it to be filled with   
splendidly bound volumes at so much per 
volume4 ,and it is an authentic fact1   
that a bookseller to the ,czar of       
,russia one ,klostermann1 actually sold 
books at fifty to one hundred roubles by
 the yard1 according to the binding4    
,the force of folly could no farther go1
 to debase the aims and degrade the     
intellect of man4  ,in the chapter upon 
rare books1 the reader will find        
instances in great variety of the causes
 that contribute to the scarcity and    
enhancement of prices of certain books1 
without at all affecting their intrinsic
 value1 which may be of the smallest4   
,,chapter #c4  ,,the ,,art ,,of ,,book  
,,binding4   ,in these suggestions upon 

the important question of the binding of
 books1 ,i shall have nothing to say of 
the history of the art1 and very little 
of its aesthetics4 ,the plainest and    
most practical hints will be aimed at1  
and if my experience shall prove of     
value to any1 ,i shall be well rewarded 
for giving it here4 ,for other matters  
readers will naturally consult some of  
the numerous manuals of book-binding in 
,english1 ,french and ,german4 ,the     
sumptuous bindings executed in the      
sixteenth century1 under the patronage  
and the eyes of ,grolier1 the famous    
tooled masterpieces of ,derome1 ,le     
,gascon1 ,padeloup1 ,trautz and other   
,french artists1 and the beautiful gems 
of the binder's art from the hands of   
,roger ,payne1 ,lewis1 ,mackenzie1      
,hayday and ,bedford1 are they not      
celebrated in the pages of ,dibdin1     
,lacroix1 ,fournier1 ,wheatley1 and     
,robert ,hoe8  ,there are some professed
 lovers of books who affect either      
indifference or contempt for the style  

in which their favorites are dressed4 ,a
 well known epigram of ,burns is        
sometimes quoted against the fondness   
for fine bindings which widely prevails 
in the present day1 as it did in that of
 the ,scottish ,poet4 ,a certain        
,scottish nobleman1 endowed with more   
wealth than brains1 was vain of his     
splendidly bound ,shakespeare1 which1   
however1 he never read4 ,burns1 on      
opening the folio1 found the leaves     
sadly worm-eaten1 and wrote these lines 
on the fly-leaf3      ,through and      
through th' inspired leaves1         ,ye
 maggots make your windings2       ,but 
,o respect his lordship's taste1        
,and spare the golden bindings6  ,yet no
 real book-lover fails to appreciate the
 neatness and beauty of a tasteful      
binding1 any more than he is indifferent
 to the same qualities in literary      
style4 ,slovenly binding is almost as   
offensive to a cultivated eye as        
slovenly composition4 ,no doubt both are
 mere externals1 as we are told1 and so 

are the splendors of scenery1 the beauty
 of flowers1 and the comeliness of the  
human form1 or features1 or costume4    
,talk as men will of the insignificance 
of dress1 it constitutes a large share  
of the attractiveness of the world in   
which we live4  ,the two prime          
requisites of good binding for libraries
 are neatness and solidity4 ,it is      
pleasant to note the steady improvement 
in ,american bindings of late years4 ,as
 the old style of ,half cloth boards1 of
 half a century ago1 with paper titles  
pasted on the backs1 has given way to   
the neat1 embossed1 full muslin gilt1 so
 the clumsy and homely sheep-skin       
binding has been supplanted by the      
half-roan or morocco1 with marble or    
muslin sides4 ,few books are issued1    
however1 either here or abroad1 in what 
may be called permanent bindings4 ,the  
cheapness demanded by buyers of popular 
books forbids this1 while it leaves to  
the taste and fancy of every one the    
selection of the library style in which 

he will have his collection permanently 
dressed4  ,what is the best style of    
binding for a select or a public        
library8 is a question often discussed1 
with wide discrepancies of opinion4 ,the
 so universally prevalent cloth binding 
is too flimsy for books subjected to    
much use--as most volumes in public     
collections and many in private         
libraries are likely to be4 ,the choice 
of the more substantial bindings lies   
between calf and morocco1 and between   
half or full bindings of either4 ,for   
nearly all books1 half binding1 if well 
executed1 and with cloth sides1 is quite
 as elegant1 and very nearly as solid   
and lasting as full leather2 for if a   
book is so worn as to need rebinding1 it
 is generally in a part where the full  
binding wears out quite as fast as the  
other4 ,that is1 it gets worn at the    
hinges and on the back1 whether full or 
half-bound4 ,the exceptions are the     
heavy dictionaries1 encyclopaedias1 and 
other works of reference1 which are     

subjected to much wear and tear at the  
sides1 as well as at the back and       
corners4 ,full leather is much more     
expensive than half binding1 though not 
doubly so4  ,every librarian or book    
collector should understand something of
 book-binding and its terms1 so that he 
may be able to give clear directions as 
to every item involved in binding1      
repairing1 or re-lettering1 and to      
detect imperfect or slighted work4  ,the
 qualities that we always expect to find
 in a well-bound book are solidity1     
flexibility1 and elegance4 ,special     
examination should be directed toward   
each of these points in revising any lot
 of books returned from a binder4 ,look 
at each book with regard to3--      #a4 
,flexibility in opening4      #b4       
,evenness of the cover1 which should lie
 flat and     smooth--each edge being   
just parallel with the others           
throughout4      #c4 ,compactness--see  
that the volumes are thoroughly         
pressed--solid1 and not loose or spongy4

      #d4 ,correct and even lettering of
 titles1 and other tooling4      #e4    
,good wide margins4  ,a well-bound book 
always opens out flat1 and stays open4  
,it also shuts up completely1 and when  
closed stays shut4 ,but how many books  
do we see always bulging open at the    
sides1 or stiffly resisting being opened
 by too great tightness in the back8 ,if
 the books you have had bound do not    
meet all these requirements1 it is time 
to look for another binder4  ,the       
different styles of dressing books may  
all be summed up in the following       
materials3 ,boards1 cloth1 vellum1      
sheep1 bock1 pig-skin1 calf1 ,russia1   
and morocco--to which may be added of   
recent years1 buckram1 duck1 linoleum1  
and the imitations of leather1 such as  
leatherette and morocco paper1 and of   
parchment4 ,i take no account here of   
obsolete styles--as ivory1 wood1 brass1 
silver and other metals1 nor of velvet1 
satin1 and other occasional luxuries of 
the binder's art4 ,these belong to the  

domain of the amateur1 the antiquary1 or
 the book-fancier--not to that of the   
librarian or the ordinary               
book-collector4  ,roan leather is       
nothing but sheep-skin1 stained or      
colored2 basil or basan is sheepskin    
tanned in bark1 while roan is tanned in 
sumac1 and most of the so called        
moroccos are also sheep1 ingeniously    
grained by a mechanical process4 ,as all
 the manufactures in the world are full 
of shoddy1 or sham materials1 the       
bookbinder's art affords no exception4  
,but if the librarian or collector      
patronises shams1 he should at least do 
it with his eyes open1 and with due     
counting of the cost4  ,now as to the   
relative merits and demerits of         
materials for binding4 ,no one will     
choose boards covered with paper for any
 book which is to be subjected to       
perusal1 and cloth is too flimsy and    
shaky in its attachment to the book1    
however cheap1 for any library volumes  
which are to be constantly in use4 ,it  

is true that since the bulk of the new  
books coming into any library are bound 
in cloth1 they may be safely left in it 
until well worn2 and by this rule1 all  
the books which nobody ever reads may be
 expected to last many years1 if not for
 generations4 ,cloth is a very durable  
material1 and will outlast some of the  
leathers1 but any wetting destroys its  
beauty1 and all colors but the darkest  
soon become soiled and repulsive1 if in 
constant use4 ,in most libraries1 ,i    
hold that every cloth-bound book which  
is read1 must sooner or later come to   
have a stout leather jacket4 ,it may go 
for years1 especially if the book is    
well sewed1 but to rebinding it must    
come at last2 and the larger the volume1
 the sooner it becomes shaky1 or broken 
at some weak spot4  ,the many beautiful 
new forms of cloth binding should have a
 word of praise1 but the many more which
 we see of gaudy1 fantastic1 and        
meretricious bindings1 and frightful    
combinations of colors must be viewed   

with a shudder4  ,vellum1 formerly much 
used for book-bindings1 is the modern   
name for parchment4 ,parchment was the  
only known writing material up to the   
#abth century1 when paper was first     
invented4 ,there are two kinds--animal  
and vegetable4 ,the vegetable is made   
from cotton fibre or paper1 by dipping  
it in a solution of sulphuric acid and  
sometimes gelatine1 then removing the   
acid by a weak solution of ammonia1 and 
smooth finishing by rolling the sheets  
over a heated cylinder4 ,vegetable      
parchment is used to bind many booklets 
which it is desired to dress in an      
elegant or dainty style1 but is highly  
unsuitable for library books4 ,vellum   
proper is a much thicker material1 made 
from the skins of calves1 sheep1 or     
lambs1 soaked in lime-water1 and        
smoothed and hardened by burnishing with
 a hard instrument1 or pumice-stone4    
,the common vellum is made from         
sheep-skin splits1 or skivers1 but the  
best from whole calf-skins4 ,the hard1  

strong texture of vellum is in its      
favor1 but its white color and tendency 
to warp are fatal objections to it as a 
binding material4  ,vellum is wholly    
unfit for the shelves of a library2 the 
elegant white binding soils with dust1  
or the use of the hands1 more quickly   
than any other2 and the vellum warps in 
a dry climate1 or curls up in a heated  
room1 so as to be unmanageable upon the 
shelves1 and a nuisance in the eyes of  
librarian and reader alike4 ,the thin   
vegetable parchment lately in vogue for 
some books and booklets is too          
unsubstantial for anything but a lady's 
boudoir1 where it may have its little   
day--a thing of beauty1 but by no means 
a joy forever4  ,sheepskin--once the    
full binding for most school-books1 and 
for a large share of law and            
miscellaneous works for libraries1 is   
now but little used1 except in its      
disguised forms4 ,it is too soft a      
leather for hard wear and tear1 and what
 with abrasion and breaking at the      

hinges 7termed by binders the joints71  
it will give little satisfaction in the 
long run4 ,under the effect of gas and  
heated atmospheres sheep crumbles and   
turns to powder4 ,its cheapness is about
 its only merit1 and even this is       
doubtful economy1 since no binding can  
be called cheap that has to be rebound  
or repaired every few years4 ,in the    
form of half-roan or bock1 colored sheep
 presents a handsome appearance on the  
shelf1 and in volumes or sets which are 
reasonably secure from frequent         
handling1 one is sometimes justified in 
adopting it1 as it is far less expensive
 than morocco4 ,pig-skin has been       
recently revived as a binding material1 
but though extremely hard and durable1  
it is found to warp badly on the        
shelves4  ,calf bindings have always    
been great favorites with book-lovers1  
and there are few things more           
beautiful--prima facie1 than a volume   
daintily bound in light ,french calf1 as
 smooth as glass1 as fine as silk1 with 

elegant gold tooling without and within1
 gilt edges1 and fly-leaves of finest   
satin4 ,i said beautiful1 prima         
facie--and this calls to mind the       
definition of that law term by a learned
 ,vermont jurist1 who said3 ,gentlemen  
of the jury1 ,i must explain to you that
 a prima facie case is a case that is   
very good in front1 but may be very bad 
in the rear4 ,so of our so much lauded  
and really lovely calf bindings3 they   
develop qualities in use which give us  
pause4 ,calf is the most brittle of the 
leathers--hence it is always breaking at
 the hinges2 it is a very smooth        
leather--hence it shows every scratch   
instantly2 it is a light and delicate   
leather--hence it shows soils and stains
 more quickly than any other4 ,out of   
every hundred calf-bound volumes in any 
well-used library1 there will not remain
 ten which have not had to be re-bound  
or repaired at the end of twenty or     
thirty years4 ,heavy volumes bound in   
calf or half-calf leather will break by 

their own weight on the shelves1 without
 any use at all2 and smaller volumes are
 sure to have their brittle joints      
snapped asunder by handling sooner or   
later--it is only a question of time4   
,next comes ,russia leather1 which is   
very thick and strong1 being made of the
 hides of cattle1 colored1 and perfumed 
by the oil of birch1 and made chiefly in
 ,russia4 ,the objections to this       
leather are its great cost1 its         
stiffness and want of elasticity1 and   
its tendency to desiccate and lose all  
its tenacity in the dry or heated       
atmosphere of our libraries4 ,it will   
break at the hinges--though not so      
readily as calf4  ,lastly1 we have the  
morocco leather1 so called because it   
was brought from ,morocco1 in ,africa1  
and still we get the best from thence1  
and from the ,mediterranean ports of the
 ,levant--whence comes another name for 
the best of this favorite leather1      
,levant morocco1 which is the skin of   
the mountain goat1 and reckoned superior

 to all other leathers4 ,the            
characteristics of the genuine morocco1 
sometimes called ,turkey morocco1 having
 a pebbled grain1 distinguishing it from
 the smooth morocco1 are its toughness  
and durability1 combined with softness  
and flexibility4 ,it has a very         
tenacious fibre1 and ,i have never found
 a real morocco binding broken at the   
hinges4 ,the old proverb--there is      
nothing like leather--is pregnant with  
meaning1 and especially applies to the  
best morocco4 ,as no material yet       
discovered in so many ages can take the 
place of leather for foot-wear and for  
harness1 such is its tenacity and       
elasticity--so for book coverings1 to   
withstand wear and tear1 good leather is
 indispensable4 ,there are              
thoroughly-bound books existing which   
are five centuries old--representing    
about the time when leather began to    
replace wood and metals for binding4    
,the three great enemies of books are   
too great heat1 too much moisture1 and  

coal gas1 which produces a sulphurous   
acid very destructive to bindings1 and  
should never be used in libraries4 ,from
 the dangers which destroy calf and     
,russia leather1 morocco is measurably  
free4  ,as to color1 ,i usually choose  
red for books which come to binding or  
rebinding1 for these reasons4 ,the bulk 
of every library is of dark and sombre  
color1 being composed of the            
old-fashioned calf bindings1 which grow 
darker with age1 mingled with the cloth 
bindings of our own day1 in which dark  
colors predominate4 ,now the            
intermixture of red morocco1 in all or  
most of the newly bound books1 relieves 
the monotony of so much blackness1      
lights up the shelves1 and gives a more 
cheerful aspect to the whole library4   
,some there are who insist upon varying 
the colors of bindings with the subjects
 of the books--and the ,british ,museum 
,library actually once bound all works  
on botany in green1 poetry in yellow1   
history in red1 and theology in blue2   

but this is more fanciful than          
important4 ,a second reason for         
preferring red in moroccos is that1     
being dyed with cochineal1 it holds its 
color more permanently than any         
other--the moroccos not colored red     
turning to a dingy1 disagreeable brown  
after forty or fifty years1 while the   
red are found to be fast colors4 ,this  
was first discovered in the ,national   
,library of ,france1 and ever since most
 books in that great collection have    
been bound in red4 ,a celebrated binder 
having recommended this color to a      
connoisseur who was having fine morocco 
binding done1 instanced the example of  
the ,paris ,library1 whose books1 said  
he1 are mostly red1 to which the amateur
 replied that he hoped they were4  ,add 
to the merits of morocco leather the    
fact that it is not easily scratched nor
 stained1 that it is very tough in wear1
 and resists better than any other the  
moisture and soiling of the hands--and  
we have a material worthy of all        

acceptance4  ,in half-binding chosen for
 the great majority of books because it 
is much cheaper than full leather1 the  
sides are covered with muslin or with   
some kind of colored paper--usually     
marble4 ,the four corners of every book1
 however1 should always be protected by 
leather or1 better still1 by vellum1    
which is a firmer material--otherwise   
they will rapidly wear off1 and the     
boards will break easily at their       
corners4 ,as to the relative merits of  
cloth and paper for the sides of books1 
cloth is far more durable1 though it    
costs more4 ,paper becomes quickly      
frayed at the edges1 or is liable to    
peel where pasted on1 though it may be  
renewed at small expense1 and may       
properly be used except upon the        
much-read portion of the library4 ,the  
cloth or paper should always harmonize  
in color with the leather to which it is
 attached4 ,they need not be the same1  
but they should be of similar shade4    
,one more reason for preferring morocco 

to other leathers is that you can always
 dispense with lettering-pieces or      
patches in gilding the titles on the    
back4 ,all light-colored bindings       
7including law calf7 are open to the    
objection that gold lettering is hardly 
legible upon them4 ,hence the necessity 
of stamping the titles upon darker      
pieces of leather1 which are fastened to
 the backs4 ,these lettering-pieces     
become loose in over-heated libraries1  
and tend continually to peel off1       
entailing the expense of repairing or   
re-lettering4 ,every morocco bound book 
can be lettered directly upon the       
leather4 ,bock is made of the skin of   
the ,persian sheep1 and is called       
,persian in ,london4 ,it is a partially 
unsuccessful imitation of morocco1      
becoming easily abraded1 like all the   
sheep-skin leathers1 and although it is 
to be had in all colors1 and looks      
fairly handsome for a time1 and is      
tougher than skiver 7or split           
sheep-skin71 the books that are bound in

 it will sooner or later become an      
eyesore upon the shelves4 ,a skin of    
,persian leather costs about one-third  
the price of genuine morocco1 or goat4  
,but the actual saving in binding is in 
a far less ratio--the difference being  
only six to eight cents per volume4 ,it 
is really much cheaper to use morocco in
 the first place1 than to undergo all   
the risks of deterioration and          
re-binding4  ,of the various imitations 
of leather1 or substitutes for it1 we   
have leatherette1 leather-cloth1 duck1  
fibrette1 feltine1 and buckram4 ,buckram
 and duck are strong cotton or linen    
fabricks1 made of different colors1 and 
sometimes figured or embossed to give   
them somewhat the look of leather4      
,hitherto1 they are made mostly in      
,england1 and ,i have learned of no     
,american experience in their favor     
except the use of stout duck for        
covering blank books and binding        
newspapers4 ,the use of buckram has been
 mostly abandoned by the libraries4     

,morocco cloth is ,american1 but has no 
advantage over plain muslin or book     
cloth1 that ,i am aware of4             
,leatherette1 made principally of paper1
 colored and embossed to simulate       
morocco leather1 appears to have dropped
 out of use almost as fast as it came   
in1 having no quality of permanence1    
elegance1 or even of great cheapness to 
commend it4 ,leatherette tears easily1  
and lacks both tenacity and smoothness4 
,both feltine and fibrette are made of  
paper--tear quickly1 and are unfit for  
use on any book that is ever likely to  
be read4 ,all these imitations of       
leather are made of paper as their      
basis1 and hence can never be proper    
substitutes for leather4  ,all torn     
leaves or plates in books should be at  
once mended by pasting a very thin      
onion-skin paper on both sides of the   
torn leaf1 and pressing gently between  
leaves of sized paper until dry4        
,corners made of vellum or parchment are
 more durable than any leather4 ,when   

dry1 the parchment becomes as hard      
almost as iron and resists falls or     
abrasion4 ,to use it on books where the 
backs are of leather is a departure from
 the uniformity or harmony of style     
insisted upon by many1 but in binding   
books that are to be greatly worn1 use  
should come before beauty4  ,in         
rebinding1 all maps or folded plates    
should be mounted on thin canvas1 linen1
 or muslin1 strong and fine1 to protect 
them from inevitable tearing by long    
use4 ,if a coarse or thick cloth is     
used1 the maps will not fold or open    
easily and smoothly4  ,the cutting or   
trimming of the edges of books needs to 
be watched with jealous care4 ,few have 
reflected that the more margin a binder 
cuts off1 the greater his profit on any 
job1 white paper shavings having a very 
appreciable price by the pound4 ,a      
strictly uncut book is in many ,american
 libraries a rarity4 ,and of the books  
which go a second time to the binder1   
although at first uncut1 how many retain

 their fair proportions of margin when  
they come back8 ,you have all seen books
 in which the text has been cut into by 
the ruthless knife-machine of the       
binder4 ,this is called bleeding a book1
 and there are no words strong enough to
 denounce this murderous and            
cold-blooded atrocity4 ,the trimming of 
all books should be held within the     
narrowest limits--for the life of a book
 depends largely upon its preserving a  
good margin4 ,its only chance of being  
able to stand a second rebinding may    
depend upon its being very little       
trimmed at its first4 ,if it must be cut
 at all1 charge your binder to take off 
the merest shaving from either edge4    
,every new book or magazine added to the
 library1 if uncut1 should be carefully 
cut with a paper-knife before it goes   
into the hands of any reader4 ,spoiled  
or torn or ragged edges will be the     
penalty of neglecting this4 ,you have   
seen people tear open the leaves of     
books and magazines with their          

fingers--a barbarism which renders him  
who would be guilty of it worthy of     
banishment from the resorts of          
civilization4 ,in cutting books1 the    
leaves should always be held firmly     
down--and the knife pressed evenly      
through the uncut leaves to the farthest
 verge of the back4 ,books which are cut
 in the loose fashion which many use are
 left with rough or ragged edges always1
 and often a slice is gouged out of the 
margin by the mis-directed knife4 ,never
 trust a book to a novice to be cut1    
without showing him how to do it1 and   
how not to do it4  ,the collation of new
 books in cloth or broch should be done 
before cutting1 provided they are issued
 to readers untrimmed4 ,in collating    
books in two or more volumes double     
watchfulness is needed to guard against 
a missing signature1 which may have its 
place filled by the same pages belonging
 to another volume--a mixture sometimes 
made in binderies1 in gathering the     
sheets1 and which makes it necessary to 

see that the signatures are right as    
well as the pages4 ,the collator should 
check off all plates and maps called for
 by the table of contents to make sure  
that the copy is perfect4 ,books without
 pagination are of course to have their 
leaves counted1 which is done first in  
detail1 one by one1 and then verified by
 a rapid counting in sections1 in the   
manner used by printers and binders in  
counting paper by the quire4  ,the      
binding of books may be divided into two
 styles or methods1 namely1 machine-made
 book-bindings1 and hand-made bindings4 
,binding by machinery is wholly a modern
 art1 and is applied to all or nearly   
all new books coming from the press4 ,as
 these are1 in more than nine cases out 
of ten1 bound in cloth covers1 and these
 covers1 or cases1 are cut out and      
stamped by machinery1 such books are    
called case-made4 ,the distinction      
between this method of binding and the  
hand method is that in the former the   
case is made separately from the book1  

which is then put into it4 ,after the   
sheets of any book come pressed and     
dried from the printing office1 the     
first step is to fold them from the     
large flat sheets into book form4 ,this 
is sometimes done by hand-folders of    
bone or some other hard material1 but in
 large establishments for making books1 
it is done by a folding machine4 ,this  
will fold ten thousand or more sheets in
 a day4 ,the folded sheets are next     
placed in piles or rows1 in their       
numerical sequence1 and gathered by     
hand1 i4 e43 a bindery hand picks up the
 sheets one by one1 with great rapidity1
 until one whole book is gathered and   
collated1 and the process is repeated so
 long as any sheets remain4 ,next1 the  
books are thoroughly pressed or smashed 
as it is called1 in a powerful          
smashing-machine1 giving solidity to the
 book1 which before pressing was loose  
and spongy4 ,then the books are sawed or
 grooved in the back by another machine1
 operating a swiftly moving saw1 and    

sewed on cords by still another machine1
 at about half the cost of hand-sewing4 
,next1 they are cut or trimmed on the   
three edges in a cutting-machine4 ,the  
backs of the books are made round by a  
rounding-machine1 leaving the back      
convex and the front concave in form1 as
 seen in all finished books4 ,the books 
are now ready for the covers4 ,these    
consist of binders' board or mill-board1
 cut out of large sheets into proper    
size1 with lightning-like rapidity1 by  
another machine called a rotary         
board-cutter4 ,the cloth which is to    
form the back and sides of the book is  
cut out1 of proper size for the boards1 
from great rolls of stamped or ribbed or
 embossed muslin1 by another machine4   
,the use of cloth1 now so universal for 
book-binding1 dates back little more    
than half a century4 ,about #ahbe1 ,mr4 
,leighton1 of ,london1 introduced it as 
a substitute for the drab-colored paper 
then used on the sides1 and for the     
printed titles on the backs4 ,the boards

 are firmly glued to the cloth1 the     
edges of which are turned over the      
boards1 and fastened on the inside of   
the covers4 ,the ornamental stamps or   
figures seen on the covers1 both at the 
back and sides are stamped in with a    
heated die of brass1 or other metal1    
worked by machinery4 ,the lettering of  
the title is done in the same way1 only 
that gold-leaf is applied before the die
 falls4 ,lastly1 the book is pasted by  
its fly leaves or end-leaves1 7sometimes
 with the addition of a cloth guard7 to 
the inside of the cloth case or cover1  
and the book is done1 after a final     
pressing4 ,by these rapid machine       
methods a single book-manufacturing     
house can turn out ten thousand volumes 
in a day1 with a rapidity which almost  
takes the breath away from the beholder4
  ,there is a kind of binding which     
dispenses entirely with sewing the      
sheets of a book4 ,the backs are soaked 
with a solution of india-rubber1 and    
each sheet must be thoroughly           

agglutinated to the backs1 so as to     
adhere firmly to its fellows4 ,this     
requires that all the sheets shall be   
folded as single leaves or folios1      
otherwise the inner leaves of the       
sheets1 having no sewing1 would drop    
out4 ,this method is employed on volumes
 of plates1 music1 or any books made up 
of large separate sheets4  ,in notable  
contrast to these rapid methods of      
binding what are termed case-made books1
 comes the hand-made process1 where only
 partial use of machinery is possible4  
,the rebinding process is divided into  
three branches3 preparing1 forwarding1  
and finishing4 ,the most vital          
distinction between a machine-made and a
 hand-made binding1 is that the cloth or
 case-made book is not fastened into its
 cover in a firm and permanent way1 as  
in leather-backed books4 ,it is simply  
pasted or glued to its boards--not      
interlaced by the cords or bands on     
which it is sewed4 ,hence one can easily
 tear off the whole cover of a          

cloth-bound book1 by a slight effort1   
and such volumes tend to come to pieces 
early1 under constant wear and tear of  
library service4  ,let us now turn to   
the practical steps pursued in the      
treatment of books for library use4 ,in 
re-binding a book1 the first step is to 
take the book apart1 or1 as it is       
sometimes called1 to take it to pieces4 
,this is done by first stripping off its
 cover1 if it has one4 ,cloth covers    
easily come off1 as their boards are not
 tied to the cords on which the book is 
sewed1 but are simply fastened by paste 
or glue to the boards by a muslin guard1
 or else the cloth is glued to the back 
of the book4 ,if the book is            
leather-covered1 or half-bound1 i4 e43  
with a leather back and 7usually7       
leather on its four corners1 taking it  
to pieces is a somewhat slower process4 
,the binder's knife is used to cut the  
leather at the joints or hinges of the  
volume1 so that the boards may be       
removed4 ,the cords that tie the boards 

to the volume are cut at the same time4 
,if the book has a loose or flexible    
back1 the whole cover comes easily off3 
if bound with a tight back1 the glued   
leather back must be soaked with a      
sponge full of water1 till it is soft   
enough to peel off1 and let the sheets  
be easily separated4  ,the book is now  
stripped of its former binding1 and the 
next step is to take it apart1 signature
 by signature4 ,a signature is that     
number of leaves which make up one sheet
 of the book in hand4 ,thus1 an octavo  
volume1 or a volume printed in eights1  
as it is called1 has eight leaves1 or   
sixteen pages to a signature2 a quarto  
four leaves2 a duodecimo1 or #ab mo4    
twelve leaves4 ,the term signature 7from
 ,lat4 signare1 a sign7 is also applied 
to a letter or figure printed at the    
foot of the first page of each sheet or 
section of the book4 ,if the letters are
 used1 the signatures begin with ,a4 and
 follow in regular sequence of the      
alphabet4 ,if the book is a very thick  

one1 7or more than twenty-six           
signatures7 then after signature ,z1 it 
is customary to duplicate the           
letters--,a4 ,a4--etc41 for the         
remaining signatures4 ,if figures are   
used instead of letters1 the signatures 
run on to the last1 in order of numbers4
 ,these letters1 indicating signatures  
are an aid to the binder1 in folding1   
gathering1 and collating the consecutive
 sheets of any book1 saving constant    
reference to the pagination1 as it is   
termed1 or the paging of the volume1    
which would take much more time4 ,in    
many books1 you find the signature      
repeated in the inset1 or the inner     
leaves of the sheet1 with a star or a   
figure to mark the sequence4 ,many      
books1 however1 are now printed without 
any signature marks whatever4  ,to      
return3 in taking apart the sheets or   
signatures1 where they are stuck        
together at the back by adhesive glue or
 paste1 the knife is first used to cut  
the thread in the grooves1 where the    

book is sewed on cords or tape4 ,then   
the back is again soaked1 the sheets are
 carefully separated1 and the adhering  
substance removed by the knife or       
fingers4 ,care has to be taken to lay   
the signatures in strict order or       
sequence of pages1 or the book may be   
bound up wrongly4 ,the threads are next 
to be removed from the inside of every  
sheet4 ,the sheets being all separated1 
the book is next pressed1 to render all 
the leaves smooth1 and the book solid   
for binding4 ,formerly1 books were      
beaten by a powerful hammer1 to         
accomplish this1 but it is much more    
quickly and effectively done in most    
binderies by the ordinary screw press4  
,every pressing of books should leave   
them under pressure at least eight      
hours4  ,after pressing1 the next step  
is to sew the sheets on to cords or     
twine1 set vertically at proper         
distances in a frame1 called a sewing   
bench1 for this purpose4 ,no book can be
 thoroughly well bound if the sewing is 

slighted in any degree4 ,insist upon    
strong1 honest linen thread--if it      
breaks with a slight pull it is not fit 
to be used in a book4 ,the book is      
prepared for the sewer by sawing several
 grooves across the back with a common  
saw4 ,the two end grooves are light and 
narrow1 the central ones wider and      
deeper4 ,into these inner grooves1 the  
cords fit easily1 and the book being    
taken1 sheet by sheet1 is firmly sewed  
around the cords1 by alternate movements
 of the needle and thread1 always along 
the middle of the sheet1 the thread     
making a firm knot at each end 7called  
the kettle-stitch7 as it is returned for
 sewing on the next sheet4 ,sometimes   
the backs are not sawed at all1 but the 
sheets of the book are sewed around the 
cords1 which thus project a little from 
the back1 and form the bands1 seen in   
raised form on the backs of some books4 
,books should be sewed on three to six  
cords1 according to their size4 ,this   
raised-band sewing is reckoned by some a

 feature of excellent binding4 ,the     
sunken-band style is apt to give a stiff
 back1 while the raised bands are       
usually treated with a flexible back4   
,when sewed1 the book is detached from  
its fellows1 which may have been sewed  
on the same bench1 by slipping it along 
the cords1 then cutting them apart1 so  
as to leave some two inches of each cord
 projecting1 as ends to be fastened     
later to the board4 ,in careful binding1
 the thread is sewed all along1 i4 e43  
each sheet by itself1 instead of two on1
 as it is called4  ,the next process is 
termed lining up1 and consists of       
putting on the proper fly-leaves or     
end-leaves1 at the beginning and end of 
the volume4 ,these usually consist of   
four leaves of ordinary white printing  
paper at each end1 sometimes finished   
out with two leaves of colored or       
marbled paper1 to add a touch of beauty 
to the book when opened4 ,marbled paper 
is more durable in color than the       
tinted1 and does not stain so easily4   

,one of these end-leaves is pasted down 
to the inside cover1 while the other is 
left flying--whence fly-leaf4  ,after   
this comes the cutting of the book at   
the edges4 ,this is done by screwing it 
firmly in a cutting-machine1 which works
 a sharp knife rapidly1 shaving off the 
edges successively of the head1 front   
and end1 or tail as it is called in     
book-binding parlance4 ,this trimming   
used to be done by hand1 with a sharp   
cutting knife called by binders a       
plough4 ,now1 there are many forms of   
cutting machines1 some of which are     
called guillotines for an obvious       
reason4 ,in binding some books1 which it
 is desired to preserve with wide       
margins1 only a mere shaving is taken   
off the head1 so as to leave it smooth  
at the top1 letting the front and tail  
leaves remain uncut4 ,but in case of    
re-binding much-used books1 the edges   
are commonly so much soiled that        
trimming all around may be required1 in 
order that they may present a decent    

appearance4 ,yet in no case should the  
binder be allowed to cut any book       
deeply1 so as to destroy a good1 fair   
margin4 ,care must also be taken to cut 
the margins evenly1 at right angles1    
avoiding any crooked lines4  ,after     
cutting the book comes rounding1 or     
giving the back of the book a curved    
instead of its flat shape4 ,this process
 is done with the hand1 by a hammer1 or 
in a rounding press1 with a metallic    
roller4 ,before rounding1 the back of   
the book is glued up1 that is1 receives 
a coating of melted glue with a glueing 
brush1 to hold the sections together1   
and render the back firm1 and a thorough
 rubbing of the back with hot glue      
between the sections gives strength to  
the volume4  ,next comes the treatment  
of the edges of the book1 hitherto all  
white1 in order to protect them from    
showing soil in long use4 ,sometimes    
7and this is the cheaper process7 the   
books are simply sprinkled at the edges 
with a brush dipped in a dark fluid made

 of burnt umber or red ochre1 and shaken
 with a quick concussion near the edges 
until they receive a sprinkle of color  
from the brush4 ,other books receive    
what is called a solid color on the     
edges1 the books being screwed into a   
press1 and the color applied with a     
sponge or brush4  ,but a marbled edge   
presents a far more handsome appearance1
 and should harmonize in color and      
figure with the marbled paper of the end
 leaves4 ,marbling1 so called from its  
imitation of richly veined colored      
marble1 is staining paper or book edges 
with variegated colors4 ,the process of 
marbling is highly curious1 both        
chemically and aesthetically1 and may be
 briefly described4 ,a large shallow    
trough or vat is filled with prepared   
gum water 7gum-tragacanth being used72  
on the surface of this gum-water bright 
colors1 mixed with a little ox-gall1 to 
be used in producing the composite      
effect aimed at in the marbling are     
thrown or sprinkled in liquid form4     

,then they are deftly stirred or        
agitated on the surface of the water1   
with an implement shaped to produce a   
certain pattern4 ,the most commonly used
 one is a long metallic comb1 which is  
drawn across the surface of the combined
 liquids1 leaving its pattern impressed 
upon the ductile fluid4 ,the edges of   
the book to be marbled are then touched 
or dipped on the top of the water1 on   
which the coloring matter floats1 and at
 once withdrawn1 exhibiting on the edge 
the precise pattern of combed marble    
desired1 since the various colors--red1 
yellow1 blue1 white1 etc41 have adhered 
to the surface of the book-edges4 ,the  
serrated and diversified effect of most 
comb-marbling is due to stroking the    
comb in waved lines over the surface4   
,the spotted effect so much admired in  
other forms1 is produced by throwing the
 colors on with a brush1 at the fancy of
 the skilled workman1 or artist1 as you 
may call him4 ,marbled paper is made in 
the same way1 by dipping one surface of 

the white sheet1 held in a curved form1 
with great care on the surface of the   
coloring vat4 ,this is termed shell and 
wave marbling1 as distinguished from    
comb-marbling4 ,the paper or the book   
edges are next finished by sizing and   
burnishing1 which gives them a bright   
glistening appearance4  ,a still more   
ornate effect in a book is attained by  
gilding the edges4 ,frequently the head 
of a book is gilt1 leaving the front and
 tail of an uncut book without ornament1
 and this is esteemed a very elegant    
style by book connoisseurs1 who are1 or 
should be solicitous of wide margins4   
,the gilding of the top edge is a       
partial protection from dust falling    
inside1 to which the other edges are not
 so liable4 ,to gild a book edge1 it is 
placed in a press1 the edges scraped or 
smoothed1 and coated with a red-colored 
fluid1 which serves to heighten the     
effect of the gold4 ,then a sizing is   
applied by a camel's-hair brush1 being a
 sticky substance1 usually the white of 

an egg1 mixed with water 7termed by     
binders glaire7 and the gold-leaf is    
laid smoothly over it4 ,when the sizing 
is dry1 the gold is burnished with a    
tool1 tipped with an agate or           
blood-stone1 drawn forcibly over the    
edge until it assumes a glistening      
appearance4  ,after the edges have been 
treated by whatever process1 there      
follows what is termed the backing of   
the book4 ,the volume is pressed between
 iron clamps1 and the back is hammered  
or rolled where it joins the sides1 so  
as to form a groove to hold the boards  
forming the solid portion of the cover  
of every book4 ,a backing-machine is    
sometimes used for this process1 making 
by pressure the joint or groove for the 
boards4 ,then the head-band is glued on1
 being a silk braid or colored muslin1  
fastened around a cord1 which projects a
 little above the head and the tail1 at 
the back of the book1 giving it a more  
finished appearance4 ,at the same time1 
a book-mark for keeping the place is    

sometimes inserted and fastened like the
 head-band4 ,this is often a narrow     
ribbon of colored silk1 or satin1 and   
helps to give a finish to the book1 as  
well as to furnish the reader a         
trustworthy guide to keep a place--as it
 will not fall out like bits of paper   
inserted for that purpose4  ,next1 the  
mill-boards are applied1 cut so as to   
project about an eighth to a quarter of 
an inch from the edges of the book on   
three sides4 ,the book is held to the   
boards by the ends of its cords being   
interlaced1 i4 e43 passed twice through 
holes pierced in the boards1 the loose  
ends of the cords being then wet with   
paste and hammered down flat to the     
surface of the boards4 ,the best        
tar-boards should be used1 which are    
made of old rope2 no board made of straw
 is fit to be used on any book4 ,straw  
boards are an abomination--a cheap      
expedient which costs dearly in the end4
 ,the binder should use heavy boards on 
the larger and thicker volumes1 but thin

 ones on all duodecimos and smaller     
sizes4  ,next1 the books are subjected  
to a second pressing1 after which the   
lining of the back is in order4 ,good   
thick brown paper is generally used for 
this1 cut to the length of the book1 and
 is firmly glued to the back1 and rubbed
 down closely with a bone folder4 ,a    
cloth joint1 or piece of linen 7termed  
muslin super17 is often glued to the    
back1 with two narrow flaps to be pasted
 to the boards1 on each side1 thus      
giving greater tenacity to the covering4
 ,if the book is to be backed so as to  
open freely1 that is1 to have a spring  
back or elastic back1 two thicknesses of
 a firm1 strong paper1 or thin          
card-board are used1 one thickness of   
the paper being glued to the back of the
 book1 while the other--open in the     
middle1 but fastened at the edges1 is to
 be glued to the leather of which the   
back is to be made4  ,after this1 comes 
putting the book in leather4 ,if full   
bound a piece of leather cut full size  

of the volume1 with about half an inch  
over1 is firmly glued or pasted to the  
boards and the back1 the leather being  
turned over the edges of the boards1 and
 nicely glued on their inside margin4   
,it is of great importance that the     
edges of the leather should be smoothly 
pared down with a sharp knife1 so as to 
present an even edge where the leather  
joins the boards1 not a                 
protuberance--which makes an ugly and   
clumsy piece of work1 instead of a neat 
one4  ,for half-binding1 a piece of     
leather is taken large enough to cover  
the back lengthwise1 and turn in at the 
head and tail1 while the width should be
 such as to allow from one to one and a 
half inches of the leather to be firmly 
glued to the boards next the back4 ,the 
four corners of the boards are next to  
be leathered1 the edges of the leather  
being carefully pared down1 to give a   
smooth surface1 even with the boards1   
when turned in4 ,the leather is usually 
wet1 preparatory to being manipulated   

thus1 which renders it more flexible and
 ductile than in its dry state4 ,the    
cloth or marbled paper is afterwards    
pasted or glued to the sides of the     
book1 and turned neatly over the edge of
 the boards4  ,it may be added1 that the
 edges of the boards1 in binding nice   
books1 are sometimes ground off on a    
swiftly revolving emery-wheel1 giving   
the book a beveled edge1 which is       
regarded as handsomer and more finished 
than a straight rectangular edge4  ,all 
the processes hitherto described are    
called forwarding the book3 we now come 
to what is denominated finishing4 ,this 
includes the lettering of the title1 and
 the embellishing of the back and sides1
 with or without gilding1 as the case   
may be4 ,before this is taken in hand1  
the leather of the book must be         
perfectly dry4 ,for the lettering1      
copper-faced types are used to set up   
the desired sequence of letters and     
words1 and care and taste should be     
exercised to have 7#a7 ,types neither   

too large1 which present a clumsy       
appearance1 nor too small1 which are    
difficult to read4 7#b7 ,proper spacing 
of the words and lines1 and balancing   
the component parts of the lettering on 
the back1 so as to present a neat and   
harmonious effect to the eye4 ,a word   
should never be divided or hyphenated in
 lettering1 when it can be avoided4 ,in 
the case of quite thin volumes1 the     
title may be lettered lengthwise along  
the back1 in plain1 legible type1       
instead of in very small letters across 
the back1 which are often illegible4    
,the method of applying gold lettering  
is as follows3 the back of the book     
where the title is to go1 is first      
moistened with a sticky substance1 as   
albumen or glaire1 heretofore mentioned1
 laid on with a camel's hair brush4 ,the
 type 7or the die as the case may be7 is
 heated in a binder's charcoal furnace1 
or gas stove1 to insure the adhesion of 
the gold leaf4 ,the thin gold leaf      
7which comes packed in little square    

books1 one sheet between every two      
leaves7 is then cut the proper size by  
the broad thin knife of the finisher1   
and carefully laid over the sized spot  
to receive the lettering4 ,usually1 two 
thicknesses of gold leaf are laid one   
above another1 which ensures a brighter 
and more decided effect in the          
lettering4 ,the type metal or die is    
then pressed firmly and evenly down upon
 the gold-leaf1 and the surplus shavings
 of the gold carefully brushed off and  
husbanded1 for this leaf is worth money4
 ,the gold leaf generally in use costs  
about #f4ej for #ejj little squares or  
sheets4 ,it is almost inconceivably     
thin1 the thickness of one gold leaf    
being estimated at about #a_/bhjjjj of  
an inch4  ,besides the lettering1 many  
books receive gold ornamentation on the 
back or side of a more or less elaborate
 character4 ,designs of great artistic  
beauty1 and in countless variety1 have  
been devised for book ornaments1 and    
,french and ,english book-binders have  

vied with each other for generations in 
the production of decorative borders1   
fillets1 centre-pieces1 rolls1 and the  
most exquisite gold-tooling1 of which   
the art is capable4  ,these varied      
patterns of book ornamentation are cut  
in brass or steel1 and applied by the   
embossing press with a rapidity far     
exceeding that of the hand-work formerly
 executed by the gilders of books4 ,but 
for choice books and select jobs1 only  
the hands are employed1 with such       
fillets1 stamps1 pallets1 rolls1 and    
polishing irons as may aid in the nice  
execution of the work4 ,if a book is to 
be bound in what is called morocco      
antique1 it is to be blind-tooled1 i4   
e43 the hot iron wheels which impress   
the fillets or rolls1 are to be worked  
in blank1 or without gold-leaf          
ornamentation4 ,this is a rich and      
tasteful binding1 especially with       
carefully beveled boards1 and gilded    
edges4  ,on some books1 money has been  
lavished on the binding to an amount    

exceeding by many fold the cost of the  
book itself4 ,elegant book-binding has  
come to be reckoned as a fine art1 and  
why should not the art preservative of  
all other arts--printing--be preserved  
in permanent and sumptuous1 if not      
splendid style1 in its environment8     
,specimens of ,french artistic binding  
from the library of ,grolier1 that      
celebrated and munificent patron of art1
 who died in #aefe1 have passed through 
the hands of many eager connoisseurs1   
always at advancing prices4 ,the        
,grolier binding was notable for the    
elegant finish of its interlaced        
ornaments in gold-leaf1 a delicacy of   
touch1 and an inimitable flowing grace1 
which modern binders have struggled     
after in vain4 ,at the ,beckford        
,library sale in ,london1 in #ahhd1     
there was a great array of fine ,french 
bindings of early date4 ,a book from    
,grolier's library1 the ,toison d',or1  
#aefc1 brought #dje1 or over #b1jjj1 and
 a ,heptameron1 which had belonged to   

,louis ,,xiv1 in beautiful brown        
morocco1 with crown1 fleur-de-lys1 a    
stag1 a cock1 and stars1 as ornaments1  
all exquisitely worked in gold1 lined   
with vellum1 was sold for #djj4         
,following the ,grolier patterns1 came  
another highly decorative style1 by the 
,french binders1 which was notable for  
the very delicate gold tooling1 covering
 the whole sides of the book with       
exquisite scroll-work1 and branches of  
laurel4  ,the most celebrated of        
,english book-binders was ,roger ,payne1
 who was notable for the careful labor  
bestowed on the forwarding and finishing
 of his books1 specimens of which are   
still reckoned among the chefs-d'oeuvre 
of the art4 ,his favorite style was a   
roughly-grained red morocco1 always     
full-bound1 and he kept in view what    
many binders forget1 that the leather is
 the main thing in a finely executed    
binding1 not to be overlaid by too much 
gilding and decoration4 ,he charged     
twelve guineas each 7over #fj7 for      

binding some small volumes in his best  
style4 ,payne's most notable successors 
have been ,lewis1 ,hayday1 ,bedford1 and
 ,zaehnsdorf1 the latter of whom is the 
author of a treatise on book-binding4   
,at the art exhibition of #ahfb1 a book 
bound by ,bedford was exhibited1 which  
took two months merely to finish1 and   
the binding cost forty guineas2 and a   
,dor's ,dante1 exquisitely bound by     
,zaehnsdorf1 in ,grolier style1 cost one
 hundred guineas4  ,a decorative        
treatment not yet mentioned is applied  
to the covers of some books1 which are  
bound in elegant full calf4 ,to give to 
this leather the elegant finish known as
 tree-calf binding1 it is first washed  
with glaire or albumen4 ,the boards of  
the book are then bent to a convex      
shape1 and water sprinkled over1 until  
it runs down from the centre in many    
little branches or rivulets4 ,while     
running1 a solution of copperas is      
sprinkled on1 and carried along the     
branches which radiate from the central 

trunk1 producing the dark-mottled       
colored effect which resembles1 more or 
less nearly1 a tree with its spreading  
branches4  ,to make the book beautiful  
should be the united aim of all who are 
concerned in its manufacture--the       
paper-maker1 the printer1 and the       
book-binder4 ,while utility comes first 
in the art of book-making for libraries1
 yet neatness and even elegance should  
always be united with it4 ,an           
ill-forwarded book1 or a badly finished 
one1 presents a clumsy1 unattractive    
look to the eye2 while an evenly made   
piece of work1 and a careful and        
tasteful ornamentation in the gilding1  
attract every discerning reader by their
 beauty4 ,one writer upon book-binding  
terms the forwarder of the book an      
artizan1 and the finisher an artist2 but
 both should have the true artist's     
taste1 in order to produce the work that
 shall commend itself by intrinsic      
excellence4 ,the form and shape of the  
book depend wholly1 indeed1 on the      

forwarder4  ,we are told that the great 
beauty of the ,grolier bindings lay in  
the lavish and tasteful adornment of the
 sides4 ,in fact1 much depends upon the 
design1 in every piece of decorative    
work4 ,the pretty scroll patterns1 the  
interlaced figures1 the delicate        
tracery1 the circles1 rosettes1 and     
stars1 the lovely arabesques1 the       
flowers and leaves borrowed from the    
floral kingdom1 the geometric lines1 the
 embroidered borders1 like fine         
lace-work1--all these lend their        
separate individual charms to the finish
 of the varied specimens of the binder's
 art4 ,there are some books that look as
 brilliant as jewels in their rich1     
lustrous adornment1 the design sometimes
 powdered with gold points and stars4   
,some gems of art are lined with rich   
colored leather in the inside covers1   
which are stamped and figured in gold4  
,this is termed doubl by the ,french4   
,some have their edges gilded over      
marbling1 a refinement of beauty which  

adds richness to the work1 the marble   
design showing through the brilliant    
gold1 when the edge is turned4 ,others  
have pictorial designs drawn on the     
edges1 which are then gilded over the   
pictures4 ,this complex style of        
gilding1 the ,french term gaufr4 ,it was
 formerly much in vogue1 but is latterly
 out of fashion4 ,many gems of binding  
are adorned with fly-leaves of moire    
silk1 or rich colored satin4 ,color1    
interspersed with gold in the finish of 
a book covering1 heightens the effect4  
,the morocco of the side-cover is       
sometimes cut1 and inlaid with leather  
of a different color4 ,inlaying with    
morocco or kid is the richest style of  
decoration which the art has yet        
reached4 ,beautiful bindings have been  
in greater request during the past      
twenty years than ever before4 ,there   
was a renaissance of the ancient styles 
of decoration in ,france1 and the choice
 ,grolier and ,maioli patterns were     
revived with the general applause of the

 lovers of fine books4  ,in vivid       
contrast to these lovely specimens of   
the binder's art1 are found innumerable 
bibliopegic horrors1 on the shelves of  
countless libraries1 public and private4
 ,among these are to be reckoned most   
law books1 clad in that dead monotony of
 ugliness1 which ,charles ,dickens has  
described as that under-done pie-crust  
cover1 which is technically known as law
 calf4 ,there are other uncouth and     
unwholesome specimens everywhere abroad1
 whom ,satan hath bound1 to borrow ,mr4 
,henry ,stevens's witty application of a
 well-known ,scripture text4 ,such      
repellant bindings are only fit to serve
 as models to be avoided by the         
librarian4  ,the binding that is        
executed by machinery is sometimes      
called commercial binding4 ,it is also  
known as edition binding1 because the   
whole edition of a book is bound in     
uniform style of cover4 ,while the      
modern figured cloth binding originated 
in ,england1 it has had its fullest     

development in the ,united ,states4     
,here1 those ingenious and powerful     
machines which execute every branch of  
the folding and forwarding of a book1   
and even the finishing of the covers1   
with almost lightning speed1 were mostly
 invented and applied4 ,very vivid is   
the contrast between the quiet1 humdrum 
air of the old-fashioned bindery        
hand-work1 and the ceaseless clang and  
roar of the machinery which turns out   
thousands of volumes in a day4      ,not
 as ours the books of old1     ,things  
that steam can stamp and fold4  ,i      
believe that ,i failed to notice1 among 
the varieties of material for           
book-bindings heretofore enumerated1    
some of the rarer and more singular     
styles4 ,thus1 books have been bound in 
enamel1 7richly variegated in color7 in 
,persian silk1 in seal-skin1 in the skin
 of the rabbit1 white-bear1 crocodile1  
cat1 dog1 mole1 tiger1 otter1 buffalo1  
wolf1 and even rattle-snake4 ,a favorite
 modern leather for purses and satchels1

 alligator-skin1 has been also applied  
to the clothing of books4 ,many         
eccentric fancies have been exemplified 
in book-binding1 but the acme of        
gruesome oddity has been reached by     
binding books in human skin1 of which   
many examples are on record4 ,it is     
perhaps three centuries old1 but the    
first considerable instance of its use  
grew out of the horrors of the ,french  
,revolution4 ,in ,england1 the ,bristol 
law library has several volumes bound in
 the skin of local criminals1 flayed    
after execution1 and specially tanned   
for the purpose4 ,it is described as    
rather darker than vellum4 ,a ,russian  
poet is said to have bound his sonnets  
in human leather--his own skin--taken   
from a broken thigh--and the book he    
presented to the lady of his affections6
 ,such ghoulish incidents as these      
afford curious though repulsive glimpses
 of the endless vagaries of human       
nature4  ,it is said that the invention 
of half-binding originated among the    

economists of ,germany2 and some wealthy
 bibliophiles have stigmatized this     
style of dressing books as genteel      
poverty4 ,but its utility and economy   
have been demonstrated too long to admit
 of any doubt that half-binding has come
 to stay2 while1 as we have seen1 it is 
also capable of attractive aesthetic    
features4 ,mr4 ,william ,matthews1      
perhaps the foremost of ,american       
binders1 said that a book when neatly   
forwarded1 and cleanly covered1 is in a 
very satisfactory condition without any 
finishing or decorating4 ,it was this   
same binder who exhibited at the ,new   
,york ,world's ,fair ,exhibition of     
#ahec1 a copy of ,owen ,jones's         
,alhambra1 bound by him in full ,russia1
 inlaid with blue and red morocco1 with 
gold tooling all executed by hand1      
taking six months to complete1 and      
costing the binder no less than five    
hundred dollars4  ,book lettering1 or   
stamping the proper title on the back of
 the book1 is a matter of the first     

importance4 ,as the titles of most books
 are much too long to go on the back1 a 
careful selection of the most           
distinctive words becomes necessary4    
,here the taste and judgment of the     
librarian come indispensably into play4 
,to select the lettering of a book      
should never be left to the binder1     
because it is not his business1 and     
because1 in most cases1 he will make a  
mistake somewhere in the matter4 ,from  
want of care on this point1 many        
libraries are filled with wrongly       
lettered books1 misleading titles1 and  
blunders as ludicrous as they are       
distressing4 ,i have had to have        
thousands of volumes in the ,library of 
,congress re-lettered4 ,a copy of ,lord 
,bacon's ,sylva ,sylvarum1 for example1 
was lettered ,verlum's ,sylva--because  
the sapient binder read on the          
title-page ,by ,baron ,verulam1 and it  
was not his business to find out that   
this was the title of honor which ,bacon
 bore2 so1 by a compound blunder1 he    

converted ,verulam into ,verlum1 and    
gave the book to an unknown writer4     
,this is perhaps an extreme case1 but   
you will find many to match it4 ,another
 folio1 ,rochefort's ,history of the    
,caribby ,islands1 was lettered ,davies'
 ,carriby ,islands1 because the title   
bore the statement ,rendered into       
,english by ,john ,davies4 ,in another  
library1 the great work of the          
naturalist1 ,buffon1 was actually       
lettered ,buffoon's ,natural ,history4  
,neither of these blunders was as bad as
 that of the owner of an elegant        
black-letter edition of a ,latin        
classic1 which was printed without      
title-page1 like most fifteenth century 
books1 and began at the top of the first
 leaf1 in large letters--,,hoc          
,,incipit1 signifying ,this begins1     
followed by the title or subject of the 
book4 ,the wiseacre who owned it had the
 book richly bound1 and directed it to  
be lettered on the back--,works of ,hoc 
,incipit1 ,rome1 #adij4 ,this is a true 

story1 and the hero of it might perhaps1
 on the strength of owning so many      
learned works1 have passed for a        
philosopher1 if he had not taken the    
pains to advertise himself as a         
blockhead4  ,some of the commonest      
blunders are stamping on the back the   
translator's or the editor's name1      
instead of that of the author of the    
book2 putting on adjectives instead of  
substantives for titles2 modernizing    
ancient and characteristic spelling1    
found in the title1 7the exact          
orthography of which should always be   
followed72 mixing up the number and the 
case of ,latin titles1 and those in     
other foreign languages2 leaving off    
entirely the name of the writer2 and    
lettering periodicals by putting on the 
volume without the year1 or the year1   
without the number of the volume4 ,no   
one but an idiot1 said ,mr4 ,c4 ,walford
 to the ,london ,librarians'            
,conference1 would send his books to the
 binder1 without indicating the         

lettering he desires on the backs4 ,the 
only safe-guard is for the librarian or 
owner to prescribe on a written slip in 
each volume1 a title for every book1    
before it goes to the binder1 who will  
be only too glad to have his own time   
saved--since time is money to him4 ,i   
would not underrate the book-binders1   
who are a most worthy and intelligent   
class1 numbering in their ranks men who 
are scholars as well as artists2 but    
they are concerned chiefly with the     
mechanics and not with the metaphysics  
of their art1 and moreover1 they are not
 bound by that rigid rule which should  
govern the librarian--namely--to have no
 ignoramus about the premises4  ,in     
writing letterings 7for ,i take it that 
no one would be guilty of defacing his  
title-pages by marking them up with     
directions to the binder7 you should    
definitely write out the parts of the   
title as they are to run on the back of 
the book1 spaced line upon line1 and not
 run together4 ,i think that the name of

 the author should always stand first at
 the head of the lettering1 because it  
affords the quickest guide to the eye in
 finding any book1 as well as in        
replacing it upon the shelves4          
,especially useful and time-saving is   
this1 where classes of books are        
arranged in alphabetical sequence4 ,is  
not the name of the author commonly     
uppermost in the mind of the searcher8  
,then1 let it be uppermost on the book  
sought also4 ,follow the name of the    
author by the briefest possible words   
selected from the title which will      
suffice to characterize the subject of  
the work4 ,thus1 the title--,on the     
,origin of ,species by means of ,natural
 ,selection1 by ,charles ,darwin1 should
 be abbreviated into                    
,darwin                                 
--------                       ,origin  
of ,species4  ,here are no superfluous  
words1 to consume the binder's time and 
gold-leaf1 and to be charged in the     
bill2 or to consume the time of the     

book-searcher1 in stopping to read a lot
 of surplusage on the back of the book1 
before seizing it for immediate use4    
,books in several volumes should have   
the number of each volume plainly marked
 in ,arabic 7not ,roman7 numerals on the
 back4 ,the old-fashioned method of     
expressing numerals by letters1 instead 
of figures1 is too cumbrous and         
time-consuming to be tolerated4 ,you    
want to letter1 we will say1 vol4 #hh of
 ,blackwood's ,magazine4 ,if you follow 
the title-page of that book1 as printed1
 you have to write  ,volume ,,lxxxviii1 
eight letters1 for the number of the    
volume1 instead of two simple           
figures--thus--#hh4  ,now can any one   
give a valid reason for the awkward and 
tedious method of notation exhibited in 
the ,roman numerals8 ,if it were only   
the lost time of the person who writes  
it1 or the binder's finisher who letters
 it1 it would be comparatively          
insignificant4 ,but think of the time   
wasted by the whole world of readers1   

who must go through a more or less      
troublesome process of notation before  
they get a clear notion of what all this
 superfluous stuff stands for instead of
 the quick intuition with which they    
take in the ,arabic figures2 and who    
must moreover1 by the antiquated method1
 take valuable time to write out        
,,lxxxviii1 eight figures instead of    
two1 to say nothing of the added        
liability to error1 which increases in  
the exact ratio of the number of figures
 to be written4 ,which of these two     
forms of expression is more quickly     
written1 or stamped1 or read8 ,by which 
method of notation will the library     
messenger boys or girls soonest find the
 book8 ,this leads me to say what cannot
 be too strongly insisted upon2 all     
library methods should be time-saving   
methods1 and so devised for the benefit 
alike of the librarian1 the assistants1 
and the readers4 ,until one has learned 
the supreme value of moments1 he will   
not be fit for a librarian4 ,the same   

method by ,arabic numerals only1 should 
be used in all references to books2 and 
it would be well if the legal fashion of
 citing authorities by volume and page1 
now adopted in most law books1 were     
extended to all literature--thus3  #c   
,macaulay's ,england1 #dha4 ,n4 ,y4     
#ahed1 instead of ,macaulay's ,england1 
,n4 ,y4 ed4 #ahed4 vol4 #c1 page #dha4  
,it is a matter of congratulation to all
 librarians1 as well as to the reading  
public1 that ,poole's ,indexes to       
,periodical ,literature have wisely     
adopted ,arabic figures only1 both for  
volume and page4 ,the valuable time thus
 saved to all is quite incalculable4    
,every book which is leather-bound has  
its back divided off into panels or     
sections1 by the band across the back or
 by the gold or plain fillet or roll    
forming part of the finish of the book4 
,these panels are usually five or six in
 number1 the former being the more      
common4 ,now it is the librarian's      
function to prescribe in which of these 

panels the lettering of the             
book--especially where there is double  
lettering--shall go4 ,thus              
,,cousin                                
----                         ,,new      
#bnd    ,,history     #dth   ,,wight    
,end  ,,york1      panel     ,,of       
panel              #aheb4               
,,modern                                
,,philosophy4                           
,many books1 especially dramatic works1 
and the collected works of authors      
require the contents of the various     
volumes to be briefed on the back4 ,here
 is a ,shakespeare1 for example1 in #aj 
volumes1 or a ,swift in #ai1 or ,carlyle
 in #cc1 and you want to find ,king     
,lear1 or ,gulliver's ,travels1 or      
,heroes and ,hero ,worship4 ,the other  
volumes concern you not--but you want   
the shortest road to these4 ,if the name
 of each play is briefed by the first   
word upon the different volumes of your 
,shakespeare1 or the contents of each   
volume upon the ,swift and the          

,carlyle1--as they should be--you find  
instantly what you want1 with one glance
 of the eye along the backs4 ,if put to 
the trouble of opening every volume to  
find the contents1 or of hunting it in  
the index1 or the library catalogue1 you
 lose precious time1 while readers wait1
 thus making the needless delay         
cumulative1 and as it must be often     
repeated1 indefinite4  ,each volume     
should have its date and place of       
publication plainly lettered at the     
lower end1 or what binders term the tail
 of the book4 ,this often saves time1 as
 you may not want an edition of old     
date1 or vice versa1 while the place and
 date enable readers' tickets to be     
filled out quickly without the book4    
,the name of the library might well be  
lettered also on the back1 being more   
obvious as a permanent means of         
identification than the book-plate or   
inside stamp4  ,books should never be   
used when fresh from the binder's hands4
 ,the covers are then always damp1 and  

warp on exposure to air and heat4       
,unless pressed firmly in shelves1 or in
 piles1 for at least two weeks1 they may
 become incurably warped out of shape4  
,many an otherwise handsomely bound book
 is ruined by neglect of this caution1  
for once thoroughly dried in its warped 
condition1 there is no remedy save the  
costly one of rebinding4  ,books are    
frequently lettered so carelessly that  
the titles instead of aligning1 or being
 in straight horizontal lines1 run      
obliquely upward or downward1 thus      
defacing the volume4 ,errors in spelling
 words are also liable to occur4 ,all   
crooked lettering and all mistakes in   
spelling should at once be rejected1 and
 the faulty books returned to the       
binder1 to be corrected at his own      
expense4 ,this severe revision of all   
books when newly bound1 before they are 
placed upon the shelves1 should be done 
by the librarian's or owner's own       
eye--not entrusted to subordinates1     
unless to one thoroughly skilled4  ,one 

should never receive back books from a  
binder without collating them1 to see if
 all are perfect as to pages1 and if all
 plates or maps are in place4 ,if       
deficiencies are found1 the binder1 and 
not the library is responsible1 provided
 the book was known to be perfect when  
sent for binding4  ,in the              
,congressional ,library ,i had the      
periodicals which are analyzed in       
,poole's ,index of ,periodical          
,literature thoroughly compared and     
re-lettered1 wherever necessary1 to make
 the series of volumes correspond with  
the references in that invaluable and   
labor-saving index4 ,for instance1 the  
,eclectic ,review1 as published in      
,london1 had eight distinct and         
successive series 7thus confusing       
reference by making eight different     
volumes called #a1 #b1 #c1 etc47 each   
with a different numbering1 ,first      
series1 #b;d series1 etc41 which        
,poole's ,index very properly           
consolidated into one1 for convenient   

reference4 ,by adding the figures as    
scheduled in that work--prefixed by the 
words ,poole's ,index ,no4 ---- or      
simply ,poole1 in small letters1        
followed by the figure of the volume as 
given in that index1 you will find a    
saving of time in hunting and supplying 
references that is almost incalculable4 
,if you cannot afford to have this      
re-numbering done by a binder in gilt   
letters1 it will many times repay the   
cost and time of doing it on thin manila
 paper titles1 written or printed by a  
numbering machine and pasted on the     
backs of the volumes4  ,in all          
periodicals1--magazines and serials of  
every kind1--the covers and their       
advertisements should be bound in their 
proper place1 with each month or number 
of the periodical1 though it may        
interrupt the continuity of the paging4 
,thus will be preserved valuable        
contemporary records respecting prices1 
bibliographical information1 etc41 which
 should never be destroyed1 as it is    

illustrative of the life and history of 
the period4 ,the covers of the          
magazines1 too1 frequently contain the  
table of contents of the number1 which  
of course must be prefixed to it1 in    
order to be of any use4 ,if advertising 
pages are very numerous and bulky1 7as  
in many popular periodicals of late     
years7 they may well be bound at the end
 of the volume1 or1 if so many as to    
make the volume excessively thick1 they 
might be bound in a supplementary       
volume4 ,in all books1 half-titles or   
bastard titles1 as they are called1     
should be bound in1 as they are a part  
of the book4  ,with each lot of books to
 be bound1 there should always be sent a
 sample volume of good work as a        
pattern1 that the binder may have no    
excuse for hasty or inferior            
workmanship4  ,the ,grolier ,club was   
founded in ,new ,york in #ahhd1 having  
for its objects to promote the literary 
study and progress of the arts          
pertaining to the production of books4  

,it has published more than twenty books
 in sumptuous style1 and mostly in      
quarto form1 the editions being limited 
to #aej copies at first1 since increased
 to #cjj1 under the rapidly enlarging   
membership of the ,club4 ,most of these 
books relate to fine binding1 fine      
printing1 or fine illustration of books1
 or are intended to exemplify them1 and 
by their means1 by lectures1 and        
exhibitions of fine book-work1 this     
society has contributed much toward the 
diffusion of correct taste4 ,more care  
has been bestowed upon fine binding in  
,new ,york than in ,london itself4 ,in  
fact1 elegant book-binding is coming to 
be recognized as one of the foremost of 
the decorative arts4  ,the art of       
designing book-covers and patterns for  
gilding books has engaged the talents of
 many artists1 among whom may be named  
,edwin ,a4 ,abbey1 ,howard ,pyle1       
,stanford ,white1 and ,elihu ,vedder4   
,nor have skilful designs been wanting  
among women1 as witness ,mrs4 ,whitman's

 elegant tea-leaf border for the cover  
of ,dr4 ,o4 ,w4 ,holmes's ,over the     
,tea-cups1 and ,miss ,alice ,morse's    
arabesques and medallions for ,lafcadio 
,hearn's ,two ,years in the ,french     
,west ,indies4 ,miss ,may ,morris       
designed many tasteful letters for the  
fine bindings executed by ,mr4          
,cobden-,sanderson of ,london1 and ,kate
 ,greenaway's many exquisite little     
books for little people have become     
widely known for their quaint and       
curious cover designs4 ,a new field thus
 opens for skilled cultivators of the   
beautiful who have an eye for the art of
 drawing4  ,mr4 ,william ,matthews1 the 
accomplished ,new ,york binder1 in an   
address before the ,grolier ,club in    
#ahie1 said3 ,i have been astonished    
that so few women--in ,america1 ,i know 
none--are encouragers of the art2 they  
certainly could not bestow their taste  
on anything that would do them more     
credit1 or as a study1 give them more   
satisfaction4 ,it is but fair to add    

that since this judgment was put forth1 
its implied reproach is no longer       
applicable3 a number of ,american women 
have interested themselves in the study 
of binding as a fine art2 and some few  
in practical work as binders of books4  
,there is no question that readers take 
a greater interest in books that are    
neatly and attractively bound1 than in  
volumes dressed in a mean garb4 ,no book
 owner or librarian with any knowledge  
of the incurable defects of calf1 sheep1
 or roan leather1 if he has any regard  
for the usefulness or the economies of  
his library1 will use them in binding   
books that are to possess permanent     
value in personal or public use4 ,true  
economy lies in employing the best      
description of binding in the first     
instance4  ,when it is considered that  
the purposed object of book-binding is  
to preserve in a shape at once          
attractive and permanent1 the best and  
noblest thoughts of man1 it rises to a  
high rank among the arts4 ,side by side 

with printing1 it strives after that    
perfection which shall ensure the       
perpetuity of human thought4 ,thus a    
book1 clothed in morocco1 is not a mere 
piece of mechanism1 but a vehicle in    
which the intellectual life of writers  
no longer on earth is transmitted from  
age to age4 ,and it is the art of       
book-binding which renders libraries    
possible4 ,what the author1 the printer1
 and the binder create1 the library     
takes charge of and preserves4 ,it is   
thus that the material and the practical
 link themselves indissolubly with the  
ideal4 ,and the ideal of every true     
librarian should be so to care for the  
embodiments of intelligence entrusted to
 his guardianship1 that they may become 
in the highest degree useful to mankind4
 ,in this sense1 the care bestowed upon 
thorough and enduring binding can hardly
 be overrated1 since the life of the    
book depends upon it4     ,,chapter #d4 
,,preparation ,,for ,,the ,,shelves3    
,,book ,,plates1 ,,etc4   ,when any lot 

of books is acquired1 whether by        
purchase from book-dealers or from      
auction1 or by presentation1 the first  
step to be taken1 after seeing that they
 agree with the bill1 and have been     
collated1 in accordance with methods    
elsewhere given1 should be to stamp and 
label each volume1 as the property of   
the library4 ,these two processes are   
quite distinct1 and may be performed by 
one or two persons1 according to        
convenience1 or to the library force    
employed4 ,the stamp may be the ordinary
 rubber one1 inked by striking on a pad1
 and ink of any color may be used1      
although black or blue ink has the      
neatest appearance4 ,the stamp should   
bear the name of the library1 in clear1 
legible1 plain type1 with year of       
acquisition of the book in the centre1  
followed by the month and day if        
desired4 ,a more permanent kind of stamp
 is the embossing stamp1 which is a     
steel die1 the letters cut in relief1   
but it is very expensive and slow1      

requiring the leaf to be inserted       
between the two parts of the stamp1     
though the impression1 once made1 is    
practically indelible4  ,the size of the
 stamp 7which is preferably oval in     
shape7 should not exceed #a to #a inches
 in diameter1 as a large1 coarse stamp  
never presents a neat appearance on a   
book4 ,indeed1 many books are too small 
to admit any but a stamp of very        
moderate dimensions4 ,the books should  
be stamped on the verso 7reverse7 of the
 title page1 or if preferred1 on the    
widest unprinted portion of the         
title-page1 preferably on the right hand
 of the centre1 or just below the centre
 on the right4 ,this1 because its       
impression is far more legible on the   
plain white surface than on any part of 
the printed title4 ,in a circulating    
library1 the stamps should be impressed 
on one or more pages in the body of the 
book1 as well as on the last page1 as a 
means of identification if the book is  
stolen or otherwise lost2 as it is very 

easy to erase the impression of a rubber
 stamp from the title-page1 and thereby 
commit a fraud by appropriating or      
selling the book4 ,in such a case1 the  
duplicate or triplicate impression of   
the stamp on some subsequent page 7say  
page #e or #af1 many books having but   
few pages7 as fixed upon by the         
librarian1 is quite likely to escape    
notice of the thief1 while it remains a 
safe-guard1 enabling the librarian to   
reclaim the book1 wherever found4 ,the  
law will enforce this right of free     
reclamation in favor of a public        
library1 in the case of stolen books1 no
 matter in what hands found1 and even   
though the last holder may be an        
innocent purchaser4 ,all libraries are  
victimized at some time by unscrupulous 
or dishonest readers1 who will          
appropriate books1 thinking themselves  
safe from detection1 and sometimes      
easing their consciences1 7if they have 
any7 by the plea that the book is in a  
measure public property4  ,in these     

cases1 there is no absolute safe-guard1 
as it is easy to carry off a book under 
one's coat1 and the librarian and his   
few aids are far too busy to act as     
detectives in watching readers4 ,still1 
a vigilant librarian will almost always 
find out1 by some suspicious            
circumstance--such as the hiding of     
books away1 or a certain furtive action 
observed in a reader--who are the       
persons that should be watched1 and when
 it is advisable to call in the         
policeman4  ,the ,british ,museum       
,library1 which has no circulation or   
book lending1 enforces a rule that no   
one making his exit can have a book with
 him1 unless checked as his own         
property1 all overcoats and other wraps 
being of course checked at the door4    
,it is a melancholy fact1 duly recorded 
in a ,massachusetts paper1 that no less 
than two hundred and fifty volumes1 duly
 labeled and stamped as public library  
books1 were stolen from a single library
 in a single year1 and sold to          

second-hand booksellers4  ,the          
impression of the stamp in the middle of
 a certain page1 known to the librarian1
 renders it less liable to detection by 
others1 while if stamped on the lower   
unprinted margin1 it might be cut out by
 a designing person4  ,next to the      
stamping1 comes the labeling of the     
books to be added to the library4 ,this 
is a mechanical process1 and yet one of 
much importance4 ,upon its being done   
neatly and properly1 depends the good or
 bad appearance of the library books1 as
 labels with rough or ragged edges1 or  
put on askew1 or trimmed irregularly at 
their margins1 present an ugly and      
unfinished aspect1 offensive to the eye 
of good taste1 and reflecting discredit 
on the management4 ,a librarian should  
take pride in seeing all details of his 
work carefully and neatly carried out4  
,if he cannot have perfection1 from want
 of time1 he should always aim at it1 at
 least1 and then only will he come near 
to achieving it4  ,the label1 or        

book-plate 7for they are one and the    
same thing7 should be of convenient size
 to go into books both small and large2 
and a good size is approximately #b     
inches wide by #a inches high when      
trimmed4 ,as comparatively few libraries
 care to go to the expense1 which is    
about ten times that of printing1 of an 
engraved label 7although such work adds 
to the attractiveness of the books      
containing it7 it should be printed in  
clear1 not ornamental type1 with the    
name of the library1 that of the city or
 town in which it is located 7unless    
forming a part of the title7 and the    
abbreviation ,no4 for number1 with such 
other spaces for section marks or       
divisions1 shelf-marks1 etc41 as the    
classification adopted may require4 ,the
 whole should be enclosed in an         
ornamental border--not too ornate for   
good taste4  ,the labels1 nicely trimmed
 to uniform size by a cutting machine1  
7if that is not in the library          
equipment1 any binder will do it for    

you7 are next to be pasted or gummed1 as
 preferred4 ,this process is a nice one1
 requiring patience1 care1 and practice4
 ,most libraries are full of books      
imperfectly labelled1 pasted on in      
crooked fashion1 or perhaps damaging the
 end-leaves by an over-use of paste1    
causing the leaves to adhere to the page
 labelled--which should always be the   
inside left hand cover of the book4     
,this slovenly work is unworthy of a    
skilled librarian1 who should not suffer
 torn waste leaves1 nor daubs of        
over-running paste in any of his books4 
,to prevent both these blunders in      
library economy1 it is only needful to  
instruct any intelligent assistant      
thoroughly1 by practical example how to 
do it--accompanied by a counter-example 
how not to do it4 ,the way to do it is  
to have your paste as thin as that used 
by binders in pasting their fly-leaves1 
or their leather1 or about the          
consistency of porridge or pea soup4    
,then lay the label or book-plate face  

downward on a board or table covered    
with blotting paper1 dip your paste     
brush 7a half inch bristle brush is the 
best7 in the paste1 stroke it 7to remove
 too much adhering matter7 on the inner 
side of your paste cup1 then apply it   
across the whole surface of the label1  
with light1 even strokes of the brush1  
until you see that it is all moistened  
with paste4 ,next1 take up the label and
 lay it evenly in the middle of the left
 inner cover page of the book to be     
labelled1 and with a small piece of     
paper 7not with the naked fingers7 laid 
over it1 stroke it down firmly in its   
place1 by rubbing over a few times the  
incumbent paper4 ,this being properly   
done 7and it is done by an expert1 once 
learned1 very rapidly7 your book-plate  
will be firmly and smoothly pasted in1  
with no exuding of paste at the edges1  
to spoil the fly-leaves1 and no curling 
up of edges because insufficiently      
pasted down4  ,so much for the          
book-plate--for the inside of the       

volumes2 now let us turn attention to   
the outside label4 ,this is necessarily 
very much smaller than the book-plate3  
in fact1 it should not be larger than   
three-quarters or seven-eighths of an   
inch in diameter1 and even smaller for  
the thinner volumes1 while in the case  
of the very smallest1 or thinnest of    
books1 it becomes necessary to paste the
 labels on the side1 instead of on the  
back4 ,this label is to contain the     
section and shelf-mark of the book1     
marked by plain figures1 according to   
the plan of classification adopted4     
,when well done1 it is an inexpressible 
comfort to any librarian1 because it    
shows at one glance of the eye1 and     
without opening the book at all1 just   
where in the wide range of the          
miscellaneous library it is to go4 ,thus
 the book service of every day is       
incalculably aided1 and the books are   
both found when sought on the shelves1  
and replaced there1 with no trouble of  
opening them4  ,this outer-label system 

once established1 in strict             
correspondence with the catalogue1 the  
only part of the librarian's work       
remaining to be prescribed in this      
field1 concerns the kind of label to be 
selected1 and the method of affixing    
them to the books4 ,the adhesive gummed 
labels furnished by the ,library        
,bureau1 or those manufactured by the   
,dennison ,company of ,new ,york have   
the requisite qualities for practical   
use4 ,they may be purchased in sheets1  
or cut apart1 as convenient handling may
 dictate4 ,having first written in ink  
in plain figures1 as large as the labels
 will bear1 the proper locality marks1  
take a label moistener 7a hollow tube   
filled with water1 provided with a bit  
of sponge at the end and sold by        
stationers7 and wet the label throughout
 its surface1 then fix it on the back of
 the book1 on the smooth part of the    
binding near the lower end1 and with a  
piece of paper 7not the fingers7 press  
it down firmly to its place by repeated 

rubbings4 ,if thoroughly done1 the      
labels will not peel off nor curl up at 
the edges for a long time4 ,under much  
usage of the volumes1 however1 they must
 occasionally be renewed4  ,when the    
books being prepared for the shelves    
have all been duly collated1 labelled   
and stamped1 processes which should     
precede cataloguing them1 they are next 
ready for the cataloguer4 ,his functions
 having been elsewhere described1 it    
need only be said that the books when   
catalogued and handed over to the       
reviser1 7or whoever is to scrutinize   
the titles and assign them their proper 
places in the library classification7   
are to have the shelf-marks of the      
card-titles written on the inside       
labels1 as well as upon the outside4    
,when this is done1 the title-cards can 
be withdrawn and alphabeted in the      
catalogue drawers4 ,next1 all the books 
thus catalogued1 labelled1 and supposed 
to be ready for the shelves1 should be  
examined with reference to three points3

  #ast4 ,whether any of the volumes need
 re-lettering4  #bnd4 ,whether any of   
them require re-binding4  #crd4 ,if any 
of the bindings are in need of repair4  
,in any lot of books purchased or       
presented1 are almost always to be found
 some that are wrongly or imperfectly   
lettered on the back4 ,before these are 
ready for the shelves1 they should be   
carefully gone through with1 and all    
errors or shortcomings corrected4 ,it is
 needful to send to the binder  #ast4   
,all books which lack the name of the   
author on the back4 ,this should be     
stamped by the binder at the head1 if   
there is room--if not1 in the middle    
panel on the back of the book4  #bnd4   
,all books lettered with mis-spelled    
words4  #crd4 ,all volumes in sets1     
embracing several distinct works--to    
have the name of each book in the       
contents plainly stamped on the outside4
  #dth4 ,all books wholly without titles
 on the back1 of which many are         
published--the title being frequently   

given on the side only1 or in the       
interior alone4  #eth4 ,all periodicals 
having the volume on the back1 without  
the year1 to have the year lettered2 and
 periodicals having the year1 but not   
the volume1 are to have the number of   
the volume added4  ,if these things1 all
 essential to good management and prompt
 library service1 are not done before   
the books go to their shelves1 the      
chances are that they will not be done  
at all4  ,the second requisite to be    
attended to is to examine whether any of
 the volumes catalogued require to be   
bound or re-bound4 ,in any lot of books 
of considerable extent1 there will      
always be some 7especially if from      
auction sales7 dilapidated and shaken1  
so as to unfit them for use4 ,there will
 be others so soiled in the bindings or 
the edges as to be positively shabby1   
and they should be re-bound to render   
them presentable4  ,the third point     
demanding attention is to see what      
volumes need repair4 ,it very often     

happens that books otherwise pretty well
 bound have torn corners1 or rubbed or  
shop-worn backs1 or shabby marbled paper
 frayed at the sides1 or some other     
defect1 which may be cured by mending or
 furbishing up1 without re-binding4     
,this a skilful binder is always        
competent to take in charge2 and as in  
the other cases1 it should have         
attention immediately upon the          
acquisition of the books4  ,all books   
coming into a library which contain     
autographs1 book-plates of former       
owners1 coats of arms1 presentation     
inscriptions from the author1 monograms1
 or other distinguishing features1      
should preserve them as of interest to  
the present or the future4  ,and all    
printed paper covers should be carefully
 preserved by binding them inside the   
new cover which the book receives1 thus 
preserving authentic evidence of the    
form in which the book was first issued 
to the public1 and often its original   
price4 ,in like manner1 when a          

cloth-bound book comes to re-binding1   
its side and back covers may be bound in
 at the end of the book1 as showing the 
style in which it was originally issued1
 frequently displaying much artistic    
beauty4  ,whoever receives back any     
books which have been out in            
circulation1 whether it be the librarian
 or assistant1 must examine each volume1
 to see if it is in apparent good order4
 ,if it is found 7as frequently happens7
 that it is shaky and loose1 or if      
leaves are ready to drop out1 or if the 
cover is nearly off1 it should never be 
allowed to go back to the shelves1 but  
laid aside for re-binding or repair with
 the next lot sent to the binder4 ,only 
prompt vigilance on this point1 combined
 with the requirement of speedy return  
by the binder1 will save the loss or    
injury beyond repair of many books4 ,it 
will also save the patrons of the       
library from the frequent inconvenience 
of having to do without books1 which    
should be on the shelves for their use4 

,how frequent this sending of books to  
repair should be1 cannot be settled by  
any arbitrary rule2 but it would be     
wise1 in the interest of all1 to do it  
as often as two or three dozen damaged  
books are accumulated4  ,if you find    
other injury to a book returned1 than   
the natural wear and tear that the      
library must assume1 if a book1 for     
example1 is blotched with ink1 or soiled
 with grease1 or has been so far wet as 
to be badly stained in the leaves1 or if
 it is found torn in any part on a hasty
 inspection1 or if a plate or a map is  
missing1 or the binding is violently    
broken 7as sometimes happens7 then the  
damage should be borne by the reader1   
and not by the library4 ,this will      
sometimes require the purchase of a     
fresh copy of the book1 which no        
fair-minded reader can object to pay1   
who is favored with the privileges of   
free enjoyment of the treasures of a    
public library4 ,indeed1 it will be     
found in the majority of cases that     

honest readers themselves call attention
 to such injuries as books have         
accidentally received while in their    
possession1 with voluntary offer to make
 good the damage4  ,all unbound or paper
 covered volumes should be reserved from
 the shelves1 and not supplied to       
readers until bound4 ,this rule may be  
relaxed 7as there is almost no rule     
without some valid exception7 in the    
case of a popular new book1 issued only 
in paper covers1 if it is desired to    
give an opportunity of early perusal to 
readers frequenting the library4 ,but   
such books should not be permitted to   
circulate1 as they would soon be worn to
 pieces by handling4 ,only books dressed
 in a substantial covering are fit to be
 loaned out of any library4 ,in         
preparing for the bindery any new books1
 or old ones to be re-bound or repaired1
 lists should be made of any convenient 
number set apart for the purpose1 prompt
 return should be required1 and all     
should be checked off on the list when  

returned4  ,no shelf in a well-regulated
 library should be unprovided with      
book-supports1 in order to prevent the  
volumes from sagging and straining by   
falling against one another1 in a long  
row of books4 ,numerous different       
devices are in the market for this      
purpose1 from the solid brick to the    
light sheet-iron support2 but it is     
important to protect the end of every   
row from strain on the bindings1 and the
 cost of book supports is indefinitely  
less than that of the re-binding        
entailed by neglecting to use them4     
,some libraries of circulation make it a
 rule to cover all their books with     
paper or thin muslin covers1 before they
 are placed on the shelves for use4     
,this method has its advantages and its 
drawbacks4 ,it doubtless protects the   
bindings from soiling1 and where books  
circulate widely and long1 no one who   
has seen how foul with dirt they become1
 can doubt the expediency of at least   
trying the experiment of clean covers4  

,they should be of the firmest thin but 
tough ,manila paper1 and it is claimed  
that twenty renewals of clean paper     
covers actually cost less than one      
re-binding4 ,on the other hand1 it is   
not to be denied that books thus covered
 look shabby1 monotonous1 and           
uninteresting4 ,in the library used for 
reference and reading only1 without     
circulation1 covers are quite out of    
place4  ,book-plates having been briefly
 referred to above1 a few words as to   
their styles and uses may here be       
pertinent4 ,the name book-plate is a    
clumsy and misleading title1 suggesting 
to the uninitiated the illustrations or 
plates which embellish the text of a    
book4 ,the name ,ex libris1 two latin   
words used for book-plate in all        
,european languages1 is clearer1 but    
still not exact1 as a definition of the 
thing1 signifying simply out of books4  
,a book-plate is the owner's or the     
library's distinctive mark of ownership1
 pasted upon the inside cover1 whether  

it be a simple name-label1 or an        
elaborately engraved heraldic or        
pictorial device4 ,the earliest known   
book-plates date back to the fifteenth  
century1 and are of ,german origin1     
though ,english plates are known as     
early as #agjj4 ,in ,france1 specimens  
appear for the first time between #afjj 
and #afej4  ,foreign book-plates are1 as
 a rule1 heraldic in design1 as are also
 the early ,american plates1            
representing the coat of arms or family 
crest of the owner of the books1 with a 
motto of some kind4 ,the fashion of     
collecting these owners' marks1 as such1
 irrespective of the books containing   
them1 is a recent and very possibly a   
passing mania4 ,still1 there is         
something of interest in early ,american
 plates1 and in those used by           
distinguished men1 aside from the       
collector's fad4 ,some of the first     
,american engravers showed their skill  
in these designs1 and a signed and dated
 plate engraved by ,nathaniel ,hurd1 for

 example1 of ,boston1 is of some        
historic value as an example of early   
,american art4 ,he engraved many plates 
about the middle of the last century1   
and died in #aggg4 ,paul ,revere1 who   
was an engraver1 designed and executed  
some few plates1 which are rare1 and    
highly prized1 more for his name than   
for his skill1 for1 as generally known1 
he was a noted patriot of the           
,revolutionary period1 belonging by his 
acts to the heroic age of ,american     
history4  ,a book of ,george            
,washington's containing his book-plate 
has an added interest1 though the plate 
itself is an armorial design1 not at all
 well executed4 ,its motto is exitus    
acta probat--the event justifies the    
deed4 ,from its rarity and the high     
price it commands1 it has probably been 
the only ,american book-plate ever      
counterfeited4 ,at an auction sale of   
books in ,washington in #ahfc1 this     
counterfeit plate had been placed in    
many books to give a fictitious value1  

but the fraud was discovered and        
announced by the present writer1 just   
before the books were sold4 ,yet the    
sale was attended by many attracted to  
bid upon books said to have been owned  
by ,washington1 and among them the late 
,dr4 ,w4 ,f4 ,poole1 then librarian of  
the ,boston ,athenaeum1 which possesses 
most of the library authentically known 
to have been at ,mount ,vernon4  ,john  
,adams and ,john ,quincy ,adams used    
book-plates1 and ,james ,monroe and     
,john ,tyler each had a plain           
name-label4 ,these are all of our       
presidents known to have used them1     
except ,general ,garfield1 who had a    
printed book-plate of simple design1    
with the motto inter folia fructus4     
,eleven of the signers of the           
,declaration of ,independence are known 
to have had these signs of gentle       
birth--for in the early years of the    
,american ,colonies1 it was only the    
families of aristocratic connection and 
scholarly tastes who indulged in what   

may be termed a superfluous luxury4     
,the plates used among the ,southern    
settlers were generally ordered from    
,england1 and not at all ,american4 ,the
 ,northern plates were more frequently  
of native design and execution1 and     
therefore of much greater value and     
interest1 though far inferior in style  
of workmanship and elaboration of       
ornament to the best ,european ones4    
,the ordinary library label is also a   
book-plate1 and some of the early       
libraries and small collections have    
elaborate designs4 ,the early ,harvard  
,college library plate was a large and  
fine piece of engraving by ,hurd4 ,the  
,harvard ,library had some few of this  
fine engraved label printed in red ink1 
and placed in the rarer books of the    
library--as a reminder that the works   
containing the rubricated book-plates   
were not to be drawn out by students4   
,the learned bibliophile and librarian  
of ,florence1 ,magliabecchi1 who died in
 #agad1 devised for his library of      

thirty thousand volumes1 which he       
bequeathed to the ,grand ,duke of       
,tuscany1 a book-plate representing his 
own profile on a medal surrounded with  
books and oak boughs1 with the          
inscription--,antonius ,magliabecchius  
,florentinus4  ,some book-plates embody 
designs of great beauty4 ,the late      
,george ,bancroft's1 engraved on copper1
 represented a winged cherub 7from      
,raphael7 gazing sun-ward1 holding a    
tablet with the inscription ,eis phaos1 
toward the light4  ,some ,french        
book-plates aim at humor or caricature4 
,one familiar example represents an old 
book-worm mounted on a tall ladder in a 
library1 profoundly absorbed in reading1
 and utterly unconscious that the room  
beneath him is on fire4  ,to those who  
ask of what possible utility it can be  
to cultivate so unfruitful a pursuit as 
the devising or the collecting of       
book-plates1 it may be pertinent to     
state the claim made in behalf of the   
amateurs of this art1 by a connoisseur1 

namely1 ,book-plates foster the study of
 art1 history1 genealogy1 and human     
character4 ,on this theory1 we may add1 
the coat of arms or family crest teaches
 heraldry2 the mottoes or inscriptions  
chosen cultivate the taste for language 
and sententious literature2 the         
engraving appeals to the sense of the   
artistic2 the names of early or ancient 
families who are often thus commemorated
 teach biography1 history1 or genealogy2
 while the great variety of sentiments  
selected for the plates illustrate the  
character and taste of those selecting  
them4  ,on the other hand1 it must be   
said that the coat of arms fails to     
indicate individual taste or genius1 and
 might better be supplanted by original 
and characteristic designs1 especially  
such as relate to books1 libraries1 and 
learning4     ,,chapter #e4  ,,the      
,,enemies ,,of ,,books4   ,we have seen 
in former chapters how the books of a   
library are acquired1 how they are      
prepared for the shelves1 or for use1   

and how they are or should be bound4    
,let us now consider the important      
questions which involve the care1 the   
protection1 and the preservation of the 
books4  ,every librarian or book owner  
should be something more than a         
custodian of the books in his           
collection4 ,he should also exercise    
perpetual vigilance with regard to their
 safety and condition4 ,the books of    
every library are beset by dangers and  
by enemies4 ,some of these are open and 
palpable2 others are secret1 illusive1  
little suspected1 and liable to come    
unlooked for and without warning4 ,some 
of these enemies are impersonal and     
immaterial1 but none the less deadly2   
others are personally human in form1 but
 most inhuman in their careless and     
brutal treatment of books4 ,how far and 
how fatally the books of many libraries 
have been injured by these ever active  
and persistent enemies can never be     
adequately told4 ,but we may point out  
what the several dangers are which beset

 them1 and how far the watchful care of 
the librarian and his assistants may    
fore-stall or prevent them4  ,one of the
 foremost of the inanimate enemies of   
books is dust4 ,in some libraries the   
atmosphere is dust-laden1 to a degree   
which seems incredible until you witness
 its results in the deposits upon books1
 which soil your fingers1 and           
contaminate the air you breathe1 as you 
brush or blow it away4 ,peculiarly      
liable to dust are library rooms located
 in populous towns1 or in business      
streets1 and built close to the avenues 
of traffic4 ,here1 the dust is driven in
 at the windows and doors by every      
breeze that blows4 ,it is an omnipresent
 evil1 that cannot be escaped or very   
largely remedied4 ,as preventive        
measures1 care should be taken not to   
build libraries too near the street1 but
 to have ample front and side yards to  
isolate the books as far as may be      
consistent with convenient access4      
,where the library is already located   

immediately on the street1 a            
subscription for sprinkling the         
thoroughfare with water1 the year round1
 would be true economy4  ,in some       
cities1 the evils of street dust are    
supplemented by the mischiefs of coal   
smoke1 to an aggravated degree4         
,wherever soft coal is burned as the    
principal fuel1 a black1 fuliginous     
substance goes floating through the air1
 and soils every thing it touches4 ,it  
penetrates into houses and public       
buildings1 often intensified by their   
own interior use of the same generator  
of dirt1 and covers the books of the    
library with its foul deposits4 ,you may
 see1 in the public libraries of some   
western cities1 how this perpetual curse
 of coal smoke has penetrated the leaves
 of all the books1 resisting all efforts
 to keep it out1 and slowly but surely  
deteriorating both paper and bindings4  
,here1 preventive measures are          
impossible1 unless some device for      
consuming the coal smoke of chimneys and

 factories were made compulsory1 or the 
evil somewhat mitigated by using a less 
dangerous fuel within the library4      
,but1 aside from these afflictions of   
dust1 in its most aggravated form1 every
 library and every room in any building 
is subject to its persistent            
visitations4 ,wherever carpets or rugs  
cover the floors1 there dust has an     
assured abiding-place1 and it is        
diffused throughout the apartment in    
impalpable clouds1 at every sweeping of 
the floors4 ,hence it would be wise to  
adopt in public libraries a             
floor-covering like linoleum1 or some   
substance other than woolen1 which would
 be measurably free from dust1 while    
soft enough to deaden the sound of feet 
upon the floors4 ,even with this        
preventive precaution1 there will always
 be dust enough1 and too much for       
comfort1 or for the health of the books4
 ,only a thorough dusting1 carried on if
 possible daily1 can prevent an         
accumulation of dust1 at once           

deleterious to the durability of the    
books1 and to the comfort both of       
librarians and readers4 ,dust is an     
insidious foe1 stealing on its march    
silently and unobserved1 yet1 however   
impalpable in the atmosphere of a       
library1 it will settle upon the tops of
 every shelf of books1 it will penetrate
 their inner leaves1 it will lodge upon 
the bindings1 soiling books and readers1
 and constituting a perpetual annoyance4
  ,it is not enough to dust the tops of 
the books periodically2 a more full and 
radical remedy is required1 to render   
library books presentable4 ,at no long  
intervals1 there should be a thorough   
library cleaning1 as drastic and        
complete as the house-cleaning which    
neat housewives institute twice a year1 
with such wholesome results4 ,the books 
are to be taken down from the shelves1  
and subjected to a shaking-up process1  
which will remove more of the dust they 
have absorbed than any brush can reach4 
,to do this effectually1 take them1 if  

of moderate thickness1 by the half-dozen
 at a time from the shelf1 hold them    
loosely on a table1 their fronts        
downward1 backs uppermost1 then with a  
hand at either side of the little pile1 
strike them smartly together a few      
times1 until the dust1 which will fly   
from them in a very palpable cloud1     
ceases to fall4 ,then lay them on their 
ends1 with the tops uppermost on the    
table1 and repeat the concussion in that
 posture1 when you will eliminate a     
fresh crop of dust1 though not so thick 
as the first4 ,after this1 let each     
volume of the lot be brushed over at the
 sides and back with a soft 7never      
stiff7 brush1 or else with a piece of   
cotton or woolen cloth1 and so restored 
clean to the shelves4 ,while this       
thorough method of cleansing will take  
time and pains1 it will pay in the long 
run4 ,it will not eliminate all the dust
 7which in a large collection is a      
physical impossibility7 but it will     
reduce it to a minimum4 ,faithfully     

carried out1 as a periodical supplement 
to a daily dusting of the books as they 
stand on the shelves1 it will immensely 
relieve the librarian or book-owner1 who
 can then1 7and then only7 feel that he 
has done his whole duty by his books4   
,another dangerous enemy of the library 
book is damp1 already briefly referred  
to4 ,books kept in any basement room1 or
 near any wall1 absorb moisture with    
avidity2 both paper and bindings        
becoming mildewed1 and often covered    
with blue mould4 ,if long left in this  
perilous condition1 sure destruction    
follows2 the glue or paste which fastens
 the cover softens1 the leather loses   
its tenacity1 and the leaves slowly rot1
 until the worthless volumes smell to   
heaven4 ,books thus injured may be      
partially recovered1 before the advanced
 stage of decomposition1 by removal to a
 dry atmosphere1 and by taking the      
volumes apart1 drying the sheets1 and   
rebinding--a very expensive1 but        
necessary remedy1 provided the books are

 deemed worth preserving4  ,but a true  
remedy is the preventive one4 ,no       
library should ever be kept1 even in    
part1 in a basement story1 nor should   
any books ever be located near the wall 
of a building4 ,all walls absorb1       
retain1 and give out moisture1 and are  
dangerous and oft-times fatal neighbors 
to books4 ,let the shelves be located at
 right angles to every wall--with the   
end nearest to it at least twelve to    
eighteen inches removed1 and the danger 
will be obviated4  ,a third enemy of the
 book is heat4 ,most libraries are      
unfortunately over-heated1--sometimes   
from defective means of controlling the 
temperature1 and sometimes from         
carelessness or want of thought in the  
attendant4 ,a high temperature is very  
destructive to books4 ,it warps their   
covers1 so that volumes unprotected by  
their fellows1 or by a book support1    
tend to curl up1 and stay warped until  
they become a nuisance4 ,it also injures
 the paper of the volumes by            

over-heating1 and weakening the tenacity
 of the leaves held together by the glue
 on the back1 besides drying to an      
extreme the leather1 till it cracks or  
crumbles under the heat4 ,the upper     
shelves or galleries of any library are 
most seriously affected by over-heating1
 because the natural law causes the heat
 to rise toward the ceiling4 ,if you put
 your hand on some books occupying the  
highest places in some library rooms1 in
 mid-winter1 when the fires are kept at 
their maximum1 the heat of the volume   
will almost burn your fingers4 ,if these
 books were sentient beings1 and could  
speak1 would they not say--our          
sufferings are intolerable8  ,the remedy
 is of course a preventive one2 never to
 suffer the library to become           
over-heated1 and to have proper         
ventilation on every floor1             
communicating with the air outside4     
,seventy degrees ,fahrenheit is a safe  
and proper maximum temperature for books
 and librarian4  ,the mischief arising  

from gas exhalations is another serious 
source of danger to books4 ,in many     
well-lighted libraries1 the heat itself 
from the numerous gas-burners is        
sufficient to injure them1 and there is 
besides a sulphuric acid escaping from  
the coal-gas fluid1 in combustion1 which
 is most deleterious to bindings4 ,the  
only remedy appears to be1 where        
libraries are open evenings1 to furnish 
them with electric lights4 ,this        
improved mode of illumination is now so 
perfected1 and so widely diffused1 that 
it may be reckoned a positive boon to   
public libraries1 in saving their books 
from one of their worst and most        
destructive enemies4  ,another of the   
potent enemies of books is fire4 ,i     
refer1 not to over-heating the rooms    
they occupy1 but to the risk they       
continually run1 in most libraries1 of  
total destruction4 ,the chronicle of    
burned libraries would make a long and  
melancholy record1 on which there is no 
space here to enter4 ,irreparable losses

 of manuscripts and early printed books1
 and precious volumes printed in small  
editions1 have arisen from men's neglect
 of building our book-repositories      
fire-proof4 ,in all libraries not       
provided with iron or steel shelves1    
there is perpetual danger4 ,books do not
 burn easily1 unless surrounded with    
combustibles1 but these are furnished in
 nearly all libraries1 by surrounding   
the books on three sides with wooden    
shelves1 which need only to be ignited  
at any point to put the whole collection
 in a blaze4 ,then follows the usual    
abortive endeavor to save the library by
 the aid of fire engines1 which flood   
the building1 until the water spoils    
nearly all which the fire does not      
consume4 ,the incalculable losses which 
the cause of learning has sustained from
 the burning of public1 university and  
ecclesiastical libraries are far greater
 than the cost which the provision of   
fire-proof repositories would have      
entailed4  ,of late years1 there has    

been a partial reform in library        
construction4 ,some have been built     
fire-proof throughout1 with only stone1 
brick1 concrete and iron material1 even 
to the floors and window casings4 ,many 
more have had iron shelves and iron     
stacks to hold the shelves constructed1 
and there are now several competing     
manufacturers of these invaluable       
safeguards to books4 ,the first library 
interior constructed wholly of iron was 
that of the ,library of ,congress at    
,washington1 which had been twice       
consumed1 first when the ,capitol was   
burned by the ,british army in #ahad1   
and again in #ahea1 through a defective 
flue1 when only #bj1jjj volumes were    
saved from the flames1 out of a total of
 #ee1jjj4 ,the example of iron          
construction has been slowly followed1  
until now the large cities have most of 
their newly-constructed libraries       
approximately fire-proof1 although many 
are exposed to fire in parts1 owing to a
 niggardly and false economy4 ,the      

lesson that what is worth doing at all  
is worth doing well1 and that every     
neglect of security brings sooner or    
later irreparable loss1 is very slowly  
learned4 ,whole hecatombs of books have 
been sacrificed to the spirit of        
commercial greed1 blind or short-sighted
 enough not to see that secure          
protection to public property1 though   
costlier at first1 is far cheaper in the
 end4 ,you may speak of insurance       
against library losses by fire1 but what
 insurance could restore the rare and   
costly ,shakespearean treasures of the  
,birmingham ,free ,library1 or the      
unique and priceless manuscripts that   
went up in flames in the city library of
 ,strasburg1 in #ahgj1 or the many      
precious and irreplaceable manuscript   
archives of so many of our ,states1     
burned in the conflagration of their    
capitols8  ,one would think that the    
civilized world had had lessons enough1 
ever since that seventh century burning 
of the ,alexandrian library by the      

,caliph ,omar1 with that famous but     
apocryphal rhetorical dilemma1 put in   
his mouth perhaps by some nimble-witted 
reporter3--,if these books agree with   
the ,koran1 they are useless1 and should
 be burned3 if not1 they are pernicious1
 and must not be spared4 ,but the       
heedless world goes carelessly on1 deaf 
to the voice of reason1 and the lessons 
of history1 amid the holocausts of      
literature and the wreck of blazing     
libraries1 uttering loud newspaper wails
 at each new instance of destruction1   
forgotten in a week1 then cheerfully    
renewing the business of building       
libraries that invite the flames4       
,nothing here said should be interpreted
 as advice not to insure any library1 in
 all cases where it is not provided with
 iron cases for the books1 or a         
fire-proof building4 ,on the contrary1  
the menaced destruction of books or     
manuscripts that cannot be replaced     
should lead to securing means in advance
 for replacing all the rest in case of  

loss by fire4 ,and the experience of the
 past points the wisdom of locating     
every library in an isolated building1  
where risks of fire from other buildings
 are reduced to a minimum1 instead of in
 a block whose buildings 7as in most    
commercial structures7 are lined with   
wood4  ,you will perhaps attach but     
small importance at first thought1 to   
the next insidious foe to library books 
that ,i shall name--that is1 wetting by 
rain4 ,yet most buildings leak at the   
roof1 sometime1 and some old buildings  
are subject to leaks all the time4 ,even
 under the roof of the ,capitol at      
,washington1 at every melting of a heavy
 snow-fall1 and on occasion of violent  
and protracted rains1 there have been   
leaks pouring down water into the       
libraries located in the old part of the
 building4 ,each of these saturated and 
injured its quota of books1 some of     
which could only be restored to         
available use by re-binding1 and even   
then the leaves were left water-stained 

in part4 ,see to it that your library   
roof is water-tight1 or the contents of 
your library will be constantly exposed 
to damage against which there is no     
insurance4  ,another besetting danger to
 the books of our libraries arises from 
insects and vermin4 ,these animated foes
 appear chiefly in the form of          
book-worms1 cockroaches1 and mice4 ,the 
first-named is rare in ,american        
libraries1 though its ravages have      
extended far and wide among the old     
,european ones4 ,this minute little     
insect1 whose scientific name is the    
anobium paniceum1 bores through the     
leaves of old volumes1 making sometimes 
holes which deface and mutilate the     
text4 ,all our public libraries1        
doubtless1 have on their shelves old    
folios in vellum or leather bindings1   
which present upon opening the          
disagreeable vision of leaves eaten     
through 7usually before they crossed the
 sea7 by these pernicious little borers4
 ,it is comforting to add1 that ,i have 

never known of any book-worm in the     
,congressional ,library--except the     
human variety1 which is frequently in   
evidence4 ,georgetown ,college library  
once sent me a specimen of the insect1  
which was found alive in one of its     
volumes1 but the united testimony of    
librarians is that this pest is rare in 
the ,united ,states4 ,as to remedies1   
the preventive one of sprinkling the    
shelves twice a year with a mixture of  
powdered camphor and snuff1 or the vapor
 of benzine or carbolic acid1 or other  
repellant chemicals1 is resorted to     
abroad1 but ,i have not heard of any    
similar practice in this country4 ,i may
 remark in passing1 that the term       
book-worm is a misnomer1 since it is not
 a worm at all1 but an insect4 ,a more  
serious insect menace is the cockroach1 
a hungry1 unclean little beast1 which   
frequents a good many libraries1 and    
devours bindings 7especially fresh ones7
 to get at the paste or savory parts of 
the binding4 ,the remedy for this evil1 

when once found to exist1 is to scatter 
the most effective roach poison that can
 be found1 which may arrest further     
ravages4  ,another insect pest is the   
,croton bug1 7,blatta ,germanica7 which 
eats into cloth bindings to get at the  
sizing or albumen4 ,the late eminent    
entomologist1 ,dr4 ,c4 ,v4 ,riley1      
pronounced them the worst pest known in 
libraries1 but observed that they do not
 attack books bound in leather1 and     
confine their ravages to the outside of 
cloth-bound books1 never troubling the  
leaves4 ,the remedy prescribed is a     
powder in which pyrethrum is the chief  
ingredient1 sprinkled about the shelves4
  ,among the rodents1 mice are apt to be
 busy and mischievous infesters of      
libraries4 ,they are extremely fond of  
paste1 and being in a chronic state of  
hunger1 they watch opportunities of     
getting at any library receptacle of it4
 ,they will gnaw any fresh binding1     
whether of cloth1 board1 or leather1 to 
get at the coveted food4 ,they will also

 gnaw some books1 and even pamphlets1   
without any apparent temptation of a    
succulent nature4 ,a good library cat or
 a series of mouse traps1 skilfully     
baited1 may rid you of this evil4  ,the 
injury that comes to library books from 
insufficient care in protecting them on 
the shelves is great and incalculable4  
,there are to be seen in every library1 
volumes all twisted out of shape by the 
sagging or leaning1 to which the        
end-book is subjected1 and which is     
often shared by all its neighbors on the
 shelf4 ,the inevitable result is that  
the book is not only spoiled in its good
 looks1 but 7which is vastly more       
important7 it is injured in its binding1
 which is strained and weakened just in 
proportion to the length of time in     
which it is subjected to such risks4    
,the plain remedy is to take care that  
every volume is supported upright upon  
the shelf1 in some way4 ,when the shelf 
is full1 the books will support one     
another4 ,but when volumes are          

withdrawn1 or when a shelf is only      
partly filled with books1 the           
unsupported volumes tumble by force of  
gravitation1 and those next them sag and
 lean1 or fall like a row of bricks1    
pushing one another over4 ,no shelf of  
books can safely be left in this        
condition4 ,some one of the numerous    
book-supports that have been contrived  
should be always ready1 to hold up the  
volumes which are liable to lean and    
fall4  ,we come now to the active human 
enemies of books1 and these are         
unhappily found among some of the       
readers who frequent our libraries4     
,these abuses are manifold and          
far-reaching4 ,most of them are         
committed through ignorance1 and can be 
corrected by the courteous but firm     
interposition of the librarian1         
instructing the delinquent how to treat 
a book in hand4 ,others are wilful and  
unpardonable offences against property  
rights and public morals1 even if not   
made penal offences by law4 ,one of     

these is book mutilation1 very widely   
practiced1 but rarely detected until the
 mischief is done1 and the culprit gone4
 ,i have found whole pages torn out of  
translations1 in the volumes of ,bohn's 
,classical ,library1 doubtless by       
students wanting the translated text as 
a crib in their study of the original   
tongue4 ,some readers will watch their  
opportunity1 and mutilate a book by     
cutting out plates or a map1 to please  
their fancy1 or perhaps to make up a    
defective copy of the same work4 ,those 
consulting bound files of newspapers    
will ruthlessly despoil them by cutting 
out articles or correspondence1 or      
advertisements1 and carrying off the    
stolen extracts1 to save themselves the 
trouble of copying4 ,others1 bolder     
still1 if not more unscrupulous1 will   
deliberately carry off a library book   
under a coat1 or in a pocket1 perhaps   
signing a false name to a reader's      
ticket to hide the theft1 or escape     
detection4 ,against these scandalous    

practices1 there is no absolute         
safeguard in any library4 ,even where a 
police watch is kept1 thefts are        
perpetrated1 and in most libraries where
 no watchman is employed1 the librarian 
and his assistants are commonly far too 
busy to exercise close scrutiny of all  
readers4 ,as one safeguard1 no rare or  
specially costly book should be         
entrusted to a reader except under the  
immediate eye of the librarian or       
assistant4 ,ordinary books can be       
replaced if carried off1 and by watching
 the rarities1 risk of theft can be     
reduced to a minimum4  ,when newspapers 
are given out to readers1 it should     
always be in a part of the library where
 those using them are conscious of a    
surveillance exercised over their       
movements4 ,the penalty of neglecting   
this may at any time be the mutilation  
of an important file1 and it must be    
remembered that such damage1 once done1 
cannot be repaired4 ,you can replace a  
mutilated book usually by buying a new  

one1 but a newspaper can almost never be
 replaced4 ,even in the city of ,boston1
 the librarian of the ,athenaeum library
 records the disgraceful fact1 that the 
temptation to avoid the trouble of      
copying1 by cutting out articles from   
newspapers is too strong for the honesty
 of a considerable part of the public4  
,and it was recorded by the custodian of
 a public library in ,albany that all   
the plates were missing from certain    
books1 that the poetry and best         
illustrations were cut from magazines   
before they had lain on the tables a    
week1 and strange to say1 that many of  
these depredations were committed by    
women4  ,it is a difficult problem how  
to prevent such outrages to decency1 and
 such irreparable depredations on the   
books in our libraries as destroy1 in   
great part1 their value4 ,a posted      
notice1 reminding readers that          
mutilation of books or periodicals is a 
penal offence1 will warn off many1 if   
not all1 from such acts of vandalism4   

,if there is no law punishing the       
offence1 agitate until you get one4     
,expose through the press such thefts   
and mutilations as are discovered4      
,interest readers whom you know1 to be  
watchful of those you do not know1 and  
to quietly report any observed violation
 of rules4 ,when a culprit is detected1 
push the case to prompt legal hearing1  
and let the penalty of the law be       
enforced4 ,let it be known that the     
public property in books is too sacred a
 right to be violated with impunity4    
,inculcate by every means and on every  
opportunity the sentiment that readers  
who freely benefit by the books supplied
 should themselves feel personal concern
 in their cleanliness and preservation1 
and that the interest of the library is 
really the interest of all4  ,a daily   
abuse practiced by many readers in      
libraries1 though without wrongful      
intent1 is the piling of one book on top
 of another while open4 ,this is        
inexcusable ill-treatment1 for it       

subjects the open book thus burdened1 to
 injury1 besides probably soiling its   
pages with dust4 ,especially harmful is 
such careless treatment of large volumes
 of newspapers or illustrated works4    
,careless use of ink is the cause of    
much injury to library books4 ,as a rule
 7to which the very fewest exceptions   
should be made7 pencils only should be  
allowed to readers1 who must forego the 
use of ink1 with the inevitable risk of 
dropping it upon the book to its        
irreparable injury4 ,the use of ink in  
fountain pens is less objectionable4    
,tracing of maps or plates should not be
 allowed1 unless with a soft pencil4    
,under no circumstances should tracing  
with a pen or other hard instrument be  
permitted to any reader4 ,failure to    
enforce this rule may result in ruin of 
valuable engravings or maps4  ,there is 
one class of books which demand special 
and watchful care at the hands of the   
librarian4 ,these are the fine          
illustrated works1 mostly in large      

folio1 which include the engravings of  
the art galleries of ,europe1 and many  
other specially rare or costly          
publications4 ,these should be carefully
 shelved in cases where they can lie on 
their sides1 not placed upright1 as in  
some collections1 to lean over1 and1    
sooner or later to break their backs1   
and necessitate rebinding4 ,when        
supplied to readers1 there should not be
 more than one volume at a time given   
out1 to avoid the risk1 always          
threatening1 of careless handling or of 
opening one volume on top of another    
that is open4 ,there should also be a   
printed notice or label affixed to the  
side cover of every illustrated work    
reading1 ,never touch an engraving1 or  
an equivalent warning4 ,this will go    
far1 by its plain reminder1 to prevent  
soiling the pages by the fingers1 a     
practice which rapidly deteriorates fine
 books1 and if long continued1 renders  
them unfit to be exhibited to           
clean-handed readers4  ,all plates      

should be stamped at some portion of    
their surface 7it is often done on the  
back7 with the embossing stamp of the   
library1 as a means of identification if
 abstracted from the volume to which    
they belong4  ,such books should1       
moreover1 be consulted on a large table1
 or better an adjustable stand 7to avoid
 frequent lifting or shifting of the    
position of the volume when inspecting  
the plates7 and always under the eye of 
the librarian or an assistant not far   
removed4 ,these precautions will insure 
far more careful treatment1 and will    
result in handing down to a new         
generation of readers many a rare and   
precious volume1 which would otherwise  
be destroyed or irretrievably injured in
 a very few years4 ,the library         
treasures which cost so much to bring   
together should never be permitted to   
suffer from want of care to preserve    
them4  ,all writing upon the margins of 
books should be prohibited--other than  
simple pencil corrections of the text1  

as to an erroneous date1 name1 etc41    
which corrections of errors should not  
only be permitted1 but welcomed1 upon   
due verification4 ,the marking of       
passages for copying or citation should 
be tolerated only upon the rigid        
condition that every user of the book   
rubs out his own pencil marks before    
returning it4 ,i have seen lawyers and  
others thoughtless enough of right and  
wrong to mark long passages in pen and  
ink in books belonging to public        
libraries4 ,this is a practice to be    
sternly repressed1 even at the cost of  
denying further library privileges to   
the offender4  ,turning down leaves in a
 book to keep the place is one of the   
easily besetting sins of too many       
readers4 ,those who thus dogs-ear a     
volume should be taught that the vile   
practice weakens and wears out the      
leaves thus folded down1 and makes the  
book a more easy prey to dust and       
disintegration4 ,however busy ,i may be1
 ,i instinctively turn back every       

turned-down leaf ,i notice in any book1 
before using it1 or handing it to       
another4 ,a good safe-guard would be to 
provide a supply of little narrow strips
 of paper1 in the ticket boxes at the   
library tables to serve as the          
book-markers so frequently needed by    
readers4 ,for this purpose1 no thick or 
smooth calendered paper should be used1 
which falls out of any loosely bound    
book too readily--but a thin soft paper 
un-sized1 which will be apt to retain   
its place4 ,i have lost valuable time   
7which ,i shall never see again7 in     
trying to find the pages marked for me  
by a searcher who had thoughtlessly     
inserted bits of card-board as          
markers--which kept falling out by their
 own weight4 ,the book-marks should be  
at least two inches long1 and not more  
than half an inch wide2 and rough edges 
are better than smooth ones1 for they   
will adhere better to the head of the   
volume where placed4 ,better still it   
is1 to provide paper book-marks forked  

at the lower end by slitting1 then      
doubled so that the mark will go on both
 sides of the leaf at once4 ,this is the
 only sure safe-guard against these bits
 of paper falling out1 and thus losing  
the place4 ,never put cards1 or letters1
 or documents1 or any solid substance   
into a book4 ,it weakens the binding1   
and if continued1 often breaks the back4
 ,the fact that most of the injuries to 
which books are exposed are             
unintentional injuries does not alter   
the fact that they are none the less    
injuries to be guarded against4 ,wilful 
perpetration of the many abuses referred
 to may be rare1 but the unconscious    
perpetrators should be instructed how to
 use books by a vigilant librarian4 ,and
 they who have thus been taught to be   
careful of the books in a public library
 will learn to be more careful of their 
own1 which is a great step in the       
education of any one4  ,it ought not to 
be needful to charge any one never to   
wet the finger to turn over the leaves  

of a book--a childish habit1 akin to    
running out the tongue when writing1 or 
moving the lips when reading to one's   
self4 ,the only proper way to turn the  
leaf is at the upper right-hand corner1 
and the index-finger of the right hand  
will always be found competent to that  
duty4  ,still less should it be needful 
to insist upon the importance to every  
reader of books1 of coming to their     
perusal clean-handed4 ,when you reflect 
that nine-tenths of the soiling and     
spoiling which books undergo comes from 
the dirty hands of many readers1 this   
becomes a vital point4 ,fouquet1 a      
learned book collector of ,france1 used 
to keep a pile of white gloves in the   
ante-room of his library1 and no visitor
 was allowed to cross the threshold1 or 
to handle a book without putting on a   
pair1 lest he should soil the precious  
volumes with naked hands4 ,such a       
refinement of care to keep books        
immaculate is not to be expected in this
 age of the world2 and yet1 a librarian 

who respects his calling is often       
tempted to wish that there were some    
means of compelling people to be more   
careful about books than they are4  ,it 
ought not ever to be true that an enemy 
to the welfare of library books is found
 in the librarian himself1 or in any of 
his assistants1 yet there have been     
those employed in the care of books who 
have abused their positions and the     
volumes entrusted to their charge1 not  
only by neglect of care1 7which is a    
negative injury7 but by positive and    
continual ill treatment4 ,this may arise
 from ignorance of better methods1 but  
ignorance is a poor excuse for one      
credited with the intelligence of a     
librarian4 ,in some libraries1 books are
 treated with positive indignity1 and   
are permanently injured by tightly      
wedging them together4 ,never crowd     
books by main force into shelves too    
short or too small for them4 ,it strains
 the backs1 and seriously injures the   
bindings4 ,every book should slip easily

 past its fellows on the shelf4 ,if a   
volume is too tall to go in its place1  
it should be relegated to lower shelves 
for larger books1 never letting its head
 be crowded against the shelf above it4 
,one should never pull books out from   
the shelf by their head-bands1 or by    
pulling at the binding1 but place the   
finger firmly on the top of the book1   
next to the binding1 and press down     
while drawing out the volume4 ,from     
failure to observe this simple          
precaution1 you will find in all        
libraries multitudes of torn or broken  
bindings at the top--a wholly needless  
defacement and waste4  ,never permit a  
book to be turned down on its face to   
keep the place4 ,this easily besetting  
habit weakens the book1 and frequently  
soils its leaves by contact with a dusty
 table4 ,for the same reason1 one volume
 should not be placed within the leaves 
of another to keep the place where a    
book-mark of paper1 so easily supplied1 
should always be used4 ,books should not

 be turned down on the fore-edges or    
fronts on the library tables1 as        
practiced in most book-stores1 in order 
to better display the stock4 ,the same  
habit prevails in many libraries1 from  
careless inattention4 ,when necessary1  
in order to better read the titles1 they
 should never be left long in such      
position4 ,this treatment weakens the   
back infallibly1 and if long continued  
breaks it4 ,librarians1 of all persons  
in the world1 should learn1 and should  
lead others to learn1 never to treat a  
book with indignity1 and how truly the  
life of a book depends upon proper      
treatment1 as well as that of an        
animated being4  ,these things1 and     
others of my suggestions1 may seem      
trifles to some2 but to those who       
consider how much success in life       
depends upon attention to what are      
called trifles--nay1 how much both human
 taste and human happiness are promoted 
by care regarding trifles1 they will not
 appear unimportant4 ,the existence of  

schools to teach library science1 and of
 manuals devoted to similar laudable    
aims1 is an auspicious omen of the new  
reign of refined taste in those nobler  
arts of life which connect themselves   
with literature1 and are to be hailed as
 authentic evidences of the onward      
progress of civilization4     ,,chapter 
#f4  ,,the ,,restoration ,,and          
,,reclamation ,,of ,,books4   ,we are   
now to consider carefully the           
restoration and the reclamation of the  
books of a library1 whether public or   
private4  ,nothing can be more important
 than the means of restoring or         
reclaiming library books that are lost  
or injured1 since every such restoration
 will save the funds of the library or  
collector from replacing them with fresh
 or newly bought copies1 and will enable
 it to furnish its stores with as many  
new books as the money thus saved       
represents4 ,the cardinal thing to be   
kept always in view is a wise economy of
 means4 ,an every-day prudence is the   

price of successful administration4 ,a  
management which permits any of the     
enemies of books to destroy or damage   
them1 thereby wasting the substance of  
the library without repair1 is a fatally
 defective management1 which should be  
changed as soon as possible4  ,this     
consideration assumes added importance  
when it is remembered that the means of 
nearly all our libraries are very       
limited and inadequate to the drafts    
upon them1 year by year4 ,a great many  
libraries are compelled to let their    
books needing rebinding accumulate1 from
 the mere want of money to pay for      
reclothing the nearly worn-out volumes1 
thus depriving the readers for a        
considerable time1 of the use of many   
coveted books4 ,and even with those     
which have large means1 ,i have never   
yet heard of a library that had enough1 
either to satisfy the eager desire of   
the librarian to fill up deficiencies1  
or to meet fully the manifold wants of  
readers4 ,so much the more important1   

then1 is it to husband every dollar that
 can be saved1 to keep the books in such
 good condition that they will not need 
frequent rebinding1 and to reduce to a  
minimum all the evils which beset them1 
menacing their safety1 or injuring their
 condition4  ,to attain these great     
ends1 the librarian who is qualified for
 his responsible position1 must be both 
a preserver and a restorer of books4 ,if
 not personally able to go through the  
mechanical processes which belong to the
 art of restoration1 7and this is the   
case in all libraries except the        
smallest7 he should at least learn all  
about them1 so as to be able to teach   
them thoroughly and intelligently to an 
assistant4 ,it is frequently made an    
excuse for the soiled and slovenly and  
even torn condition of books and        
bindings in a much used public library1 
that neither the librarian nor his aids 
have any time to look into the condition
 of the books1 much less to repair any  
of the numerous damages they sustain4   

,but it should be remembered that in    
most libraries1 even the busiest1 there 
are seasons of the day1 or periods of   
very stormy weather1 when the           
frequentation of readers is quite small4
 ,those times should always be seized   
upon to take hold of volumes which have 
had to be laid aside as damaged1 in the 
hurry of business4 ,to arrest such      
damages at the threshold is the duty and
 the interest of the library4 ,a torn   
leaf can be quickly mended1 a slightly  
broken binding can be pasted or glued1  
turned-down leaves can be restored where
 they belong1 a plate or map that is    
started can be fastened in1 by devoting 
a few minutes at the proper time1 and   
with the proper appliances ready at     
hand4 ,multitudes of volumes can be so  
treated in the course of the year1 thus 
saving the heavy cost of rebinding4 ,it 
is the proverbial stitch in time that   
saves nine4 ,never wait1 in such        
matters1 for the leisure day that never 
comes1 but seize the golden moment as it

 flies1 when no reader is interrupting  
you1 and clear off at least one of the  
little jobs that are awaiting your      
attention4 ,no one who does not know how
 to use the odd moments is qualified for
 the duties of a librarian4 ,i have     
seen1 in country libraries1 the         
librarian and his lady assistant        
absorbed in reading newspapers1 with no 
other readers in the room4 ,this is a   
use of valuable time never to be        
indulged in during library hours4 ,if   
they had given those moments to proper  
care of the books under their charge1   
their shelves would not have been found 
filled with neglected volumes1 many of  
which had been plainly badly treated and
 injured1 but not beyond reclamation by 
timely and provident care4  ,it is      
amazing how any one can expect long     
employment as a librarian1 who takes no 
interest in the condition of the books  
under his charge4 ,the way to build up a
 library1 and to establish the          
reputation of a librarian at the same   

time1 is to devote every energy and     
intelligence to the great work in hand4 
,convince the library directors1 by     
incessant care of the condition of the  
books1 that you are not only a fit1 but 
an indispensable custodian of them4 ,let
 them see your methods of preserving and
 restoring1 and they will be induced to 
give you every facility of which you    
stand in need4 ,show them how the cost  
of binding or re-buying many books can  
be saved by timely repair within the    
library1 and then ask for another       
assistant to be always employed on such 
work at very moderate cost4 ,library    
directors and trustees are commonly     
intensely practical men1 and quick to   
see into the heart of good management4  
,they do not want a librarian who has a 
great reputation as a linguist1 or an   
educator1 or a book-worm1 but one who   
knows and cares about making their funds
 go as far as possible1 and can show    
them how he has saved by restoring old  
books1 enough money to pay for a great  

many new ones4  ,nothing is more common 
in public lending libraries than to find
 torn leaves in some of the books4 ,if  
the leaf is simply broken1 without being
 absolutely detached1 or if part is torn
 off1 and remains on hand1 the volume   
may be restored by a very simple        
process4 ,keep always at hand in some   
drawer1 a few sheets of thin onion-skin 
paper1 or the transparent adhesive paper
 supplied by the ,library ,bureau4      
,paste this on either side of the torn  
leaf1 seeing that it laps over all the  
points of juncture where the tear       
occurred1 and that the fitting of the   
text or reading matter is complete and  
perfect4 ,the paper being transparent1  
there will be no difficulty in reading  
the torn page through it4  ,this little 
piece of restoration should always be   
effected immediately on discovery1 both 
that the torn piece or fragment may be  
saved1 and that the volume may be       
restored to use4  ,in case of absolute  
loss of a leaf or a part of a page1     

there are only three remedies known to  
me4  #a4 ,the book may be condemned as  
imperfect1 and a new copy purchased4    
#b4 ,the missing part may be restored   
from a perfect copy of the same work1 by
 copying the portions of the text       
wanting1 and inserting them where they  
belong4 ,this can be done with a pen1   
and the written deficiency neatly       
inserted1 in fac-simile of the type1 or 
in ordinary script hand2 or else the    
part wanting may be photographed or     
heliotyped by the best modern process   
from a duplicate copy of the book4  #c4 
,if the book is of very recent issue1   
the publishers may furnish a signature  
or sheet which would make good the      
deficiency1 from the imperfections left 
in the bindery1 after making up the     
edition of the work4  ,in most cases1   
the last named means of replacement will
 not be found available4 ,the first1 or 
buying a fresh copy1 may entail a       
greater expense than the library        
authorities would deem proper at the    

time1 and it might be preferred to      
continue the book in use1 with a slight 
imperfection4  ,the second method1 more 
or less troublesome according to        
circumstances1 or the extent of the     
matter to be copied is sometimes the    
most economical4 ,of course1 it is      
subject to the drawback of not being1   
when done1 a bona fide or genuine copy  
of the book as published4 ,this         
diminishes the commercial value of even 
the rarest book1 although so fully      
restored as to text that the reader has 
it all before him1 so that it supplies  
every requisite of a perfect copy for   
the purposes of a public library1 or a  
private owner who is not a connoisseur  
in books4  ,when the corners of a book  
are found to be broken 7as often happens
 by falling to the floor or severe      
handling7 the book may be restored by a 
treatment which will give it new leather
 corners4 ,with paste or glue well      
rubbed in1 apply thick brown paper on   
the corners1 which1 when dry1 will be as

 hard as desired1 and ready to receive  
the leather4 ,then the sides may be     
covered with marbled paper or cloth1 and
 the volume is restored4  ,when the back
 of a book becomes loose1 the remedy is 
to take it out of the cover1 re-sew it1 
and glue it firmly into the former back4
 ,this will of course render the back of
 the volume more rigid1 but1 in         
compensation1 it will be more durable4  
,in these cases of loose or broken      
backs1 the study should be to save the  
leather cover and the boards or sides of
 the book intact1 so as to diminish by  
more than one-half the cost of repair4  
,as the volume cannot be restored to a  
solid and safe condition without being  
re-sewed1 it may be carefully separated 
from the cover by cutting the cords or  
bands at their junction with the boards1
 then slowly stripping the book out of  
its cover1 little by little1 and        
treating the sheets when separated as   
already indicated in the chapter on     
rebinding4  ,one of the most common     

defacements which library books undergo 
is marking up the margins with comments 
or references in pencil4 ,of course no  
thoughtful reader would be guilty of    
this practice1 but thoughtless readers  
are often in the majority1 and the books
 they read or fancy that they read1 get 
such silly commentaries on the margins  
as these3 beautiful1 very sad1 perfectly
 splendid1 ,i think ,becky is horrid1   
or1 this book ends badly4 ,such vile    
practices or defacements are not always 
traceable to the true offender1         
especially in a circulating library1    
where the hours are so busy as to       
prevent the librarian from looking      
through the volumes as they come in from
 the readers4 ,but if detected1 as they 
may be after a few trials of suspected  
parties1 by giving them out books known 
to be clean and free from pencil marks  
when issued to them1 the reader should  
be required always to rub out his own   
marks1 as a wholesome object-lesson for 
the future4 ,the same course should be  

pursued with any reader detected in     
scribbling on the margin of any book    
which is being read within the library4 
,incorrigible cases1 amounting to       
malicious marking up of books1 should be
 visited by severe penalties--even to   
the denial of further library privileges
 to the offender4  ,not long ago1 ,i    
bought at an auction sale a copy of the 
first edition of ,tennyson's ,in        
,memoriam1 which was found on receipt to
 be defaced by marking dozens of verses 
in the margin with black lines drawn    
along them1 absolutely with pen and ink6
 ,the owner of that book1 who did the   
ruthless deed1 never reflected that it  
might fall into hands where his         
indelible folly would be sharply        
denounced4  ,the librarian or assistant 
librarian who will instinctively rub out
 all pencil marks observed in a library 
book deserves well of his countrymen4   
,it is time well spent4  ,the writing on
 book-margins is so common a practice1  
and so destructive of the comfort and   

satisfaction which readers of taste     
should find in their perusal of books1  
that no legitimate means of arresting it
 or repairing it should be neglected4   
,in a public library in ,massachusetts1 
a young woman of eighteen who was       
detected as having marked a library copy
 of ,middlemarch with gushing effusions1
 was required to read the statute       
prescribing fine and imprisonment for   
such offenses1 with very tearful effect1
 and undoubtedly with a wholesome and   
permanent improvement in her relations  
to books and libraries4  ,in some       
libraries1 a warning notice is posted up
 like this3 ,readers finding a book     
injured or defaced1 are required to     
report it at once to the librarian1     
otherwise they will be held responsible 
for the damage done4 ,this rule1 while  
its object is highly commendable1 may   
lead in practice to injustice to some   
readers4 ,so long as the reader uses the
 book inside of the library walls1 he   
should of course report such defects as 

meet his eye in reading1 whether missing
 pages1 plates1 or maps1 or serious     
internal soiling1 torn leaves1 etc4 ,but
 in the case of drawing out books for   
home reading1 the rule might embarrass  
any reader1 however well disposed1 if   
too strictly construed4 ,a reader       
finding any serious defect in a library 
volume used at home1 should simply place
 a mark or slip in the proper place with
 the word damaged1 or defective written 
on it4 ,then1 on returning the book to  
the library1 his simple statement of    
finding it damaged or defective when he 
came to read it should be accepted by   
the librarian as exonerating him from   
blame for any damage4 ,and this gives   
point to the importance of examining    
every book1 at least by cursory         
inspection1 before it is handed out for 
use4 ,a volume can be run through       
quickly by a practiced hand1 so as to   
show in a moment or two any leaves      
started or torn1 or1 usually1 any other 
important injury4 ,if any such is found1

 the volume should under no             
circumstances be given out1 but at once 
subjected to repair or restoration4     
,this degree of care will not only save 
the books of the library from rapid     
deterioration1 but will also save the   
feelings of readers1 who might be       
anxious lest they be unjustly charged   
with damaging while in their hands4     
,the treatment of their imperfect books 
7which tend perpetually to accumulate7  
is very different in different          
libraries4 ,some libraries1 where funds 
are ample enough to enable them to do   
it1 condemn any book that has so much as
 a sentence torn out1 and replace it on 
the shelves with a new copy4 ,the       
imperfect volumes are sold for waste    
paper1 or put into some sale of         
duplicate books1 marked as imperfect1   
with note of the damage upon a slip     
inserted at the proper place in the     
book1 and also in the catalogue1 if sold
 at auction or in a printed list of     
duplicates offered by the library4 ,this

 notice of what imperfection exists is  
necessary1 so that no incautious        
purchaser may think that he is securing 
a perfect copy of the work4  ,other     
libraries not blessed with means to     
pursue this course1 do as best they can 
afford1 supplying what is deficient when
 possible without much cost of time or  
money1 or else continuing the damaged   
book in use with all its imperfections  
on its head4  ,the loss of a single     
plate does not destroy the value of the 
book for readers1 however to be         
regretted as diminishing the            
satisfaction to be derived from the     
volume4 ,and one can sometimes pardon   
the loss of a part of a page in a       
mutilated book1 especially when he is   
made aware of the fact that the library 
which welcomes him to the free enjoyment
 of its treasures cannot well afford to 
buy another4  ,it is disheartening to   
read1 in an annual report of a public   
library of circulation in               
,massachusetts1 that many of its popular

 books are so soiled and defaced1 after 
a few readings1 as to be unfit for      
further service2 that books of poetry   
are despoiled by the scissors to save   
trouble of copying verses wanted2 that  
plates are often abstracted1 and that   
many magazines seem to be taken from the
 library for no other reason than that  
private scrap-books may be enriched or  
restless children amused4 ,the only     
remedy suggested is to examine each book
 before again giving it out1 and1 if    
returned defaced1 to hold the borrower  
responsible4  ,the art of cleaning books
 that are stained or dirty1 is a matter 
not widely known1 and in this country   
there are few experts at it4 ,some of   
these keep closely guarded the methods  
they use to cleanse a book4             
,comparatively few libraries avail      
themselves of the practice of washing   
their soiled volumes1 as the process is 
too expensive for most of them1 and so  
they are accustomed to let the library  
books remain in use and re-issue them   

again and again1 until they become so   
filthy as to be quite unfit to be       
seen--much less handled by any reader4  
,but there are often valuable or rare   
works which have sustained interior     
injury1 and which it is desired to      
restore to a clean condition4 ,the best 
method is to take the book apart as the 
first step4 ,when separated into sheets1
 those leaves which are merely dirty    
should be placed in a bath composed of  
about four ounces of chloride of lime1  
dissolved in a quart of water4 ,they    
should soak until all stains are        
removed1 and the paper is restored to   
its proper color4 ,then the pages should
 be washed in cold water--running water 
is preferable--and allowed to soak about
 six hours4 ,this removes all traces of 
the lime1 which would otherwise tend to 
rot or injure the book4 ,after this1 the
 sheets are to be sized1 i4 e41 dipped  
in a bath of size and water1 and laid   
out to dry4 ,this process gives firmness
 and consistency to the paper1 which    

would otherwise remain too soft to      
handle4 ,the sheets should be pressed a 
few hours between glazed paste-boards1  
as used in printing offices4 ,a cheap   
and simple size for this purpose may be 
made by mixing white gelatine with      
water1 and this may be kept in a bottle1
 so as to be always conveniently at     
hand4 ,the art of restoring and         
rendering fit for handling books and    
rare early pamphlets by sizing all the  
leaves is in constant use in ,europe4   
,by this means1 and by piecing out      
margins1 the most rotten paper1 ready to
 drop apart in turning the leaves1 may  
be restored to use1 if not quite to its 
pristine condition4  ,ink-spots or      
mildew stains may be wholly removed1    
when freshly made1 by applying a        
solution of oxalic or citric acid1 and  
then washing the leaf with a wet sponge4
 ,it is more effectual to follow the    
bath of oxalic acid by applying a       
solution of one part hydrochloric acid  
to six parts of water1 after which bathe

 in cold water1 and dry slowly4 ,or an  
infusion of hypochlorite of potash in   
twice its volume of water may be used   
instead of the preceding4  ,if a        
leather-bound book has grease on its    
cover1 it can be removed by scraping    
,french chalk or magnesia over the      
place1 and ironing with a warm 7not hot7
 iron4 ,a simpler method is to apply    
benzine to the grease spots1 7which     
dissolves the fatty material7 and then  
dry the spot quickly with a fine cloth4 
,this operation may be repeated1 if not 
effectual at the first trial4 ,the same 
method of applying benzine to oily spots
 upon plates or engravings1 will remove 
the stains4  ,ink-stains may also be    
taken off from the leather covers of    
books bound in calf or morocco by the   
use of oxalic acid4 ,care should be     
taken first to try the acid on a piece  
of similar leather or on a discarded    
book of the same color4 ,if the leather 
is discolored after removing the black  
spot1 one may apply1 after taking out   

the traces of oxalic acid by some       
alkali1 a coloring matter similar to the
 tint of the leather4  ,spots or stains 
of grease or oil are often found in     
books4 ,they may be wholly removed by   
applying carbonate of magnesia on both  
sides of the leaf stained1 backed by    
paper1 and pressing with a hot iron1    
after which the sheets should be washed 
and left under pressure over night4     
,another method is to dilute spirits of 
salts with five times its bulk of water1
 then let the stained leaves lie in the 
liquid four minutes1 after which they   
are to be washed4 ,still another method 
is to make a mixture of one pound of    
soap1 half a pound of clay and two      
ounces of lime1 dissolved in water to a 
proper consistency2 apply it to the     
spots2 fifteen minutes after1 dip the   
leaf in a bath of warm water for half an
 hour1 after which dry and press until  
smooth4  ,stains left by mud on the     
leaves of a book 7a not uncommon fate of
 volumes falling in a wet street7 can be

 removed thus3 spread over the spots a  
jelly composed of white soap and water1 
letting it remain about half an hour4   
,then dip the leaf in clear water1 and  
remove the soap with a fine sponge      
dipped in warm water2 all the mud stains
 will disappear at the same time4 ,to   
remove the last traces of the soap1 dip 
a second time in clear water1 place the 
leaf between two sheets of blotting     
paper1 and dry slowly in a cool and     
shady place4  ,the same process1 of     
washing in soap and water1 will remove  
what are doubtless the most common of   
all the soilings that library books     
undergo1 namely1 the soil that comes    
from the dirty hands and fingers of     
readers4  ,it is sometimes necessary to 
color the sheets that have been washed  
white1 so as to correspond in tint with 
the rest of the volume1 which has not   
needed that treatment4 ,an infusion of  
cheap tobacco leaves1 or a bath of brown
 stout will effect this4  ,in all these 
methods of removing soil from the pages 

of books1 it is absolutely necessary to 
give attention to thorough washing after
 the chemicals are used4 ,otherwise     
there will remain an element of         
destruction which will sooner or later  
spoil the book1 to restore which so much
 pains may have been expended4  ,and one
 can readily learn how to restore a     
valuable book by these methods4 ,he     
should1 however1 first practice on the  
restoration of a volume of little       
worth--and venture upon the treatment of
 a precious volume only after practice  
has made him an expert4  ,to restore a  
fresher look to volumes whose bindings  
are much rubbed or scuffed as it is     
sometimes called1 one may spread over   
their surface a little wet starch pretty
 thick1 with a little alum added1       
applied with an old leather glove4 ,with
 this the back of the book1 and the     
sides and edges of the boards should be 
smartly rubbed1 after which1 with a fine
 rag rub off the thicker part of the    
starch1 and the book will present a much

 brighter appearance1 besides being rid 
of dust and soil4  ,there will remain on
 the volume a very slight deposit of    
gelatine or gluten2 before it dries     
completely1 the palm of the hand may be 
passed over it at all points1 and the   
leather1 which may have assumed a dull  
color from the starch1 will resume a    
bright brown or other tint4 ,if this    
fails to appear1 a bit of flannel1      
impregnated with a few drops of varnish1
 should be rubbed over the leather1 and 
when nearly dry1 rub with a white rag   
slightly touched with olive oil1 and a  
brilliant appearance will be given to   
the binding4  ,when leaves are started1 
or a signature becomes loose in any     
volume1 it should be at once withdrawn  
from circulation1 or the loss of an     
important part of the book may result4  
,the remedy commonly resorted to1 of    
patching up the book by pasting in the  
loose leaves1 is a mere makeshift which 
will not last4 ,the cause of a loose    
signature is generally to be found in a 

broken thread in the sewing1 and the    
only permanent cure is to take the book 
out of its cover1 and re-sew it1 when it
 may usually be re-inserted in the same 
binding4 ,this is for cloth-bound books4
 ,when bound in leather1 it is best to  
take out the loose sheet1 overcast it1  
that is1 secure all the leaves by       
sewing1 then carefully lay some paste   
along the outer edge or back of the     
sheet1 insert the sheet in its place1   
pressing it firmly with a paper knife   
along the middle of the sheet1 and the  
volume will be restored ready for use   
after a few days drying under weight4   
,on occasion of a fire next to the      
,mercantile ,library rooms in           
,philadelphia1 in #ahgg1 great damage   
was done1 from water thrown by the      
fire-engines1 to many thousands of      
books4 ,the library authorities tried   
various methods of restoring the        
volumes1 and among others1 drying them  
in ovens was resorted to4 ,this was     
found1 however1 to dry the books so     

rapidly1 that the bindings cracked1 and 
in many cases came off1 while many      
volumes were much warped4 ,the most     
advantageous method that was adopted was
 to prepare a large number of frames on 
which many wires were strung            
horizontally across a large room4 ,the  
wet books 7many of which were soaked    
through7 were suspended on these wires  
in such a way as to dry them by degrees1
 the temperature of the room being      
raised considerably by furnace heat4    
,the condition in which the books were  
found after the wetting varied greatly4 
,nearly all that were printed on soft   
paper were wet through1 while those next
 to them printed on thick paper1 and    
with solid leather bindings1 were       
scarcely damaged at all4 ,the water     
stains constituted the most serious     
injury to the volumes1 and multitudes of
 fine books that were wet will always   
bear the marks of the stain4 ,some of   
the more costly books were restored by  
taking them apart1 washing them         

thoroughly1 then placing them in a      
heated press1 and drying them1 so that  
the water-stains were removed4 ,all the 
books1 however different the degree of  
damage from the water1 retained their   
legibility1 and were put to the same    
uses in the library as before the fire  
occurred4 ,none were burned1 the actual 
fire being confined to the neighboring  
buildings of the block in the midst of  
which the library was unfortunately     
located4  ,the whole number of volumes  
damaged was about #ee1jjj1 and the      
insurance1 which was assessed by        
referees at the amount of #db1jjj1 would
 nearly have replaced the books by new  
ones4 ,many of the volumes had to be    
rebound as the damage by wetting the    
glue and paste which are such important 
elements in binding securely1 led to the
 falling apart of the covers4  ,there   
are multitudes of books restored by some
 one of the processes which have been   
ingeniously contrived to make an old    
book as good as new1 or an imperfect    

volume perfect4 ,the art of reproducing 
in facsimile1 by mere manual dexterity  
with the pen1 letters1 words1 and whole 
pages1 has been carried to a high degree
 of perfection1 notably in ,london4 ,a  
celebrated book restorer named ,harris1 
gained a great reputation among book    
lovers and librarians by his consummate 
skill in the reproduction of the text of
 black-letter rarities and early-printed
 books of every kind4 ,to such          
perfection did he carry the art of      
imitating an original that in many cases
 one could not distinguish the original 
from the imitation1 and even experts    
have announced a ,harris facsimile in a 
,shakespeare folio to be the printed    
original4 ,the art has even been        
extended to engravings1 with such       
success that the famous ,droeshout      
portrait of ,shakespeare1 which         
illustrates the title-page of the first 
folio of #afbc1 has been multiplied in  
pen-made facsimile1 so as to deceive the
 most careful scrutiny4  ,this nice and 

difficult art is not widely pursued in  
this country1 though there are some     
experts among ,new ,york and            
,philadelphia book-binders1 who practice
 it4 ,the ,british ,museum ,library has 
a corps of workers engaged in the       
restoration both of books and of        
manuscripts 7as well as engravings7 who 
are men of the highest training and     
skill4  ,the process is necessarily     
quite expensive1 because of the time    
required and of the small number of     
competing artists in this field4 ,it is 
chiefly confined to the restoration of  
imperfect copies of early printed and   
rare books1 which are so frequently     
found in imperfect condition1 often     
wanting title-pages or the final leaves1
 or parts of pages in any part of the   
volume4  ,so costly1 indeed1 is this    
skilful hand-restoration of imperfect   
books1 that it has been a great boon to 
the collectors of libraries and rare    
works1 to see the arts of photography so
 developed in recent years1 as to       

reproduce with almost exact fidelity    
printed matter of any kind from the     
pages of books4 ,the cost of such       
facsimiles of course varies with the    
locality1 the work1 the skill1 or the   
competition involved4 ,but it may be    
said in general that the average cost of
 book-page facsimiles by photographic   
process need not exceed one dollar a    
page4  ,an entire edition of the        
,encyclopaedia ,britannica has been     
printed from plates made in replica from
 photographs of the original text of the
 ,edinburgh edition4 ,the reproduction  
in this case can hardly be commended1 as
 it is trying to the eyes to read1 when 
compared with the original1 presenting a
 somewhat blurred and irregular aspect  
to the eyes4  ,it is very difficult to  
lay down rules which shall be effective 
in checking the abuse of books which    
compels exercise of the means of        
restoration4 ,writing upon margins      
7already referred to7 may sometimes be  
checked by putting a printed slip in    

every library book bearing the          
warning--,never write in a library book4
 ,to this may be added--,never turn down
 leaves1 an equally important           
injunction4 ,indeed1 a whole list of    
,dont's might be inserted1 but for the  
chance that too many warnings might     
operate to warn off a reader from       
absorbing any of them4 ,thus--          
,don't soil any book     ,don't write on
 margins     ,don't turn down leaves    
,don't lay a book on its face open      
,don't wet fingers to turn leaves       
,don't fail to use the book-mark        
,don't read with unclean hands4  ,as a  
loose slip is liable to fall out1 some  
such reminder should be pasted into the 
fly-leaf of every book1 next the        
book-plate4  ,a self-respecting reader  
will generally heed such hints1 which a 
moment's reflection will teach him are  
meant to preserve the library book clean
 and presentable for his own use1 as    
well as for that of others4 ,but there  
will always be some rude1 boorish people

 who will persist in their brutal and   
destructive treatment of books1 in the  
face of whatever warnings4 ,how to deal 
with such unwelcome persons is an       
ever-present problem with the librarian4
 ,if sustained by the other library     
authorities1 a really effectual remedy  
is to deny the further use of the       
library to any offender clearly proven  
to have subjected library books to      
damage while in his hands4 ,some        
librarians go so far as to post the     
names of such offenders in the library  
hall1 stating that they are denied the  
privileges of the library by the        
authorities1 for mutilating books4  ,in 
any case1 great care must be taken to   
have the clearest proof1 before         
proceeding to fasten the offense upon a 
particular individual4 ,this involves1  
where the injury is not committed in the
 presence of any library officer1 so as 
to be observed1 but has been done while 
the book was drawn out1 an examination  
of each volume before giving it out4 ,if

 this rule were to be observed as to    
all1 it would entail an expense that few
 libraries could afford4 ,in a large    
circulating library in a city1 it might 
require the entire time of two          
assistants to collate the books before  
re-issuing them4 ,the circumstances of  
each library must determine how to deal 
with this matter4 ,probably the majority
 will limit the close examination of    
books before giving them out1 to cases  
where there is reason to suspect wilful 
continued soiling1 scribbling1 or       
dog's-earing4 ,a few such cases once    
detected and dealt with will have a most
 salutary restraining influence upon    
others1 especially if re-enforced by    
frequent and judicious paragraphs in the
 local press1 setting forth the offense 
and the remedy4  ,but all in vain will  
be the endeavor to abate these          
defacements and consequent waste of the 
library books1 unless it is enforced by 
a positive law1 with penal provisions1  
to punish offenders who mutilate or     

deface books that are public property4  
,a good model of such a statute is the  
following1 slightly abridged as to      
verbiage1 from an act of ,congress1 of  
which we procured the enactment in the  
year #ahgh3  ,any person who steals1    
defaces1 injures1 mutilates1 tears1 or  
destroys any book1 pamphlet1 work of    
art1 or manuscript1 belonging to any    
public library1 or to the ,united       
,states1 in the ,district of ,columbia1 
shall be fined ten dollars to one       
hundred dollars1 and punished by        
imprisonment from one to twelve months1 
for every such offense4  ,this act will 
be found in the ,united ,states         
,statutes at ,large1 ,vol4 #bj1 p4 #aga4
 ,it would be well if the term          
periodical were added to the list of    
objects to be protected1 to avoid all   
risk of a failure to punish the         
mutilation of newspapers and magazines1 
by pleading technical points1 of which  
lawyers are prone to avail themselves in
 aiding offenders to escape conviction4 

,it will be observed1 that the word     
deface1 employed in this statute1       
actually covers the marking of margins  
by any reader1 all such marking         
constituting a defacement within the    
meaning of the law4  ,while the great   
multitude of readers who frequent our   
public libraries are honest and         
trustworthy1 there are always some who  
are conspicuously the reverse4 ,it is   
rarely safe in a large public library to
 admit readers to the shelves1 without  
the company or the surveillance of an   
attendant4 ,and it is not alone the     
uncultivated reader who cannot be       
trusted2 the experience of librarians is
 almost uniform to the effect that      
literary men1 and special scholars1 as  
well as the collectors of rare books1   
are among those who watch the           
opportunity to purloin what they wish to
 save themselves the cost of buying4    
,sometimes1 you may find your most      
valuable work on coins mutilated by the 
abstraction of a plate1 carried off by  

some student of numismatics4 ,sometimes1
 you may discover a fine picture or     
portrait abstracted from a book by some 
lover of art or collector of portraits4 
,again1 you may be horrified by finding 
a whole sermon torn out of a volume of  
theology by a theological student or    
even a clergyman4 ,all these things have
 happened1 and are liable to happen     
again4 ,no library is safe that is not  
closely watched and guarded4 ,in the    
,astor library a literary man actually  
tore out sixty pages of the ,revue de   
,paris1 and added to the theft the fraud
 of plagiarism1 by translating from the 
stolen leaves an article which he sold  
to ,appleton's ,journal as an original  
production6  ,in this case1 the culprit1
 though detected1 could not be punished1
 the law of ,new ,york requiring the    
posting in the library of the statute   
prohibiting mutilation or other injury  
to the books1 and this posting had not  
been done4 ,the law has since been      
amended1 to make the penalties absolute 

and unconditional4  ,in the ,astor      
,library1 over six hundred volumes were 
discovered to have been mutilated1      
including art works1 ,patent office     
reports1 magazines1 newspapers1 and even
 encyclopaedias4 ,the books stolen from 
that library had been many1 until       
several exposures and punishment of     
thieves inspired a wholesome dread of a 
similar fate4  ,at a meeting of the     
,american ,library ,association1 one    
member inquired whether there was any   
effectual way to prevent the abstraction
 of books4 ,he was answered by another  
librarian 7from ,cincinnati7 who replied
 that he knew of only one effectual     
method1 and that was to keep a man      
standing over each book with a club4 ,of
 course this was a humorous paradox1 not
 to be taken literally1 but it points a 
moral4  ,seriously1 however1 the evil   
may be greatly curtailed1 7though we may
 be hopeless of absolute prevention7 by 
adopting the precautions already        
referred to4 ,in the ,library of the    

,british ,museum1 a great library of    
reference1 from which no book is        
permitted to be taken under any         
circumstances1 the evil of mutilation   
was much reduced by prosecuting and     
posting the offenders publicly4 ,after a
 few years1 the obnoxious practice had  
so far ceased1 that the placards1 having
 an unpleasant aspect1 were taken down4 
,but on renewal of such depredations and
 defacements of books by readers1 the   
placards were renewed1 and some of the  
mutilated books1 suitably labelled1 were
 posted in the great reading room before
 the eyes of all4 ,the authorities of   
the ,british ,museum are convinced of   
the salutary effects of such warnings1  
though books are sometimes stolen or    
mutilated under the liberal management  
which leaves several thousand volumes   
open for reference1 without tickets4    
,the late ,dr4 ,wm4 ,f4 ,poole1 the     
,chicago librarian1 recorded his        
experience in dealing with some         
clergymen1 who1 said he1 seem to have as

 regards books1 an imperfect            
appreciation of the laws of meum and    
tuum4 ,he had found ministers more      
remiss in returning books than any other
 class of men4 ,he would by no means    
reflect on a noble and sacred profession
 by charging the derelictions of a few  
upon the many4 ,but he had had          
unpleasant experiences with men of that 
profession1 who had absolutely purloined
 books from the ,public ,library1       
removed the book-plates and library     
stamp1 and covered the volumes with     
paper carefully pasted down inside of   
the covers4  ,a librarian in            
,massachusetts testified that it was    
common experience that clergymen and    
professional men gave the most trouble4 
,second-hand book-dealers in ,boston had
 found a judge of the court purloining  
rare pamphlets1 and ministers making    
away with pamphlet sermons under their  
coats4 ,without insisting here upon any 
such extenuations of such practices as  
the prevalence of kleptomania1 it has   

been made abundantly manifest that theft
 and mutilation of books are            
sufficiently common to demonstrate the  
weakness of human nature1 and the       
necessity of every safeguard which      
public libraries can provide against    
such abuses of their treasures4  ,a     
,boston librarian stated that the       
thieves or mutilators of books included 
school-boys1 clerks1 students1 teachers1
 soldiers1 physicians1 lawyers1         
clergymen1 etc4 ,in only one case was   
the crime committed through want or     
suffering4 ,yet1 though the offenders   
had been proven guilty in every         
instance1 only two cases were known in  
which the penalty of the law had been   
enforced4 ,does not this bespeak laxity 
of public morals in ,boston in regard to
 such abuses of library property8  ,the 
,union ,theological ,seminary at ,new   
,york recorded its experience with      
ministers and theological students1 to  
the effect that its library had lost    
more than a thousand volumes1 taken and 

not returned4 ,this of course included  
what were charged out1 but could not be 
recovered4  ,a librarian in ,auburn1 ,n4
 ,y41 returning from vacation1 found    
that the ,american ,architect1 an       
important illustrated weekly1 had been  
mutilated in seven different volumes1   
and that #acj pages in all had been     
stolen4 ,fortunately1 she was able to   
trace the reader who had been using the 
work1 and succeeded in recovering the   
abstracted plates4 ,the offender was    
prosecuted to conviction1 and had to pay
 a fine of fifty dollars4  ,it often    
happens that books which disappear      
mysteriously from a public library      
re-appear quite as mysteriously4 ,those 
taking them1 finding that the rules do  
not allow certain books to leave the    
library1 make a law unto themselves1    
carry off the book wanted1 keep it until
 read1 and then return it               
surreptitiously1 by replacing it on some
 shelf or table1 when no one is looking4
 ,this is where no intention of stealing

 the book exists1 and the borrower      
wilfully makes his own convenience      
override the library regulations1 in the
 belief that he will not be found out4  
,the ,buffalo ,young ,men's ,library    
reported in one year eighteen           
illustrated works on the fine arts1     
reserved from being taken out by its    
by-laws1 as disappearing for weeks1 but 
brought back in this underhanded manner4
 ,in other cases of such return1 it is  
likely that the purpose was to keep the 
book1 but that conscience or better     
thoughts1 or fear of detection          
prevailed1 and secured its return4      
,some instances where leniency has been 
exercised to save book thieves from     
penalties may be instructive4 ,one man  
who had carried off and sold two volumes
 from the ,astor ,library was traced and
 arrested1 when he pleaded that absolute
 want had driven him to the act4 ,he had
 a wife ill and starving at his home1   
and this on investigation proving true1 
he was pardoned and saved further       

misery4  ,in another case1 a poor       
,german had stolen a volume of the      
classics which he pawned for a small sum
 to get bread for himself1 being long   
out of work1 and in a condition         
bordering closely upon starvation4 ,he  
was released1 the book reclaimed1 and   
the offender turned over to the agencies
 of public charity4  ,a librarian of    
,new ,york gave it as his experience    
that some ministers are not to be       
trusted any more than other people4     
,some of them like to write their       
opinions on the margins of the books4   
,he found one of the library books      
written on in thirty pages1 recognized  
the hand-writing1 and wrote to the      
reverend gentleman asking an interview4 
,he came1 admitted the fact1 and said   
that his notes made the book more       
valuable4 ,this ingenious excuse did not
 satisfy the librarian1 who said1 others
 do not think so1 sir2 so if you will   
get us a new book1 you may keep the more
 valuable one4 ,he soon brought in a new

 copy1 and the matter ended4  ,at the   
,new ,york ,mercantile ,library1 a young
 lady1 amply able to buy all the books  
she could want1 was discovered going out
 of the library with one book in her    
hand which she was entitled to1 it being
 charged1 and with five others hidden   
under her cloak1 without permission4    
,mr4 ,melvil ,dewey has truly said that 
it is very hard to tell a library thief 
at sight4 ,well-dressed1 gentlemanly1   
even sanctimonious looking men are among
 them1 and the wife of a well-known     
college professor1 detected in          
purloining books1 begged so hard not to 
be exposed1 that she was reluctantly    
pardoned1 and even restored to library  
privileges4  ,a prominent lawyer of     
,brooklyn1 of distinguished appearance  
and fine manners1 did not steal books1  
but his specialty was magazines and     
newspapers1 which he carried off        
frequently4 ,being caught at it one day1
 and accused by the librarian1 he put on
 an air of dignity1 declared he was     

insulted1 and walked out4 ,the librarian
 found the periodical he had taken      
thrown down in the entry1 and he never  
after frequented that library4  ,it is  
curious and instructive to know the     
experience of some libraries regarding  
the theft or mutilation of books4 ,thus1
 in the public library of ,woburn1      
,mass41 a case of mutilation occurred by
 the cutting out of a picture from      
,drake's ,historic ,fields and ,mansions
 of ,middlesex ,county4 ,on discovery of
 the loss1 a reward of #aj was offered  
for information leading to detection of 
the culprit4 ,this was published in the 
town paper1 and an article was printed  
calling attention to these library      
thefts and abuses1 followed by citing   
the ,state law making such depredations 
a penal offense4 ,within a week the     
missing plate came back to the librarian
 through the mail--anonymously of       
course1 the person who had abstracted it
 finding that it was rather an unsafe   
picture to keep or exhibit1 and so      

choosing to make his best policy        
honesty1 though rather tardy in coming  
to that wise conclusion4  ,this         
experience1 and others here cited1 may  
serve as a hint what course to pursue   
under similar circumstances1 in the     
reclamation of library books4  ,in the  
,library of the ,london ,institution1   
continuous thefts of valuable editions  
of the classics had occurred4 ,putting a
 detective in the library1 a young man  
of suspicious demeanor was soon         
identified as the thief1 and was        
followed and arrested in the very act of
 selling a library book4 ,he proved to  
be a young man of good family1 education
 and previous good character2 but the   
library had suffered such losses from   
his depredations1 that no mercy was     
shown1 and he received and underwent the
 sentence to two months imprisonment4   
,it may be added as an instance of      
methods availed of in ,london to trace  
missing books1 that the librarian1      
knowing from the vacancies on the       

shelves what books had been abstracted1 
printed a list of them1 sent it to every
 second-hand book-dealer in ,london1 at 
the same time supplying it to the       
police1 who circulate daily a list of   
missing property among all the          
pawn-brokers' shops in the city1 and    
recovered all the books within          
twenty-four hours4  ,the ,mercantile    
,library of ,philadelphia missed a      
number of valuable books from its       
shelves1 and on a watch being set1 a    
physician in the most respectable rank  
in society was detected as the          
purloiner1 and more than fifty volumes  
recovered from him4  ,a library at      
,lancaster1 ,pa41 reported the almost   
incredible incident of a thief having   
hidden under his coat1 and carried off1 
a ,webster's ,unabridged ,dictionary6   
,in most cases of detected theft or     
mutilation of books1 strong appeals are 
made by the culprit or his friends to   
save exposure by public prosecution4    
,these are commonly1 in the case of     

persons in very respectable             
circumstances in life1 not so much to   
avoid paying fines imposed by law as to 
avoid the disgrace attached to          
publicity1 and the consequent damage    
done to the character of the individual4
 ,it is probably true that in a majority
 of cases1 such influences have been    
strong enough to overcome the           
determination of the librarian or       
library authorities to let the law take 
its course4 ,now1 while it must be      
admitted that there is no rule without  
some valid exception that may be made1  
it is nevertheless to be insisted upon  
that due protection to public property  
in libraries demands the enforcement of 
the laws enacted to that end4 ,the      
consequence of leniency to the majority 
of book thieves would be not only an    
indirect encouragement to the culprits  
to continue their depredations1 but it  
would also lead to a lax and dangerous  
notion of the obligations of readers1   
and the sacredness of such property1 in 

the public mind4 ,enforcement of the    
penalties of wrong-doing1 on the other  
hand1 tends unquestionably to deter     
others1 both by the fear of publicity   
which must follow detection1 and by     
terror of the penalty which is or may be
 imprisonment for a considerable term1  
besides the imposing of a fine4  ,at the
 ,worcester1 ,mass41 ,public ,library1 a
 young man of twenty-two was detected in
 stealing a book1 obliged to confess1   
and prosecuted4 ,much pressure was      
brought to bear by his family and       
friends1 very respectable people1 to    
save him from the penalty4 ,the ,court1 
however1 imposed a fine of thirty       
dollars1 and it being represented that  
his relatives would have to pay the     
amount1 though innocent parties1 the    
judge suspended the sentence until the  
young man should pay it in instalments  
from his own earnings1 one of the family
 giving bail4 ,the valuable lesson was  
in this way not lost1 either to the     
offender or to the community2 the law   

was enforced1 and the young man perhaps 
saved from a life of wrong-doing1 while 
if he had been let off scot-free1 in    
deference to the influence exerted to   
that end1 he might have gone from bad to
 worse4  ,at the ,pratt ,institute ,free
 ,library in ,brooklyn1 books had been  
disappearing from the reference         
department at intervals of about a week1
 and a watch was instituted4 ,after some
 weeks' fruitless watching1 a young man 
who came frequently to consult books was
 singled out as the probable offender1  
and the eyes of the library staff were  
centered upon him4 ,the janitor watched 
his movements for some days1 from a     
concealed post of observation1 as the   
young man walked back and forth between 
the book stacks1 and one day caught him 
in the act of slipping a book into his  
pocket1 and arrested him as he was      
leaving the building4 ,he had stolen a  
dozen books from the library1 all but   
three of which were recovered4 ,he      
claimed to be a theological student1 and

 that he had taken the books merely for 
the purposes of study4 ,much sympathy   
was expressed for him by people who     
believed that this was his motive1 and  
that it was some partial atonement for  
his offense4 ,the grief of his relatives
 at his disgrace was intense4 ,the      
,court sentenced him to eight years in  
the penitentiary1 but suspended the     
sentence in view of the fact that it was
 a first offense1 by a youth of         
twenty-one years4 ,he was put under     
police surveillance for his good        
behavior 7equivalent to being paroled7  
but the sentence becomes active upon any
 further transgression of the law on his
 part4  ,it may be gathered from these  
many cases of library depredations1 that
 they are very common1 that perpetual   
vigilance is the price of safety1 that  
punishment in nearly all cases is wiser 
than pardon1 and that the few exceptions
 made should be mostly confined to      
offenders who steal books under         
desperate necessity or actual want4     

,,chapter #g4  ,,pamphlet ,,literature4 
,what is a pamphlet8 is a question which
 is by no means capable of being        
scientifically answered4 ,yet1 to the   
librarian dealing continually with a    
mass of pamphlets1 books1 and           
periodicals1 it becomes important to    
define somewhere1 the boundary line     
between the pamphlet and the book4 ,the 
dictionaries will not aid us1 for they  
all call the pamphlet a few sheets of   
printed paper stitched together1 but not
 bound4 ,suppose 7as often happens7 that
 you bind your pamphlet1 does it then   
cease to be a pamphlet1 and become a    
book8 ,again1 most pamphlets now        
published are not stitched at all1 but  
stabbed and wired to fasten the leaves  
together4 ,the origin of the word       
pamphlet1 is in great doubt4 ,a         
plausible derivation is from two ,french
 words1 paume1 and feuillet1 literally a
 hand-leaf2 and another derives the word
 from a corruption of ,latin--papyrus1  
paper1 into pampilus1 or panfletus1     

whence pamphlet4 ,the word is in        
,shakespeare3      ,comest thou with    
deep premeditated lines1      ,with     
written pamphlets studiously devised8   
,but we also find pamphlets and bookys1 
in a work printed by ,caxton in #adij1 a
 hundred years before ,shakespeare4     
,whatever the origin1 the common        
acceptation of the word is plain1       
signifying a little book1 though where  
the pamphlet ends1 and the book begins1 
is uncertain4 ,the rule of the ,british 
,museum ,library calls every printed    
publication of one hundred pages or     
less1 a pamphlet4 ,this is arbitrary1   
and so would any other rule be4 ,as that
 library binds its pamphlets separately1
 and counts them in its aggregate of    
volumes1 the reason for any distinction 
in the matter is not plain4 ,some of the
 government libraries in ,europe are    
greatly overrated numerically by        
reckoning pamphlets as volumes4 ,thus1  
the ,royal ,library at ,munich1 in      
,bavaria1 has been ranked fourth among  

the libraries of the world1 claiming    
over a million volumes1 but as it       
reckons every university thesis1 or     
discussion of some special topic by     
candidates for degrees1 as a volume1 and
 has perhaps #djj1jjj of this prolific  
class of publications1 it is actually   
not so large as some ,american          
libraries1 which count their pamphlets  
as distinct from books in their returns4
  ,the pamphlet1 or thin book1 or tract 
7as some prefer to call it7 is reckoned 
by some librarians as a nuisance1 and by
 others as a treasure4 ,that it forms   
rather a troublesome asset in the wealth
 of a library cannot be doubted4        
,pamphlets taken singly1 will not stand 
upon the shelves2 they will curl up1    
become dogs-eared1 accumulate dust1 and 
get in the way of the books4 ,if kept in
 piles1 as is most frequent1 it is very 
hard to get at any one that is wanted in
 the mass4 ,then it is objected to them1
 that the majority of them are          
worthless1 that they cost altogether too

 much money1 and time1 and pains1 to    
catalogue them1 and that they are       
useless if not catalogued2 that if kept 
bound1 they cost the library a sum out  
of all proportion to their value2 that  
they accumulate so rapidly 7much faster1
 in fact1 than books7 as to outrun the  
means at the disposal of any library to 
deal with them2 in short1 that they cost
 more than they come to1 if bound1 and  
if unbound1 they vex the soul of the    
librarian day by day4  ,this is one side
 of the pamphlet question2 and it may be
 candidly admitted1 that in most        
libraries1 the accumulation of          
uncatalogued and unbound pamphlets is   
one of the chief among those arrears    
which form the skeleton in the closet of
 the librarian4 ,but there is another   
side to the matter4 ,it is always       
possible to divide your pamphlets into  
two classes--the important1 and the     
insignificant4 ,some of them have great 
historical1 or economic1 or intellectual
 value2 others are as nearly worthless  

as it is possible for any printed matter
 to be4 ,why should you treat a pamphlet
 upon ,pears's soap1 or a quack         
medicine1 or advertising the ,columbia  
bicycle1 with the same attention which  
you would naturally give to an essay on 
international politics by ,gladstone1 or
 a review of the ,cuban question by a   
prominent ,spaniard1 or a tract on      
,chinese immigration by ,minister       
,seward1 or the pamphlet genealogy of an
 ,american family8 ,take out of the mass
 of pamphlets1 as they come in1 what    
appear to you the more valuable1 or the 
more liable to be called for2 catalogue 
and bind them1 or file them away1       
according to the use which they are     
likely to have3 relegate the rest1      
assorted always by subject-matters or   
classes1 to marked piles1 or to pamphlet
 cases1 according to your means2 and the
 problem is approximately solved4  ,to  
condemn any pamphlet to innocuous       
desuetude1 or to permanent banishment   
from among the intellectual stores of a 

library1 merely because it is innocent  
of a stiff cover1 is to despoil the     
temple of learning and reject the good  
things of ,providence4 ,what great and  
influential publications have appeared  
in the world in the guise of pamphlets6 
,milton's immortal ,areopagitica1 or    
,plea for ,unlicenced ,printing1 was a  
pamphlet of only forty pages2 ,webster's
 speech for the ,union1 in reply to     
,hayne1 was a pamphlet2 every play of   
,shakespeare1 that was printed in his   
life-time1 was a pamphlet2 ,charles     
,sumner's discourse on ,the ,true       
,grandeur of ,nations was a pamphlet2   
the ,crisis and ,common ,sense of       
,thomas ,paine1 which fired the         
,american heart in the ,revolution1 were
 pamphlets4 ,strike out of literature1  
ancient and modern1 what was first      
published in pamphlets1 and you would   
leave it the poorer and weaker to an    
incalculable degree4  ,pamphlets are not
 only vehicles of thought and opinion1  
and propagandists of new ideas2 they are

 often also store-houses of facts1      
repositories of history1 annals of      
biography1 records of genealogy1        
treasuries of statistics1 chronicles of 
invention and discovery4 ,they sometimes
 throw an unexpected light upon obscure 
questions where all books are silent4   
,being published for the most part upon 
some subject that was interesting the   
public mind when written1 they reflect1 
as in a mirror1 the social1 political1  
and religious spirit and life of the    
time4 ,as much as newspapers1 they      
illustrate the civilization 7or want of 
it7 of an epoch1 and multitudes of them1
 preserved in great libraries1 exhibit  
this at those early periods when no     
newspapers existed as vehicles of public
 opinion4 ,many of the government       
libraries of ,europe have been buying up
 for many years past1 the rare1         
early-printed pamphlets of their        
respective countries1 paying enormous   
prices for what1 a century ago1 they    
would have slighted1 even as a gift4    

,when ,thomas ,carlyle undertook to     
write the life of ,oliver ,cromwell1 and
 to resurrect from the dust-bins of two 
centuries1 the letters and speeches of  
the great ,protector1 he found his      
richest quarry in a collection of       
pamphlets in the ,british ,museum       
,library4 ,an indefatigable patriot and 
bookseller1 named ,thomason1 had        
carefully gathered and kept every       
pamphlet1 book1 periodical1 or broadside
 that appeared from the ,british press1 
during the whole time from ,a4 ,d4 #afdi
 to #affj1 the period of the interregnum
 in the ,english monarchy1 represented  
by ,cromwell and the ,commonwealth4     
,this vast collection1 numbering over   
#bj1jjj pamphlets1 bound in #b1jjj      
volumes1 after escaping the perils of   
fire1 and of both hostile armies1 was   
finally purchased by the ,king1 and     
afterward presented to the ,british     
,museum ,library4 ,its completeness is  
one great source of its value1          
furnishing1 as it does1 to the          

historical student of that exceedingly  
interesting revolution1 the most        
precious memorials of the spirit of the 
times1 many of which have been utterly  
lost1 except the single copy preserved  
in this collection4  ,several great     
,european libraries number as many      
pamphlets as books in their collections4
 ,the printed catalogue of the ,british 
,museum ,library is widely sought by    
historical students1 because of the     
enormous amount of pamphlet literature  
it contains1 that is described nowhere  
else4 ,and the ,librarian of the ,boston
 ,athenaeum said that some readers found
 the great interest in his catalogue of 
that collection lay in its early        
,american pamphlets4  ,as another       
instance of the value to the historical 
stores of a public library of this      
ephemeral literature1 it may be noted   
that the great collection of printed    
matter1 mostly of a fugitive character1 
relating to the ,french ,revolutionary  
period1 gathered by the late ,m4 de ,la 

,bedoyre1 amounted to #ae1jjj volumes   
and pamphlets4 ,fifty years of the life 
of the wealthy and enthusiastic         
collector1 besides a very large sum of  
money1 were spent in amassing this      
collection4 ,with an avidity almost     
incredible1 he ransacked every          
book-store1 quay1 and private shelf that
 might contribute a fresh morsel to his 
stores2 and when ,paris was exhausted1  
had his agents and purveyors busy in    
executing his orders all over ,europe4  
,rival collectors1 and particularly ,m4 
,deschiens1 who had been a contemporary 
in the ,revolution1 and had laid aside  
everything that appeared in his day1    
only contributed at their decease1 to   
swell the precious stores of ,m4 de ,la 
,bedoyre4 ,this vast collection1 so     
precious for the history of ,france at  
its most memorable period1 contained    
several thousands of volumes of         
newspapers and ephemeral journals1 and  
was acquired in the year #ahfc1 for the 
,national ,library of ,france1 where it 

will ever remain a monument to the      
enlightened and far-sighted spirit of   
its projector4  ,in like manner1 the    
late ,peter ,force1 ,mayor of           
,washington ,city1 and historiographer  
of the ,american ,archives1 devoted     
forty years to amassing an extensive    
collection of ,americana1 or books1     
pamphlets1 newspapers1 manuscripts1 and 
maps1 relating to the discovery1        
history1 topography1 natural history1   
and biography of ,america4 ,he carried  
off at auction sales1 from all          
competitors1 six great collections of   
early ,american pamphlets1 formed by    
,ebenezer ,hazard1 ,william ,duane1     
,oliver ,wolcott1 etc41 representing the
 copious literature of all schools of   
political opinion4 ,he sedulously laid  
aside and preserved every pamphlet that 
appeared at the capital or elsewhere1 on
 which he could lay hands1 and his rich 
historical collection1 purchased by the 
government in #ahff1 thirty-three years 
ago1 now forms an invaluable portion of 

the ,congressional ,library4  ,of the   
multitudinous literature of pamphlets it
 is not necessary to speak at length4   
,suffice it to say that the library     
which neglects the acquisition and      
proper preservation and binding of these
 publications is far behind its duty1   
both to those of its own generation1 and
 to those which are to follow4 ,the     
pamphlet literature of every period     
often furnishes the most precious       
material to illustrate the history and  
development of that period4 ,the new    
ideas1 the critical sagacity1 the       
political controversies1 the mechanical 
and industrial development1 the         
religious thought1 and the social       
character of many epochs1 find their    
best expression in the pamphlets that   
swarmed from the press while those      
agencies were operating4 ,the fact that 
multitudes of these productions are     
anonymous1 does not detract from their  
value as materials for students4        
,pamphlets1 from their peculiar style of

 publication1 and the difficulty of     
preserving them1 tend to disappear more 
quickly than any class of publications  
except newspapers1 and broad-sides1 and 
hand-bills4 ,they are far less likely to
 be preserved in the hands of private   
holders than even reviews and magazines4
 ,it is the common experience of        
librarians that a pamphlet is far more  
difficult to procure than a book4       
,multitudes of pamphlets are annually   
lost to the world1 from the want of any 
preserving hand to gather them and      
deposit them permanently in some        
library4 ,so much the more important is 
it that the custodians of all our public
 libraries should form as complete      
collections as possible of all          
pamphlets1 at least1 that appear in     
their own city or neighborhood4 ,how to 
do this is a problem not unattended with
 difficulty4 ,pamphlets are rarely      
furnished for sale in the same manner as
 books1 and when they are1 book-sellers 
treat them with such indignity that they

 are commonly thrust aside as waste     
paper1 almost as soon as they have      
appeared from the press4 ,if all the    
writers of pamphlets would take pains to
 present them to the public libraries of
 the country1 and especially to those in
 their own neighborhood1 they would at  
once enrich these collections1 and      
provide for the perpetuity of their own 
thought4 ,a vigilant librarian should   
invite and collect from private         
libraries all the pamphlets which their 
owners will part with4 ,it would also be
 a wise practice to engage the          
printing-offices where these fugitive   
leaves of literature are put in type1 to
 lay aside one copy of each for the     
library making the collection4  ,our    
local libraries should each and all make
 it a settled object to preserve not    
only full sets of the reports of all    
societies1 corporations1 charity        
organizations1 churches1 railroads1     
etc41 in their own neighborhood1 but all
 catalogues of educational institutions1

 all sermons or memorial addresses1 and 
in short1 every fugitive publication    
which helps to a knowledge of the people
 or the region in which the library is  
situated4  ,the binding of pamphlets is 
a mooted point in all libraries4 ,while 
the ,british ,museum and the ,library of
 ,congress treat the pamphlets as a     
book1 binding all separately1 this is   
deemed in some quarters too vexatious   
and troublesome1 as well as needlessly  
expensive4 ,it must be considered1      
however1 that the crowding together of a
 heterogenous mass of a dozen or twenty 
pamphlets1 by different authors1 and on 
various subjects1 into a single cover1  
is just as objectionable as binding     
books on unrelated subjects together4   
,much time is consumed in finding the   
pamphlet wanted1 among the dozen or more
 that precede or follow it1 and1 if     
valuable or much sought-for pamphlets   
are thus bound1 many readers may be kept
 waiting for some of them1 while one    
reader engrosses the volume containing  

all4 ,besides1 if separately bound1 a   
single pamphlet can be far more easily  
replaced in case of loss than can a     
whole volume of them4 ,pamphlets may be 
lightly bound in paste-board1 stitched1 
with cloth backs1 at a small cost2 and  
the compensating advantage of being able
 to classify them like books upon the   
shelves1 should weigh materially in the 
decision of the question4 ,if many are  
bound together1 they should invariably  
be assorted into classes1 and those only
 on the same general topic should be    
embraced in the same cover4 ,the long   
series of annual reports of societies   
and institutions1 corporations1 annual  
catalogues1 etc41 need not be bound     
separately1 but should be bound in      
chronological series1 with five to ten  
years in a volume1 according to         
thickness4 ,so may several pamphlets1 by
 the same writer1 if preferred1 be bound
 together4 ,libraries which acquire many
 bound volumes of pamphlets should      
divide them into series1 and number them

 throughout with strict reference to the
 catalogue4 ,there will thus be         
accumulated a constantly increasing     
series of theological1 political1       
agricultural1 medical1 educational1     
scientific1 and other pamphlets1 while  
the remaining mass1 which cannot be thus
 classified1 may be designated in a     
consecutive series of volumes1 as       
,miscellaneous ,pamphlets4 ,when        
catalogued1 the title-page or beginning 
of each pamphlet in the volume1 should  
be marked by a thin slip of unsized     
paper1 projected above the top of the   
book1 to facilitate quick reference in  
finding each one without turning many   
leaves to get at the titles4 ,in all    
cases1 the contents of each volume of   
pamphlets should be briefed in numerical
 order upon the fly-leaf of the volume1 
and its corresponding number1 or        
sequence in the volumes written in      
pencil on the title page of each        
pamphlet1 to correspond with the figures
 of this brief list4 ,then the catalogue

 of each should indicate its exact      
location1 thus3 ,wilkeson 7,samuel7 ,how
 our ,national ,debt may become a       
,national ,blessing1 #ba pp4 #hvo4      
,phila41 #ahfc ,miscellaneous pamphlets1
 v4 #cdg3c1 meaning that this is the    
third pamphlet bound in vol4 #cdg4  ,the
 only objection to separate binding of  
each pamphlet1 is the increased expense4
 ,the advantage of distinct treatment   
may or may not outweigh this1 according 
to the importance of the pamphlet1 the  
circumstances of the library1 and the   
funds at its command4 ,if bound         
substantially in good half-leather1 with
 leather corners1 the cost is reckoned  
at #as4 #d;d4 each1 in ,london4 ,here1  
they cost about thirty cents with cloth 
sides1 which may be reduced by the use  
of marble or ,manila paper1 to twenty   
cents each4 ,black roan is perhaps the  
best leather for pamphlets1 as it brings
 out the lettering on the backs more    
distinctly--always a cardinal point in a
 library4  ,but there is a more         

economical method1 which dispenses with 
leather entirely4 ,as no patent is      
claimed for the invention1 or rather the
 modification of well-known methods1 it 
may be briefly described4 ,the thinnest 
tar-board is used for the sides1 which1 
i4 e41 the boards1 are cut down to      
nearly the size of the pamphlet to be   
bound4 ,the latter is prepared for the  
boards by adding two or more waste      
leaves to the front and back1 and       
backing it with a strip of common       
muslin1 which is firmly pasted the full 
length of the back1 and overlaps the    
sides to the width of an inch or more4  
,the pamphlet has to be stitched        
through1 or stabbed and fastened with   
wire1 in the manner commonly practiced  
with thin books2 after which it is ready
 to receive the boards4 ,these are glued
 to a strip of book muslin1 which       
constitutes the ultimate back of the    
book1 being turned in neatly at each    
end1 so as to form1 with the boards1 a  
skeleton cover1 into which the pamphlet 

is inserted1 and held in its place by   
the inner strip of muslin before        
described1 which is pasted or glued to  
the inside of the boards4 ,the boards   
are then covered with marbled paper1    
turned in at each edge1 and the waste   
leaves pasted smoothly down to the      
boards on the inside4 ,the only         
remaining process is the lettering1     
which is done by printing the titles in 
bronze upon glazed colored paper1 which 
is pasted lengthwise on the back4 ,a    
small font of type1 with a hand-press1  
will suffice for this1 and a stabbing   
machine1 with a small pair of binding   
shears1 constitutes the only other      
apparatus required4 ,the cost of binding
 pamphlets in this style varies from    
seven to twelve cents each1 according to
 the material employed1 and the amount  
of labor paid for4 ,the advantages of   
the method are too obvious to all       
acquainted with books to require        
exemplification4  ,two still cheaper    
methods of binding may be named4 ,what  

is known as the ,harvard binder1        
employed in that library at ,cambridge1 
,mass41 consists simply of thin board   
sides with muslin back1 and stubs also  
of cloth on the inside4 ,the pamphlet is
 inserted and held in place by paste or 
glue4 ,the cost of each binding is      
stated at six cents4  ,the cheapest     
style of separate treatment for         
pamphlets yet suggested is of stiff     
,manila paper1 with cloth back1 costing 
about three cents each4  ,i think that  
the rule of never mixing incongruous    
subjects within the same cover should be
 adhered to4 ,the expense1 by the       
cheaper method of binding referred to1  
is but slightly greater than must be    
incurred by binding several in a volume1
 in solid half morocco style4 ,but1     
whenever pamphlets are bound together1  
the original printed paper covers should
 never be destroyed1 but should be bound
 in4  ,another method of preserving     
pamphlets is to file them away in       
selected lots1 placed inside of cloth   

covers1 of considerable thickness4      
,these may be had from any book-binder1 
being the rejected covers in which books
 sent for re-binding were originally    
bound4 ,if kept in this way1 each       
volume1 or case of pamphlets1 should be 
firmly tied with cord 7or better with   
tape7 fastened to the front edge of the 
cloth cover4 ,never use rubber or       
elastic bands for this1 or any other    
purpose where time and security of      
fastening are involved1 because the     
rubber will surely rot in a few weeks or
 months1 and be useless as a means of   
holding together any objects whatever4  
,still another means of assorting and   
keeping pamphlets is to use ,woodruff's 
file-holders1 one of which holds from   
ten to thirty pamphlets according to    
their thickness4 ,they should be        
arranged in classes1 placing in each    
file case only pamphlets on similar     
subjects1 in order of the authors'      
names1 arranged alphabetically4 ,each   
pamphlet should be plainly numbered at  

its head by colored pencil1 with the    
figure of its place in the volume1 and  
the number of the case1 containing it1  
which should also be volumed1 and       
assigned to shelves containing books on 
related subjects4 ,i need not add that  
all these numbers should correspond with
 the catalogue-title of each pamphlet4  
,then1 when any one pamphlet is wanted1 
send for the case containing it1 find it
 and withdraw it at once by its number1 
place it in one of the ,koch spring-back
 binders1 and give it to the reader     
precisely like any book that is served  
at the library counter4  ,a more        
economical plan still1 for libraries    
which cannot afford the expense of the  
,woodruff file-holders1 is to cut out   
cases for the pamphlets1 of suitable    
size1 from tough ,manila board1 which   
need not cost more than about three     
cents each case4  ,in whatever way the  
unbound pamphlets are treated1 you      
should always mark them as such on the  
left-hand margin of each catalogue-card1

 by the designation ub4 7unbound7 in    
pencil4 ,if you decide later1 to bind   
any of them1 this pencil-mark should be 
erased from the cards1 on the return of 
the pamphlets from the bindery4         
,,chapter #h4  ,,periodical             
,,literature4   ,the librarian who      
desires to make the management of his   
library in the highest degree           
successful1 must give special attention 
to the important field of periodical    
literature4 ,more and more1 as the years
 roll on1 the periodical becomes the    
successful rival of the book in the     
claim for public attention4 ,indeed1 we 
hear now and then1 denunciations of the 
ever-swelling flood of magazines and    
newspapers1 as tending to drive out the 
book4 ,readers1 we are told1 are seduced
 from solid and improving reading1 by   
the mass of daily1 weekly1 and monthly  
periodicals which lie in wait for them  
on every hand4 ,but no indiscriminate   
censure of periodicals or of their      
reading1 can blind us to the fact of    

their great value4 ,because some persons
 devote an inordinate amount of time to 
them1 is no reason why we should fail to
 use them judiciously ourselves1 or to  
aid others in doing so4 ,and because    
many periodicals 7and even the vast     
majority7 are of little importance1 and 
are filled with trifling and ephemeral  
matter1 that fact does not discredit the
 meritorious ones4 ,counterfeit currency
 does not diminish the value of the true
 coin2 it is very sure to find its own  
just level at last2 and so the wretched 
or the sensational periodical1 however  
pretentious1 will fall into inevitable  
neglect and failure in the long run4    
,it is true that the figures as to the  
relative issues of books and periodicals
 in the publishing world are startling  
enough to give us pause4 ,it has been   
computed that of the annual product of  
the ,american press1 eighty-two per     
cent4 consists of newspapers1 ten per   
cent4 of magazines and reviews1 and only
 eight per cent4 of books4 ,yet this    

vast redundancy of periodical literature
 is by no means such a menace to our    
permanent literature as it appears at   
first sight2--and that for three        
reasons3 7#a7 a large share of the books
 actually published1 appear in the first
 instance in the periodicals in serial  
or casual form2 7#b7 the periodicals    
contain very much matter of permanent   
value2 7#c7 the steady increase of      
carefully prepared books in the         
publishing world1 while it may not keep 
pace with the rapid increase of         
periodicals1 evinces a growth in the    
right direction4 ,it is no longer so    
easy to get a crude or a poor book      
published1 as it was a generation ago4  
,the standard of critical taste has     
risen1 and far more readers are judges  
of what constitutes a really good book  
than ever before4 ,while it is true that
 our periodical product has so grown1   
that whereas there were twenty years    
ago1 in #ahgh1 only #g1ieh different    
newspapers and magazines published in   

the ,united ,states1 there are now1 in  
#ahii1 over #bj1ejj issued1 it can also 
be stated that the annual product of    
books has increased in the same twenty  
years from less than two thousand to    
more than five thousand volumes of new  
issues in a year4 ,whatever may be the  
future of our ,american literature1 it  
can hardly be doubted that the tendency 
is steadily toward the production of    
more books1 and better ones4  ,whether a
 public library be large or small1 its  
value to students will depend greatly   
upon the care and completeness with     
which its selection of periodical works 
is made1 and kept up from year to year4 
,nothing is more common in all          
libraries1 public and private1 than     
imperfect and partially bound sets of   
serials1 whether newspapers1 reviews1   
magazines or the proceedings and reports
 of scientific and other societies4     
,nothing can be more annoying than to   
find the sets of such publications      
broken at the very point where the      

reference or the wants of those         
consulting them require satisfaction4   
,in these matters1 perpetual vigilance  
is the price of completeness2 and the   
librarian who is not willing or able to 
devote the time and means requisite to  
complete the files of periodical        
publications under his charge is to be  
censured or commiserated1 according to  
the causes of the failure4 ,the first   
essential in keeping up the completeness
 of files of ephemeral publications1    
next to vigilance on the part of their  
custodian1 is room for the arrangement  
of the various parts1 and means for     
binding with promptitude4 ,some         
libraries1 and among them a few of the  
largest1 are so hampered for want of    
room1 that their serials are piled in   
heaps without order or arrangement1 and 
are thus comparatively useless until    
bound4 ,in the more fortunate           
institutions1 which possess adequate    
space for the orderly arrangement of all
 their stores1 there can be no excuse   

for failing to supply any periodical1   
whether bound or unbound1 at the moment 
it is called for4 ,it is simply         
necessary to devote sufficient time each
 day to the systematic arrangement of   
all receipts3 to keep each file together
 in chronological order2 to supply them 
for the perusal of readers1 with a      
proper check or receipt1 and to make    
sure of binding each new volume as fast 
as the publication of titles and index  
enables it to be done properly4 ,while  
some libraries receive several thousands
 of serials1 the periodical publications
 taken by others amount to a very small 
number2 but in either case1 the         
importance of prompt collation and      
immediate supply of missing parts or    
numbers is equally imperative4 ,while   
deficiencies in daily newspapers can    
rarely be made up after the week1 and   
sometimes not after the day of their    
appearance1 the missing parts of        
official and other publications1 as well
 as of reviews and magazines appearing  

at less frequent intervals1 can usually 
be supplied within the year1 although a 
more prompt securing of them is often   
necessary4 ,in these publications1 as in
 the acquisition of books for any       
library1 the collation of each part or  
number is imperative1 in order to avoid 
imperfections which may be irreparable4 
,first in the ranks of these ephemeral  
publications1 in order of number1 if not
 of importance1 come the journals of all
 classes1 daily and weekly1 political1  
illustrated1 literary1 scientific1      
mechanical1 professional1 agricultural1 
financial1 etc4 ,from the obscure and   
fugitive beginnings of journalism in the
 sixteenth century to the establishment 
of the first continuous newspaper--the  
,london ,weekly ,news1 in #afbb1 and    
,renaudot's ,gazette 7afterwards the    
,gazette de ,france7 in #afca1 followed 
by the issue of the first daily         
newspaper1 the ,london ,daily ,courant1 
in #agjb1 and the ,boston ,weekly       
,news-letter in #agjd1 7the first       

,american journal7--to the wonderful    
fecundity of the modern periodical      
press1 which scatters the leaves of more
 than thirty thousand different journals
 broadcast over the world1 there is a   
long and interesting history of the     
trials and triumphs of a free press4 ,in
 whatever respect ,american libraries   
may fall behind those of older lands    
7and their deficiencies are vast1 and1  
in many directions permanent7 it may be 
said with confidence1 that in the       
,united ,states the newspaper has       
received its widest and most complete   
development4 ,numerically1 the fullest  
approximate return of the newspaper and 
periodical press gives a total number of
 #ba1ejj periodical publications1       
regularly appearing within the limits of
 the ,united ,states4  ,while no one    
library1 however large and              
comprehensive1 has either the space or  
the means to accumulate a tithe of the  
periodicals that swarm from a productive
 press1 there are valid reasons why more

 attention should be paid by the        
librarian to a careful preservation of a
 wise selection of the best of all this 
current literature4 ,the modern         
newspaper and other periodical          
publications afford the fullest and     
truest1 and on the whole1 the most      
impartial image of the age we live in1  
that can be derived from a single       
source4 ,taken together1 they afford the
 richest material for the historian1 or 
the student of politics1 of society1 of 
literature1 and of civilization in all  
its varied aspects4 ,what precious      
memorials of the day1 even the          
advertisements and brief paragraphs of  
the newspapers of a century ago afford  
us6 ,while in a field so vast1 it is    
impossible for any one library to be    
more than a gleaner1 no such institution
 can afford to neglect the collection   
and preservation of at least some of the
 more important newspapers from year to 
year4 ,a public library is not for one  
generation only1 but it is for all time4

 ,opportunities once neglected of       
securing the current periodicals of any 
age in continuous and complete form     
seldom or never recur4 ,the principle of
 selection will of course vary in       
different libraries and localities4     
,while the safest general rule is to    
secure the best and most representative 
of all the journals1 reviews1 and       
magazines within the limit of the funds 
which can be devoted to that purpose1   
there is another principle which should 
largely guide the selection4 ,in each   
locality1 it should be one leading      
object of the principal library to      
gather within its walls the fullest     
representation possible1 of the         
literature relating to its own ,state   
and neighborhood4 ,in every city and    
large town1 the local journals and other
 periodicals should form an             
indispensable part of a public library  
collection4 ,where the means are wanting
 to purchase these1 the proprietors will
 frequently furnish them free of        

expense1 for public use2 but no occasion
 should be lost of securing1 immediately
 on its issue from the press1 every     
publication1 large or small1 which      
relates to the local history or         
interests of the place where the library
 is maintained4  ,while the files of the
 journals of any period furnish         
unquestionably the best instruments for 
the history of that epoch1 it is        
lamentable to reflect that so little    
care has ever been taken to preserve a  
fair representation of those of any age4
 ,the destiny of nearly all newspapers  
is swift destruction2 and even those    
which are preserved1 commonly survive in
 a lamentably fragmentary state4 ,the   
obvious causes of the rapid             
disappearance of periodical literature1 
are its great volume1 necessarily       
increasing with every year1 the         
difficulty of lodging the files of any  
long period in our narrow apartments1   
and the continual demand for paper for  
the uses of trade4 ,to these must be    

added the great cost of binding files of
 journals1 increasing in the direct     
ratio of the size of the volume4 ,as so 
formidable an expense can be incurred by
 very few private subscribers to        
periodicals1 so much the more important 
is it that the public libraries should  
not neglect a duty which they owe to    
their generation1 as well as to those   
that are to follow4 ,these poor journals
 of to-day1 which everybody is willing  
to stigmatize as trash1 not worth the   
room to store or the money to bind1 are 
the very materials which the man of the 
future will search for with eagerness1  
and for some of which he will be ready  
to pay their weight in gold4 ,these     
representatives of the commercial1      
industrial1 inventive1 social1 literary1
 political1 moral and religious life of 
the times1 should be preserved and      
handed down to posterity with sedulous  
care4 ,no historian or other writer on  
any subject who would write             
conscientiously or with full            

information1 can afford to neglect this 
fruitful mine of the journals1 where his
 richest materials are frequently to be 
found4  ,in the absence of any great    
library of journals1 or of that         
universal library which every nation    
should possess1 it becomes the more     
important to assemble in the various    
local libraries all those ephemeral     
publications1 which1 if not thus        
preserved contemporaneously with their  
issue1 will disappear utterly1 and elude
 the search of future historical        
inquirers4 ,and that library which shall
 most sedulously gather and preserve    
such fugitive memorials of the life of  
the people among which it is situated   
will be found to have best subserved its
 purpose to the succeeding generations  
of men4  ,not less important than the   
preservation of newspapers is that of   
reviews and magazines4 ,in fact1 the    
latter are almost universally recognized
 as far more important than the more    
fugitive literature of the daily and    

weekly press4 ,though inferior to the   
journals as historical and statistical  
materials1 reviews and magazines supply 
the largest fund of discussion          
concerning such topics of scientific1   
social1 literary1 and religious interest
 as occupy the public mind during the   
time in which they appear4 ,more and    
more the best thought of the times gets 
reflected in the pages of this portion  
of the periodical press4 ,no            
investigator in any department can      
afford to overlook the rich stores      
contributed to thought in reviews and   
magazines4 ,these articles are commonly 
more condensed and full of matter than  
the average books of the period4 ,while 
every library1 therefore1 should possess
 for the current use and ultimate       
reference of its readers a selection of 
the best1 as large as its means will    
permit1 a great and comprehensive       
library1 in order to be representative  
of the national literature1 should      
possess them all4         99       99   

99       99       99  ,the salient fact 
that the periodical press absorbs1 year 
by year1 more of the talent which might 
otherwise be expended upon literature of
 more permanent form is abundantly      
obvious4 ,this tendency has both its    
good and its evil results4 ,on the one  
hand1 the best writing ability is often 
drawn out by magazines and journals1    
which are keen competitors for          
attractive matter1 and for known        
reputations1 and sometimes they secure  
both in combination4 ,on the other hand1
 it is a notable fact that writers      
capable of excellent work often do great
 injustice to their reputations by      
producing too hastily articles written  
to order1 instead of the                
well-considered1 ripe fruits of their   
literary skill4 ,whether the brief      
article answering the limits of a       
magazine or a review is apt to be more  
or less superficial than a book treating
 the same topic1 is a question admitting
 of different views4 ,if the writer is  

capable of skilful condensation1 without
 loss of grace of composition1 or of    
graphic power1 then the article1        
measured by its influence upon the      
public mind1 must be preferred to the   
more diffuse treatise of the book4 ,it  
has the immense advantage of demanding  
far less of the reader's time2 and      
whenever its conclusions are stated in a
 masterly way1 its impression should be 
quite as lasting as that of any book    
treating a similar theme4 ,such is      
doubtless the effect of the abler       
articles written for periodicals1 which 
are more condensed and full of matter in
 speedily available form1 than the      
average book of the period4 ,in this    
sense it is a misuse of terms to call   
the review article ephemeral1 or to     
treat the periodicals containing them as
 perishable literary commodities1 which 
serve their term with the month or year 
that produced them4 ,on the contrary1   
the experience of librarians shows that 
the most sought-for1 and the most useful

 contributions to any subject are       
frequently found1 not in the books      
written upon it1 but in the files of    
current periodicals1 or in those of     
former years4 ,it is especially to be   
noted that the book may frequently lose 
its adaptation and usefulness by lapse  
of time1 and the onward march of        
science1 while the article is apt to    
reflect the latest light which can help 
to illustrate the subject4  ,while1     
therefore1 there is always a liability  
of finding many crude and sketchy       
contributions in the literature of the  
periodical press1 its conductors are    
ever on the alert to reduce to a minimum
 the weak or unworthy offerings1 and to 
secure a maximum of articles embodying  
mature thought and fit expression4 ,the 
pronounced tendency toward short methods
 in every channel of human activity1 is 
reflected in the constantly multiplying 
series of periodical publications4  ,the
 publishing activities of the times are 
taking on a certain coperative element1 

which was not formerly known4 ,thus1 the
 literary syndicate has been developed  
by degrees into one of the most         
far-reaching agencies for popular       
entertainment4 ,the taste for short     
stories1 in place of the ancient three  
volume novel1 has been cultivated even  
in conservative ,england1 and has become
 so wide-spread in the ,united ,states1 
that very few periodicals which deal in 
fiction at all1 are without their       
stories begun and finished in a single  
issue4 ,the talent required to produce a
 fascinating and successful fiction in  
this narrow compass is a peculiar one1  
and while there are numerous failures1  
there are also a surprising number of   
successes4 ,well written descriptive    
articles1 too1 are in demand1 and       
special cravings for personal gossip and
 lively sketches of notable living      
characters are manifest4 ,that perennial
 interest which mankind and womankind   
evince in every individual whose name1  
for whatever reason1 has become         

familiar1 supplies a basis for an       
inexhaustible series of light           
paragraphic articles4 ,another fruitful 
field for the syndicate composition is  
brief essays upon any topic of the      
times1 the fashions1 notable events1 or 
new inventions1 public charities1       
education1 governmental doings1 current 
political movements1 etc4 ,these appear 
almost simultaneously1 in many different
 periodicals1 scattered throughout the  
country1 under the copyright imprimatur1
 which warns off all journals from      
republishing1 which have not subscribed 
to the special syndicate engaging them4 
,thus each periodical secures1 at       
extremely moderate rates1 contributions 
which are frequently written by the most
 noted and popular living writers1 who1 
in their turn1 are much better          
remunerated for their work than they    
would be for the same amount of writing 
if published in book form4 ,whether this
 now popular method of attaining a wide 
and remunerative circulation for their  

productions will prove permanent1 is    
less certain than that many authors now 
find it the surest road to profitable   
employment of their pens4 ,the fact that
 it rarely serves to introduce unknown  
writers of talent to the reading world1 
may be laid to the account of the       
eagerness of the syndicates to secure   
names that already enjoy notoriety4     
,the best method for filing newspapers  
for current reading is a vexed question 
in libraries4 ,in the large ones1 where 
room enough exists1 large reading-stands
 with sloping sides furnish the most    
convenient access1 provided with movable
 metal rods to keep the papers in place4
 ,where no room exists for these stands1
 some of the numerous portable          
newspaper-file inventions1 or racks1 may
 be substituted1 allowing one to each   
paper received at the library4  ,for    
filing current magazines1 reviews1 and  
the smaller newspapers1 like the        
literary and technical journals1 various
 plans are in use4 ,all of these have   

advantages1 while none is free from     
objection4 ,some libraries use the      
ordinary pamphlet case1 in which the    
successive numbers are kept until a     
volume is accumulated for binding4 ,this
 requires a separate case for each      
periodical1 and where many are taken1 is
 expensive1 though by this method the   
magazines are kept neat and in order4   
,others use small newspaper files or    
tapes for periodicals4 ,others still    
arrange them alphabetically on shelves1 
in which case the latest issues are     
found on top1 if the chronology is      
preserved4 ,in serving periodicals to   
readers1 tickets should be required 7as 
for books7 with title and date1 as a    
precaution against loss1 or careless    
leaving upon tables4  ,whether current  
periodicals are ever allowed to be drawn
 out1 must depend upon several weighty  
considerations4 ,when only one copy is  
taken1 no circulation should be         
permitted1 so that the magazines and    
journals may be always in1 at the       

service of readers frequenting the      
library4 ,but in some large public      
libraries1 where several copies of each 
of the more popular serials are         
subscribed to1 it is the custom to keep 
one copy 7sometimes two7 always in1 and 
to allow the duplicate copies to be     
drawn out4 ,this circulation should be  
limited to a period much shorter than is
 allowed for keeping books4  ,in no     
case1 should the bound volumes of       
magazines1 reviews1 and journals of     
whatever kind be allowed to leave the   
library4 ,this is a rule which should be
 enforced for the common benefit of all 
the readers1 since to lend to one reader
 any periodical or work of general      
reference is to deprive all the rest of 
its use just so long as it is out of the
 library4 ,this has become all the more 
important since the publication of      
,poole's ,indexes to periodical         
literature has put the whole reading    
community on the quest for information  
to be found only 7in condensed form1 or 

in the latest treatment7 in the volumes 
of the periodical press4 ,and it is     
really no hardship to any quick1        
intelligent reader1 to require that     
these valuable serials should be used   
within the library only4 ,an article is 
not like a book2--a long and perhaps    
serious study1 requiring many hours or  
days to master it4 ,the magazine or     
review article1 whatever other virtues  
it may lack1 has the supreme merit of   
brevity4  ,the only valid exception     
which will justify loaning the serial   
volumes of periodicals outside the      
library1 is when there are duplicate    
sets of any of them4 ,some large        
libraries having a wide popular         
circulation are able to buy two or more 
sets of the magazines most in demand1   
and so to lend one out1 while another is
 kept constantly in for use and         
reference4 ,and even a library of small 
means might secure for its shelves      
duplicate sets of many periodicals1 by  
simply making known that it would be    

glad to receive from any families or    
other owners1 all the numbers of their  
magazines1 etc41 which they no longer   
need for use4 ,this would bring in1 in  
any large town or city1 a copious supply
 of periodicals which house-keepers1    
tired of keeping1 storing and dusting   
such unsightly property1 would be glad  
to bestow where they would do the most  
good4  ,whatever periodicals are taken1 
it is essential to watch over their     
completeness by keeping a faithfully    
revised check-list4 ,this should be     
ruled to furnish blank spaces for each  
issue of all serials taken1 whether     
quarterly1 monthly1 weekly1 or daily1   
and no week should elapse without       
complete scrutiny of the list1 and      
ordering all missing numbers from the   
publishers4 ,mail failures are common1  
and unceasing vigilance is the price    
that must be paid for completeness4 ,the
 same check-list1 by other spaces1      
should show the time of expiration of   
subscriptions1 and the price paid per   

year4 ,and where a large number of      
periodicals are received1 covering many 
parts of the country1 they should be    
listed1 not only by an alphabet of      
titles1 but by another alphabet of      
places where published1 as well4  ,if a 
new library is to be formed1 having no  
sets of periodicals on which to build1  
effort should be made to secure full    
sets from the beginning of as many of   
the prominent magazines and reviews1    
,american and foreign1 as the funds will
 permit4 ,it is expedient to wait a     
little1 rather than to take up with     
incomplete sets1 as full ones are pretty
 sure to turn up1 and competition       
between the many dealers should bring   
down prices to a fair medium4 ,in fact1 
many old sets of magazines are offered  
surprisingly cheap1 and usually         
well-bound4 ,but vigilant care must be  
exercised to secure perfect sets1 as    
numbers are often mutilated1 or         
deficient in some pages or              
illustrations4 ,this object can only be 

secured by collation of every volume1   
page by page1 with due attention to the 
list of illustrations1 if any are       
published4  ,in the absence of ,british 
bibliographical enterprise 7a want much 
to be deplored7 it has fallen to the lot
 of ,american librarians to produce the 
only general index of subjects to       
,english periodical literature which    
exists4 ,poole's ,index to ,periodical  
,literature is called by the name of its
 senior editor1 the late ,dr4 ,wm4 ,f4  
,poole1 and was contributed to by many  
librarians on a coperative division of  
labor1 in indexing1 under direction of  
,mr4 ,wm4 ,i4 ,fletcher1 librarian of   
,amherst ,college4 ,this index to       
leading periodicals is literally        
invaluable1 and indispensable as an aid 
to research4 ,its first volume indexes  
in one alphabet the periodicals         
embraced1 from their first issues up to 
#ahhb4 ,the second volume runs from     
#ahhb to #ahhg1 and the third covers the
 period from #ahhg to #ahia1 while a    

fourth volume indexes the periodicals   
from #ahib to #ahif1 inclusive4 ,for    
#ahig1 and each year after1 an annual   
index to the publications of the year is
 issued4  ,besides this1 the ,review of 
,reviews publishes monthly an index to  
one month's leading periodicals1 and    
also an annual index1 very full1 in a   
single alphabet4 ,and the ,cumulative   
,index1 issued both monthly and         
quarterly1 by ,w4 ,h4 ,brett1 the       
,cleveland1 ,ohio1 librarian1 is an     
admirably full means of keeping our keys
 to periodical literature up to date4   
,there are other indexes to periodicals1
 published monthly or quarterly1 too    
numerous to be noticed here4 ,the annual
 ,new ,york ,tribune ,index 7the only   
daily journal1 except the ,london       
,times1 which prints an index7 is highly
 useful1 and may be used for other      
newspapers as well1 for the most        
important events or discussions1        
enabling one to search the dailies for  
himself1 the date once being fixed by   

aid of the index4  ,mention should also 
be made here of the admirably           
comprehensive annual ,rowell's          
,newspaper ,directory1 which should     
rather be called the ,american          
,periodical ,directory1 since it has a  
classified catalogue of all periodicals 
published in the ,united ,states and    
,canada4     ,,chapter #i4  ,,the ,,art 
,,of ,,reading4   ,the true ,university 
of these days1 says a great scholar of  
our century1 ,thomas ,carlyle1 is a     
collection of books1 and all education  
is to teach us how to read4  ,if there  
were any volume1 out of the multitude of
 books about books that have been       
written1 which could illuminate the     
pathway of the unskilled reader1 so as  
to guide him into all knowledge by the  
shortest road1 what a boon that book    
would be6  ,when we survey the vast and 
rapidly growing product of the modern   
press1--when we see these hosts of poets
 without imagination1 historians without
 accuracy1 critics without discernment1 

and novelists without invention or      
style1 in short1 the whole prolific     
brood of writers who do not know how to 
write1--we are tempted to echo the      
sentiment of ,wordsworth3--      ,the   
intellectual power1 through words and   
things1      ,goes sounding on a dim and
 perilous way4  ,the most that any one  
can hope to do for others is to suggest 
to them a clue which1 however feeble1   
has helped to guide his uncertain       
footsteps through the labyrinthian maze 
of folly and wisdom which we call       
literature4  ,the knowledge acquired by 
a ,librarian1 while it may be very wide 
and very varied1 runs much risk of being
 as superficial as it is diversified4   
,there is a very prevalent1 but very    
erroneous notion which conceives of a   
librarian as a kind of animated         
encyclopaedia1 who1 if you tap him in   
any direction1 from ,a to ,z1 will      
straightway pour forth a flood of       
knowledge upon any subject in history1  
science1 or literature4 ,this popular   

ideal1 however fine in theory1 has to   
undergo what commercial men call a heavy
 discount when reduced to practice4 ,the
 librarian is a constant and busy worker
 in far other fields than exploring the 
contents of books4 ,his day is filled   
with cataloguing1 arranging and         
classifying them1 searching catalogues1 
selecting new books1 correspondence1    
directing assistants1 keeping library   
records1 adjusting accounts1 etc41 in   
the midst of which he is constantly at  
the call of the public for books and    
information4 ,what time has he1 wearied 
by the day's multifarious and exacting  
labors1 for any thorough study of books8
 ,so1 when anyone begins an inquiry     
with1 ,you know everything2 can you tell
 me1--,i say3 ,stop a moment2           
omniscience is not a human quality2 ,i  
really know very few things1 and am not 
quite sure of some of them4 ,there are  
many men1 and women1 too1 in almost     
every community1 whose range of         
knowledge is more extended than that of 

most librarians4  ,the idea1 then1 that 
because one lives perpetually among     
books1 he absorbs all the learning that 
they contain1 must be abandoned as a    
popular delusion4 ,to know a little upon
 many subjects is quite compatible with 
not knowing much about any one4 ,beware 
of the man of one book1 is an ancient   
proverb1 pregnant with meaning4 ,the man
 of one book1 if it is wisely chosen1   
and if he knows it all1 can sometimes   
confound a whole assembly of scholars4  
,an ,american poet once declared to me  
that all leisure time is lost that is   
not spent in reading ,shakespeare4 ,and 
we remember ,emerson's panegyric upon   
,plato's writings1 borrowing from the   
,caliph ,omar his famous 7but           
apocryphal7 sentence against all books  
but the ,koran3 ,burn all the libraries1
 for their value is in this book4 ,so   
,sheffield1 duke of ,buckingham3        
,read ,homer once1 and you can read no  
more1      ,for all books else appear so
 tame1 so poor1      ,verse will seem   

prose1 but still persist to read1       
,and ,homer will be all the books you   
need4  ,of course ,i am far from        
designing to say anything against the   
widest study1 which great libraries     
exist to supply and to encourage2 and   
all utterances of a half-truth1 like the
 maxim ,i have quoted1 are              
exaggerations4 ,but the saying points a 
moral--and that is1 the supreme         
importance of thoroughness in all that  
we undertake4 ,the poetical wiseacre who
 endowed the world with the maxim1 ,a   
little learning is a dangerous thing1   
does not appear to have reflected upon  
the logical sequence of the dictum1     
namely3 that if a little learning upon  
any subject is dangerous1 then less must
 be still more dangerous4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,the art 
of reading to the best advantage implies
 the command of adequate time to read4  
,the art of having time to read depends 
upon knowing how to make the best use of
 our days4 ,days are short1 and time is 

fleeting1 but no one's day ever holds   
less than #bd hours4 ,engrossing as     
one's occupation may be1 it need never  
consume all the time remaining from     
sleep1 refreshment and social           
intercourse4 ,the half hour before      
breakfast1 the fifteen minutes waiting  
for dinner1 given to the book you wish  
to read1 will soon finish it1 and make  
room for another4 ,the busiest men ,i   
have known have often been the most     
intelligent1 and the widest readers4    
,the idle person never knows how to make
 use of odd moments2 the busy one always
 knows how4 ,yet the vast majority of   
people go through life without ever     
learning the great lesson of the supreme
 value of moments4  ,let us suppose that
 you determine to devote two hours every
 day to reading4 ,that is equivalent to 
more than seven hundred hours a year1 or
 to three months of working time of     
eight hours a day4 ,what could you not  
do in three months1 if you had all the  
time to yourself8 ,you could almost     

learn a new language1 or master a new   
science2 yet this two hours a day1 which
 would give you three months of free    
time every year1 is frittered away1 you 
scarcely know how1 in aimless matters   
that lead to nothing4  ,a famous writer 
of our century1 some of whose books you 
have read1--,edward ,bulwer             
,lytton1--devoted only four hours a day 
to writing2 yet he produced more than   
sixty volumes of fiction1 poetry1 drama 
and criticism1 of singular literary     
merit4 ,the great naturalist1 ,darwin1 a
 chronic sufferer from a depressing     
malady1 counted two hours a fortunate   
day's work for him2 yet he accomplished 
results in the world of science which   
render his name immortal4  ,be not over 
particular as to hours1 or the time of  
day1 and you will soon find that all    
hours are good for the muse4 ,have a    
purpose1 and adhere to it with          
good-humored pertinacity4 ,be           
independent of the advice and opinions  
of others2 the world of books1 like the 

world of nature1 was made for you2      
possess it in your own way4 ,if you find
 no good in ancient history or in       
metaphysics1 let them alone and read    
books of art1 or poetry1 or biography1  
or voyages and travels4 ,the wide domain
 of knowledge and the world of books are
 so related1 that all roads cross and   
converge1 like the paths that carry us  
over the surface of the globe on which  
we live4 ,many a reader has learned more
 of past times from good biographies1   
than from any formal history2 and it is 
a fact that many owe to the plays of    
,shakespeare and the novels of ,walter  
,scott nearly all the knowledge which   
they possess of the history of ,england 
and ,scotland4  ,it is unhappily true   
that books do not teach the use of      
books4 ,the art of extracting what is   
important or instructive in any book1   
from the mass of verbiage that commonly 
overlays it1 cannot be learned by       
theory4 ,invaluable as the art of       
reading is1 as a means of enlightenment1

 its highest uses can only be obtained  
by a certain method of reading1 which   
will separate the wheat from the chaff4 
,different readers will1 of course1     
possess different capacities for doing  
this4 ,young or undisciplined minds can 
read only in one way1--and that way is1 
to mentally pronounce every word1 and   
dwell equally upon all the parts of     
every sentence4 ,this comes naturally in
 the first instance1 from the mere      
method of learning to read1 in which    
every word is a spoken symbol1 and has  
to be sounded1 whether it is essential  
to the sense1 or not4 ,this habit of    
reading1 which may be termed the literal
 method1 goes with most persons through 
life4 ,once learned1 it is very hard to 
unlearn4 ,there are multitudes who      
cannot read a newspaper1 even1 without  
dwelling upon every word1 and coming to 
a full stop at the end of every         
sentence4 ,now this method of reading1  
while it may be indispensable to all    
readers at some time1 and to some       

readers at all times1 is too slow and   
fruitless for the student who aims to   
absorb the largest amount of knowledge  
in the briefest space of time4 ,life is 
too short to be wasted over the rhetoric
 or the periods of an author whose      
knowledge we want as all that concerns  
us4  ,doubtless there are classes of    
literature in which form or expression  
predominates1 and we cannot read poetry1
 for example1 or the drama1 or even the 
higher class of fiction1 without        
lingering upon the finer passages1 to   
get the full impression of their beauty4
 ,in reading works of the imagination1  
we read not for ideas alone1 but for    
expression also1 and to enjoy the rhythm
 and melody of the verse1 if it be      
poetry1 or1 if prose1 the finished      
rhetoric1 and the pleasing cadence of   
the style4 ,it is here that the literary
 skill of an accomplished writer1 and   
all that we understand by rhetoric1     
becomes important1 while in reading for 
information only1 we may either ignore  

words and phrases entirely1 or          
subordinate them to the ideas which they
 convey4 ,in reading any book for the   
knowledge it contains1 ,i should as soon
 think of spelling out all the words1 as
 of reading out all the sentences4 ,just
 as1 in listening to a slow speaker1 you
 divine the whole meaning of what he is 
about to say1 before he has got half    
through his sentence1 so1 in reading1   
you can gather the full sense of the    
ideas which any sentence contains1      
without stopping to accentuate the      
words4  ,leaving aside the purely       
literary works1 in which form or style  
is a predominant element1 let us come to
 books of science1 history1 biography1  
voyages1 travels1 etc4 ,in these1 the   
primal aim is to convey information1 and
 thus the style of expression is little 
or nothing--the thought or the fact is  
all4 ,yet most writers envelop the      
thought or the fact in so much verbiage1
 complicate it with so many episodes1   
beat it out thin1 by so much iteration  

and reiteration1 that the student must  
needs learn the art of skipping1 in     
self-defense4 ,to one in zealous pursuit
 of knowledge1 to read most books       
through is paying them too extravagant a
 compliment4 ,he has to read between the
 lines1 as it were1 to note down a fact 
here1 or a thought there1 or an         
illustration elsewhere1 and leaves alone
 all that contributes nothing to his    
special purpose4 ,as the quick1         
practiced eye glances over the visible  
signs of thought1 page after page is    
rapidly absorbed1 and a book which would
 occupy an ordinary reader many days in 
reading1 is mastered in a few hours4    
,the habit of reading which ,i have     
outlined1 and which may be termed the   
intuitive method1 or1 if you prefer it1 
the short-hand method1 will more than   
double the working power of the reader4 
,it is not difficult to practice1       
especially to a busy man1 who does with 
all his might what he has got to do4    
,but it should be learned early in life1

 when the faculties are fresh1 the mind 
full of zeal for knowledge1 and the     
mental habits are ductile1 not fixed4   
,with it one's capacity for acquiring   
knowledge1 and consequently his         
accomplishment1 whether as writer1      
teacher1 librarian1 or private student1 
will be immeasureably increased4        
,doubtless it is true that some native  
or intuitive gifts must be conjoined    
with much mental discipline and         
perseverance1 in order to reach the     
highest result1 in this method of       
reading1 as in any other study4 ,non    
omnia possumus omnes1 ,virgil says2 and 
there are intellects who could no more  
master such a method1 than they could   
understand the binomial theorem1 or     
calculate the orbit of ,uranus4 ,if it  
be true1 as has been epigramatically    
said1 that a great book is a great evil1
 let it be reduced to a small one by the
 skilful use of the art of skipping4    
,then1 he that runs may read as he      
runs--while1 without this refuge1 he    

that reads will often assuredly be      
tempted to run4  ,what ,i said1 just    
now1 in deprecation of set courses of   
reading1 was designed for private       
students only1 who so often find a      
stereotyped sequence of books barren or 
uninteresting4 ,it was not intended to  
discourage the pursuit of a special     
course of study in the school1 or the   
society1 or the reading class4 ,this is1
 in fact1 one of the best means of      
intellectual progress4 ,here1 there is  
the opportunity to discuss the style1   
the merits1 and the characteristics of  
the author in hand1 and by the attrition
 of mind with mind1 to inform and       
entertain the whole circle of readers4  
,in an association of this kind1        
embracing one or two acute minds1 the   
excellent practice of reading aloud     
finds its best results4 ,here1 too1 the 
art of expression becomes important1 how
 to adapt the sound to the sense1 by a  
just emphasis1 intonation1 and          
modulation of the voice4 ,in short1 the 

value of a book thus read and discussed1
 in an appreciative circle1 may be more 
than doubled to each reader4  ,it is    
almost literally true that no book1     
undertaken merely as task work1 ever    
helped the reader to knowledge of       
permanent or material value4 ,how many  
persons1 struck by ,mr4 ,emerson's      
exalted praise of the writings of       
,plato1 have undertaken to go through   
the ,dialogues4 ,alas6 for the vain     
ambition to be or to seem learned6      
,after trying to understand the ,phaedo1
 or falling asleep over the ,gorgias1   
the book has been dropped as hastily as 
it was taken up4 ,it was not perceived  
that in order to enjoy or comprehend a  
philosopher1 one must have a capacity   
for ideas4 ,it requires almost as much  
intelligence to appreciate an idea as to
 conceive one4 ,one will bring nothing  
home from the most persistent cruise    
after knowledge1 unless he carries      
something out4 ,in the realm of         
learning1 we recognize the full meaning 

of that ,scripture1 that to him that    
hath1 shall be given2 and he that hath  
not1 though never so anxious to read and
 understand ,plato1 will quickly return 
to the perusal of his daily newspaper4  
,it were easier1 perhaps1 in one sense1 
to tell what not to read1 than to       
recommend what is best worth reading4   
,in the publishing world1 this is the   
age of compilation1 not of creation4 ,if
 we seek for great original works1 if we
 must go to the wholesale merchants to  
buy knowledge1 since retail geniuses are
 worth but little1 one must go back many
 years for his main selection of books4 
,it would not be a bad rule for those   
who can read but little1 to read no book
 until it has been published at least a 
year or two4 ,this fever for the newest 
books is not a wholesome condition of   
the mind4 ,and since a selection must   
indispensably be made1 and that         
selection must be1 for the great mass of
 readers1 so rigid and so small1 why    
should precious time be wasted upon the 

ephemeral productions of the hour8 ,what
 business1 for example1 has one to be   
reading ,rider ,haggard1 or ,amlie      
,rives1 or ,ian ,maclaren1 who has never
 read ,homer1 or ,dante1 or even so much
 as half-a-dozen plays of ,shakespeare8 
,one hears with dismay that about       
three-fourths of the books drawn from   
our popular libraries are novels4 ,now1 
while such aimless reading1 merely to be
 amused1 is doubtless better than no    
reading at all1 it is unquestionably    
true that over-much reading of fiction1 
especially at an early age1 enervates   
the mind1 weakens the will1 makes       
dreamers instead of thinkers and        
workers1 and fills the imagination with 
morbid and unreal views of life4 ,yet   
the vast consumption of novels is due   
more to the cheapness and wide diffusion
 of such works1 and the want of wise    
direction in other fields1 than to any  
original tendency on the part of the    
young4 ,people will always read the     
most1 that which is most put before     

them1 if only the style be attractive4  
,the mischief that is done by improper  
books is literally immeasureable4 ,the  
superabundance of cheap fictions in the 
markets creates and supplies an appetite
 which should be directed by wise       
guidance into more improving fields4 ,a 
two-fold evil follows upon the reading  
of every unworthy book2 in the first    
place1 it absorbs the time which should 
be bestowed upon a worthy one2 and      
secondly1 it leaves the mind and heart  
unimproved1 instead of conducing to the 
benefit of both4 ,as there are few books
 more elevating than a really good      
novel1 so there are none more fruitful  
of evil than a bad one4  ,and what of   
the newspaper8 it may be asked4 ,when ,i
 consider for how much really good      
literature we are beholden to the daily 
and weekly press1 how indispensable is  
its function as purveyor of the news of 
the world1 how widely it has been       
improved in recent years1 ,i cannot     
advise quarreling with the bridge that  

brings so many across the gulf of       
ignorance4 ,yet the newspaper1 like the 
book1 is to be read sparingly1 and with 
judgment4 ,it is to be used1 not abused4
 ,i call that an abuse which squanders  
the precious and unreturning hours over 
long chronicles of depravity4 ,the      
murders1 the suicides1 the executions1  
the divorces1 the criminal trials1 are  
each and all so like one another that it
 is only a wanton waste of time to read 
them4 ,the morbid style in which social 
disorders of all kinds are written up in
 the sensational press1 with staring    
headlines to attract attention1 ought to
 warn off every healthy mind from their 
perusal4 ,every scandal in society that 
can be brought to the surface is eagerly
 caught up and paraded1 while the       
millions of people who lead blameless   
lives of course go unnoticed and        
unchronicled4 ,such journals thus       
inculcate the vilest pessimism1 instead 
of a wholesome and honest belief in the 
average decency of human nature4 ,the   

prolixity of the narrative1 too1 is     
always in monstrous disproportion to its
 importance4 ,does not the burning of a 
metropolitan theatre1 says a great      
writer1 take above a million times as   
much telling as the creation of a world8
 ,here is where the art of skipping is  
to be rigorously applied4 ,read the     
newspaper by headlines only1--skipping  
all the murders1 all the fires1 all the 
executions1 all the crimes1 all the     
news1 except the most important and     
immediately interesting1--and you will  
spend perhaps fifteen or twenty minutes 
upon what would otherwise occupy hours4 
,it is no exaggeration to say that most 
persons have spent time enough over the 
newspapers1 to have given them a liberal
 education4  ,as all readers cannot have
 the same gifts1 so all cannot enjoy the
 same books4 ,there are those who can   
see no greatness in ,shakespeare1 but   
who think ,tupper's ,proverbial         
,philosophy sublime4 ,some will eagerly 
devour every novel of ,miss ,braddon's1 

or ,the ,duchess1 or the woman calling  
herself ,ouida1 but they cannot         
appreciate the masterly fictions of     
,thackeray4 ,i have known very good     
people who could not1 for the life of   
them1 find any humor in ,dickens1 but   
who actually enjoyed the strained wit of
 ,mrs4 ,partington and ,bill ,nye4      
,readers who could not get through a    
volume of ,gibbon will read with        
admiration a so-called ,history of      
,napoleon by ,abbott4 ,and ,i fear that 
you will find many a young lady of      
to-day1 who is content to be ignorant of
 ,homer and ,shakespeare1 but who is    
ravished by the charms of ,trilby or the
 ,heavenly ,twins4 ,but taste in        
literature1 as in art1 or in anything   
else1 can be cultivated4 ,lay down the  
rule1 and adhere to it1 to read none but
 the best books1 and you will soon lose 
all relish for the poor ones4 ,you can  
educate readers into good judges1 in no 
long time1 by feeding them on the       
masterpieces of ,english prose and      

poetry4 ,surely1 we all have cause to   
deprecate the remorseless flood of      
fictitious literature in which better   
books are drowned4  ,be not dismayed at 
the vast multitude of books1 nor fear   
that1 with your small leisure1 you will 
never be able to master any appreciable 
share of them4 ,few and far between are 
the great books of the world4 ,the works
 which it is necessary to know1 may be  
comprised in a comparatively small      
compass4 ,the rest are to be preserved  
in the great literary conservatories1   
some as records of the past1 others as  
chronicles of the times1 and not a few  
as models to be avoided4 ,the           
,congressional ,library at ,washington  
is our great ,national conservatory of  
books4 ,as the library of the           
government--that is1 of the whole       
people1--it is inclusive of all the     
literature which the country produces1  
while all the other libraries are and   
must be more or less exclusive4 ,no     
,national ,library can ever be too      

large4 ,in order that the completeness  
of the collection shall not fail1 and to
 preserve the whole of our literature1  
it is put into the ,statute of          
,copyright1 as a condition precedent of 
the exclusive right to multiply copies  
of any book1 that it shall be deposited 
in the ,library of ,congress4           
,apprehension is sometimes expressed    
that our ,national ,library will become 
overloaded with trash1 and so fail of   
its usefulness4 ',tis a lost fear4      
,there is no act of ,congress requiring 
all the books to be read4 ,the public   
sense is continually winnowing and      
sifting the literature of every period1 
and to books and their authors1 every   
day is the day of judgment4 ,nowhere in 
the world is the inexorable law of the  
survival of the fittest more rigidly    
applied than in the world of books4 ,the
 works which are the most frequently    
re-printed in successive ages are the   
ones which it is safe to stand by4      
,books may be divided into three        

classes3 #ast1 acquaintances2 #b;d1     
friends2 and #c;d1 intimates4  ,it is   
well enough to have an acquaintance with
 a multitude of books1 as with many     
people2 though in either case much time 
should not be given to merely pleasant  
intercourse1 that leads to no result4   
,with our literary friends1 we can spend
 more time1 for they awaken keen        
interest1 and are to be read with zest1 
and consequently with profit4 ,but for  
our chosen intimates1 our               
heart-companions1 we reserve our highest
 regard1 and our best hours4 ,choice and
 sacred is the book that makes an era in
 the life of the reader2 the book which 
first rouses his higher nature1 and     
awakens the reason or the imagination4  
,such a volume will many a one remember2
 the book which first excited his own   
thought1 made him conscious of untried  
powers1 and opened to his charmed vision
 a new world4  ,such a book has         
,carlyle's ,sartor ,resartus been to    
many2 or the play of ,hamlet1 read for  

the first time2 or the ,faust of        
,goethe2 or the ,confessions of ,st4    
,augustine2 or an essay of ,emerson2 or 
,john ,ruskin2 or the ,divine ,comedy of
 ,dante2 or even an exquisite work of   
fiction1 like ,john ,halifax1 or ,henry 
,esmond4 ,what the book is that works   
such miracles is never of so much       
importance as the epoch in the mind of  
the reader which it signalizes4 ,it were
 vain to single out any one writer1 and 
say to all readers--,here is the book   
that must indispensably be read2 for the
 same book will have totally different  
effects upon different minds1 or even   
upon the same mind1 at different stages 
of development4  ,when ,i have been     
asked to contribute to the once popular 
symposia upon ,books which have helped  
me1--,i have declined1 for such         
catalogues of intellectual aids are     
liable to be very misleading4 ,thus1 if 
,i were to name the book which did more 
than most others for my own mind1 ,i    
should say that it was the ,emile of    

,rousseau1 read at about the age of     
seventeen4 ,this work1 written with that
 marvellous eloquence which             
characterises all the best productions  
of ,jean ,jacques1 first brought me     
acquainted with those advanced ideas of 
education which have penetrated the     
whole modern world4 ,yet the ,emile     
would probably appear to most of my     
readers trite and common-place1 as it   
would now to me1 for the reason that we 
have long passed the period of          
development when its ideas were new to  
us4  ,but the formative power of books  
can never be over-rated3 their subtle   
mastery to stimulate all the germs of   
intellectual and moral life that lie    
enfolded in the mind4 ,as the poet      
sings--      ,books are not seldom      
talismans and spells4  ,why should they 
not be so8 ,they furnish us the means1  
and the only means1 whereby we may hold 
communion with the master-spirits of all
 ages4 ,they bring us acquainted with   
the best thoughts which the human mind  

has produced1 expressed in the noblest  
language4 ,books create for us the      
many-sided world1 carry us abroad1 out  
of our narrow provincial horizons1 and  
reveal to us new scenery1 new men1 new  
languages1 and new modes of life4 ,as we
 read1 the mind expands with the        
horizon1 and becomes broad as the blue  
heaven above us4 ,with ,homer1 we       
breathe the fresh air of the pristine   
world1 when the light of poetry gilded  
every mountain top1 and peopled the     
earth with heroes and demigods4 ,with   
,plutarch1 we walk in company with      
sages1 warriors1 and statesmen1 and     
kindle with admiration of their virtues1
 or are roused to indignation at their  
crimes4 ,with ,sophocles1 we sound the  
depths of human passion1 and learn the  
sublime lesson of endurance4 ,we are    
charmed with an ode of ,horace1 perfect 
in rhythm1 perfect in sentiment1 perfect
 in diction1 and perfect in moral2 the  
condensed essence of volumes in a single
 page4 ,we walk with ,dante through the 

nether world1 awed by the tremendous    
power with which he depicts for us the  
secrets of the prison house4 ,with      
,milton1 we mount heaven-ward1 and in   
the immortal verse of his minor poems1  
finer even than the stately march of    
,paradise ,lost1 we hear celestial      
music1 and breathe diviner air4 ,with   
that sovereign artist1 ,shakespeare1    
full equally of delight and of majesty1 
we sweep the horizon of this complex    
human life1 and become comprehensive    
scholars and citizens of the world4 ,the
 masters of fiction enthrall us with    
their fascinating pages1 one moment     
shaking us with uncontrollable laughter1
 and the next1 dissolving us in tears4  
,in the presence of all these emanations
 of genius1 the wise reader may feed on 
nectar and ambrosia1 and forget the     
petty cares and vexations of to-day4    
,there are some books that charm us by  
their wit or their sweetness1 others    
that surprise and captivate us by their 
strength3 books that refresh us when    

weary3 books that comfort us when       
afflicted3 books that stimulate us by   
their robust health3 books that exalt   
and refine our natures1 as it were1 to a
 finer mould3 books that rouse us like  
the sound of a trumpet3 books that      
illumine the darkest hours1 and fill all
 our day with delight4  ,it is books    
that record the advance and the decline 
of nations1 the experience of the world1
 the achievements and the possibilities 
of mankind4 ,it is books that reveal to 
us ideas and images almost above        
ourselves1 and go far to open for us the
 gates of the invisible4 ,a river of    
thought1 says ,emerson1 is continually  
flowing out of the invisible world into 
the mind of man3 and we may add that    
books contain the most fruitful and     
permanent of the currents of that mighty
 river4  ,i am not disposed to celebrate
 the praises of all books1 nor to       
recommend to readers of any age a habit 
of indiscriminate reading3 but for the  
books which are true helpers and        

teachers1 the thoughts of the best      
poets1 historians1 publicists1          
philosophers1 orators1--if their value  
is not real1 then there are no realities
 in the world4  ,very true is it1       
nevertheless1 that the many-sided man   
cannot be cultivated by books alone4    
,one may learn by heart whole libraries1
 and yet be profoundly unacquainted with
 the face of nature1 or the life of man4
 ,the pale student who gives himself    
wholly to books pays the penalty by     
losing that robust energy of character1 
that sympathy with his kind1 that keen  
sense of the charms of earth and sky1   
that are essential to complete          
development4 ,the world's great men1    
says ,oliver ,wendell ,holmes1 have not 
commonly been great scholars1 nor its   
scholars great men4 ,to know what other 
men have said about things is not always
 the most important part of knowledge4  
,there is nothing that can dispense us  
from the independent use of our own     
faculties4 ,meditation and observation  

are more valuable than mere absorption2 
and knowledge itself is not wisdom4 ,the
 true way to use books is to make them  
our servants--not our masters4 ,very    
helpful1 cheering1 and profitable will  
they become1 when they fall naturally   
into our daily life and growth--when    
they tally with the moods of the mind4  
,the habits and methods of readers are  
as various as those of authors4 ,thus1  
there are some readers who gobble a     
book1 as ,boswell tells us ,dr4 ,johnson
 used to gobble his dinner--eagerly1 and
 with a furious appetite1 suggestive of 
dyspepsia1 and the non-assimilation of  
food4 ,then there are slow readers1 who 
plod along through a book1 sentence by  
sentence1 putting in a mark             
conscientiously where they left off     
to-day1 so as to begin at the self-same 
spot to-morrow2 fast readers1 who gallop
 through a book1 as you would ride a    
flying bicycle on a race2 drowsy        
readers1 to whom a book is only a covert
 apology for a nap1 and who pretend to  

be reading ,macaulay or ,herbert        
,spencer only to dream between the      
leaves2 sensitive readers1 who cannot   
abide the least noise or interruption   
when reading1 and to whose nerves a     
foot-fall or a conversation is an       
exquisite torture2 absorbed readers1 who
 are so pre-occupied with their pursuit 
that they forget all their              
surroundings--the time of day1 the      
presence or the voices of others1 the   
hour for dinner1 and even their own     
existence2 credulous readers1 who       
believe everything they read because it 
is printed in a book1 and swallow       
without winking the most colossal lying2
 critical and captious readers1 who     
quarrel with the blunders or the beliefs
 of their author1 and who cannot refrain
 from calling him an idiot or an        
ass--and perhaps even writing him down  
so on his own pages2 admiring and       
receptive readers1 who find fresh       
beauties in a favorite author every time
 they peruse him1 and even discover     

beautiful swans in the stupidest geese  
that ever cackled along the flowery     
meads of literature2 reverent readers1  
who treat a book as they would treat a  
great and good man1 considerately and   
politely1 carefully brushing the dust   
from a beloved volume with the sleeve1  
or tenderly lifting a book fallen to the
 floor1 as if they thought it suffered1 
or felt harm2 careless and rough        
readers1 who will turn down books on    
their faces to keep the place1 tumble   
them over in heaps1 cram them into      
shelves never meant for them1 scribble  
upon the margins1 dogs-ear the leaves1  
or even cut them with their fingers--all
 brutal and intolerable practices1      
totally unworthy of any one pretending  
to civilization4  ,to those who have    
well learned the art of reading1 what   
inexhaustible delights does the world of
 books contain6 ,with ,milton1 to behold
 the bright countenance of truth1 in the
 quiet and still air of delightful      
studies2 to journey through far         

countries with ,marco ,polo2 to steer   
across an unknown sea with ,columbus1 or
 to brave the dangers of the frozen     
ocean with ,nansen or ,dr4 ,kane2 to    
study the manners of ancient nations    
with ,herodotus2 to live over again the 
life of ,greece and ,rome with          
,plutarch's heroes2 to trace the decline
 of empires with ,gibbon and ,mommsen2  
to pursue the story of the modern world 
in the pages of ,hume1 ,macaulay1       
,thiers and ,sismondi1 and our own      
,prescott1 ,motley1 and ,bancroft2 to   
enjoy afresh the eloquence of           
,demosthenes1 and the polished and      
splendid diction of ,cicero2 to drink in
 the wisdom of philosophers1 and to walk
 with ,socrates1 ,plato and the stoics  
through the groves of ,academia2 to be  
kindled by the saintly utterances of    
prophets and apostles1 ,st4 ,paul's high
 reasoning of immortality1 or the       
seraphic visions of ,st4 ,john2 to study
 the laws that govern communities with  
the great publicists1 or the economy of 

nations with ,adam ,smith and ,stuart   
,mill2 with the naturalists1 to sound   
the depths of the argument as to the    
origin of species and the genesis of    
man2 with the astronomers1 to leave the 
narrow bounds of earth1 and explore the 
illimitable spaces of the universe1 in  
which our solar system is but a speck2  
with the mathematicians1 to quit the    
uncertain realm of speculation and      
assumption1 and plant our feet firmly on
 the rock of exact science3--to come    
back anon to lighter themes1 and to     
revel in the grotesque humor of         
,dickens1 the philosophic page of       
,bulwer1 the chivalric romances of      
,walter ,scott1 the ideal creations of  
,hawthorne1 the finished life-pictures  
of ,george ,eliot1 the powerful         
imagination of ,victor ,hugo1 and the   
masterly delineations of ,thackeray2 to 
hang over the absorbing biographies of  
,dr4 ,franklin1 ,walter ,scott and ,dr4 
,johnson2 to peruse with fresh delight  
the masterpieces of ,irving and         

,goldsmith1 and the best essays of      
,hazlitt1 ,de ,quincey1 ,charles ,lamb1 
and ,montaigne2 to feel the inspiration 
of the great poets of all ages1 from    
,homer down to ,tennyson2 to read       
,shakespeare--a book that is in itself  
almost a university3--is not all this   
satisfaction enough for human appetite1 
however craving1 solace enough for      
trouble1 however bitter1 occupation     
enough for life1 however long8  ,there  
are pleasures that perish in the using2 
but the pleasure which the art of       
reading carries with it is perennial4   
,he who can feast on the intellectual   
spoils of centuries need fear neither   
poverty nor hunger4 ,in the society of  
those immortals who still rule our      
spirits from their urns1 we become      
assured that though heaven and earth may
 pass away1 no true thought shall ever  
pass away4  ,the great orator1 on whose 
lips once hung multitudes1 dies and is  
forgotten2 the great actor passes       
swiftly off the stage1 and is seen no   

more2 the great singer1 whose voice     
charmed listening crowds by its melody1 
is hushed in the grave2 the great       
preacher survives but a single          
generation in the memory of men2 all we 
who now live and act must be1 in a      
little while1 with yesterday's seven    
thousand years3--but the book of the    
great writer lives on and on1 inspiring 
age after age of readers1 and has in it 
more of the seeds of immortality than   
anything upon earth4     ,,chapter #aj4 
,,aids ,,to ,,readers4   ,there is one  
venerable ,latin proverb which deserves 
a wider recognition than it has yet     
received4 ,it is to the effect that the 
best part of learning is to know where  
to find things4 ,from lack of this      
knowledge1 an unskilled reader will     
often spend hours in vainly searching   
for what a skilled reader can find in   
less than five minutes4 ,now1 librarians
 are presumed to be skilled readers1    
although it would not be quite safe to  
apply this designation to all of that   

profession1 since there are those among 
librarians1 or their assistants1 who are
 mere novices in the art of reading to  
advantage4 ,manifestly1 one cannot teach
 what he does not know3 and so the      
librarian who has not previously        
travelled the same road1 will not be    
able to guide the inquiring reader who  
asks him to point out the way4 ,but if  
the way has once been found1 the        
librarian1 with only a fairly good      
memory1 kept in constant exercise by his
 vocation1 can find it again4 ,still    
more surely1 if he has been through it  
many times1 will he know it intuitively1
 the moment any question is asked about 
it4  ,it is true of the great majority  
of readers resorting to a library1 that 
they have a most imperfect idea1 both of
 what they want1 and of the proper way  
to find it4 ,the world of knowledge1    
they know1 is vast1 and they are quite  
bewildered by the many paths that lead  
to some part or other of it1 crossing   
each other in all directions4 ,and among

 the would-be readers may be found every
 shade of intelligence1 and every degree
 of ignorance4 ,there is the timid      
variety1 too modest or diffident to ask 
for any help at all1 and so feeling     
about among the catalogues or other     
reference-books in a baffled search for 
information4 ,there is the sciolist     
variety1 who knows it all1 or imagines  
that he does1 and who asks for proof of 
impossible facts1 with an assurance born
 of the profoundest ignorance4 ,then1   
too1 there is the half-informed reader1 
who is in search of a book he once read1
 but has clean forgotten1 which had a   
remarkable description of a tornado in  
the ,west1 or a storm and ship-wreck at 
sea1 or a wonderful tropical garden1 or 
a thrilling escape from prison1 or a    
descent into the bowels of the earth1 or
 a tremendous snow-storm1 or a swarming 
flight of migratory birds1 or a         
mausoleum of departed kings1 or a       
haunted chamber hung with tapestry1 or  
the fatal caving-in of a coal-mine1 or a

 widely destructive flood1 or a         
hair-breadth escape from cannibals1 or a
 race for life1 pursued by wolves1 or a 
wondrous sub-marine grotto1 or a        
terrible forest fire1 or any one of a   
hundred scenes or descriptions1 all of  
which the librarian is presumed1 not    
only to have read1 but to have retained 
in his memory the author1 the title1 and
 the very chapter of the book which     
contained it4  ,to give some idea of the
 extent and variety of information which
 a librarian is supposed to possess1 ,i 
have been asked1 almost at the same     
time1 to refer a reader to the origin of
 ,candlemas day1 to define the          
,pragmatic ,sanction1 to give1 out of   
hand1 the aggregate wealth of ,great    
,britain1 compared with that of         
half-a-dozen other nations1 to define   
the limits of neutrality or belligerent 
rights1 to explain what is meant by the 
,gresham law1 to tell what ship has made
 the quickest voyage to ,europe1 when   
she made it1 and what the time was1 to  

elucidate the meaning of the ,carolina  
doctrine1 to explain the character and  
objects of the ,knights of the ,golden  
,circle1 to tell how large are the      
endowments of the ,british              
,universities1 to give the origin of the
 custom of egg-rolling1 to tell the     
meaning of the cipher dispatches1 to    
explain who was ,extra ,billy ,smith1 to
 tell the aggregate number killed on all
 sides during the ,napoleonic wars1 to  
certify who wrote the ,vestiges of      
,creation1 or1 finally1 to give the     
author of one of those innumerable      
ancient proverbs1 which float about the 
world without a father4  ,the great     
number and variety of such inquiries as 
are propounded by readers should not    
appal one4 ,nor should one too readily  
take refuge from a troublesome reader by
 the plea1 however convenient1 that the 
library contains nothing on that        
subject4 ,while this may unquestionably 
be true1 especially as regards a small  
public library1 it should never be put  

forward as a certainty1 until one has   
looked4 ,most inquiring readers are very
 patient1 and being fully sensible how  
much they owe to the free enjoyment of  
the library treasures1 and to the aid of
 the superintendent of them1 they are   
willing to wait for information4        
,however busy you may be at the moment1 
the reader can be asked to wait1 or to  
call at a less busy time1 when you will 
be prepared with a more satisfactory    
answer than can be given on the spur of 
the moment4 ,what cannot be done to-day1
 may often be done to-morrow4 ,remember 
always1 that readers are entitled to the
 best and most careful service1 for a   
librarian is not only the keeper1 but   
the interpreter of the intellectual     
stores of the library4 ,it is a good and
 a safe rule to let no opportunity of   
aiding a reader escape4 ,one should be  
particularly careful to volunteer help  
to those who are too new or too timid to
 ask3 and it is they who will be most   
grateful for any assistance4 ,the       

librarian has only to put himself in    
their place--7the golden rule for a     
librarian1 as for all the world         
besides71 and to consider how often1 in 
his own searches in libraries1 in the   
continual1 never-ending quest of        
knowledge1 he would have been thankful  
for a hint from some one who knew1 or   
had been over the ground of his search  
before2 and then he will feel the full  
value to the novice1 of such knowledge  
as he can impart4  ,he is not to forget 
that his superior opportunities for     
learning all about things1 with a whole 
library at command1 and within          
elbow-reach every hour of the day1      
should impose upon him a higher standard
 of attainment than most readers are    
supposed to have reached4 ,in the       
intervals of library work1 ,i am        
accustomed to consider the looking up of
 subjects or authorities as one of my   
very best recreations4 ,it is as        
interesting as a game of whist1 and much
 more profitable4 ,it is more welcome   

than routine labor1 for it rests or     
diverts the mind1 by its very variety1  
while1 to note the different views or   
expressions of writers on the same      
subject1 affords almost endless         
entertainment4 ,in tracing down a       
quotation also1 or the half-remembered  
line of some verse in poetry1 you       
encounter a host of parallel poetic     
images or expressions1 which contribute 
to aid the memory1 or to feed the       
imagination4 ,or1 in pursuing a         
sought-for fact in history1 through many
 volumes1 you learn collaterally much   
that may never have met your eye before4
 ,full1 as all libraries are1 of what we
 call trash1 there is almost no book    
which will not give us something1--even 
though it be only the negative virtue of
 a model to be avoided4 ,one may not1   
indeed1 always find what he seeks1      
because it may not exist at all1 or it  
may not be found in the limited range of
 his small library1 but he is almost    
sure to find something which gives food 

for thought1 or for memory to note4 ,and
 this is one of the foremost            
attractions1 let me add1 of the         
librarian's calling2 it is more full of 
intellectual variety1 of wide-open      
avenues to knowledge1 than any other    
vocation whatever4 ,his daily quests in 
pursuit of information to lay before    
others1 bring him acquainted with       
passages that are full of endless       
suggestion for himself4 ,he may not be  
able to pursue any of these avenues at  
the moment2 but he should make a mental 
or a written note of them1 for future   
benefit4 ,his daily business being      
learning1 why should he not in time1    
become learned8 ,there are1 of course1  
among the infinitude of questions1 that 
come before the librarian1 some that are
 really insoluble problems4 ,one of     
these is to be found among the topics of
 inquiry ,i just now suggested2 namely3 
what is the aggregate wealth of ,great  
,britain1 or that of other nations8     
,this is a question frequently asked by 

inquiring ,congressmen1 who imagine that
 an answer may readily be had from one  
of those gifted librarians who is       
invested with that apocryphal attribute1
 commonly called omniscience4 ,but the  
inquirer is suddenly confronted by the  
fact 7and a very stubborn fact it is7   
that not a single foreign nation has    
ever taken any census of wealth         
whatever4 ,in ,great ,britain 7about    
which country inquiry as to the national
 resources more largely centres7 the    
government wisely lets alone the attempt
 to tabulate the value of private       
wealth1 knowing that such an object is  
utterly impracticable4  ,but1 while the 
,british census makes no attempt at     
estimating the property of the people1  
the independent estimates of statistical
 writers vary hopelessly and            
irreconcilably4 ,mr4 ,j4 ,r4            
,mc,culloch1 one of the foremost        
accredited writers on economic science1 
lays it down as a dictum1 that sixty    
years is the shortest time in which the 

capital of an old and densely-peopled   
country can be expected to be doubled4  
,yet ,joseph ,lowe assumes the wealth of
 the ,united ,kingdom to have doubled in
 eighteen years1 from #ahbc to #ahda2   
while ,george ,r4 ,porter1 in his       
widely-accredited book on the ,progress 
of the ,nation1 and ,leoni ,levi1 a     
publicist of high reputation1 make out1 
7by combining their estimates7 that the 
private wealth of ,england increased    
fifty per cent4 in seventeen years1 at  
which rate it would double in about     
twenty-nine years1 instead of sixty1 as 
laid down by ,mr4 ,mc,culloch4 ,mr4     
,levi calculates the aggregate private  
wealth of ,great ,britain in #aheh1 at  
#bi1agh1jjj1jjj1 being a fraction less  
than the guesses of the census          
enumerators at the national wealth of   
the ,united ,states1 twelve years later1
 in #ahgj4 ,can one guess be said to be 
any nearer the fact than the other8 ,may
 we not be pardoned for treating all    
estimates as utterly fallacious that are

 not based upon known facts and figures8
 ,why do we hear so much of the         
approximate correctness of so many      
statistical tables1 when1 in point of   
fact1 the primary data are incapable of 
proof1 and the averages and conclusions 
built upon them are all assumed8        
,statisticians1 says one of the         
fraternity1 are generally held to be    
eminently practical people2 on the      
contrary1 they are more given to        
theorizing than any other class of      
writers2 and are generally less expert  
in it4  ,in the presence of such gross  
discrepancies as these1 by statisticians
 of the highest repute1 and among such a
 practical people as the ,english1 what 
value can be attached to the mere       
estimates of wealth which have been     
attempted in the census of the ,united  
,states8 ,the careful ,superintendent of
 the ,census of #ahgj and #ahhj1 the    
late ,francis ,a4 ,walker1 writes       
concerning it3  ,at the best1 these     
figures represent but the opinion of one

 man1 or of a body of men1 in the       
collection of material1 and in the      
calculation of the several elements of  
the public wealth4 ,and in the last     
,census ,report for #ahij1 the results  
of the so-called census of wealth1 are  
cautiously submitted1 as showing in a   
general way a continuous increase in the
 wealth of the nation1 the exact        
proportions of which cannot be measured4
  ,now1 what are we to conclude         
regarding the attempt to elevate to a   
rank in statistical science1 mere       
estimates of private wealth1 for a large
 portion of which1 by the statements of 
those who make them1 no actual          
statistical data exist8 ,and when this  
is confessedly the case in our own      
country1 the only one attempting the    
impossible task of tabulating the wealth
 of the people1 what shall we say of the
 demand that is made upon our credulity 
of accepting the guesses of ,mr4        
,giffen1 or ,mr4 ,mulhall1 as to        
,british wealth8 ,are we not justified  

in applying the old ,latin maxim--,de   
non apparentibus1 et de non             
existentibus1 eadem est ratio1 and      
replying to those who demand of us to   
know how much any nation is worth1 that 
it is sometimes an important part of    
knowledge to know that nothing can be   
known8  ,among the literally innumerable
 inquiries liable to be made of a       
librarian1 here is one which may give   
him more than a moment's pause1 unless  
he is uncommonly well versed in         
,american political history--namely1    
,what was the ,ostend ,manifesto8 ,to a 
mind not previously instructed these two
 words ,ostend ,manifesto1 convey       
absolutely no meaning4 ,you turn to the 
standard encyclopaedias1 ,appleton's1   
,johnson's ,universal1 and the          
,britannica1 and you find an account of 
,ostend1 a little ,belgian city1 its    
locality1 commerce1 and population1 but 
absolutely nothing about an ,ostend     
manifesto4 ,but in ,j4 ,n4 ,larned's    
,history for ,ready ,reference1 a useful

 book in five volumes1 arranged in      
alphabetical order1 you get a clue4 ,it 
refers you from ,ostend1 under letter   
,o1 to ,cuba1 where you learn that this 
formidable ,ostend manifesto was nothing
 more nor less than a paper drawn up and
 signed by ,messrs4 ,buchanan1 ,mason1  
and ,slidell1 ,ministers of the ,united 
,states to ,great ,britain1 ,france1 and
 ,spain1 respectively1 when at the      
watering-place of ,ostend1 in #ahed1    
importing that the island of ,cuba ought
 to1 and under certain circumstances1   
must belong to the ,united ,states4     
,looking a little farther1 as the       
manifesto is not published in ,larned1  
you find the text of the document itself
 in ,cluskey's ,political ,text-,book1  
of #ahfj1 and in some of the ,american  
newspapers of #ahed4 ,this is a case of 
pursuing a once notorious1 but more     
recently obscure topic1 through many    
works of reference until found4  ,in    
many searches for names of persons1 it  
becomes highly important to know        

before-hand where to look1 and equally  
important where not to look1 for certain
 biographies4 ,thus1 if you seek for the
 name of any living character1 it is    
necessary to know that it would be      
useless to look in the ,encyclopdia     
,britannica1 because the rule of        
compilation of that work purposely      
confined its sketches of notable persons
 to those who were already deceased when
 its volumes appeared4 ,so you save the 
time of hunting in at least one         
conspicuous work of reference1 before   
you begin1 by simply knowing its plan4  
,in like manner1 you should know that it
 is useless to search for two classes of
 names in the ,dictionary of ,national  
,biography1 the most copious            
biographical dictionary of ,british     
personages ever published1 begun in     
#ahhe1 under ,leslie ,stephen1 and      
reaching its sixty-first volume1 and    
letter ,w in #ahii1 under the editorship
 of ,sidney ,lee4 ,these two classes of 
names are first1 all persons not        

,british1 that is1 not either ,english1 
,scottish or ,irish2 and secondly1 names
 of ,british persons now living4 ,this  
is because this great work1 like the    
,britannica1 purposely confines itself  
to the names of notables deceased2 and1 
unlike the ,britannica1 it further      
limits its biographies to persons       
connected by birth or long residence    
with the ,british kingdom4 ,knowing this
 fact before-hand1 will save any time   
wasted in searching the ,dictionary of  
,national ,biography for any persons now
 living1 or for any ,american or        
,european names4  ,another caveat may   
properly be interposed as regards       
searches for information in that most   
widely advertised and circulated of all 
works of reference1--the ,encyclopaedia 
,britannica4 ,the plan of that work was 
to furnish the reading public with the  
very best treatises upon leading topics 
in science1 history1 and literature1 by 
eminent scholars and specialists in     
various fields4 ,pursuant to this       

general scheme1 each great subject has a
 most elaborate1 and sometimes almost   
exhaustive article--as1 for example1    
chemistry1 geology1 etc41 while the     
minor divisions of each topic do not    
appear in the alphabet at all1 or appear
 only by cross-reference to the generic 
name under which they are treated4 ,it  
results1 that while you find1 for       
example1 a most extensive article upon  
,anatomy1 filling a large part of a     
volume of the ,britannica1 you look in  
vain in the alphabet for such subjects  
as blood1 brain1 cartilage1 sinew1      
tissue1 etc41 which are described only  
in the article ,anatomy4 ,this method   
has to be well comprehended in order for
 any reader to make use of this great   
,cyclopaedia understandingly4 ,even by  
the aid of the ,english index to the    
work1 issued by its foreign publishers1 
the reader who is in hasty quest of     
information in the ,britannica1 will    
most frequently be baffled by not       
finding any minor subject in the index4 

,the ,english nation1 judged by most of 
the productions of its literary and     
scientific men in that field1 has small 
genius for indexing4 ,it was reserved to
 an ,american to prepare and print a    
thorough index1 at once alphabetical and
 analytical1 to this great ,english     
thesaurus of information--an index ten  
times more copious1 and therefore more  
useful to the student1 than the meagre  
one issued in ,england4 ,this index     
fills #c1ijj closely printed columns1   
forming the whole of volume #be of the  
,philadelphia edition of the work4 ,by  
its aid1 every name and every topic1    
treated anywhere in this vast repository
 of human knowledge can be traced out   
and appropriated2 while without it1 the 
,encyclopaedia ,britannica1 with all its
 great merits1 must remain very much in 
the nature of a sealed book to the      
reader who stands in need of immediate  
use and reference4 ,we have to take it  
for what it is--a collection of masterly
 treatises1 rather than a handy         

dictionary of knowledge4  ,the          
usefulness and success of any library   
will depend very largely upon the       
sympathy1 so to speak1 between the      
readers and the librarian4 ,when this is
 well established1 the rest is very     
easy4 ,the librarian should not seclude 
himself so as to be practically         
inaccessible to readers1 nor trust      
wholly to assistants to answer their    
inquiries4 ,this may be necessary in    
some large libraries1 where great and   
diversified interests connected with the
 building up of the collection1 the     
catalogue system1 and the library       
management and administration are all   
concerned4 ,in the ,british ,museum     
,library1 no one ever sees the          
,principal ,librarian2 even the next    
officer1 who is called the keeper of the
 printed books1 is not usually visible  
in the reading-room at all4  ,a         
librarian who is really desirous of     
doing the greatest good to the greatest 
number of people1 will be not only      

willing1 but anxious to answer          
inquiries1 even though they may appear  
to him trivial and unimportant4 ,still1 
he should also economise time by        
cultivating the habit of putting his    
answers into the fewest and plainest    
words4  ,how far the librarian should   
place himself in direct communication   
with readers1 must depend largely upon  
the extent of the library1 the labor    
required in managing its various        
departments1 the amount and value of    
assistance at his command1 and upon     
various other circumstances1 depending  
upon the different conditions with      
different librarians4 ,but it may be    
laid down as a safe general rule1 that  
the librarian should hold himself       
perpetually as a public servant1 ready  
and anxious to answer in some way1 all  
inquiries that may come to him4 ,thus1  
and thus only1 can he make himself1 and 
the collection of books under his       
charge1 useful in the highest degree to 
the public4 ,he will not indeed1 in any 

extensive library1 find it convenient1  
or even possible1 to answer all         
inquiries in person2 but he should      
always be ready to enable his assistants
 to answer them1 by his superior        
knowledge as to the best sources of     
information1 whenever they fail to trace
 out what is wanted4 ,in any small      
library1 he should be always accessible1
 at or near the place where people are  
accustomed to have their wants for books
 or information supplied3 and the public
 resorting to the library will thus come
 not only to rely upon him for aid in   
their intellectual researches1 but to   
appreciate and respect him for the wide 
extent of his knowledge1 and to consider
 him1 in time1 an indispensable guide1  
if not leader1 in the community4 ,his   
reputation1 in fact1 will depend upon   
the extent to which he has been able to 
help others1 as well as upon the number 
of people whom he has thus aided4  ,in a
 very high sense1 the true librarian is 
an educator2 his school is as large as  

the town in which his library is        
situated4 ,very few people in that town 
know what he is always presumed to      
know1--namely--to what books to go to   
get answers to the questions they want  
answered4 ,in supplying continually the 
means of answering these countless      
questions1 the library becomes actually 
a popular university1 in which the      
librarian is the professor1 the tuition 
is free1 and the course is optional1    
both as to study and as to time4  ,most 
persons who come to make any            
investigation in a public library       
require a good deal of assistance4 ,for 
example1 a reader is in need of the     
latest information as to the amount of  
steel and iron made in this country1 and
 what ,state produces these important   
manufactures4 ,he has not the faintest  
idea where to look for the information1 
except that it may be in the census1 but
 the census is nine years old1 and he   
wants recent facts4 ,it is vain to turn 
him over to the cyclopaedias1 for there 

is not one whose information upon such  
statistics comes anywhere near up to    
date4 ,you have to put before him a     
pamphlet annual1 published by the       
,american ,iron and ,steel ,association1
 which contains exactly what he wants2  
and no other source of information does 
contain it4  ,another inquirer seeks to 
know how to treat some disease4 ,in such
 cases1 of course1 the librarian should 
not go farther than to put before the   
reader a work on domestic medicine1 for 
it is not his function to deal in       
recommendations of this1 that1 or the   
other method of treatment1 any more than
 it is to give legal opinions1 if       
asked--although he may have studied law4
 ,so1 if the reader wants to know about 
the religious tenets of the             
,presbyterians1 or the ,mormons1 or the 
,buddhists1 or the doctrines of the     
,catholic ,church1 and asks the         
librarian's opinion about any           
controverted question of belief1 he is  
to be answered only by the statement    

that the library is there to supply     
information1 not opinions1 and then     
pointed to the religious cyclopaedias1  
which give full summaries of all the    
sects4  ,he may frequently be asked for 
information on a subject which he knows 
nothing about2 and ,i have heard a      
librarian declare1 that he often found  
himself able to give fuller and better  
information on a subject of which he was
 previously ignorant1 than upon one he  
had long been familiar with4 ,the reason
 was that in the one case he had freshly
 looked up all the authorities1 and put 
them before the reader1 while in the    
other1 giving the references from a     
memory1 more or less imperfect1 he had  
overlooked some of the most important   
means of information4  ,the constant    
exercise of the habit of supplying helps
 to readers is a splendid intellectual  
school for the librarian himself4       
,through it1 his memory is quickened and
 consequently improved1 7as every       
faculty is by use7 his habits of mental 

classification and analysis are formed  
or strengthened1 and his mind is kept on
 the alert to utilize the whole arsenal 
of the knowledge he has already         
acquired1 or to acquire new knowledge4  
,another very important benefit derived 
by the librarian from his constantly    
recurring attention to the calls of     
readers for aid1 is the suggestion      
thereby furnished of the deficiencies in
 the collection in his charge4 ,this    
will be a continual reminder to him1 of 
what he most needs1 namely1 how to equip
 the library with the best and most     
recent sources of information in every  
field of inquiry4 ,whether the library  
be a large or a small one1 its          
deficiencies in some directions are sure
 to be very considerable3 and these gaps
 are more conspicuously revealed in     
trying to supply readers with the means 
of making what may be termed an         
exhaustive research upon a given        
subject1 than in any other way4 ,you    
find1 for example1 in looking up your   

authorities in what has come to be      
called ,egyptology1 that while you have 
,wilkinson's ,ancient ,egypt1 and       
,lane's ,modern ,egyptians1 both of     
which are very valuable works1 you have 
not the more modern books of            
,brugsch-,bey1 or of ,a4 ,h4 ,sayce1 or 
of ,maspero4 ,you may also find out1 by 
mingling freely with a good part of the 
readers1 what subjects are most         
frequently looked into or inquired      
about1 and you can thus secure valuable 
information as to the directions in     
which the library most needs            
strengthening4 ,thus1 in a community    
largely made up of people connected with
 manufacturing interests1 the inquiries 
are liable to be much concerned with the
 mechanic arts2 and you would therefore 
naturally seek to acquire a liberal     
selection of the best and latest works  
in technical science1 or the useful     
arts4 ,if you have1 on the other hand1  
very few inquiries1 indeed1 for         
theological works1 you take it as some  

evidence that that department of the    
collection needs little enlargement1 and
 you may devote your funds in other     
directions4 ,then too1 the great value  
of popularising the library by the      
hearty interest shown by the librarian  
in the wants of the people can hardly be
 over-rated4 ,this interest1 being a    
perennial one1 and continued through a  
series of years1 the number of citizens 
and their families assisted will be     
constantly on the increase1 and the     
public opinion of the town will come in 
time1 to regard the library as a great  
popular necessity4 ,hence1 if it is an  
institution supported in whole or in    
part by town or municipal funds1 its    
claims to liberal consideration will be 
immeasurably strengthened4 ,if an       
enlargement of room for the books1 or   
even a new library building comes to be 
needed1 its chances for securing the    
funds requisite will be excellent4 ,if a
 more liberal supply of new books1 or an
 extended range of older ones of great  

value is reported by the librarian as   
wanted to increase the usefulness of the
 library1 the authorities will more     
cheerfully consider the claim4 ,and if  
it is proposed that additional and      
competent assistance shall be given to  
the librarian1 or that he should be more
 liberally compensated for his highly   
useful and important labors1 that1 too1 
may be accomplished--especially if it   
has come to be recognized that by his   
wide knowledge1 and skilful management1 
and helpful devotion to the service of  
the reading public1 he has rendered     
himself indispensable4  ,in the supply  
of information desired by readers1 it is
 better to leave them to their own      
search1 once you have put before them   
the proper authorities1 than to spend   
your time in turning for them to the    
volume and page4 ,this1 for two         
reasons--first1 it leaves your own time 
free to help other readers1 or to attend
 to the ever-waiting library work2 and1 
secondly1 it induces habits of research 

and self-help on the part of the reader4
 ,it is enough for the librarian to act 
as an intelligent guide-post1 to point  
the way2 to travel the road is the      
business of the reader himself4         
,therefore1 let the visitor in quest of 
a quotation1 look it out in the index of
 the volumes you put before him4 ,if he 
fails to find it1 it will then be time  
for you to intervene1 and lend the aid  
of your more practiced eye1 and superior
 knowledge of how to search2 or else1   
let the reader look for it in some more 
copious anthology1 which you may put    
before him4 ,there are multitudes of    
inquiries for the authors of poems1     
which are in no sense familiar          
quotations1 nor even select quotations1 
but which are merely common-place       
sentiments expressed in language quite  
unpoetic1--and not the work of any      
notable writer at all4 ,they are either 
the production of some utterly obscure  
author of a volume of verse1 quite      
unknown to fame1 or1 still more         

probably1 the half-remembered verses of 
some anonymous contributor to the poet's
 corner of the newspaper or magazine4   
,in such cases1 where you see no poetic 
beauty or imaginative power in the      
lines1 it is well to inform the inquirer
 at once that you do not think them the 
production of any noted writer1 and thus
 end the fruitless search for memorizing
 what is not at all memorable4 ,what may
 strike uncultivated readers as         
beautiful1 may be set down as trash1 by 
a mind that has been fed upon the       
masterpieces of poetry4 ,not that the   
librarian is to assume the air of an    
oracle or a censor1 7something to be in 
all circumstances avoided7 or to        
pronounce positive judgment upon what is
 submitted3 he should inform any        
admiring reader of a passage not        
referred to in any of the anthologies1  
and not possessing apparent poetic      
merit1 that he believes the author is   
unknown to fame4 ,that should be        
sufficient for any reasonably disposed  

reader1 who1 after search duly          
completed1 will go away answered1 if not
 satisfied4  ,i gave some instances of  
the singular variety of questions asked 
of a librarian4 ,let me add one1        
reported by ,mr4 ,robert ,harrison1 of  
the ,london ,library1 as asked of him by
 ,william ,m4 ,thackeray4 ,the          
distinguished author of ,esmond and ,the
 ,virginians wanted a book that would   
tell of ,general ,wolfe1 the hero of    
,quebec4 ,i don't want to know about his
 battles1 said the novelist4 ,i can get 
all that from the histories4 ,i want    
something that will tell me the color of
 the breeches he wore4 ,after due       
search1 the librarian was obliged to    
confess that there was no such book4  ,a
 librarian is likely to be constantly in
 a position to aid the uninformed reader
 how to use the books of reference which
 every public library contains4 ,the    
young person who is new to the habit of 
investigation1 or the adult who has     
never learned the method of finding     

things1 needs to be shown how to use    
even so simple a thing as an index4 ,do 
not be impatient with his ignorance1    
although you may find him fumbling over 
the pages in the body of the book in    
vain1 to find what you1 with your       
acquired knowledge of indexes and their 
use1 can find in half a minute or less4 
,practice alone can make one perfect in 
the art of search and speedy finding4   
,the tyro who tries your patience this  
year1 will very likely become an expert 
reader the next4 ,wide as is the domain 
of ignorance1 there are few among those 
intelligent enough to resort to a       
library at all1 who cannot learn4 ,you  
will find some who come to the library  
so unskilled1 that they will turn over  
the leaves even of an index1 in a blind1
 hap-hazard way1 evidently at a loss how
 to use it4 ,these must be instructed   
first1 that the index is arranged just  
like a dictionary1 in the alphabetical  
order of the names or subjects treated1 
and secondly1 that after finding the    

word they seek in it1 they must turn to 
the page indicated by the figure        
attached to that word4 ,this is the very
 primer of learning in the use of a     
library1 but the library in any town1   
used as it is by many boys and girls of 
all ages1 has to be a primary school for
 beginners1 as well as a university for 
advanced students4 ,despise not the day 
of small things1 however you may find it
 more agreeable to be occupied with     
great ones4  ,on the other hand1 you    
will find at the other extreme of       
intelligence1 among your clientage of   
readers1 those who are completely       
familiar with books and their uses4     
,there are some readers frequenting     
public libraries1 who not only do not   
need assistance themselves1 but who are 
fully competent to instruct the         
librarian4 ,in meeting the calls of such
 skilled readers1 who always know what  
they require1 it is never good policy to
 obtrude advice or suggestion1 but      
simply to supply what they call for4    

,you will readily recognize and         
discriminate such experts from the mass 
of readers1 if you have good            
discernment4 ,sometimes they are quite  
as sensitive as they are intelligent1   
and it may annoy them to have offered   
them books they do not want1 in the     
absence of what they require4 ,an       
officious1 or super-serviceable         
librarian or assistant1 may sometimes   
prejudice such a reader by proffering   
help which he does not want1 instead of 
waiting for his own call or occasion4   
,let us look at a few examples of the   
numerous calls at a popular library4    
,for example1 a reader asks to see a    
book1 giving an account of the marriage 
of the ,adriatic4 ,you know that this   
concerns the history of ,venice and its 
,doges1 and you turn to various books on
 ,venice1 and its history1 until you    
find a description of the strange       
festival4 ,it may be1 and probably is   
the case1 that the books1 like most     
descriptive works and narratives of     

travellers1 are without index4 ,this is 
a disability in the use of books which  
you must continually encounter1 since   
multitudes of volumes1 old and new1 are 
sent out without a vestige of an index  
to their contents4 ,some writers have   
urged that a law should be made refusing
 copyright to the author of any book who
 failed to provide it with an index2 a  
requirement highly desirable1 but also  
highly impracticable4 ,yet you will find
 in most books1 a division of the       
contents into chapters1 and in the      
beginning of the volume a table of the  
contents of each chapter1 giving its    
leading topics4 ,this is a substitute   
for an index1 although 7not being       
arranged in alphabetical order7 it is   
far less useful than that time-saving   
aid to research4 ,but you have to learn 
to take advantage of even poor and      
inferior helps1 when you cannot have the
 best1 7as a poor guide is better than  
no guide at all1 unless it misguides17  
and so you run your eye quickly through 

the table of contents to find what you  
seek4 ,in the case supposed1 of the     
ceremony at ,venice1 you will be aided  
in the search by having in mind that the
 catch-words involved are ,adriatic1 and
 ,doge1 and as these begin with capital 
letters1 which stand out1 as it were1   
from the monotonous lower case type 7as 
printers call all the letters that are  
not capitals7 your search will be much  
abridged by omitting to read through all
 the sentences of your table of         
contents1 and seizing only the passage  
or passages where ,doge1 or ,adriatic1  
may occur4  ,this remark will apply as  
well to numerous other searches which   
you will have to make in books4 ,the    
table of contents will commonly take    
note of all the more salient topics that
 are treated in the book1 whether of    
persons1 of places1 of notable scenes1  
historic events1 etc41 and so will aid  
you in finding what you seek4 ,in the   
last resort only1 in the books whose    
table of contents fails you1 will you   

have to turn the leaves page by page1   
which1 while not equivalent to reading  
the book through1 is a time-consuming   
business4  ,of course no librarian can  
devote hours of his precious time to    
searches in such detail for readers4    
,they are to be supplied with the books 
likely to contain what they are in      
search of1 and left to seek it in their 
own way1 with such hints and cautions as
 to saving time by taking the shortest  
road1 as the experience of the librarian
 enables him to supply4 ,the suggestions
 here given are not needed by scholarly 
readers1 but are the fruits of long     
experience in searching books for what  
they contain4  ,again1 let us take the  
case of a call by a reader who happens  
to be a decorative painter1 for patterns
 which may furnish him hints in         
finishing an interior of a house4 ,of   
course he wants color--that is1 not     
theory only1 but illustration1 or       
practical examples4 ,so you put before  
him ,owen ,jones's ,grammar of          

,ornament1 or ,racinet's ,l',ornement   
polychrome1 both illustrated with many  
beautiful designs in color1 which he is 
delighted to find4  ,another reader is  
anxious to see a picture of ,st4 ,george
 and the ,dragon4 ,if you have the      
,museum of ,painting and ,sculpture1 in 
#ag volumes1 or ,champlin's ,cyclopaedia
 of ,painters and ,painting1 a          
dictionary of art in four volumes1 you  
find it in either work1 in the alphabet1
 under ,st4 ,george1 and his want is    
satisfied4  ,a youngster wants to know  
how to build a boat1 and you find him   
,folkard on ,boats1 or ,frazar's        
,sail-boats1 which describe and figure  
various styles of water-craft4  ,perhaps
 an inquisitive reader wants to find out
 all about the families of the various  
languages1 and what is known of their   
origin1 and you supply him with ,w4 ,d4 
,whitney's ,life and ,growth of         
,language1 or ,max ,mller's ,science of 
,language1 either of which furnishes    
full information4  ,another inquirer    

seeks for information about the         
aggregate debts of nations4 ,you give   
him the great quarto volume of the last 
,census on ,wealth and ,indebtedness1 or
 for still later information the        
,statesman's ,year ,book for #ahii1 or  
the ,almanach de ,gotha for the current 
year1 both of which contain the         
comparative debts of nations at the     
latest dates4  ,the inquirer who seeks  
to know the rates of wages paid for all 
kinds of labor in a series of several   
years1 can be supplied with the         
elaborate ,report on ,labor and ,wages  
for fifty-two years1 published by the   
,u4 ,s4 ,government in #ahic1 in four   
volumes4  ,another reader wishes1 we    
will suppose1 to hunt up the drawings of
 all patents that have been issued on   
type-writers1 and type-writing          
inventions4 ,you put before him the many
 indexes to the ,patent ,specifications 
and ,patent ,office ,gazette2 he makes  
out from these his list of volumes      
wanted1 which are at once supplied1 and 

he falls to work on his long1 but to him
 interesting job4  ,a reader who has    
seen in the library or elsewhere a book 
he would much like to own1 but cannot   
find a copy in town1 wants to know what 
it will cost3 you turn to your ,american
 or foreign catalogue1 covering the year
 of publication1 and give him not only  
the price1 but the publisher's name from
 whom he can order it1 and he goes on   
his way rejoicing4  ,an artist engaged  
upon a painting in which he wishes to   
introduce a deer1 or a group of rabbits1
 or an ,american eagle1 or a peacock1   
asks for an accurate picture of the bird
 or animal wanted4 ,you put before him  
,j4 ,s4 ,kingsley's ,riverside ,natural 
,history1 in six volumes1 and his desire
 is satisfied4  ,in dealing with books  
of reference1 there will often be found 
very important discrepancies of         
statement1 different works giving       
different dates1 for example1 for the   
same event in history or biography4     
,next to a bible and a dictionary of    

language1 there is no book1 perhaps1    
more common than a biographical         
dictionary4 ,our interest in our        
fellow-men is perennial2 and we seek to 
know not only their characteristics1 and
 the distinguishing events of their     
lives1 but also the time of their birth 
into the world and their exit from it4  
,this is a species of statistics upon   
which one naturally expects certainty1  
since no person eminent enough to be    
recorded at all is likely to have the   
epoch of his death1 at least1           
unremarked4 ,yet the seeker after exact 
information in the biographical         
dictionaries will find1 if he extends   
his quest among various authorities1    
that he is afloat on a sea of           
uncertainties4 ,not only can he not find
 out the date of decease of some famous 
navigators1 like ,sir ,john ,franklin   
and ,la ,perouse1 who sailed into       
unexplored regions of the globe1 and    
were never heard of more1 but the men   
who died at home1 in the midst of       

friends and families1 are frequently    
recorded as deceased at dates so        
discrepant that no ingenuity can        
reconcile them4  ,in ,haydn's           
,dictionary of ,dates1 ,sir ,henry      
,havelock was said to have died         
,november #beth1 #aheg1 while ,maunder's
 ,treasury of ,biography gives ,november
 #bast1 the ,london ,almanac1 ,november 
#bgth1 and the ,life of ,havelock1 by   
his brother-in-law1 ,november #bdth4    
,here are four distinct dates of death  
given1 by authorities apparently equally
 accredited1 to a celebrated general1   
who died within forty years of our own  
time4 ,of the death of the notorious    
,robespierre1 guillotined in #agid1 we  
find in ,chalmers' ,biographical        
,dictionary that he died ,july #ajth1 in
 ,rees's ,cyclopaedia1 ,july #bhth1 and 
in ,alison's ,history of ,europe1 ,july 
#bith4 ,doubtless it is some comfort to 
reflect1 in view of his many crimes1    
that the bloody tyrant of the ,jacobins 
is really dead1 irrespective of the     

date1 about which biographers may       
dispute4 ,of the ,english mechanician   
,joseph ,bramah1 inventor of the ,bramah
 lock1 we learn from the ,english       
,cyclopaedia1 that he died in #ahad1 and
 from ,rose's ,biographical ,dictionary1
 that he died in #ahae4  ,now1 although 
a large share of the errors and         
discrepancies that abound in            
biographical dictionaries and other     
books of reference may be accounted for 
by misprints1 others by reckoning old   
style instead of new1 and many more by  
carelessness of writers and             
transcribers1 it is plain that all the  
variations cannot be thus accounted for4
 ,nothing is more common in printing    
offices than to find a figure #f        
inverted serving as a #i1 a #e for a #c1
 or a #c for an #h1 while #h1 #i1 and   
,o1 are frequently interchanged4 ,in    
such cases1 a keen-eyed proof-reader may
 not always be present to prevent the   
falsification of history2 and it is a   
fact1 not sufficiently recognized1 that 

to the untiring vigilance1 intelligence1
 and hard1 conscientious labors of      
proof-readers1 the world owes a deeper  
debt of gratitude than it does to many a
 famous maker of books4 ,it is easy     
enough to make books1 ,heaven knows1 but
 to make them correct1 ,hic labor1 hoc  
opus est4  ,a high authority in         
encyclopaedical lore tells us that the  
best accredited authorities are at odds 
with regard to the birth or death of    
individuals in the enormous ratio of    
from twenty to twenty-five per cent4 of 
the whole number in the biographical    
dictionaries4 ,the ,portuguese poet     
,camoens is said by some authorities to 
have been born in #aeag1 and by others  
in #aebe2 a discrepancy of eight years4 
,chateaubriand is declared by the       
,english ,cyclopaedia to have been born 
,september #dth1 #agfh2 ,september      
#adth1 #agfh1 by the ,nouvelle          
,biographie gnrale of ,dr4 ,hoefer2 and 
,september #dth1 #agfi1 by the          
,conversations-,lexicon4 ,of course it  

is clear that all these authorities     
cannot be right2 but which of the three 
is so1 is matter of extreme doubt1      
leaving the student of facts perplexed  
and uncertain at the very point where   
certainty is not only most important1   
but most confidently expected4  ,of     
another kind are the errors that        
sometimes creep into works of reference 
of high credit1 by accepting too        
confidently statements publicly made4   
,in one edition of the ,dictionary of   
,congress a certain honorable member    
from ,pennsylvania1 in uncommonly robust
 health1 was astonished to find himself 
recorded as having died of the ,national
 ,hotel disease1 contracted at          
,washington in #ahef4 ,in this case1 the
 editor of the work was a victim of too 
much confidence in the newspapers4 ,in  
the ,congressional ,directory1 where    
brief biographies of ,congressmen are   
given1 one distinguished member was     
printed as having been elected to       
,congress at a time which1 taken in     

connection with his birth-date in the   
same paragraph1 made him precisely one  
year old when he took his seat in       
,congress4  ,even in reporting the      
contents of public and private          
libraries1 exaggeration holds sway4 ,the
 library of ,george the ,fourth1        
inherited by that graceless ignoramus   
from a book-collecting father1 and      
presented to the ,british nation with   
ostentatious liberality only after he   
had failed to sell it to ,russia1 was   
said in the publications of those times 
to contain about #abj1jjj volumes4 ,but 
an actual enumeration when the books    
were lodged in the ,king's library at   
the ,british ,museum1 where they have   
ever since remained1 showed that there  
were only #fe1bej volumes1 being but    
little more than half the reported      
number4 ,many libraries1 public and     
private1 are equally over-estimated4 ,it
 is so much easier to guess than to     
count1 and the stern test of arithmetic 
is too seldom applied1 notwithstanding  

the fact that #ajj1jjj volumes can      
easily be counted in a day by a single  
person1 and so on in the same           
proportion4 ,here1 as in the statistics 
of population1 the same proverb holds   
good1 that the unknown is always the    
magnificent1 and on the surface of the  
globe we inhabit1 the unexplored country
 is always the most marvellous1 since   
the world began4  ,these discrepancies  
in authorities1 and exaggerations of    
writers1 are not referred to for the    
purpose of casting doubt upon all       
published history1 but only to point out
 that we cannot trust implicitly to what
 we find in books4 ,bearing in mind     
always1 that accuracy is perhaps the    
rarest of human qualities1 we should    
hold our judgment in reserve upon       
controverted statements1 trusting no    
writer implicitly1 unless sustained by  
original authorities4 ,when asked to    
recommend the best book upon any        
subject1 do not too confidently assert  
the merits of the one you may think the 

best1 but say simply that it is well    
accredited1 or very popular4 ,it is not 
always safe to recommend books1 and the 
librarian does well to speak with proper
 reservations as to most of them1 and to
 recommend only what are well known to  
him to be good1 by his own intimate     
acquaintance with them1 or1 which is the
 surest test of all1 by the verdicts of 
critical reviews1 or by the constant    
reprinting of them in many successive   
years4  ,it was the well-nigh unanimous 
report at a ,conference of ,american    
librarians1 upon the subject of aids to 
readers1 that nothing can take the place
 of an intelligent and obliging         
assistant at the desk4 ,this was after a
 thorough canvass of the relative merits
 of the various reference books and     
helps to readers in book form4 ,not only
 the casual reader1 and the reader with 
a purpose may be constantly aided by the
 librarian's knowledge1 and larger      
experience in the art of finding things1
 but teachers in the schools1 clergymen 

preparing discourses1 and every one     
seeking to know anything1 should find   
the librarian a living catalogue4 ,there
 is nothing so effective in the world as
 individual effort4     ,,chapter #aa4  
,,access ,,to ,,library ,,shelves4      
,the matter of free or unrestricted     
access to the books on the shelves is a 
vexed question in libraries4 ,open and  
unprotected shelves1 either in alcoves  
or the main reading room1 while they    
appear to be a boon to readers1 who can 
thus browse at will through the literary
 pastures1 and turn over volumes at     
their pleasure1 furnish by no means good
 security for the books4 ,some of the   
smaller public libraries protect their  
books from access by glass doors in     
front of the shelves1 which form also a 
partial protection against dust4 ,others
 again1 use wire screen doors1 opened1  
like the others1 by lock and key when   
books are wanted4 ,both of these        
arrangements give to readers the        
advantage of reading the titles on the  

backs of most of the books in the       
library1 while protecting them from     
being handled1 disarranged1 or removed4 
,but they are also open to the objection
 that they obstruct the prompt service  
of the books1 by just the amount of time
 it takes to open the doors or screens1 
and close them again4 ,this trouble and 
delay may overbalance the supposed      
advantages4 ,certainly they must do so  
in all large libraries1 where the       
frequentation is great1 and where every 
moment's delay in the book service works
 disadvantage to numerous readers4      
,while private libraries1 or quite small
 public ones1 can indulge in the luxury 
of glass cases1 no extensive collection 
can be managed with the requisite       
promptitude under their obstructions4   
,but how to avoid the indiscriminate and
 usually careless handling of the books 
on shelves1 by the people frequenting   
the library1 and still extend to readers
 prompt and full service of all the     
books they wish to consult on any       

subject1 is a problem4 ,in a few of the 
great libraries1 where that modern      
improvement1 the stack system1 prevails1
 the difficulty is solved by the storing
 of the books in the outside            
repositories1 or iron book-stacks to    
which readers are not admitted4 ,in this
 case the reading room is only for books
 in use by those frequenting it1 or is  
supplied with a selection of reference  
books simply1 the stacks being drawn    
upon for all the rest4 ,this of course  
secures the books both from misplacement
 and from pillage4  ,in smaller         
libraries which have no stack system    
7and this includes by far the greater   
number7 a variety of treatment prevails4
 ,most of them are unprovided with any  
effective means of guarding the books on
 the shelves from handling4 ,the result 
is great insecurity1 and inevitable     
misplacement of books1 amounting often  
to confusion and chaos on the shelves1  
unless corrected by much daily          
re-arrangement by the librarian or      

assistants4 ,this consumes much valuable
 time1 which ought to be devoted to     
other pressing duties4  ,one remedy is  
to guard the shelves by a railing of    
some kind1 which cannot be passed1      
except at the gates or passage-ways     
provided for the attendants4 ,this      
simple provision will protect the       
orderly arrangement as well as the      
safety of the library--two objects both 
of cardinal importance4 ,absolutely free
 access to all the shelves means1 sooner
 or later1 loss to the library4 ,and the
 books most certain to be taken or      
mutilated are those which it is costly1 
or difficult1 or in some cases1         
impossible to replace4 ,the chances of  
abstracting engravings from books are   
much greater in the shadow of the       
shelves1 than in the open reading-room1 
under the eyes of many4 ,in any library 
but the smaller ones1 the difficulties  
and dangers of unrestricted handling of 
all the books by the public will be     
developed in the direct ratio of the    

size of the library4 ,nor will it do to 
admit one class of readers to the       
shelves1 and exclude others4 ,it often  
happens that persons claiming to have   
special literary or scientific objects1 
and who profess that they cannot get    
along at all by having books brought to 
them1 are favored in their wish to go to
 the shelves1 while others are          
disfavored4 ,this raises at once the    
just complaint that invidious           
distinctions are made4 ,the only safe   
rule to follow is that of universal free
 access1 or impartial and uniform       
exclusion from the shelves4 ,in the     
latter case1 no one can complain1       
especially when made aware that he can  
have all the works on a given subject   
brought to his seat in a brief time1 and
 can work upon them to much greater     
comfort and advantage1 seated where     
there is good light and ample room1 than
 if standing up in the shadow of the    
shelves to pursue his researches4  ,it  
is also to be considered that such      

disarrangement of books as inevitably   
follows free admission to the shelves   
deprives the very persons who claim this
 privilege1 of finding what they seek1  
until a complete replacement takes      
place1 throughout the library1 and this 
is necessarily a work of time4 ,that it 
involves much more time and consequent  
delay than is occasioned by the         
re-shelving of books used in a day1 is  
apparent when we consider that in the   
latter case1 only the number of volumes 
actually withdrawn from shelves by the  
library attendants have to be replaced1 
and that these are in conveniently      
assorted piles all ready to go to their 
respective shelves2 while in the other  
case1 the displacement is made by many  
hands1 most of them careless of any     
convenience but their own1 and moreover1
 the disarranged books are1 or are      
liable to be1 scattered on the wrong    
shelves1 thus throwing the entire       
library into disorder1 requiring great  
pains1 knowledge1 and time to repair4   

,in any well-regulated library1 the     
absence of any book from its place can  
almost always be accounted for4 ,thus it
 is either--#a4 ,in the reading room1 in
 use2 or #b4 ,charged out to a borrower2
 or #c4 ,sent to the binder for         
rebinding1 or repair2 or #d4 ,reserved  
for some reader's use2 or #e4 ,in       
temporary use by a cataloguer1 or some  
other library assistant2 or #f4 ,among  
the books not yet re-shelved from recent
 use4  ,now each of these is a          
legitimate reason for the absence of any
 book not found in its place4 ,by search
 under each of these heads1 seriatim1   
aided by the memory of librarian and    
assistants1 the missing volume should be
 readily located1 and soon availed of   
for use4  ,but in the case of books     
misplaced by readers1 no such tracing   
out of the whereabouts of any volume is 
effectual1 for the reason that the book 
may have been 7and probably is7 put on  
some shelf where it does not belong4    
,and the question1 where in an extensive

 collection1 a book-hunter admitted to  
freely range over all the shelves1 and a
 stranger to the minute classification  
of books1 has misplaced the missing     
volumes1 is an insoluble problem1 except
 by hunting over or handling the entire 
library4  ,in this close practical view 
of the case we have to add to the long  
list of the enemies of books1 formerly  
enumerated1 those who demand a right to 
browse 7as they term it7 among the      
shelves of a public library1 and who    
displace the books they take down to    
gratify1 it may be1 only an idle        
curiosity4 ,their offence consists1 not 
in being anxious to see the books1 but  
in preventing others from seeing them1  
by segregating them where neither       
librarian nor assistants may be able to 
find them1 when called for4 ,the whole  
question is summed up in the statement  
that the ability to produce library     
books when called for1 depends strictly 
upon keeping them in their proper place3
 and this is quite incompatible with    

promiscuous handling upon the shelves4  
,the preservation of order is alike in  
the interest of the reading public1 of  
the librarian and his assistants1 and of
 the very persons who complain of it as 
depriving them of library facilities4   
,if library facilities consist in       
rendering the books in it unfindable1   
and therefore unavailable to any reader1
 then the argument for free range of the
 shelves arrives at a reductio ad       
absurdum4 ,the true library facilities  
consist in a classification and a       
catalogue which arrange the books in    
systematic order1 and keep them there1  
save when called into use4 ,thus1 and   
thus only1 can those who resort to a    
public library for actual research1 be  
assured of finding what they want1 just 
when they want it4 ,the time saved to   
all readers by the sure and steady      
preservation of an orderly arrangement  
of the books1 is simply incalculable4   
,multiply the number of volumes out of  
place by the number of readers who call 

for them1 and you have some idea of the 
mischief that may be done through the   
carelessness of a few favored readers1  
to the whole community of scholars4 ,of 
course the considerations here set forth
 pre-suppose an active and intelligent  
librarian1 and zealous and willing      
attendants1 all ever ready to aid the   
researches of readers by the most prompt
 and helpful suggestions1 and by        
dispatch in placing before them what    
they most need4 ,the one cardinal design
 of a library--to supply the largest    
amount of information in the shortest   
time1 is subverted by any disorganizing 
scheme4 ,if the library be administered 
on the just principle of the greatest   
good to the greatest number1 then such  
individual favoritism should never be   
allowed4  ,it may1 indeed1 be claimed   
that there is no rule without some valid
 exceptions2 but these exceptions should
 never be permitted to defeat the       
cardinal object of the rule--which is to
 keep every book strictly in its own    

place4 ,let the exception be confined to
 allowing an occasional inspection of   
the shelves in the company of a library 
attendant1 and there will be no trouble4
  ,but there is another danger1 aside   
from the misplacement of books4         
,experience has shown that thefts or    
mutilations of books have been numerous1
 in direct proportion to the extension  
of freedom and opportunity to those     
frequenting the library4 ,literary men  
and book-lovers are frequently          
book-collectors also2 and the temptation
 to take what is often too loosely      
considered public property is sometimes 
yielded to by persons whose character   
and standing may render them the least  
suspected4 ,in one of the largest       
lending libraries in this country1 the  
purloining of books had been carried so 
far1 that the authorities had to provide
 a wire fence all around the reading    
room1 to keep the readers from access to
 the shelves4 ,the result was soon seen 
in the reduction of the number of books 

stolen from #gjj volumes to #cjj volumes
 a year4  ,after several years'         
experience of the ,astor ,library in    
opening its alcoves to readers          
7amounting to practical free admission  
to the shelves to all calling themselves
 special students7 the losses and       
mutilations of books became so serious1 
that alcove admissions have been greatly
 curtailed4  ,at the ,conference of     
,librarians in ,london1 in #ahgg1 the   
subject of admission or non-admission to
 the shelves was discussed with the     
result that opinions were preponderantly
 adverse to the free range of the       
library by readers4 ,it was pointed out 
that libraries are established and      
maintained at great cost for serious    
purposes of reading and study1 and that 
these ends are best subserved by        
systematic service at a common          
centre--not by letting the readers      
scatter themselves about the library    
shelves4 ,to one speaker who held that  
every one in a free public library had  

the right to go to the shelves1 and     
choose his books for himself1 it was    
answered that this was equivalent to    
saying that it is the idler's right to  
stroll about in every place devoted to a
 special business1 and interrupt that   
business at his pleasure4  ,at the      
,international ,conference of #ahig1 an 
able defence of open shelves was        
presented1 claiming that it saves much  
librarians' time in finding books1 if   
readers are allowed to find them for    
themselves2 that thefts and mutilations 
are inconsiderable2 that it makes an    
appeal to the honor of people to respect
 the books2 that the open shelf system  
does better educational work2 that it is
 economical by requiring fewer library  
attendants2 that it has grown steadily  
in favor in ,america1 and that it gives 
the people the same right in the library
 which is their own1 as the individual  
has in his own4  ,on the other hand1 it 
was urged that the arguments for open   
shelves were all arguments for anarchy2 

that the readers who want to rummage    
about for what they want lack proper    
discipline of the mind2 that the number 
of books lost under it has been very    
large2 that librarians are custodians   
and conservers1 as well as dispensers of
 books2 that all books misplaced are    
practically lost to the library for the 
time being2 that the open shelf system  
requires far more space1 and is more    
expensive2 and that1 however desirable1 
its general adoption is utterly         
impracticable4  ,the practice of        
libraries in this particular of         
administration differs widely1 as do the
 opinions of librarians regarding it4   
,in most colleges and universities free 
access is allowed2 and in some public   
free libraries1 both east and west1 the 
readers are allowed to handle the books 
on the shelves4 ,this is comparatively  
safe in the smaller town libraries1     
where the books are in compact shape1   
and the unavoidable misplacement can be 
corrected daily in no long time4 ,the   

experience of open shelves in such      
collections has been so favorable that  
their librarians have testified that the
 losses were insignificant when compared
 with the great public convenience      
resulting4 ,but the difficulty and      
confusion arising from free handling of 
the books on shelves increases in the   
direct ratio of the size of the library1
 until1 in an extensive collection1 it  
reaches an intolerable result4  ,what is
 encountered continually in enforcing   
the rule of exclusion from shelves is   
the almost universal conceit that some  
reader is entitled to exemption from    
such a rule4 ,explain to him never so   
courteously that experience has proved  
that a library is thrown into confusion 
by such admission2 that while he may be 
careful to replace every book handled in
 the same spot1 nearly all readers are  
careless1 and he will insist that he is 
the exception1 and that he is always    
careful4 ,that is human nature1 the     
world over--to believe that one can do  

things better than any one else4 ,but if
 such importunities prevail1 the chances
 are that books will be misplaced by the
 very literary expert who has solemnly  
asserted his infallibility4  ,on the    
whole1 open shelves may be viewed as an 
open question4 ,it may be best for small
 libraries1 as to all the books1 and for
 all libraries as to some classes of    
books4 ,but make it general1 and order  
and arrangement are at an end1 while    
chaos takes the place of cosmos4 ,the   
real student is better served by the    
knowledge and aid of the librarian1 thus
 saving his time for study1 than he can 
be by ranging about dark shelves to     
find1 among multitudes of books he does 
not want1 the ones that he actually does
 want4 ,the business of the librarian1  
and his highest use1 is to bring the    
resources of the library to the reader4 
,if this takes a hundred or more volumes
 a day1 he is to have them2 but to give 
him the right to throw a library into   
confusion by browsing around1 is to     

sacrifice the rights of the public to   
prompt service1 to the whim of one man4 
,those who think that browsing is an    
education should reflect that it is like
 any other wandering employment1 fatal  
to fixity of purpose4 ,like desultory   
reading of infinite periodicals1 it     
tends rather to dissipate the time and  
the attention than to inform and        
strengthen the mind4  ,in libraries of  
wide circulation in ,america1 many have 
open shelves1 and many more free access 
to certain classes of books4 ,the       
,newark ,free ,library opens all        
departments except fiction2 others open 
fiction and current literature only4    
,some libraries1 notably in ,england1   
have a safe-guarded open-shelf system1  
by which the public are given free range
 inside the library1 while the          
librarians take post at the outside     
railing1 to charge books drawn1 and     
check off depredations4 ,this method may
 be styled every one his own librarian1 
and is claimed by its originators to    

work well4  ,at the ,conference of the  
,american ,library ,association in      
#ahii1 after discussion1 votes were     
taken1 showing #ej librarians in favor  
of free access to shelves for small     
libraries1 as against only #aj for      
unrestricted access in large libraries4 
,the debate brought out curious and     
instructive facts as to losses of books 
where free range is allowed4 ,the       
,denver ,public ,library lost in one    
year #iee volumes2 the ,buffalo ,public 
,library #gjj books in seventeen months2
 the ,minneapolis1 #cjj in a year2 and  
the ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library #a1jfb 
volumes in two years1 out of a very     
limited open shelf collection4 ,one     
librarian1 estimating the loss of books 
at #a1jjj worth in two years1 said the  
library board were perfectly satisfied1 
and that unless we lose #b1ejj worth of 
books a year1 the open-shelf system pays
 in its saving of the expenses of       
attendance4 ,it does not appear to have 
occurred to them that a public library  

owes anything to the public morality1   
nor that a library losing its books by  
the thousand1 to save the cost of proper
 management1 may be holding out a       
premium to wholesale robbery4  ,there is
 another precaution essential to be     
observed regarding the more costly and  
rare possessions of the library4 ,such  
books should not be placed upon the     
shelves with the ordinary books of the  
collection1 but provided for in a       
repository under lock and key4 ,in a    
large library1 where many hundred       
volumes of books of especial rarity and 
value are to be found1 a separate room  
should always exist for this class of   
books4 ,they will properly include 7#a7 
,incunabula1 or early printed books2    
7#b7 ,manuscripts1 or unique specimens1 
such as collections of autographs of    
notable people2 7#c7 ,illuminated books1
 usually written on vellum1 or printed  
in color2 7#d7 ,early and rare          
,americana1 or books of ,american       
discovery1 history1 etc41 which are     

scarce and difficult to replace2 7#e7   
,any books known to be out of print2 and
 7#f7 ,many costly illustrated works    
which should be kept apart for only     
occasional inspection by readers4 ,where
 no separate room exists for safe       
custody of such treasures1 they should  
be provided with a locked book-case or  
cases1 according to their number4 ,when 
any of these reserved books are called  
for1 they should be supplied to readers 
under special injunctions of careful    
handling4 ,neglect of precaution may at 
any time be the means of losing to the  
library a precious volume4 ,it is easy  
for an unknown reader who calls for such
 a rare or costly work1 to sign his     
ticket with a false name1 and slip the  
book under his coat when unobserved1 and
 so leave the library unchallenged4 ,but
 the librarian or assistant who supplies
 the book1 if put on his guard by having
 to fetch it from a locked repository1  
should keep the reader under            
observation1 unless well known1 until   

the volume is safely returned4          
,designing and dishonest persons are    
ever hovering about public libraries1   
and some of the most dangerous among    
them are men who know the value of      
books4  ,this class of reserved books   
should not be given out in circulation1 
under any circumstances4 ,not only are  
they subject to injury by being handled 
in households where there are children  
or careless persons1 who soil or deface 
them1 but they are exposed to the       
continual peril of fire1 and consequent 
loss to the library4 ,there are often   
books among these rarities1 which money 
cannot replace1 because no copies can be
 found when wanted4 ,in the ,library of 
,congress1 there is a very salutary     
safe-guard thrown around the most       
valuable books in the form of a library 
regulation which provides that no       
manuscript whatever1 and no printed book
 of special rarity and value shall be   
taken out of the library by any person4 
,this restriction of course applies to  

,members of ,congress1 as well as to    
those officials who have the legal right
 to draw books from the library4        
,,chapter #ab4  ,,the ,,faculty ,,of    
,,memory4   ,to every reader nothing can
 be more important than that faculty of 
the mind which we call memory4 ,the     
retentive memory instinctively stores up
 the facts1 ideas1 imagery1 and often   
the very language found in books1 so    
clearly that they become available at   
any moment in after life4 ,the tenacity 
of this hold upon the intellectual      
treasures which books contain depends   
largely upon the strength of the        
impression made upon the mind when      
reading4 ,and this1 in turn1 depends    
much upon the force1 clearness and      
beauty of the author's style or         
expression4 ,a crude1 or feeble1 or     
wordy1 redundant statement makes little 
impression1 while a terse1 clear1       
well-balanced sentence fixes the        
attention1 and so fastens itself in the 
memory4 ,hence the books which are best 

remembered will be those which are the  
best written4 ,great as is the power of 
thought1 we are often obliged to confess
 that the power of expression is greater
 still4 ,when the substance and the     
style of any writing concur to make a   
harmonious and strong impression on the 
reader's mind1 the writer has achieved  
success4 ,all our study of literature   
tends to confirm the conviction of the  
supreme importance of an effective      
style4  ,we must set down a good memory 
as a cardinal qualification of the      
librarian4 ,this faculty of the mind1 in
 fact1 is more important to him than to 
the members of any other profession     
whatever1 because it is more incessantly
 drawn upon4 ,every hour in the day1 and
 sometimes every minute in the hour1 he 
has to recall the names of certain      
books1 the authors of the same1         
including both their surnames and       
,christian or forenames1 the subjects   
principally treated in them1 the words  
of some proverb or quotation1 or elegant

 extract in poetry or prose1 the period 
of time of an author or other noted     
person1 the standard measurements and   
weights in use1 with their equivalents1 
the moneys of foreign nations and their 
,american values1 the time of certain   
notable events in history1 whether      
foreign or ,american1 ancient or modern1
 the names and succession of rulers1 the
 prices of many books1 the rules        
observed in the catalogue1 both of      
authors and subjects1 the names and     
schools of great artists1 with their    
period1 the meaning in various foreign  
languages of certain words1 the         
geographical location of any place on   
the earth's surface1 the region of the  
library in which any book is            
located--and1 in short1 an infinitude of
 items of information which he wants to 
know out of hand1 for his own use1 or in
 aid of ,library readers or assistants4 
,the immense variety of these drafts    
upon his memory seldom perplexes one who
 is well endowed with a natural gift in 

that direction4 ,in fact1 it seems      
actually true of such minds1 that the   
more numerous the calls upon the memory1
 the more ready is the response4  ,the  
metaphysicians have spent many words in 
attempting to define the various        
qualities of the mind1 and to account   
for a strong or a weak memory2 but after
 all is said1 we find that the          
surprising difference between different 
memories is unaccounted for2 as         
unaccountable1 indeed1 as what          
differences the man of genius from the  
mere plodder4 ,the principle of         
association of ideas is doubtless the   
leading element in a memory which is not
 merely verbal4 ,we associate in our    
minds1 almost instinctively1 ideas of   
time1 or space1 or persons1 or events1  
and these connect or compare one with   
another1 so that what we want is called 
up or recalled in memory1 by a train of 
endless suggestion4 ,we all have this   
kind of memory1 which may be termed the 
rational or ideal1 as distinguished from

 the verbal and the local memory4 ,the  
verbal memory is that which retains in  
the mind1 and reproduces at will what   
has been said in our hearing by others1 
or what we have read which has made a   
marked impression upon us4 ,thus1 some  
persons can repeat with almost exact    
accuracy1 every word of a long          
conversation held with another4 ,others 
can repeat whole poems1 or long passages
 in prose from favorite authors1 after  
reading them over two or three times1   
and can retain them perfectly in memory 
for half a century or more4 ,there have 
even been persons to whom one single    
reading of any production was sufficient
 to enable them to repeat it verbatim4  
,these instances of a great verbal      
memory are by no means rare1 although   
some of them appear almost incredible4  
,john ,locke tells us of the ,french    
philosopher ,pascal1 that he never      
forgot anything of what he had done1    
said1 or thought1 in any part of his    
natural life4 ,and the same thing is    

recorded of that great scholar of       
,holland1 ,hugo ,grotius4  ,the         
mathematician ,euler could repeat the   
,aeneid of ,virgil from beginning to    
end1 containing nearly nine thousand    
lines4 ,mozart1 upon hearing the        
,miserere of ,allegri played in the     
,sistine ,chapel at ,rome1 only once1   
went to his hotel1 and wrote it all down
 from memory1 note for note4  ,cardinal 
,mezzofanti both wrote and spoke thirty 
languages1 and was quite familiar with  
more than a hundred4 ,he said that if he
 once heard the meaning of a word in any
 language1 he never forgot it4 ,yet he  
was of the opinion1 that although he had
 twenty words for one idea1 it was      
better to have twenty ideas for one     
word2 which is no doubt true1 so far as 
real intellectual culture is concerned4 
,lord ,macaulay1 who had a phenomenal   
memory1 said that if all the copies of  
,milton's ,paradise ,lost were to be    
destroyed1 he could reproduce the book  
complete1 from memory4 ,in early life he

 was a great admirer of ,walter ,scott's
 poetry1 and especially the ,lay of the 
,last ,minstrel1 and could repeat the   
whole of that long poem1 more than six  
hundred lines1 from memory4 ,and at the 
age of fifty-seven he records--,i walked
 in the portico1 and learned by heart   
the noble fourth act of the ,merchant of
 ,venice4 ,there are four hundred lines4
 ,i made myself perfect master of the   
whole in two hours4 ,it was said of him 
that every incident he heard of1 and    
every page he read1 assumed in his mind 
a concrete spectral form4  ,but the     
memory for names and words has been     
sometimes called the lowest form of     
memory4 ,persons of defective or        
impaired intellect frequently have      
strong and retentive verbal memories4   
,mrs4 ,somerville records the case of an
 idiot who could repeat a whole sermon  
verbatim1 after once hearing it1 but who
 was stupid and ignorant as to every    
thing else4 ,and there are many         
instances in the books to the same      

effect4  ,another kind of memory may be 
called1 for want of a better name1 the  
local memory4 ,a person who has this    
strongly developed1 if he once goes to a
 place1 whether a room1 or a street in a
 city1 or a road in any part of the     
country1 knows the way again1 and can   
find it by instinct ever after4 ,in the 
same way any one gifted with this almost
 unerring sense of locality1 can find   
any book on any shelf in any part of a  
library where he has once been4 ,he     
knows1 in like manner1 on which side of 
the page he saw any given passage in a  
book1 which impressed him at the time1  
although he may never have had the      
volume in his hand more than once4 ,he  
may not remember the number of the page1
 but he is sure of his recollection that
 it was the left or the right hand one1 
as the case may be1 and this knowledge  
will abridge his labor and time in      
finding it again by just one half4 ,this
 local memory is invaluable to a        
librarian or an assistant in shortening 

the labor of finding things4 ,if you    
have a good local memory1 you can1 in no
 long time1 come to dispense with the   
catalogue and its shelf-marks or        
classification marks1 almost entirely1  
in finding your books4 ,although this   
special gift of memory--the sense of    
locality--is unquestionably a lower     
faculty of the mind than some others    
named1 and although there are illiterate
 persons who can readily find and       
produce any books in a library which    
have often passed through their hands1  
yet it is a faculty by no means to be   
despised4 ,it is one of the             
labor-saving1 time-saving gifts1 which  
should be welcomed by every librarian4  
,the time saved from searching the      
catalogues for location-marks of the    
outside of books1 will enable him to    
make many a research in their inside4   
,this faculty1 of course1 is            
indefinitely strengthened and improved  
by use--and the same is true of the     
other branches of the sense which we    

call memory4 ,the oftener you have been 
to any place1 the better you know the   
way4 ,the more frequently you have found
 and produced a given book from its     
proper receptacle1 the easier and the   
quicker will be your finding it again4  
,another faculty or phase of memory is  
found in the ability to call up the     
impression made by any object once seen 
by the eye1 so as to reproduce it       
accurately in speech or writing4 ,this  
may be termed the intuitive memory4     
,there are many applications or         
illustrations of this faculty4 ,thus1   
for example1 you see a book on some     
shelf in your library4 ,you take in its 
size1 its binding1 both the material and
 the color1 and its title as lettered on
 the back4 ,all this you absorb with one
 glance of the eye4 ,you remember it by 
the principle of association--that is1  
you associate with that particular book1
 in connection with its title1 a certain
 dimension1 color1 and style of binding4
 ,now1 when you have occasion to look up

 that special volume again1 you not only
 go1 aided by your memory of locality1  
to the very section and shelf of the    
library where it belongs1 but you take  
with you instinctively1 your memory or  
mental image of the book's appearance4  
,thus1 you perhaps distinctly remember  
7#a7 that it was an octavo1 and your eye
 in glancing along the shelf where it   
belongs1 rejects intuitively all the    
duodecimos or books of lesser size1 to  
come to the octavos4 7#b7 ,then you also
 remember that it was bound in leather1 
consequently you pass quickly by all the
 cloth bound volumes on the shelf4 7#c7 
in the third place you know that its    
color was red2 and you pay no attention 
whatever to books of any other color1   
but quickly seize your red leather-bound
 octavo1 and bear it off to the         
reading-room in triumph4 ,of course     
there are circumstances where this quick
 operation of the faculties of memory   
and intuition combined1 would not be so 
easy4 ,for example1 all the books 7or   

nearly all7 on a given shelf might be   
octavos2 or they might all be           
leather-bound2 or a majority of them    
with red backs2 and the presence of one 
or more of these conditions would       
eliminate one or more of the facilities 
for most rapidly picking out the book   
wanted4 ,but take a pile of books1 we   
will say returned by many readers1 on   
the library counter4 ,you are searching 
among them for a particular volume that 
is again wanted4 ,there is no order or  
arrangement of the volumes1 but you     
distinctly remember1 from having handled
 it1 its size both as to height and     
thickness1 its color1 and how it was    
bound4 ,you know it was a thin #abmo4 in
 green cloth binding4 ,do you1 in your  
search1 take up every book in that mass1
 to scrutinize its title1 and see if it 
is the one you seek8 ,by no means4 ,you 
quickly thrust aside1 one by one1 or by 
the half-dozen1 all the volumes which   
are not green1 cloth-bound1 thin        
duodecimos1 without so much as glancing 

at them4 ,your special volume is quickly
 found among hundreds of volumes1 and   
your faculty of memory and intuition has
 saved you perhaps a quarter of an hour 
of valuable time1 which1 without that   
faculty1 might have been wasted in      
search4  ,again1 another circumstance   
which might intervene to diminish the   
frequency of application of the memory  
referred to1 as to the physical features
 or appearance of a book sought for1 is 
where the shelf-arrangement is          
alphabetical1 by authors' names1 or by  
the names of the subjects of the books1 
if it is an alphabet of biographies4    
,here1 the surest and the quickest guide
 to the book is of course the           
alphabetical order1 in which it must    
necessarily be found4  ,this memory of  
the aspect of any object once looked at1
 is further well illustrated in the very
 varied facilities for the spelling of  
words found in different persons4 ,thus1
 there are people who1 when they once   
see any word 7we will say a proper name7

 written or printed1 can always         
afterwards spell that word unerringly1  
no matter how uncommon it may be4 ,the  
mental retina1 so to speak1 receives so 
clear and exact an impression of the    
form of that word from the eye1 that it 
retains and reproduces it at will4  ,but
 there are others1 7and among them      
persons of much learning in some        
directions7 upon whom the form or       
orthography of a word makes little or no
 impression1 however frequently it meets
 the eye in reading4 ,i have known      
several fine scholars1 and among them   
the head of an institution of learning1 
who could not for the life of them spell
 correctly2 and this infirmity extended 
even to some of the commonest words in  
the language4 ,why this inaptitude on   
the part of many1 and this extraordinary
 facility on the part of others1 in the 
memorizing faculty1 is a phenomenon     
which may be noted down1 but not solved4
 ,that vivid mental picture which is    
seen by the inward eye of the person    

favored with a good memory1 is wholly   
wanting1 or seen only dimly and rarely  
in the case of one who easily forgets4  
,so vital and important is memory1 that 
it has been justly denominated by the   
,german philosopher1 ,kant1 the most    
wonderful of our faculties4 ,without it1
 the words of a book would be           
unintelligible to us1 since it is memory
 alone which furnishes us with the      
several meanings to be attached to them4
  ,some writers on the science of mind  
assert that there is no such thing with 
any of us as absolutely forgetting      
anything that has once been in the mind4
 ,all mental activities1 all knowledge  
which ever existed1 persists4 ,we never 
wholly lose them1 but they become faint 
and obscure4 ,one mental image effaces  
another4 ,but those which have thus     
disappeared may be recalled by an act of
 reminiscence4 ,while it may sometimes  
be impossible to recover one of them at 
the moment when wanted1 by an act of    
voluntary recollection1 some association

 may bring it unexpectedly and vividly  
before us4 ,memory plays us many strange
 tricks1 both when we wake and when we  
dream4 ,it revives1 by an involuntary   
process1 an infinite variety of past    
scenes1 faces1 events1 ideas1 emotions1 
passions1 conversations1 and written or 
printed pages1 all of which we may have 
fancied had passed forever from our     
consciousness4  ,the aids to memory     
supposed to be furnished by the various 
mnemonic systems may now be briefly     
considered4 ,these methods of supplying 
the defects of a naturally weak memory1 
or of strengthening a fairly good one1  
are one and all artificial4 ,this might 
not be a conclusive objection to them1  
were they really effective and permanent
 helps1 enabling one who has learned    
them to recall with certainty ideas1    
names1 dates1 and events which he is    
unable to recall by other means4 ,theory
 apart1 it is conceded that a system of 
memorizing which had proved widely or   
generally successful in making a good   

memory out of a poor one1 would deserve 
much credit4 ,but experience with these 
systems has as yet failed to show1 by   
the stern test of practical utility1    
that they can give substantial 7and     
still less permanent7 aid in curing the 
defects of memory4 ,most of the systems 
of mnemonics that have been invented are
 constructed on the principle of        
locality1 or of utilizing objects which 
appeal to the sight4 ,there is nothing  
new in these methods1 for the principle 
is as old as ,simonides1 who lived in   
the fifth century before ,christ1 and   
who devised a system of memorizing by   
locality4 ,one of the most prevalent    
systems now taught is to select a number
 of rooms in a house 7in the mind's eye1
 of course7 and divide the walls and the
 floors of each room into nine equal    
parts or squares1 three in a row4 ,then 
,on the front wall--that opposite the   
entrance of the first      room--are the
 units1 on the right-hand wall the tens1
 on the left      hand the twenties1 on 

the fourth wall the thirties1 and on the
      floor the forties4 ,numbers #aj1  
#bj1 #cj1 and #dj1 each find a place    
on the roof above their respective      
walls4 ,one room will thus      furnish 
#ej places1 and ten rooms as many as    
#ejj1 while #ej      occupies the centre
 of the roof4 ,having fixed these       
clearly in      the mind1 so as to be   
able readily and at once to tell the    
exact      position of each place or    
number1 it is then necessary to         
associate with each of them some        
familiar object 7or symbol7 so      that
 the object being suggested1 its place  
may be instantly      remembered1 or    
when the place is before the mind1 its  
object may      immediately spring up4  
,when this has been done thoroughly1 the
      objects can be run over in any    
order from beginning to end1 or         
from end to beginning1 or the place of  
any particular one can at      once be  
given4 ,all that is further necessary is
 to associate the      ideas we wish to 

remember with the objects in the various
 places1      by which means they are   
readily remembered1 and can be gone over
      in any order4 ,in this way1 one   
may learn to repeat several      hundred
 disconnected words or ideas in any     
order1 after hearing      them only     
once4  ,this rather complicated         
machinery for aiding the memory is quite
 too mechanical to commend itself to any
 one accustomed to reflect or to take   
note of his own mental processes4 ,such 
an elaborate system crowds the mind with
 a lot of useless furniture1 and hinders
 rather than helps a rational and       
straightforward habit of memorizing4 ,it
 too much resembles the feat of trying  
to jump over a wall by running back a   
hundred or more yards to acquire a good 
start or momentum4 ,the very            
complication of the system is fitted to 
puzzle rather than to aid the memory4   
,it is based on mechanical or           
arithmetical associations--not founded  
on nature1 and is of very small         

practical utility4 ,it does not         
strengthen or improve the habit of      
memorizing1 which should always be based
 upon close attention1 and a logical    
method of classifying1 associating1 and 
analyzing facts or ideas4  ,lord ,bacon1
 more than two centuries ago1 wisely    
characterized mnemonic systems as barren
 and useless4 ,he wrote1 ,for           
immediately to repeat a multitude of    
names or words once repeated before1 ,i 
esteem no more than rope-dancing1 antic 
postures1 and feats of activity2 and1   
indeed1 they are nearly the same thing1 
the one being the abuse of the bodily1  
as the other is of mental powers2 and   
though they may cause admiration1 they  
cannot be highly esteemed4  ,in fact1   
these mnemonical systems are only a kind
 of crutches1 sometimes useful to people
 who cannot walk1 but actual impediments
 to those having the use of their limbs1
 and who by proper exercise can maintain
 their healthy and natural use          
indefinitely4  ,i have given you an     

account of one of these artificial      
systems of memory1 or systems of        
artificial memory1 as you may choose to 
call them4 ,there have been invented    
more than one hundred different systems 
of mnemonics1 all professing to be      
invaluable1 and some claiming to be     
infallible4 ,it appears to be a fatal   
objection to these memory-systems that  
they substitute a wholly artificial     
association of ideas for a natural one4 
,the habit of looking for accidental or 
arbitrary relations of names and things 
is cultivated1 and the power of logical1
 spontaneous thought is injured by      
neglecting essential for unessential    
relations4 ,these artificial            
associations of ideas work endless      
mischief by crowding out the natural    
ones4  ,how then1 you may ask1 is a weak
 memory to be strengthened1 or a fairly 
good memory to be cultivated into a     
better one8 ,the answer is1 by constant 
practice1 and for this the vocation of a
 librarian furnishes far more           

opportunities than any other4 ,at the   
basis of this practice of the memory1   
lies the habit of attention4 ,all memory
 depends upon the strength or vividness 
of the impression made upon the mind1 by
 the object1 the name1 the word1 the    
date1 which is sought to be remembered4 
,and this1 in turn1 depends on the      
degree of attention with which it was   
first regarded4 ,if the attention was so
 fixed that a clear mental image was    
formed1 there will be no difficulty in  
remembering it again4 ,if1 on the other 
hand1 you were inattentive1 or listless1
 or pre-occupied with other thoughts1   
when you encountered the object1 your   
impression of it would be hazy and      
indistinct1 and no effort of memory     
would be likely to recall it4           
,attention has been defined as the      
fixing of the mind intently upon one    
particular object1 to the exclusion for 
a time1 of all other objects soliciting 
notice4 ,it is essential to those who   
would have a good memory1 to cultivate  

assiduously the habit of concentration  
of thought4 ,as the scattering shot hits
 no mark1 so the scattering and random  
thoughts that sweep through an          
unoccupied brain lead to no memorable   
result1 simply from want of attention or
 of fixation upon some one mental vision
 or idea4 ,with your attention fastened 
upon any subject or object1 you see it  
more clearly1 and it impresses itself   
more vividly in the memory1 as a natural
 consequence4 ,not only so1 but its     
related objects or ideas are brought up 
by the principle of association1 and    
they too make a deeper impression and   
are more closely remembered4 ,in fact1  
one thing carefully observed and        
memorized1 leads almost insensibly to   
another that is related to it1 and thus 
the faculty of association is           
strengthened1 the memory is stimulated1 
and the seeds of knowledge are deeply   
planted in that complex organism which  
we call the mind4 ,this power of        
attention1 of keeping an object or a    

subject steadily in view until it is    
absorbed or mastered1 is held by some to
 be the most distinctive element in     
genius4 ,most people have not this habit
 of concentration of the mind1 but allow
 it to wander aimlessly on1 flitting    
from subject to subject1 without        
mastering any2 but then1 most people are
 not geniuses4 ,the habit to be         
cultivated is that of thinking          
persistently of only one thing at a     
time1 sternly preventing the attention  
from wandering4  ,it may be laid down as
 an axiom that the two corner-stones of 
memory are attention and association4   
,and both of these must act in harmony1 
the habit of fixed attention being      
formed or guided by the will1 before a  
normal or retentive memory becomes      
possible4 ,what is called cultivating   
the memory1 therefore1 does not mean    
anything more than close attention to   
whatever we wish to remember1 with      
whatever associations naturally cling to
 it1 until it is actually mastered4 ,if 

one has not an instinctive or naturally 
strong memory1 he should not rest       
satisfied with letting the days go by   
until he has improved it4 ,the way to   
improve it1 is to begin at the          
foundation1 and by the constant exercise
 of the will-power1 to take up every    
subject with fixed attention1 and one at
 a time1 excluding every other for the  
time being4 ,there is no doubt whatever 
that the memory is capable of indefinite
 improvement2 and though one's first    
efforts in that direction may prove a   
disappointment1 because only partially  
successful1 he should try1 and try      
again1 until he is rewarded with the    
full fruits of earnest intellectual     
effort1 in whatever field4 ,he may have1
 at the start1 instead of a fine memory1
 what a learned professor called1 a fine
 forgettery1 but let him persevere to   
the end4 ,none of us were made to sit   
down in despair because we are not      
endowed with an all-embracing memory1 or
 because we cannot speak with the       

tongues of men and of angels1 and do not
 know all mysteries and all knowledge4  
,it rather becomes us to make the best  
and highest use1 day by day1 of the     
talents that are bestowed upon us1      
remembering that however short of       
perfection they may be1 we are yet far  
more gifted than myriads of our         
fellow-creatures in this very imperfect 
world4  ,there is no question that the  
proper cultivation of the memory is1 or 
ought to be1 the chief aim of education4
 ,all else is so dependent upon this1   
that it may be truly affirmed that1     
without memory1 knowledge itself would  
be impossible4 ,by giving up oneself    
with fixed attention to what one seeks  
to remember1 and trusting the memory1   
though it may often fail1 any person can
 increase his powers of memory and      
consequently of learning1 to an         
indefinite degree4 ,to improve and      
strengthen the memory1 it must be       
constantly exercised4 ,let it be        
supplied with new knowledge frequently1 

and called on daily to reproduce it4 ,if
 remembered only imperfectly or in part1
 refresh it by reference to the source  
whence the knowledge came2 and repeat   
this carefully and thoroughly1 until    
memory becomes actually the store-house 
of what you know on that subject4 ,if   
there are certain kinds of facts and    
ideas which you more easily forget than 
others1 it is a good way to practice    
upon them1 taking up a few daily1 and   
adding to them by degrees4 ,dr4 ,w4 ,t4 
,harris1 the ,united ,states            
,commissioner of ,education1 gave his   
personal experience to the effect that  
he always found it hard to remember     
dates4 ,he resolved to improve a feeble 
memory in this respect by learning the  
succession of ,english ,kings1 from     
,william the ,conqueror1 down to        
,victoria4 ,with his characteristic     
thoroughness1 he began by learning three
 or four dates of accession only1 the   
first day2 two new ones were added the  
second day2 then one new king added the 

third day2 and thereafter even less     
frequency was observed in learning the  
chronology4 ,by this method he had the  
whole table of thirty-six sovereigns    
learned1 and made familiar by constant  
review4 ,it had to be learned anew one  
year after1 and once again after years  
of neglect4 ,but his memory for dates   
steadily grew1 and without conscious    
effort1 dates and numbers soon came to  
be seized with a firmer grasp than      
before4 ,this kind of memory1 he adds1  
now improves or increases with him from 
year to year4 ,here is an instance of   
cultivation of memory by a notable      
scholar1 who adds a monition to learners
 with weak memories1 not to undertake to
 memorize too much at once4 ,learning a 
succession of fifty names slowly1 he    
says1 will so discipline the memory for 
names1 as to partially or even          
permanently remove all embarrassment    
from that source4 ,i may add that a long
 table of names or dates1 or any        
prolonged extract in verse or prose1 if 

learned by repeating it over and over as
 a whole1 will be less tenaciously      
retained in memory1 than if committed in
 parts4  ,the highest form of memory is 
actually unconscious1 i4 e41 that in    
which what we would recall comes to us  
spontaneously1 without effort or lapse  
of time in thinking about it4 ,it is    
this kind of memory that has been       
possessed by all the notable persons who
 have been credited with knowing        
everything1 or with never forgetting    
anything4 ,it is not to be reckoned to  
their credit1 so much as to their good  
fortune4 ,what merit is there in having 
a good memory1 when one cannot help     
remembering8  ,there is one caution to  
be given to those who are learning to   
improve a memory naturally weak4 ,when  
such a one tries to recall a date1 or   
name1 or place1 or idea1 or book1 it    
frequently happens that the endeavor    
fails utterly4 ,the more he tries1 the  
more obstinately the desired object     
fails to respond4 ,as the poet ,pope    

wrote about the witless author3         
,you beat your pate1 and fancy wit will 
come2      ,knock as you please1 there's
 nobody at home4  ,in these cases1 no   
attempt to force the memory should be   
made1 nor should the attention be kept  
long on the subject1 for this course    
only injures the faculty1 and leads to  
confusion of mind4 ,to persist in a     
constantly baffled effort to recover a  
word1 or other forgotten link in memory1
 is a laborious attempt which is itself 
likely to cause failure1 and induce a   
distrust of the memory which is far from
 rational4 ,the forgotten object will   
probably recur in no long time after1   
when least expected4  ,much discursive  
reading is not only injurious to the    
faculty of memory1 but may be positively
 destructive of it4 ,the vast extent of 
our modern world of reviews1 magazines  
and newspapers1 with their immense      
variety of subjects1 dissipates the     
attention instead of concentrating it1  
and becomes fatal to systematic thought1

 tenacious memory1 and the acquirement  
of real knowledge4 ,the mind that is fed
 upon a diet of morning and evening     
newspapers1 mainly or solely1 will      
become flabby1 uncertain1 illogical1    
frivolous1 and1 in fact1 little better  
than a scatterbrains4 ,as one who       
listens to an endless dribble of small  
talk lays up nothing out of all the     
palaver1 which1 to use a common phrase1 
goes in at one ear1 and out at the      
other1 so the reader who continuously   
absorbs all the stuff which the daily   
press1 under the pretext of printing the
 news1 inflicts upon us1 is nothing     
benefited in intellectual gifts or      
permanent knowledge4 ,what does he learn
 by his assiduous pursuit of these      
ephemeral will o' the wisps1 that only  
lead to bewilder1 and dazzle to blind8  
,he absorbs an incredible amount of     
empty gossip1 doubtful assertions1      
trifling descriptions1 apocryphal news1 
and some useful1 but more useless       
knowledge4 ,the only visible object of  

spending valuable time over these papers
 appears to be to satisfy a momentary   
curiosity1 and then the mass of material
 read passes almost wholly out of the   
mind1 and is never more thought of4     
,says ,coleridge1 one of the foremost of
 ,english thinkers3 ,i believe the habit
 of perusing periodical works may be    
properly added to the catalogue of      
anti-mnemonics1 or weakeners of the     
memory4  ,if read sparingly1 and for    
actual events1 newspapers have a value  
which is all their own2 but to spend    
hours upon them1 as many do1 is mere    
mental dissipation4     ,,chapter #ac4  
,,qualifications ,,of ,a ,,librarian4   
,in directing attention to some of the  
more important elements which should    
enter into the character and            
acquirements of a librarian1 ,i shall   
perhaps not treat them in the order of  
their relative importance4 ,thus1 some  
persons might consider the foremost     
qualification for one aspiring to the   
position of a librarian to be wide      

knowledge in literature and science3    
others would say that the possession of 
sound common sense is above all things  
essential2 others an excellent and      
retentive memory2 still others might    
insist that business habits and         
administrative faculty are              
all-important2 and others again1 a zeal 
for learning and for communicating it to
 others4  ,i shall not venture to       
pronounce what1 among the multitude of  
talents that are requisite to constitute
 a good librarian is the most requisite4
 ,suffice it to say1 that all of them   
which ,i shall notice are important1 and
 that the order of their treatment      
determines nothing as to which are more 
and which are less important4 ,so much  
is expected of librarians that it       
actually appears as if a large portion  
of the public were of the opinion that  
it is the duty of him who has a library 
in charge to possess himself1 in some   
occult or mysterious way1 unknown to the
 common mind1 of all the knowledge which

 all the books combine4  ,the ,librarian
 of the ,british ,museum1 speaking to a 
conference of librarians in ,london1    
quoted a remark of ,pattison1 in his    
,life of ,casaubon1 that the librarian  
who reads is lost4 ,this was certainly  
true of that great scholar ,casaubon1   
who in his love for the contents of the 
books under his charge1 forgot his      
duties as a librarian4 ,and it is to a  
large degree true of librarians in      
general1 that those who pursue their own
 personal reading or study during       
library hours do it at the expense of   
their usefulness as librarians4 ,they   
must be content with such snatches of   
reading as come in the definite pursuit 
of some object of research incident to  
their library work1 supplemented by such
 reading time as unoccupied evenings1   
,sundays1 and annual vacations may give 
them4  ,yet nothing is more common than 
for applicants for the position of      
librarians or assistant librarians to   
base their aspiration upon the foolish  

plea that they are so fond of reading1  
or that they have always been in love   
with books4 ,so far from this being a   
qualification1 it may become a          
disqualification4 ,unless combined with 
habits of practical1 serious1           
unremitting application to labor1 the   
taste for reading may seduce its        
possessor into spending the minutes and 
the hours which belong to the public1 in
 his own private gratification4 ,the    
conscientious1 the useful librarian1    
living amid the rich intellectual       
treasures of centuries1 the vast        
majority of which he has never read1    
must be content daily to enact the part 
of ,tantalus1 in the presence of a      
tempting and appetizing banquet which is
 virtually beyond his reach4  ,but he   
may console himself by the reflection   
that comparatively few of the books upon
 his shelves are so far worth reading as
 to be essential4 ,if ,i had read as    
many books as other men1 said ,hobbes of
 ,malmesbury1 ,i should have been as    

ignorant as they4  ,if the librarian1 in
 the precious time which is indisputably
 his1 reads a wise selection of the best
 books1 the masterpieces of the         
literature of all lands1 which have been
 consecrated by time and the suffrages  
of successive generations of readers1 he
 can well afford to apply to the rest1  
the short-hand method recommended in a  
former chapter1 and skim them in the    
intervals of his daily work1 instead of 
reading them4 ,thus he will become      
sufficiently familiar with the new books
 of the day 7together with the          
information about their contents and    
merits furnished by the literary        
reviews1 which he must read1 however    
sparingly1 in order to keep up with his 
profession7 to be able to furnish       
readers with some word of comment as to 
most books coming into the ,library4    
,this course1 or as close an            
approximation to it as his multifarious 
duties will permit1 will go far to solve
 the problem that confronts every       

librarian who is expected to be an      
exponent of universal knowledge4 ,always
 refraining from unqualified praise of  
books 7especially of new ones7 always   
maintaining that impartial attitude     
toward men and opinions which becomes   
the librarian1 he should act the part of
 a liberal1 eclectic1 catholic guide to 
inquirers of every kind4  ,and here let 
me emphasize the great importance to    
every librarian or assistant of early   
learning to make the most of his working
 faculties4 ,he cannot afford to plod   
along through a book1 sentence by       
sentence1 like an ordinary reader4 ,he  
must learn to read a sentence at a      
glance4 ,the moment his eye lights upon 
a title-page he should be able to take  
it all in by a comprehensive and        
intuitive mental process4 ,too much     
stress cannot be laid upon the every-day
 habit or method of reading4 ,it makes  
all the difference between time saved1  
and time wasted2 between efficiency and 
inefficiency2 between rapid progress and

 standing still1 in one's daily work4   
,no pains should be spared1 before      
entering upon the all-engrossing work of
 a library1 to acquire the habit of     
rapid reading4 ,an eminent librarian of 
one of the largest libraries was asked  
whether he did not find a great deal of 
time to read8 ,his reply was--,i wish   
that ,i could ever get as much as one   
hour a day for reading--but ,i have     
never been able to do it4 ,of course    
every librarian must spend much time in 
special researches2 and in this way a   
good deal of some of his days will be   
spent in acquainting himself with the   
resources of his library2 but this is   
incidental and not systematic reading4  
,in viewing the essential qualifications
 of a librarian1 it is necessary to say 
at the outset that a library is no place
 for uneducated people4 ,the            
requirements of the position are such as
 to demand not only native talent above 
the average1 but also intellectual      
acquirements above the average4 ,the    

more a librarian knows1 the more he is  
worth1 and the converse of the          
proposition is equally true1 that the   
less he knows the less he is worth4     
,before undertaking the arduous task of 
guiding others in their intellectual    
pursuits1 one should make sure that he  
is himself so well-grounded in learning 
that he can find the way in which to    
guide them4 ,to do this1 he must        
indispensably have something more than a
 smattering of the knowledge that lies  
at the foundation of his profession4 ,he
 must be1 if not widely read1 at least  
carefully grounded in history1 science1 
literature1 and art4 ,while he may not1 
like ,lord ,bacon1 take all knowledge to
 be his province1 because he is not a   
,lord ,bacon1 nor if he were1 could he  
begin to grasp the illimitable domain of
 books of science and literature which  
have been added to human knowledge in   
the two centuries and a half since      
,bacon wrote1 he can at least1 by wise  
selection1 master enough of the leading 

works in each field1 to make him a      
well-informed scholar4 ,that great      
treasury of information on the whole    
circle of the sciences1 and the entire  
range of literature1 the ,encyclopaedia 
,britannica1 judiciously studied1 will  
alone give what would appear to the     
average mind1 a very liberal education4 
,one of the most common and most        
inconsiderate questions propounded to a 
librarian is this3 ,do you ever expect  
to read all these books through8 and it 
is well answered by propounding another 
question1 namely--,did you ever read    
your dictionary through8 ,a great       
library is the scholar's dictionary--not
 to be read through1 but to enable him  
to put his finger on the fact he wants1 
just when it is wanted4  ,a knowledge of
 some at least of the foreign languages 
is indispensable to the skilled         
librarian4 ,in fact1 any one aspiring to
 become an assistant in any large       
library1 or the head of any small one1  
should first acquire at least an        

elementary knowledge of ,french and     
,latin4 ,aside from books in other      
languages than ,english which           
necessarily form part of every          
considerable library1 there are         
innumerable quotations or words in      
foreign tongues scattered through books 
and periodicals in ,english1 which a    
librarian1 appealed to by readers who   
are not scholars1 would be mortified if 
found unable to interpret them4 ,the    
librarian who does not understand       
several languages will be continually at
 a loss in his daily work4 ,a great many
 important catalogues1 and              
bibliographies1 essential parts of the  
equipment of a library1 will be lost to 
him as aids1 and he can neither select  
foreign books intelligently nor         
catalogue them properly4 ,if he depends 
upon the aid of others more expert1 his 
position will be far from agreeable or  
satisfactory4 ,how many and what foreign
 languages should be learned may be     
matter for wide difference of opinion4  

,but so far-reaching is the prevalence  
of the ,latin1 as one of the principal  
sources of our own language1 and of     
other modern tongues1 that a knowledge  
of it is most important4 ,and so rich is
 the literature of ,france1 to say      
nothing of the vast number of ,french   
words constantly found in current       
,english and ,american books and        
periodicals1 that at least a fairly     
thorough mastery of that language should
 be acquired4 ,the same may be said of  
the ,german1 which is even more         
important in some parts of the ,united  
,states1 and which has a literature most
 copious and valuable in every varied   
department of knowledge4 ,with these    
three tongues once familiar1 the        
,italian1 ,spanish1 ,portuguese1 ,dutch1
 and ,scandinavian languages may be1    
through the aid of dictionaries1 so far 
utilized as to enable one to read titles
 and catalogue books in any of them1    
although a knowledge of all1 so as to be
 able to read books in them1 is highly  

desirable4  ,in the ,boston ,public     
,library1 the assistants are required to
 possess an adequate knowledge of       
,latin1 ,french1 and ,german4 ,and all  
candidates for positions in the         
reading-room of the ,british ,museum    
,library must undergo a thorough test   
examination as to their knowledge of the
 ,latin language4 ,opportunities for    
acquiring foreign languages are now so  
abundant that there is small excuse for 
any one who wants to know ,french1      
,latin or ,german1 and yet goes through 
life without learning them4 ,there are  
even ways of learning these languages   
with sufficient thoroughness for reading
 purposes without a teacher1 and        
sometimes without a text-book4 ,two     
assistant librarians taught themselves  
,french and ,german in their evenings1  
by setting out to read familiar works of
 ,english fiction in translations into  
those languages1 and soon acquired a    
good working knowledge of both1 so as to
 be able to read any work in either1    

with only occasional aid from the       
dictionary for the less common words4   
,it is surprising how soon one can      
acquire a sufficient vocabulary in any  
language1 by reading any of its great   
writers4 ,a good way for a beginner to  
learn ,french without a master is to    
take a ,french ,new ,testament1 and read
 the four ,gospels through4 ,after doing
 this three or four times1 almost any   
one who is at all familiar with the     
,scriptures1 will be able to read most  
books in the ,french language with      
facility4 ,in the great art of learning1
 all doors are easily unlocked--by those
 who have the key4  ,it should go       
without saying that the librarian should
 possess a wide knowledge of books4     
,this knowledge should include 7#a7 an  
acquaintance with ancient and modern    
literature1 so as to be able to         
characterize the notable writers in each
 of the leading languages of the world2 
7#b7 a knowledge of history extensive   
enough to enable him to locate all the  

great characters1 including authors1 in 
their proper century and country2 7#c7 a
 knowledge of editions1 so as to        
discriminate between the old and the    
new1 the full and the abridged1 the best
 edited1 best printed1 etc42 7#d7 an    
acquaintance with the intrinsic value or
 the subject and scope of most of the   
great books of the world2 7#e7 a        
knowledge of commercial values1 so as to
 be able to bid or to buy               
understandingly1 and with proper        
economy2 7#f7 a familiarity with what   
constitutes condition in library books1 
and with binding and repairing          
processes1 for the restoration of       
imperfect volumes for use4  ,the        
librarian should be one who has had the 
benefit of thorough preliminary         
training1 for no novice is qualified to 
undertake the role of an expert1 and any
 attempt to do so can result only in    
disappointment and failure4 ,no one who 
has read little or nothing but novels   
since leaving school need ever hope to  

succeed4  ,no librarian can know too    
much1 since his work brings him into    
relation with the boundless domain of   
human knowledge4 ,he should not be a    
specialist in science 7except in the one
 science of bibliography7 but must be   
content with knowing a little about a   
great many things1 rather than knowing  
everything about one thing4 ,much       
converse with books must fill him with a
 sense of his own ignorance4 ,the more  
he comes to know1 the wider will open   
before him the illimitable realm of what
 is yet to be known4 ,in the lowest deep
 which research the most profound can   
reach1 there is a lower deep still      
unattained--perhaps1 even1 unattainable4
 ,but the fact that he cannot by any    
possibility master all human knowledge  
should not deter the student from making
 ever advancing inroads upon that       
domain4 ,the vast extent of the world of
 books only emphasizes the need of      
making a wise selection from the mass4  
,we are brought inevitably back to that 

precept by every excursion that we make 
into whatever field of literature4  ,the
 librarian should possess1 besides a    
wide acquaintance with books1 a faculty 
of administration1 and this rests upon  
careful business habits4 ,he should have
 a system in all the library work4      
,every assistant should have a          
prescribed task1 and be required to     
learn and to practice all the methods   
peculiar to library economy1 including  
the economy of time4 ,each day's        
business should be so organized as to   
show an advance at the end4 ,the library
 must of course have rules1 and every   
rule should be so simple and so         
reasonable that it will commend itself  
to every considerate reader or library  
assistant4 ,all questions of doubt or   
dispute as to the observance of any     
regulation1 should be decided at once1  
courteously but firmly1 and in a few    
words4 ,nothing can be more unseemly    
than a wrangle in a public library over 
some rule or its application1 disturbing

 readers who are entitled to silence1   
and consuming time that should be given 
to the service of the public4  ,when    
,thomas ,carlyle1 one of the great      
scholars of modern times1 testified in  
#ahdh before a ,parliamentary           
,commission upon the ,british ,museum   
,library1 he thus spoke of the          
qualifications of a librarian3  ,all    
must depend upon the kind of management 
you get within the library itself4 ,you 
must get a good pilot to steer the ship1
 or you will never get into the harbor4 
,you must have a man to direct who knows
 well what the duty is that he has to   
do1 and who is determined to go through 
that1 in spite of all clamor raised     
against him2 and who is not anxious to  
obtain approbation1 but is satisfied    
that he will obtain it by and by1       
provided he acts ingenuously and        
faithfully4  ,another quality most      
important in a librarian is an even     
temper4 ,he should be always and        
unfailingly courteous1 not only to      

scholars and visitors of high           
consideration1 but to every reader1     
however humble or ignorant1 and to every
 employee1 however subordinate in       
position4 ,there is nothing which more  
detracts from one's usefulness than a   
querulous temper4 ,its possessor is     
seldom happy himself1 and is the        
frequent cause of unhappiness in others4
 ,visitors and questions should never be
 met with a clouded brow4 ,a cheerful   
good-morning goes a great way           
oftentimes4 ,many library visitors come 
in a complaining mood--it may be from   
long waiting to be served1 or from      
mistake in supplying them with the wrong
 books1 or from errors in charging their
 accounts1 or from some fancied neglect 
or slight1 or from any other cause4 ,the
 way to meet such ill-humored or        
offended readers is to gently explain   
the matter1 with that soft answer which 
turneth away wrath4 ,many a foolish and 
useless altercation may thus be avoided1
 and the complainant restored to        

cheerfulness1 if not to courtesy2       
whereas1 if the librarian were to meet  
the case with a sharp or haughty answer1
 it would probably end without          
satisfaction on either side4 ,whatever  
you do1 never permit yourself to be     
irritable1 and resolve never to be      
irritated4 ,it will make you unhappy1   
and will breed irritation in others4    
,cheerfulness under all circumstances1  
however difficult1 is the duty and the  
interest of the librarian4 ,thus he will
 cultivate successfully an obliging     
disposition1 which is a prime requisite 
to his success with the public and his  
usefulness as a librarian4  ,it ought   
not to be requisite to insist upon good 
health as a condition precedent for any 
one aspiring to be a librarian4 ,so very
 much depends upon this1 that it should 
form a part of the conscientious duty of
 every one to acquire and maintain a    
sound condition of physical health1 as a
 most important adjunct of a thoroughly 
sound and healthy condition of the mind4

 ,this is easier than most persons are  
aware4 ,if we except inherited          
constitutional weaknesses1 or maladies  
of a serious character1 there is almost 
no one who is not able by proper diet1  
regimen1 and daily exercise1 to maintain
 a degree of health which will enable   
him to use his brain to its full working
 capacity4 ,it demands an intelligent   
and watchful care of the daily regimen1 
so that only simple and wholesome food  
and drink may be taken into the system1 
and what is equally important1 adequate 
sleep1 and habitual moderate exercise4  
,no one can maintain perfect health     
without breathing good unadulterated    
air1 and exercising in it with great    
frequency4 ,one's walks to and from the 
library may be sufficient to give this1 
and it is well to have the motive of    
such a walk1 since exercise taken for   
the mere purpose of it is of far less   
value4 ,the habit of taking drugs1 or   
going to a doctor for every little      
malady1 is most pernicious4 ,every one1 

and especially a librarian1 who is      
supposed 7however erroneously7 to know  
everything1 should know more of his own 
constitution than any physician4 ,with a
 few judicious experiments in daily     
regimen1 and a little abstinence now and
 then1 he can subdue head-aches1        
catarrhs and digestive troubles1 and by 
exercising an intelligent will1 can     
generally prevent their recurrence4 ,if 
one finds himself in the morning in a   
state of languor and lassitude1 be sure 
he has abused some physical function1   
and apply a remedy4 ,an invalid will    
make a poorly equipped librarian4 ,how  
can a dyspeptic who dwells in the       
darkness of a disease1 be a guiding     
light to the multitudes who beset him   
every hour8 ,there are few callings     
demanding as much mental and physical   
soundness and alertness as the care of a
 public library4  ,sound common sense is
 as essential to the librarian as sound 
health4 ,he should always take the      
practical straightforward view of every 

item of library business and management1
 remembering that the straight road is  
always the shortest way between two     
points4 ,while he may be full of ideas1 
he should be neither an idealist nor a  
dreamer4 ,in library methods1 the       
cardinal requisites to be aimed at1 are 
utility and convenience4 ,a person of   
the most perfect education1 and the     
highest literary attainments1 but       
destitute of common sense1 will not     
succeed in the conduct of a library4    
,that intuitive judgment1 which sees the
 reason of everything at a glance1 and  
applies the proper agencies to the case 
in hand1 is wanting in his composition4 
,multitudes of emergencies arise in     
library service1 where the prompt and   
practical sense of the librarian is     
required to settle a dispute1 adjust a  
difficulty1 or to direct what is to be  
done in some arrangement or             
re-arrangement of books1 or some library
 appliance or repair4 ,in such cases1   
the unpractical or impracticable man    

will be very likely to decide wrongly1  
choosing the inconvenient method instead
 of the convenient1 the more costly     
instead of the more economical1 the     
laborious in place of the obvious and   
easy2 in short1 some way of doing the   
work or settling the difficulty which   
will not permit it to stay settled1 or  
will require the work to be done over   
again4 ,the man of common-sense methods1
 on the other hand1 will at once see the
 end from the beginning1 anticipate     
every difficulty1 and decide upon the   
proper course without trouble or        
hesitation1 finding his judgment fully  
vindicated by the result4  ,the         
librarian in whom the quality of common 
sense is well developed will be ever    
ready to devise or to accept            
improvements in library methods4 ,never 
a slave to red tape1 he will promptly   
cut it wherever and whenever it stands  
in the way of the readiest service of   
books and information to all comers4    
,another quality which every librarian  

or assistant in a library should possess
 is a thorough love of his work4 ,he    
should cherish a noble enthusiasm for   
the success and usefulness of the       
institution with which he has chosen to 
be associated4 ,nor should this spirit  
be by any means limited to the literary 
and scientific aid which he is enabled  
to extend to others1 nor to the         
acquisition of the knowledge requisite  
to meet the endless inquiries that are  
made of him4 ,he should take as much    
interest in restoring a broken binding1 
or in seeing that a torn leaf is        
repaired1 as in informing a great       
scholar what the library contains upon  
any subject4  ,no one who is listless or
 indifferent in the discharge of daily  
duties is fit for a place in a public   
library4 ,there should be an esprit de  
corps1 a zeal for his profession1 which 
will lead him to make almost any        
sacrifice of outside interests to become
 proficient in it4 ,thus only will he   
render himself indispensable in his     

place1 and do the greatest amount of    
service to the greatest number of       
readers4 ,i have seen employees in      
libraries so utterly careless of what   
belongs to their vocation1 as to let    
books1 totally unfit for use1 ragged or 
broken1 or with plates loosened1 ready  
to drop out and disappear1 go back to   
the shelves unrepaired1 to pursue the   
downward road toward destruction4 ,and  
,i have been in many libraries in which 
the books upon the shelves exhibited    
such utter want of care1 such           
disarrangement1 such tumbling about and 
upside-down chaos1 and such want of     
cleanliness1 as fairly to make one's    
heart ache4 ,in some cases this may have
 been due in great part to unwise free  
admission of the public to the shelves1 
and consequent inevitable disorder2 in  
others1 it may be partially excused by  
the librarian's absolute want of the    
needful help or time1 to keep the       
library in order2 but in others1 it was 
too apparent that the librarian in      

charge took no interest in the condition
 of the books4 ,too many librarians 7at 
least of the past1 however it may now   
be7 have been of the class described by 
,dr4 ,poole1 the ,chicago librarian4 ,he
 said that library trustees too often   
appeared to think that anybody almost   
would do for a librarian2 men who have  
failed in everything else1 broken-down  
clergymen1 or unsuccessful teachers1 and
 the like4  ,passing now to other       
needful qualifications of librarians and
 library assistants1 let me say that one
 of the foremost is accuracy4 ,perhaps  
,i have before this remarked that exact 
accuracy is one of the rarest of human  
qualities4 ,even an approximation to it 
is rare1 and absolute accuracy is still 
rarer4 ,beware of the person who is sure
 of every thing--who retails to you a   
conversation he has heard1 affecting to 
give the exact words of a third person1 
or who quotes passages in verse or in   
prose1 with glib assurance1 as the      
production of some well-known writer4   

,the chances are ten to one that the    
conversation is mainly manufactured in  
the brain of the narrator1 and that the 
quotation is either not written by the  
author to whom it is attributed1 or else
 is a travesty of his real language4 ,it
 is ,lord ,byron who tells of that      
numerous class of sciolists whom one    
finds everywhere--      ,with just      
enough of learning to misquote4  ,the   
books one reads abound in erroneous     
dates1 mistaken names1 garbled extracts1
 and blundering quotations4 ,so much the
 more important is it to the librarian1 
who is so continually drawn upon for    
correct information upon every subject1 
to make sure of his facts1 before       
communicating them4 ,when 7as frequently
 happens7 he has no way of verifying    
them1 he should report them1 not as his 
own conclusions1 but on the authority of
 the book or periodical where found4    
,this will relieve him of all           
responsibility1 if they turn out to be  
erroneous4 ,whenever ,i find a wrong    

date or name in a printed book1 or an   
erroneous reference in the index1 or a  
mis-spelled word1 ,i always pencil the  
correct date1 or name1 or page of       
reference in the margin4 ,this ,i do as 
a matter of instinct1 as well as of     
duty1 for the benefit of future         
inquirers1 so that they may not be      
misled4 ,i speak here of errors which   
are palpable1 or of the inaccuracy of   
which ,i have positive knowledge2 if in 
doubt1 ,i either let the matter go      
entirely1 or write a query in pencil at 
the place1 with the presumed correct    
substitute appended4  ,never be too sure
 of what you find in books2 but prove   
all things and hold fast to those only  
which you find to be beyond dispute4    
,thus will you save yourself from       
falling into many errors1 and from      
recanting many opinions4 ,it is the     
method of ordinary education to take    
everything for granted2 it is the method
 of science to take nothing for granted4
  ,i may refer here to another rule     

always to be observed1 and pertaining to
 the theme of strict accuracy in your   
daily work4 ,that is1 the necessity of  
carefully examining every piece of work 
you may have done1 before it leaves your
 hands1 for the purpose of correcting   
errors4 ,all of us are not only liable  
to make mistakes1 but all of us do make 
them2 and if any one has a conceit of   
his own accuracy1 the surest way to take
 it out of him is to let him serve an   
apprenticeship in some library1 where   
there is competent revision of all the  
labor performed4 ,there are multitudes  
of assistants in libraries who cannot   
write a letter1 even1 without making one
 or more errors4 ,how often do you leave
 out a word in your writing experience1 
which may change the meaning of a whole 
sentence8 ,so1 in writing titles1       
whether for the catalogue1 or for a     
library order1 or for the information of
 some inquirer1 you are liable to make  
errors of date1 or edition1 or place of 
publication1 or size1 or to misplace or 

omit or substitute some word in the     
description of the book4 ,there is      
nothing in the world quite so easy as to
 be mistaken3 and the only remedy 7and  
it is an all-essential one7 is to go    
over every line and every word of what  
you have written1 before it leaves your 
hands4 ,as second thoughts are          
proverbially best1 so a second careful  
glance over a piece of writing will     
almost always reveal some error or      
omission to be corrected4 ,think of the 
mortification you must feel at finding  
an unverified piece of work returned    
upon your hands1 with several glaring   
mistakes marked by the reviser6 ,think1 
on the other hand1 of the inward        
satisfaction experienced when you have  
done your best1 written and revised your
 own work1 and found it always passed as
 perfect4 ,i have tried many persons by 
many tests1 and while ,i have found a   
great number who were industrious1      
intelligent1 zealous1 conscientious1    
good-tempered1 and expeditious1 ,i have 

found scarcely one who was always       
accurate4 ,one of the rarest things in a
 library is to find an assistant who has
 an unerring sense of the ,french       
accents4 ,this knowledge1 to one expert 
in that language1 even if he does not   
speak it1 should be as intuitive as the 
art of spelling correctly1 either in    
,english or ,french4 ,he should write   
the proper accent over a letter just as 
infallibly as he writes the proper      
letters in a word4 ,but1 strange to say1
 it is very common1 even with good      
,french scholars 7in the book-sense or  
literary sense of scholarship7 to find  
them putting the acute accent for the   
grave over a vowel1 or the grave instead
 of the acute1 or omitting the          
circumflex accent entirely1 and so on4  
,every one commits errors1 but the wise 
man is he who learns by his mistakes1   
and applies the remedy4 ,the best remedy
 7as ,i said in the case of memory in   
another chapter17 is to cultivate a     
habit of trained attention in whatever  

we do4 ,yet many people 7and ,i am      
afraid we must say most people7 go on   
through life1 making the same blunders1 
and repeating them4 ,it appears as if   
the habit of inaccuracy were innate in  
the human race1 and only to be reformed 
by the utmost painstaking1 and even with
 the aid of that1 only by a few4 ,i have
 had to observe and correct such        
numberless errors in the work of        
well-educated1 adult1 and otherwise     
accomplished persons1 as filled me with 
despair4 ,yet there is no more doubt of 
the improvability of the average mind1  
however inaccurate at the start1 than of
 the power of the will to correct other 
bad habits into which people            
unconsciously fall4  ,one of the        
requisites of a successful librarian is 
a faculty of order and system1 applied  
throughout all the details of library   
administration4 ,without these1 the work
 will be performed in a hap-hazard1     
slovenly manner1 and the library itself 
will tend to become a chaos4 ,bear in   

mind the great extent and variety of the
 objects which come under the care of   
the librarian1 all of which are to be   
classified and reduced to order4 ,these 
include not only books upon every       
earthly subject 7and very many upon     
unearthly ones7 but a possibly wide     
range of newspapers and periodicals1 a  
great mass of miscellaneous pamphlets1  
sometimes of maps and charts1 of        
manuscripts and broadsides1 and         
frequently collections of engravings1   
photographs1 and other pictures1 all of 
which come in to form a part of most    
libraries4 ,this great complexity of    
material1 too1 exhibits only the        
physical aspect of the librarian's      
labors4 ,there are1 besides1 the        
preparation1 arrangement and            
continuation of the catalogue1 in its   
three or more forms1 the charging and   
crediting of the books in circulation1  
the searching of many book lists for    
purchases1 the library bills and        
accounts1 the supervision and revision  

of the work of assistants1 the library  
correspondence1 often requiring wide    
researches to answer inquiries1 the     
continual aid to readers1 and a         
multitude of minor objects of attention 
quite too numerous to name4 ,is it any  
over-statement of the case to say that  
the librarian who has to organize and   
provide for all this physical and       
intellectual labor1 should be systematic
 and orderly in a high degree8  ,that   
portion of his responsible task which   
pertains to the arrangement and         
classification of books has been        
elsewhere treated4 ,but there is        
required in addition1 a faculty of      
arranging his time1 so as to meet       
seasonably the multifarious drafts upon 
it4 ,he should early learn not only the 
supreme value of moments1 but how to    
make all the library hours fruitful of  
results4 ,to this end the time should be
 apportioned with careful reference to  
each department of library service4 ,one
 hour may be set for revising one kind  

of work of assistants2 another for a    
different one2 another for perusing sale
 catalogues1 and marking desiderata to  
be looked up in the library catalogue2  
another for researches in aid of readers
 or correspondents2 still another for   
answering letters on the many subjects  
about which librarians are constantly   
addressed2 and still another for a      
survey of all the varied interests of   
the library and its frequenters1 to see 
what features of the service need       
strengthening1 what improvements can be 
made1 what errors corrected1 and how its
 general usefulness can be increased4   
,so to apportion one's time as to get   
out of the day 7which is all too short  
for what is to be done in it7 the utmost
 of accomplishment is a problem         
requiring much skill1 as well as the    
ability to profit by experience4 ,one   
has always to be subject to             
interruptions--and these must be allowed
 for1 and in some way made up for4      
,remember1 when you have lost valuable  

time with some visitor whose claims to  
your attention are paramount1 that when 
to-morrow comes one should take up early
 the arrears of work postponed1 and make
 progress with them1 even though unable 
to finish them4  ,another suggestion2   
proper system in the management and     
control of one's time demands that none 
of it be absorbed by trifles or         
triflers2 and so every librarian must   
indispensably know how to get rid of    
bores4 ,one may almost always manage to 
effect this without giving offense1 and 
at the same time without wasting any    
time upon them1 which is the one thing  
needful4 ,the bore is commonly one who1 
having little or nothing to do1 inflicts
 himself upon the busy persons of his   
acquaintance1 and especially upon the   
ones whom he credits with knowing the   
most--to wit1 the librarians4 ,receive  
him courteously1 but keep on steadily at
 the work you are doing when he enters4 
,if you are skilful1 you can easily do  
two things at once1 for example1 answer 

your idler friend or your bore1 and     
revise title-cards1 or mark a catalogue1
 or collate a book1 or look up a        
quotation1 or write a letter1 at the    
same time4 ,never lose your good humor1 
never say that your time is valuable1 or
 that you are very busy2 never hint at  
his going away2 but never quit your     
work1 answer questions cheerfully1 and  
keep on1 allowing nothing to take your  
eyes off your business4 ,by and by he   
will take the hint1 if not wholly       
pachydermatous1 and go away of his own  
accord4 ,by pursuing this course ,i have
 saved infinite time1 and got rid of    
infinite bores1 by one and the same     
process4  ,the faculty of organizing    
one's work is essential1 in order to    
efficiency and accomplishment4 ,if you  
do not have a plan and adhere to it1 if 
you let this1 that1 and the other person
 interrupt you with trifling gossip1 or 
unnecessary requests1 you will never get
 ahead of your work2 on the contrary1   
your work will always get ahead of you4 

,the same result will follow if you     
interrupt yourself1 by yielding to the  
temptation of reading just a page or a  
paragraph of something that attracts    
your eye while at work4 ,this           
dissipation of time1 to say nothing of  
its unfair appropriation of what belongs
 to the library1 defeats the prompt     
accomplishment of the work in hand1 and 
fosters the evil habit of scattering    
your forces1 in idleness and            
procrastination4  ,it ought not to be   
needful to urge habits of neatness and  
the love of order upon candidates for   
places in libraries4 ,how much a neat   
and carefully arranged shelf of books   
appeals to one's taste1 ,i need not say1
 nor urge the point how much an orderly 
and neatly kept room1 or desk1 or table 
adds to one's comfort4 ,the librarian   
who has the proper spirit of his calling
 should take pains to make the whole    
library look neat and attractive1 to    
have a place for everything1 and        
everything in its place4 ,this1 with    

adequate space existing1 will be found  
easier than to have the books and other 
material scattered about in confusion1  
thus requiring much more time to find   
them when wanted4 ,a slovenly-kept      
library is certain to provoke public    
criticism1 and this always tells to the 
disadvantage of the librarian2 while a  
neatly kept1 carefully arranged         
collection of books is not only pleasing
 to the eye1 but elicits favorable      
judgment from all visitors4  ,among the 
qualities that should enter into the    
composition of a successful librarian   
must be reckoned an inexhaustible       
patience4 ,he will be sorely tried in   
his endeavors to satisfy his own ideals1
 and sometimes still more sorely in his 
efforts to satisfy the public4 ,against 
the mistakes and short-comings of       
assistants1 the ignorance of many       
readers1 and the unreasonable           
expectations of others1 the hamperings  
of library authorities1 and the         
frequently unfounded criticisms of the  

press1 he should arm himself with a     
patience and equanimity that are        
unfailing4 ,when he knows he is right1  
he should never be disturbed at         
complaint1 nor suffer a too sensitive   
mood to ruffle his feelings4 ,when there
 is any foundation for censure1 however 
slight1 he should learn by it and apply 
the remedy4 ,the many and varied        
characters who come within the          
comprehensive sphere of the librarian   
necessarily include people of all       
tempers and dispositions1 as well as of 
every degree of culture4 ,to be gracious
 and courteous to all is his interest as
 well as his duty4 ,with the ignorant he
 will often have to exercise a vast     
amount of patience1 but he should never 
betray a supercilious air1 as though    
looking down upon them from the height  
of his own superior intelligence4 ,to be
 always amiable toward inferiors1       
superiors1 and equals1 is to conciliate 
the regard of all4 ,courtesy costs so   
little1 and makes so large a return in  

proportion to the investment1 that it is
 surprising not to find it universal4   
,yet it is so far from being so that we 
hear people praising one whose manners  
are always affable1 as if he were       
deserving of special credit for it1 as  
an exception to the general rule4 ,it is
 frequently observed that a person of   
brusque address or crusty speech begets 
crustiness in others4 ,there are subtle 
currents of feeling in human            
intercourse1 not easy to define1 but    
none the less potent in effect4 ,a      
person of marked suavity of speech and  
bearing radiates about him an atmosphere
 of good humor1 which insensibly        
influences the manners and the speech of
 others4  ,there will often come into a 
public library a man whose whole manner 
is aggressive and over-bearing1 who acts
 and talks as if he had a right to the  
whole place1 including the librarian4   
,no doubt1 being a citizen1 he has every
 right1 except the right to violate the 
rules--or to make himself disagreeable4 

,the way to meet him is to be neither   
aggressive1 nor submissive and          
deferential1 but with a cool and        
pleasant courtesy1 ignoring any idea of 
unpleasant feeling on your part4 ,you   
will thus at least teach a lesson in    
good manners1 which may or may not be   
learned1 according to circumstances and 
the hopeful or hopeless character of the
 pupil4  ,closely allied to the virtue  
of patience1 is that of unfailing tact4 
,this will be found an important adjunct
 in the administration of a public      
library4 ,how to meet the innumerable   
inquiries made of him with just the     
proper answer1 saying neither too much1 
nor too little1 to be civil to all1     
without needless multiplication of      
words1 this requires one to hold his    
faculties well in hand1 never to forget 
himself1 and to show that no demand     
whatever can vex or fluster him4 ,the   
librarian should know how1 or learn how 
to adapt himself to all readers1 and how
 to aid their researches without        

devoting much time to each4 ,this       
requires a fine quality of tact1 of     
adapting one's self quickly to the      
varied circumstances of the case in     
hand4 ,one who has it well developed    
will go through the manifold labors and 
interviews and annoyances of the day    
without friction1 while one who is      
without tact will be worried and fretted
 until life seems to him a burden4      
,need ,i mention1 after all that has    
been said of the exacting labors that   
continually wait upon the librarian1    
that he should be possessed both of     
energy and untiring industry8 ,by the   
very nature of the calling to which he  
is dedicated1 he is pledged to earnest  
and thorough work in it4 ,he cannot     
afford to be a trifler or a loiterer on 
the way1 but must push on continually4  
,he should find time for play1 it is    
true1 and for reading for his own       
recreation and instruction1 but that    
time should be out of library hours4    
,and a vigilant and determined economy  

of time in library hours will be found a
 prime necessity4 ,i have dwelt         
elsewhere upon the importance of        
choosing the shortest methods in every  
piece of work to be accomplished4       
,equally important is it to cultivate   
economy of speech1 or the habit of      
condensing instructions to assistants1  
and answers to inquiries into the fewest
 words4 ,a library should never be a    
circumlocution office4 ,the faculty of  
condensed expression1 though somewhat   
rare1 can be cultivated4  ,in the       
relations existing between librarian and
 assistants there should be mutual      
confidence and support4 ,all are equally
 interested in the credit and success of
 the institution which engages their    
services1 and all should labor          
harmoniously to that end4 ,loyalty to   
one's employers is both the duty and the
 interest of the employed3 and the      
reciprocal duty of faithfulness to those
 employed1 and interest in their        
improvement and success should mark the 

intercourse of the librarian with his   
assistants4 ,he should never be too old 
nor too wise to learn1 and should       
welcome suggestions from every          
intelligent aid4 ,i have suggested the  
importance of an even temper in the     
relations between librarians and        
readers2 and it is equally important as 
between all those associated in the     
administration of a library4 ,every one 
has faults and weaknesses2 and those    
encountered in others will be viewed    
with the most charity by those who are  
duly conscious of their own4 ,every one 
makes mistakes1 and these are often     
provoking or irritating to one who knows
 better2 but a mild and pleasant        
explanation of the error is far more    
likely to lead to amendment1 than a     
sharp reproof1 leaving hard feeling or  
bitterness behind4 ,under no            
circumstances is peevishness or passion 
justifiable4 ,library assistants in     
their bearing toward each other1 should 
suppress all feelings of censoriousness1

 fault-finding or jealousy1 if they have
 them1 in favor of civility and good    
manners1 if not of good fellowship4     
,they are all public servants engaged in
 a common cause1 aiming at the          
enlightenment and improvement of the    
community2 they should cherish a just   
pride in being selected for this great  
service1 and to help one another in     
every step of the work1 should be their 
golden rule4 ,everything should be done 
for the success and usefulness of the   
library1 and all personal considerations
 should be merged in public ones4       
,turning now to what remains of         
suggestion regarding the qualities which
 should enter into the character1 or    
form a part of the equipment of a       
librarian1 let me urge the importance of
 his possessing a truly liberal and     
impartial mind4 ,it is due to all who   
frequent a public library to find all   
those in charge ready and willing to aid
 their researches in whatever direction 
they may lie4 ,their attitude should be 

one of constant and sincere             
open-mindedness4 ,they are to remember  
that it is the function of the library  
to supply the writings of all kinds of  
authors1 on all sides of all questions4 
,in doing this1 it is no part of a      
librarian's function to interpose any   
judgments of his own upon the authors   
asked for4 ,he has no right as a        
librarian to be an advocate of any      
theories1 or a propagandist of any      
opinions4 ,his attitude should be one of
 strict and absolute impartiality4 ,a   
public library is the one common        
property of all1 the one neutral ground 
where all varieties of character1 and   
all schools of opinion meet and mingle4 
,within its hallowed precincts1 sacred  
to literature and science1 the voice of 
controversy should be hushed4 ,while the
 librarian may and should hold his own  
private opinions with firmness and      
entire independence1 he should keep them
 private--as regards the frequenters of 
the library4 ,he may1 for example1 be   

profoundly convinced of the truth of the
 ,christian religion2 and he is called  
on1 we will suppose1 for books attacking
 ,christianity1 like ,thomas ,paine's   
,age of ,reason1 or ,robert ,g4         
,ingersoll's lectures on ,myth and      
,miracle4 ,it is his simple duty to     
supply the writers asked for1 without   
comment1 for in a public library1       
,christian and ,jew1 ,mahometan and     
,agnostic1 stand on the same level of   
absolute equality4 ,the library has the 
,koran1 and the ,book of ,mormon1 as    
well as the ,scriptures of the ,old and 
,new ,testament1 and one is to be as    
freely supplied as the other4 ,a library
 is an institution of universal         
range--of encyclopaedic knowledge1 which
 gathers in and dispenses to all comers1
 the various and conflicting opinions of
 all writers upon religion1 science1    
politics1 philosophy1 and sociology4    
,the librarian may chance to be an      
ardent ,republican or a zealous         
,democrat2 but in either case1 he should

 show as much alacrity in furnishing    
readers with ,w4 ,j4 ,bryan's book ,the 
,first ,battle1 as with ,mc,kinley's    
speeches1 or the ,republican            
,hand-,book4 ,a library is no place for 
dogmatism2 the librarian is pledged1 by 
the very nature of his profession1 which
 is that of a dispenser of all          
knowledge--not of a part of it--to      
entire liberality1 and absolute         
impartiality4 ,remembering the axiom    
that all errors may be safely tolerated1
 while reason is left free to combat    
them1 he should be ever ready to furnish
 out of the intellectual arsenal under  
his charge1 the best and strongest      
weapons to either side in any conflict  
of opinion4  ,it will have been gathered
 from what has gone before1 in          
recapitulation of the duties and        
responsibilities of the librarian's     
calling1 that it is one demanding a high
 order of talent4 ,the business of      
successfully conducting a public library
 is complex and difficult4 ,it is full  

of never-ending detail1 and the work    
accomplished does not show for what it  
is really worth1 except in the eyes of  
the more thoughtful and discerning      
observers4  ,i may here bring into view 
some of the drawbacks and               
discouragements incident to the         
librarian's vocation1 together with an  
outline of the advantages which belong  
to it4  ,in the first place1 there is   
little money in it4 ,no one who looks   
upon the acquisition of money as one of 
the chief aims of life1 should think for
 a moment of entering on a librarian's  
career4 ,the prizes in the profession   
are few--so few indeed1 as to be quite  
out of the question for most aspirants4 
,the salaries paid in subordinate       
positions are very low in most          
libraries1 and even those of            
head-librarians are not such that one   
can lay up money on them4 ,a lady       
assistant librarian in one city said she
 had found that one of a librarian's    
proper qualifications was to be able to 

live on two meals a day4 ,this doubtless
 was a humorous exaggeration1 but it is 
true that the average salaries hitherto 
paid in our public libraries1 with few  
exceptions1 do not quite come up to     
those of public school teachers1 taking 
the various grades into account4 ,most  
of the newly formed libraries are poor1 
and have to be economical4 ,but there is
 some reason to hope that as libraries  
multiply and their unspeakable          
advantages become more fully            
appreciated1 the standard of            
compensation for all skilled librarians 
will rise4 ,i say skilled1 because      
training and experience are the leading 
elements which command the better       
salaries1 in this1 as in other          
professions4  ,another drawback to be   
recognized in the librarian's calling1  
is that there are peculiar trials and   
vexations connected with it4 ,there are 
almost no limits to the demands made    
upon the knowledge and the time of the  
librarian4 ,in other professions1       

teaching for example1 there are         
prescribed and well-defined routines of 
the instruction to be given1 and the    
teacher who thoroughly masters this     
course1 and brings the pupils through it
 creditably1 has nothing to do beyond4  
,the librarian1 on the other hand1 must 
be1 as it were1 a teacher of all        
sciences and literatures at once4 ,the  
field to be covered by the wants of     
readers1 and the inquiries that he is   
expected to answer1 are literally       
illimitable4 ,he cannot rest satisfied  
with what he has already learned1       
however expert or learned he may have   
become2 but he must keep on learning    
forevermore4 ,the new books that are    
continually flooding him1 the new       
sciences or new developments of old ones
 that arise1 must be so far assimilated 
that he can give some account of the    
scope of all of them to inquiring       
readers4  ,in the third place1 there are
 special annoyances in the service of a 
public1 which includes always some      

inconsiderate and many ignorant persons1
 and these will frequently try one's    
patience1 however angelic and           
forbearing4 ,so1 too1 the short-comings 
of library assistants or associates may 
often annoy him1 but as all these trials
 have been before referred to1 it may be
 added that they are not peculiar to    
library service1 but are liable to occur
 in the profession of teaching or in any
 other4  ,in the next place1 the        
peculiar variety and great number of the
 calls incessantly made upon the        
librarian's knowledge1 constitute a     
formidable draft upon any but the       
strongest brain4 ,there is no escape    
from these continual drafts upon his    
nervous energy for one who has          
deliberately chosen to serve in a public
 library4 ,and he will sometimes find1  
wearied as he often must be with many   
cares and a perfect flood of questions1 
that the most welcome hour of the day is
 the hour of closing the library4       
,another of the librarian's vexations is

 frequently the interference with his   
proper work by the library authorities4 
,committees or trustees to oversee the  
management and supervise expenditures   
are necessary to any public library4    
,sometimes they are quick-sighted and   
intelligent persons1 and recognize the  
importance of letting the librarian work
 out everything in his own way1 when    
once satisfied that they have got a     
competent head in charge4 ,but there are
 sometimes men on a board of library    
control who are self-conceited and      
pragmatical1 thinking that they know    
everything about how a library should be
 managed1 when in fact1 they are        
profoundly ignorant of the first        
rudiments of library science4 ,such men 
will sometimes overbear their fellows1  
who may be more intelligent1 but not so 
self-asserting1 and so manage as to     
overrule the best and wisest plans1 or  
the most expedient methods1 and vex the 
very soul of the librarian4 ,in such    
cases the only remedy is patience and   

tact4 ,some day1 what has been decided  
wrongly may be reversed1 or what has    
been denied the librarian may be        
granted1 through the conversion of a    
minority of the trustees into a         
majority1 by the gentle suasion and     
skilful reasoning of the librarian4     
,there are other drawbacks and          
discomforts in the course of a          
librarian's duties which have been      
referred to in dealing with the daily   
work under his charge4 ,there remains   
the fact that the profession is no bed  
of roses1 but a laborious and exacting  
calling1 the price of success in which  
is an unremitting industry1 and energy  
inexhaustible4 ,but these will not      
appear very formidable requisites to    
those who have a native love of work1   
and it is a fact not to be doubted that 
work of some kind is the only salvation 
of every human creature4  ,upon the     
whole1 if the calling of the librarian  
involves many trials and vexations1 it  
has also many notable compensations4    

,foremost among these is to be reckoned 
the fact that it opens more and wider   
avenues to intellectual culture than any
 other profession whatever4 ,this comes 
in a two-fold way3 first1 through the   
stimulus to research given by the       
incessant inquiries of readers1 and by  
the very necessity of his being1 as a   
librarian2 and secondly1 by the rare    
facilities for investigation and        
improvement supplied by the ample and   
varied stores of the library always     
immediately at hand4 ,other scholars can
 commonly command but few books1 unless 
able to possess a large private library3
 their researches in the public one are 
hampered by the rule that no works of   
reference can be withdrawn1 and that    
constitutes a very large and essential  
class1 constantly needed by every       
scholar and writer4 ,the librarian1 on  
the other hand1 has them all at his     
elbow4  ,in the next place1 there are   
few professions which are in themselves 
so attractive as librarianship4 ,its    

tendency is both to absorb and to       
satisfy the intellectual faculties4 ,no 
where else is the sense of continual    
growth so palpable2 in no other field of
 labor is such an enlargement of the    
bounds of one's horizon likely to be    
found4 ,compare it with the profession  
of teaching4 ,in that1 the mind is      
chained down to a rigorous course of    
imparting instruction in a narrow and   
limited field4 ,one must perforce go on 
rehearsing the same rudiments of        
learning1 grinding over the same ,latin 
gerunds1 hearing the same monotonous    
recitations1 month after month1 and year
 after year4 ,this continual threshing  
over of old straw has its uses1 but to  
an ardent and active mind1 it is liable 
to become very depressing4 ,such a mind 
would rather be kept on the qui vive of 
activity by a volley of questions fired 
at him every hour in a library1 than to 
grind forever in an intellectual        
tread-mill1 with no hope of change and  
very little of relief4 ,the very variety

 of the employments which fill up the   
library hours1 the versatility required 
in the service1 contributes to it a     
certain zest which other professions    
lack4  ,again1 the labors of the        
librarian bring him into an intimate    
knowledge of a wide range of books1 or  
at least an acquaintance with authors   
and titles far more extensive than can  
be acquired by most persons4 ,the       
reading of book catalogues is a great   
and never-ending fascination to one who 
has a love for books4 ,the information  
thus acquired of the mighty range of the
 world's literature and science is of   
inestimable value4 ,most of it1 if      
retained in a retentive memory1 will    
enable its possessor to answer          
multitudes of the questions continually 
put to the librarian4  ,then1 too1 the  
service of a public library is a        
valuable school for the study of human  
nature4 ,one comes in contact with      
scholars1 men of business1 authors1     
bright young people1 journalists1       

professional men and cultured women1 to 
an extent unequaled by the opportunities
 of any other calling4 ,this variety of 
intercourse tends to broaden one's      
sympathies1 to strengthen his powers of 
observation1 to cultivate habits of     
courtesy1 to develop the faculty of     
adapting himself to all                 
persons--qualities which contribute much
 to social interest and success4 ,the   
discipline of such an intercourse may   
sometimes make out of a silent and      
bashful recluse1 a ready and engaging   
adept in conversation1 able to command  
the attention and conciliate the regard 
of all4 ,farther than this1 one brought 
into so wide a circle of communication  
with others1 cannot fail to learn       
something from at least some among them1
 and so to receive knowledge as well as 
to impart it4 ,the curious and diverse  
elements of character brought out in    
such intercourse will make their        
impress1 and may have their value4 ,all 
these many facilities for intellectual  

intercourse both with books and with    
men1 contribute directly to keep the    
librarian in contact with all the great 
objects of human interest4 ,they supply 
an unfailing stimulus to his            
intellectual and moral nature4 ,they    
give any active-minded person rare      
facilities1 not only for the            
acquisition1 but for the communication  
of ideas4 ,and there is one avenue for  
such communication that is peculiarly   
open to one whose mind is stored with   
the ripe fruits of reading and          
observation4 ,i mean the field of       
authorship--not necessarily the         
authorship of books1 but of writing in  
the form of essays1 reviews1 lectures1  
stories or contributions to the         
periodical press4 ,there are in every   
community literary societies1 clubs1 and
 evening gatherings1 where such         
contributions are always in demand1 and 
always welcomed1 in exact proportion to 
their inherent interest and value4 ,such
 avenues for the communication of one's 

thought are of great and sometimes      
permanent advantage4 ,the knowledge     
which we acquire is comparatively       
barren1 until it is shared with others4 
,and whether this be in an appreciative 
circle of listeners1 or in the press1 it
 gives a certain stimulus and reward to 
the thinker and writer1 which nothing   
else can impart4 ,to convey one's best  
thought to the world is one of the      
purest and highest of intellectual      
pleasures4  ,let me add that there are  
two sides to the question of authorship1
 as concerns librarians4 ,on the one    
hand1 their advantages for entering that
 field are undoubtedly superior1 both   
from the ready command of the most      
abundant material1 and from experience  
in its use4 ,on the other hand1 while   
authorship may be said to be the most   
besetting temptation of the librarian1  
it is one that should be steadily       
resisted whenever it encroaches on the  
time and attention due to library       
duties4 ,if he makes it a rule to write 

nothing and to study nothing for his own
 objects during library hours1 he is    
safe4 ,some years since it was a common 
subject of reproach regarding the       
librarians of several university        
libraries in ,england that they were so 
engaged in writing books1 that no       
scholar could get at them for aid in his
 literary researches4 ,the librarians   
and assistants employed in the ,british 
,museum ,library1 where the hours of    
service are short1 have found time to   
produce numerous contributions to       
literature4 ,witness the works1 as      
authors and editors1 of ,sir ,henry     
,ellis1 ,antonio ,panizzi1 ,dr4 ,richard
 ,garnett1 ,edward ,edwards1 ,j4 ,winter
 ,jones1 ,thomas ,watts1 ,george ,smith1
 and others4 ,and in ,america1 the late 
,justin ,winsor was one of the most     
prolific and versatile of authors1 while
 ,john ,fiske1 once assistant librarian 
at ,harvard1 ,reuben ,a4 ,guild1        
,william ,f4 ,poole1 ,george ,h4 ,moore1
 ,j4 ,n4 ,larned1 ,frederick ,saunders  

and others have been copious            
contributors to the press4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,in a    
retrospective view of what has been said
 in respect to the qualifications of a  
librarian1 it may appear that ,i have   
insisted upon too high a standard1 and  
have claimed that he should be possessed
 of every virtue under heaven4 ,i freely
 admit that ,i have aimed to paint the  
portrait of the ideal librarian2 and ,i 
have done it in order to show what might
 be accomplished1 rather than what has  
been accomplished4 ,to set one's mark   
high--higher even than we are likely to 
reach1 is the surest way to attain real 
excellence in any vocation4 ,it is very 
true that it is not given to mortals to 
achieve perfection3 but it is none the  
less our business to aim at it1 and the 
higher the ideal1 the nearer we are     
likely to come to a notable success in  
the work we have chosen4  ,librarianship
 furnishes one of the widest fields for 
the most eminent attainments4 ,the      

librarian1 more than any other person   
whatever1 is brought into contact with  
those who are hungering and thirsting   
after knowledge4 ,he should be able to  
satisfy those longings1 to lead         
inquirers in the way they should go1 and
 to be to all who seek his assistance a 
guide1 philosopher and friend4 ,of all  
the pleasures which a generous mind is  
capable of enjoying1 that of aiding and 
enlightening others is one of the finest
 and most delightful4 ,to learn         
continually for one's self is a noble   
ambition1 but to learn for the sake of  
communicating to others1 is a far nobler
 one4 ,in fact1 the librarian becomes   
most widely useful by effacing himself1 
as it were1 in seeking to promote the   
intelligence of the community in which  
he lives4 ,one of the best librarians in
 the country said that such were the    
privileges and opportunities of the     
profession1 that one might well afford  
to live on bread and water for the sake 
of being a librarian1 provided one had  

no family to support4  ,there is a new  
and signally marked advance in recent   
years1 in the public idea of what       
constitutes a librarian4 ,the old idea  
of a librarian was that of a guardian or
 keeper of books--not a diffuser of     
knowledge1 but a mere custodian of it4  
,this idea had its origin in ages when  
books were few1 were printed chiefly in 
dead languages1 and rendered still more 
dead by being chained to the shelves or 
tables of the library4 ,the librarian   
might be a monk1 or a professor1 or a   
priest1 or a doctor of law1 or theology1
 or medicine1 but in any case his       
function was to guard the books1 and not
 to dispense them4 ,those who resorted  
to the library were kept at arm's       
length1 as it were1 and the fewer there 
were who came1 the better the grim or   
studious custodian was pleased4 ,every  
inquiry which broke the profound silence
 of the cloistered library was a kind of
 rude interruption1 and when it was     
answered1 the perfunctory librarian     

resumed his reading or his studies4 ,the
 institution appeared to exist1 not for 
the benefit of the people1 but for that 
of the librarian2 or for the benefit1   
besides1 of a few sequestered scholars1 
like himself1 and any wide popular use  
of it would have been viewed as a kind  
of profanation4  ,we have changed all   
that in the modern world1 and library   
service is now one of the busiest       
occupations in the whole range of human 
enterprise4 ,one cannot succeed in the  
profession1 if his main idea is that a  
public library is a nice and easy place 
where one may do one's own reading and  
writing to the best advantage4 ,a       
library is an intellectual and material 
work-shop1 in which there is no room for
 fossils nor for drones4 ,my only       
conception of a useful library is a     
library that is used--and the same of a 
librarian4 ,he should be a lover of     
books--but not a book-worm4 ,if his     
tendencies toward idealism are strong1  
he should hold them in check by         

addicting himself to steady1 practical1 
every-day work4 ,while careful of all   
details1 he should not be mastered by   
them4 ,if ,i have sometimes seemed to   
dwell upon trifling or obvious          
suggestions as to temper1 or conduct1 or
 methods1 let it be remembered that     
trifles make up perfection1 and that    
perfection is no trifle4  ,i once quoted
 the saying that the librarian who reads
 is lost2 but it would be far truer to  
say that the librarian who does not read
 is lost2 only he should read wisely and
 with a purpose4 ,he should make his    
reading helpful in giving him a wide    
knowledge of facts1 of thoughts1 and of 
illustrations1 which will come          
perpetually in play in his daily        
intercourse with an inquiring public4   
,,chapter #ad4  ,,some ,,of ,,the ,,uses
 ,,of ,,libraries4   ,let us now        
consider the subject of the uses of     
public libraries to schools and those   
connected with them4 ,most town and city
 libraries are supported1 like the free 

schools1 by the public money1 drawn from
 the tax-payers1 and supposed to be     
expended for the common benefit of all  
the people4 ,it results that one leading
 object of the library should be to     
acquire such a collection of books as   
will be in the highest degree useful to 
all4 ,and especially should the wants of
 the younger generation be cared for1   
since they are always not only nearly   
one half of the community1 but they are 
also to become the future citizens of   
the republic4 ,what we learn in youth is
 likely to make a more marked and       
lasting impression than what we may     
acquire in later years4 ,and the public 
library should be viewed as the most    
important and necessary adjunct of the  
school1 in the instruction and          
improvement of the young4 ,each is      
adapted to supply what the other lacks4 
,the school supplies oral instruction   
and public exercises in various         
departments of learning2 but it has few 
or no books1 beyond the class text-books

 which are used in these instructions4  
,the library1 on the other hand1 is a   
silent school of learning1 free to all1 
and supplying a wide range of           
information1 in books adapted to every  
age4 ,it thus supplements1 and in       
proportion to the extent and judicious  
choice of its collections1 helps to     
complete that education1 which the      
school falls short of4 ,in this view1 we
 see the great importance of making sure
 that the public library has not only a 
full supply of the best books in every  
field1 avoiding 7as previously urged7   
the bad or the inferior ones1 but also  
that it has the best juvenile and       
elementary literature in ample supply4  
,this subject of reading for the young  
has of late years come into             
unprecedented prominence4 ,formerly1 and
 even up to the middle of our century1  
very slight attention was paid to it1   
either by authors or readers4 ,whole    
generations had been brought up on the  
,new ,england ,primer1 with its         

grotesque wood-cuts1 and antique        
theology in prose and verse1 with a few 
moral narratives in addition1 as solemn 
as a meeting-house1 like the ,dairyman's
 ,daughter1 the ,history of ,sandford   
and ,merton1 or ,the ,shepherd of       
,salisbury ,plain4 ,very dreary and     
melancholy do such books appear to the  
frequenters of our modern libraries1    
filled as they now are with thousands of
 volumes of lively and entertaining     
juvenile books4  ,the transition from   
the old to the new in this class of     
literature was through the              
,sunday-school and religious tract      
society books1 professedly adapted to   
the young4 ,while some of these had     
enough of interest to be fairly         
readable1 if one had no other resource1 
the mass were irredeemably stale and    
poor4 ,the mawkishness of the sentiment 
was only surpassed by the feebleness of 
the style4 ,at last1 weary of the       
goody-goody and artificial school of    
juvenile books1 which had been produced 

for generations1 until a surfeit of it  
led to something like a nausea in the   
public mind1 there came a new type of   
writers for the young1 who at least     
began to speak the language of reason4  
,the dry bones took on some semblance of
 life and of human nature1 and boys and 
girls were painted as real boys and     
genuine girls1 instead of lifeless dolls
 and manikins4 ,the reformation went on1
 until we now have a world of books for 
the young to choose from1 very many of  
which are fresh and entertaining4  ,but 
the very wealth and redundancy of such  
literature is a new embarrassment to the
 librarian1 who must indispensably make 
a selection1 since no library can have  
or ought to have it all4 ,recurring to  
the function of the public library as   
the coadjutor of the school1 let us see 
what classes of books should form       
essential parts of its stores4  #a4 ,as 
geography1 or an account of the earth on
 which we live1 is a fundamental part of
 education1 the library should possess a

 liberal selection of the best books in 
that science4 ,the latest general       
gazetteer of the world1 the best modern 
and a good ancient atlas1 one or more of
 the great general collections of       
voyages1 a set of ,baedeker's admirable 
and inexpensive guide books1 and        
descriptive works or travels in nearly  
all countries--those in ,america and    
,europe predominating--should be        
secured4 ,the scholars of all grades    
will thus be able to supplement their   
studies by ready reference1 and every   
part of the globe will lie open before  
them1 as it were1 by the aid of the     
library4  #b4 ,the best and latest      
text-books in all the sciences1 as      
geology1 chemistry1 natural history1    
physics1 botany1 agriculture1 mechanic  
arts1 mathematics1 mental and moral     
science1 architecture1 fine arts1 music1
 sociology1 political science1 etc41    
should be accessible4  #c4 ,every       
important history1 with all the latest  
manuals or elementary books in general  

and national history should be found4   
#d4 ,the great collections of biography1
 with separate lives of all noted       
characters1 should be provided4  #e4    
,dictionaries1 cyclopaedias1 statistical
 annuals1 and other books of reference  
will be needed in abundance4  #f4 ,a    
small but select number of approved     
works in law1 medicine1 and theology    
should be embraced in the library4  #g4 
,i need not add that the poets and      
novelists should be well represented1 as
 that goes without saying in all popular
 libraries4  ,and special attention     
should be paid to building up a         
collection of the best books for        
juvenile readers1 such as have passed   
the ordeal of good critical judgment    
among the librarians1 as eminently fit  
to be read4 ,there are several useful   
catalogues of such reading1 as3         
,caroline ,m4 ,hewins' ,books for the   
,young1 ,g4 ,e4 ,hardy's ,five ,hundred 
,books for the ,young1 and the admirable
 ,list of ,books for ,girls and ,women  

by ,augusta ,h4 ,leypoldt and ,geo4     
,iles1 contributed to by many experts1  
and copiously supplied with notes       
describing the scope and quality of the 
books4 ,the last two are published by   
the ,library ,bureau4  ,with this broad 
equipment of the best books in every    
field1 and vigilance in constant        
exercise to add fresh stores from the   
constantly appearing and often improved 
text-books in every science1 the library
 will be a treasury of knowledge both   
for teachers and pupils in the schools4 
,and the fact should not be overlooked1 
that there will be found as much growth 
for teachers as for scholars in such a  
collection of books4 ,very few teachers1
 save those of well-furnished minds and 
of much careful reading1 are competent  
to guide their scholars into the        
highways and byways of knowledge1 as the
 librarian should be able to do4  ,to   
establish a relation of confidence and  
aid with teachers is the preliminary    
step to be taken in order to make the   

library at once practically useful to   
them and to their scholars4 ,in case    
there are several public schools in     
charge of a general superintendent1 that
 officer should be first consulted1 and 
tendered the free aid of the library and
 its librarian for himself and the      
teachers4 ,in some public libraries1 the
 school superintendent is made an ex    
officio member of the library board4    
,then suitable regulations should be    
mutually agreed upon1 fixing the number 
of books to be drawn on account of the  
schools at any one time1 and the period 
of return to the library4 ,it is most   
usual to charge such books on teachers' 
cards1 or account1 to fix               
responsibility1 although the teachers   
loan them to the scholars at their      
option4  ,in places where there are no  
school libraries proper1 the public     
library will need to provide a goodly   
number of duplicates1 in order to meet  
the special school demand4 ,this1       
however1 will usually be of low-priced  

rather than costly books1 as the        
elementary text-books do not draw       
heavily upon library funds4  ,a very    
attractive feature in providing books   
for the young is the large number of    
illustrated books now available to all  
libraries4 ,all the kingdoms of nature  
are depicted in these introductory      
manuals of science1 rendering its       
pursuit more interesting1 and           
cultivating the habits of observation of
 form and of proportion1 in the minds of
 the young4 ,pupils who have never      
accomplished anything in school have    
been roused by interest in illustrated  
natural histories to take an eager      
interest in learning all about birds and
 animals4 ,this always leads on and up  
to other study1 since the mind that is  
once awakened to observation and to     
thought1 needs only a slight guidance to
 develop an unappeasable hunger for     
finding out all about things4  ,the     
ancient maxim that it is only the first 
step that costs is especially true in   

the great art of education4 ,it matters 
little what it is that first awakens the
 intellect--the great fact is that it is
 awakened1 and sleeps no more           
thenceforward4 ,a mottled bird's egg1   
found on the way to school1 excites the 
little finder to ascertain the name of  
the bird that laid it4 ,the school or   
the teacher supplies no means of finding
 out1 but the public library has books  
upon birds1 with colored plates of their
 eggs1 and an eager search ensues1 until
 the young student is rewarded by       
finding the very bird1 with its name1   
plumage1 habits1 size1 and season1 all  
described4 ,that child has taken an     
enormous step forward on the road to    
knowledge1 which will never be          
forgotten4  ,instances might be         
multiplied indefinitely of such valuable
 aids to research1 afforded by          
libraries1 all along the innumerable    
roads travelled by students of every age
 in search of information4 ,one of the  
most profitable of school exercises is  

to take up successively the great men   
and notable women of the past1 and1 by  
the effective and practical aid of the  
libraries1 to find out what is best     
worth knowing about ,columbus1          
,franklin1 ,walter ,scott1 ,irving1     
,prescott1 ,bancroft1 ,longfellow1      
,hawthorne1 ,whittier1 ,emerson1        
,lowell1 ,victor ,hugo1 or others too   
numerous to name4 ,reading ,longfellow's
 ,evangeline will lead one to search out
 the history and geography of ,acadia1  
and so fix indelibly the practical facts
 concerned1 as well as the imagery of a 
fine poem4 ,so in the notable events of 
history1 if a study is made of the      
,english ,commonwealth1 or the ,french  
,revolution1 or the war between the     
,united ,states and ,england in         
#ahab-ae1 the library will supply the   
student with copious materials for      
illustration4  ,not alone in the fields 
of science1 history1 and biography1 but 
in the attractive fields of literature1 
also1 can the libraries aid and         

supplement the teachings of the school4 
,a fine poem1 or a simple1 humorous1 or 
pathetic story1 told with artless grace 
or notable literary skill1 when read    
aloud by a teacher in school1 awakens a 
desire in many to have the same book at 
home to read1 re-read1 and perhaps      
commit to memory the finer passages4    
,what more inspiring or pleasing reading
 than some of ,longfellow's poems1 or   
the ,vicar of ,wakefield1 or ,milton's  
,l',allegro and ,il ,penseroso1 or      
,saintine's ,picciola1 or selections    
from the poems of ,holmes1 ,whittier1   
,kipling1 or ,lowell8 ,for all these and
 similar wants1 the library has an      
unfailing supply4  ,as a practical      
illustration of the extensive1 use of   
books by schools in some advanced       
communities1 ,i may note that ,librarian
 ,green1 of the ,worcester 7,mass47     
,public ,library1 said in #ahia that his
 average daily account of the books     
loaned to schools in two busy winter    
months showed over #a1fjj volumes thus  

in daily use4 ,this too1 was in addition
 to all that were drawn out by pupils on
 their own independent cards as         
borrowers4 ,such a record speaks        
volumes4  ,in the same city1 where the  
,massachusetts ,state ,normal ,school is
 located1 sixty-four per cent4 of the   
scholars visited the library to look up 
subjects connected with their studies4  
,a forcible argument for librarians     
taking an interest in reading for       
schools is that both parents and        
teachers often neglect to see that the  
young get only proper books to read4    
,the children are themselves quite      
ignorant what to choose1 and if left to 
themselves1 are likely to choose        
unwisely1 and to read story papers or   
quite unimproving books4 ,their parents1
 busied as they are1 commonly give no   
thought to the matter1 and are quite    
destitute of that knowledge of the      
various classes of books which it is the
 province of the librarian to know and  
to discriminate4 ,teachers themselves do

 not possess this special knowledge1    
except in rare instances1 and have to   
become far more conversant with         
libraries than is usual1 in order to    
acquire it4  ,that the very young1 left 
to themselves1 will choose many bad or  
worthless books is shown in the account 
of a principal of a school in ,san      
,francisco1 who found that sixty per    
cent4 of the books drawn from the public
 library by pupils had been dime novels1
 or other worthless literature4 ,the    
wide prevalence of the dime novel evil  
appeared in the report of the reading of
 #a1jjj boys in a western ,new ,york    
city4 ,out of this number1 #dgb 7or     
nearly one-half7 were in the habit of   
devouring this pernicious trash1        
procured in most cases by purchase at   
the news stands4 ,the matter was taken  
up by teachers1 and1 by wise direction  
and by aid of the public library1 the   
reading of these youthful candidates for
 citizenship was led into more improving
 fields4 ,to lead a mind in the         

formative stage from the low to the     
high1 from tales of wild adventure to   
the best stories for the young1 is by no
 means difficult4 ,take a book that you 
know is wholesome and entertaining1 and 
it will be eagerly read by almost every 
one4 ,there is an endless variety of    
good books adapted to the most          
rudimentary capacity4 ,even young minds 
can become interested in the works of   
standard writers1 if the proper         
selection is made4 ,wonderful is the    
stimulus which the reading of a purely  
written1 fascinating book gives to the  
young mind4 ,it opens the way for more  
books and for infinite growth4 ,all that
 is needed is to set the youth in the   
right direction1 and he will go forward 
with rapid strides of his own accord4   
,this teaching how to read is really the
 most profitable part of any education4 
,to recite endless lessons is not       
education3 and one book eagerly read    
through1 has often proved more valuable 
than all the text-books that ever were  

printed4   ,,the ,,uses ,,of ,,the      
,,library ,,to ,,the ,,university4      
,closely allied to the benefits derived 
from the library by the teachers and    
scholars in public schools are its uses 
to all those engaged in the pursuit of  
higher education4 ,for our colleges and 
universities and their researches1 the  
library must have all that we have      
suggested as important for the schools1 
and a great deal more4 ,the term        
university implies an education as broad
 as the whole world of books can supply3
 yet we must here meet with limitations 
that are inevitable4 ,in this country we
 have to regret the application of the  
word university to institutions where   
the training is only academical1 or at  
the highest1 collegiate4 ,the           
university1 properly speaking1 is an    
institution for the most advanced       
scholars or graduates of our colleges4  
,just as the college takes up and       
carries forward the training of those   
who have been through the academy1 the  

seminary1 or the high school1 so it is  
the function of the university to carry 
forward 7we will not say complete7 the  
education of the graduate of the        
college4 ,no education is ever          
completed3 the doctor who has received  
the highest honors at the university has
 only begun his education--for that is  
to go on through life--and who knows how
 far beyond8  ,now the aid which a well 
equipped library can furnish to all     
these higher institutions of learning1  
the academy1 the seminary1 the college1 
and the university1 is quite            
incalculable4 ,their students are       
constantly engaged upon themes which not
 only demand the text-books they study1 
but collateral illustrations almost     
without number4 ,the professors1 too1   
who impart instruction1 perpetually need
 to be instructed themselves1 with      
fuller knowledge upon the themes they   
are daily called upon to elucidate4     
,there is no text-book that can teach   
all1 or anywhere near all there is upon 

the subject it professes to cover4 ,so  
the library1 which has many books upon  
that subject1 comes in to supply its    
deficiencies4 ,and the librarian is     
useful to the professors and students   
just in proportion as he knows1 not the 
contents1 but the range of books upon   
each subject sought to be investigated4 
,here is where the subject catalogue1 or
 the dictionary catalogue1 combining the
 subjects and the authors under a single
 alphabet1 comes into play4 ,but1 as no 
catalogue of subjects was ever yet up to
 date in any considerable library1 the  
librarian should be able to supplement  
the catalogue by his own knowledge of   
later works in any line of inquiry4     
,the most profitable studies carried on 
in libraries are1 beyond all question1  
what we may term topical researches4 ,to
 pursue one subject though many         
authorities is the true way to arrive at
 comprehensive knowledge4 ,and in this  
kind of research1 the librarian ought to
 be better equipped than any who        

frequent his library4 ,why8 ,simply     
because his business is bibliography2   
which is not the business of learned    
professors1 or other scholars who visit 
the library4  ,the late ,librarian      
,winsor said that he considered the     
librarian's instruction far more        
valuable than that of the specialist4   
,and this may be owing largely to the   
point of view1 as well as to the        
training1 of each4 ,the specialist1     
perhaps1 is an enthusiast or a devotee  
to his science1 and so apt to give undue
 importance to the details of it1 or to 
magnify some one feature3 the librarian1
 on the other hand1 who is nothing if   
not comprehensive1 takes the larger view
 of the wide field of literature on each
 subject1 and his suggestions concerning
 sources of information are             
correspondingly valuable4  ,in those    
constantly arising questions which form 
the subjects of essays or discussions in
 all institutions of learning1 the      
well-furnished library is an unfailing  

resource4 ,the student who finds his    
unaided mind almost a blank upon the    
topic given out for treatment1 resorts  
at once to the public library1 searches 
catalogues1 questions the librarian1 and
 surrounds himself with books and       
periodicals which may throw light upon  
it4 ,he is soon master of facts and     
reasonings which enable him to start    
upon a train of thought that bears fruit
 in an essay or discourse4 ,in fact1 it 
may be laid down as an axiom1 that      
nearly every new book that is written is
 indebted to the library for most of its
 ideas1 its facts1 or its illustrations1
 so that libraries actually beget       
libraries4  ,some of the endlessly      
diversified uses of a well-equipped     
library1 not only to scholars but to the
 general public1 may here be referred   
to4 ,among the most sought for sources  
of information1 the periodical press1   
both of the past and the current time1  
holds a prominent rank4 ,when it is     
considered how far-reaching are the     

fields embraced in the wide range of    
these periodicals1 literary1 religious1 
scientific1 political1 technical1       
philosophical1 social1 medical1 legal1  
educational1 agricultural1              
bibliographical1 commercial1 financial1 
historical1 mechanical1 nautical1       
military1 artistic1 musical1 dramatic1  
typographical1 sanitary1 sporting1      
economic1 and miscellaneous1 is it any  
wonder that specialists and writers for 
the press seek and find ready aid       
therein for their many-sided labors8    
,to the skeptical mind1 accustomed to   
undervalue what does not happen to come 
within the range of his pet idols or    
pursuits1 the observation of a single   
day's multifold research in a great     
library might be in the nature of a     
revelation4 ,hither flock the           
ever-present searchers into family      
history1 laying under contribution all  
the genealogies and town and county     
histories which the country has         
produced4 ,here one finds an industrious

 compiler intent upon the history of    
,american duels1 for which the many     
files of ,northern and ,southern        
newspapers1 reaching back to the        
beginning of the century1 afford copious
 material4 ,at another table sits a     
deputation from a government department1
 commissioned to make a record of all   
notable strikes and labor troubles for a
 series of years1 to be gleaned from the
 columns of the journals of leading     
cities4  ,an absorbed reader of ,french 
romances sits side by side with a       
clergyman perusing homilies1 or         
endeavoring to elucidate1 through a mass
 of commentators1 a special text4 ,here 
are to be found ladies in pursuit of    
costumes of every age2 artists turning  
over the great folio galleries of       
,europe for models or suggestions2      
lawyers seeking precedents or leading   
cases2 journalists verifying dates1     
speeches1 conventions1 or other         
forgotten facts2 engineers studying the 
literature of railways or machinery2    

actors or amateurs in search of plays or
 works on the dramatic art2 physicians  
looking up biographies of their         
profession or the history of epidemics2 
students of heraldry after coats of     
arms2 inventors searching the           
specifications and drawings of patents2 
historical students pursuing some       
special field in ,american or foreign   
annals2 scientists verifying facts or   
citations by original authorities2      
searchers tracing personal residences or
 deaths in old directories or           
newspapers2 querists seeking for the    
words of some half-remembered passage in
 poetry or prose1 or the original author
 of one of the myriad proverbs which    
have no father2 architects or builders  
of houses comparing hundreds of designs 
and models2 teachers perusing works on  
education or comparing text-books new or
 old2 readers absorbing the great poems 
of the world2 writers in pursuit of new 
or curious themes among books of        
antiquities or folk-lore2 students of   

all the questions of finance and        
economic science2 naturalists seeking to
 trace through many volumes descriptions
 of species2 pursuers of military or    
naval history or science2 enthusiasts   
venturing into the occult domains of    
spiritualism or thaumaturgy2 explorers  
of voyages and travels in every region  
of the globe2 fair readers1 with dreamy 
eyes1 devouring the last psychological  
novel2 devotees of musical art perusing 
the lives or the scores of great        
composers2 college and high-school      
students intent upon booking up on      
themes of study or composition or       
debate2 and a host of other seekers     
after suggestion or information in a    
library of encyclopedic range4          
,,chapter #ae4  ,,the ,,history ,,of    
,,libraries4   ,the ,library1 from very 
early times1 has enlisted the enthusiasm
 of the learned1 and the encomiums of   
the wise4 ,the actual origin of the     
earliest collection of books 7or rather 
of manuscripts7 is lost in the mists of 

remote antiquity4 ,notwithstanding      
professed descriptions of several       
libraries found in ,aulus ,gellius1     
,athenaeus1 and others1 who wrote       
centuries after the alleged collections 
were made1 we lack the convincing       
evidence of eye-witnesses and           
contemporaries4 ,but so far as critical 
research has run1 the earliest monuments
 of man which approached collections of 
written records are found not in        
,europe1 but in ,africa and ,asia4      
,that land of wonders1 ,egypt1 abounds  
in hieroglyphic inscriptions1 going     
back1 as is agreed by modern scholars1  
to the year #bjjj before the ,christian 
era4 ,a ,papyrus manuscript1 too1       
exists1 which is assigned to about #afjj
 ,b4 ,c4 ,and the earliest recorded     
collection of books in the world1 though
 perhaps not the first that existed1 was
 that of the ,egyptian king ,ramses     
,i4--,b4 ,c4 #adjj1 near ,thebes1 which 
,diodorus ,siculus says bore the        
inscription ,dispensary of the soul4    

,thus early were books regarded as      
remedial agents of great force and      
virtue4  ,but before the library of     
,ramses the ,egyptian king1 there       
existed in ,babylonia collections of    
books1 written not on parchment1 nor on 
the more perishable papyrus1 but on     
clay4 ,whole poems1 fables1 laws1 and   
hymns of the gods have been found1      
stamped in small characters upon baked  
bricks4 ,these clay tablets or books    
were arranged in numerical order1 and   
the library at ,agane1 which existed    
about #bjjj ,b4 ,c4 even had a          
catalogue1 in which each piece of       
literature was numbered1 so that readers
 had only to write down the number of   
the tablet wanted1 and the librarian    
would hand it over4 ,two of these       
curious poems in clay have been found   
intact1 one on the deluge1 the other on 
the descent of ,istar into ,hades4  ,the
 next ancient library in point of time  
yet known to us was gathered in ,asia by
 an ,assyrian ,king1 and this collection

 has actually come down to us1 in       
propria persona4 ,buried beneath the    
earth for centuries1 the archaeologist  
,layard discovered in #ahej at ,nineveh1
 an extensive collection of tablets or  
tiles of clay1 covered with cuneiform   
characters1 and representing some ten   
thousand distinct works or documents4   
,the ,assyrian monarch ,sardanapalus1 a 
great patron of letters1 was the        
collector of this primitive and curious 
library of clay4 ,he flourished about   
#afej ,b4 ,c4  ,in ,greece1 where a     
copious and magnificent literature had  
grown up centuries before ,christ1      
,pisistratus collected a library at     
,athens1 and died ,b4 ,c4 #ebg4 ,when   
,xerxes captured ,athens1 this          
collection1 which represents the        
earliest record of a library dedicated  
to the public1 was carried off to       
,persia1 but restored two centuries     
later4 ,the renowned philosopher        
,aristotle gathered one of the largest  
,greek libraries1 about #cej ,b4 ,c4    

said to have embraced about #adjj       
volumes1 or rather1 rolls4 ,plato called
 ,aristotle's residence the house of the
 reader4 ,this library1 also1 was       
carried off to ,scepsis1 and later by   
the victorious ,sulla to ,rome4 ,history
 shows that the ,greek collections were 
the earliest travelling libraries on    
record1 though they went as the spoils  
of war1 and not to spread abroad        
learning by the arts of peace4  ,rome   
having conquered ,athens1 we hear no    
more of the ,athenian libraries1 but the
 seat of ancient learning was           
transferred to ,alexandria1 where were  
gathered under the liberal sway of the  
,ptolemies1 more books than had ever    
been assembled together in any part of  
the world4 ,marc ,antony presented to   
,cleopatra the library of the ,kings of 
,pergamus1 said to have contained       
#bjj1jjj rolls4 ,there is no space to   
sketch the ancient libraries1 so        
scantily commemorated1 of ,greece4      
,through ,aristotle's enthusiasm for    

learning1 as it is believed1 the        
,ptolemies were fired with the zeal of  
book-collecting1 and their capital of   
,alexandria became the seat of extensive
 libraries1 stored in the ,brucheion and
 the ,serapeum4 ,here1 according to     
general belief1 occurred the burning of 
the famous ,alexandrian library of      
#gjj1jjj volumes1 by the ,saracens under
 ,omar1 ,a4 ,d4 #fdj4 ,if any one would 
have an object lesson in the            
uncertainties of history and of human   
testimony1 let him read the various     
conflicting accounts of the writers who 
have treated upon this subject4 ,the    
number of volumes varies from #gjj1jjj1 
as stated by ,aulus ,gellius1 to        
#ajj1jjj by ,eusebius4 ,the fact that in
 ancient times each book or division of 
an author's work written on a roll of   
papyrus was reckoned as a volume1 may   
account for the exaggeration1 since the 
nine books of ,herodotus would thus make
 nine volumes1 and the twenty-four of   
,homer's ,iliad1 twenty-four volumes1   

instead of one4 ,so1 by an arbitrary    
application of averages1 the size of the
 ,alexandrian ,library might be brought 
within reasonable dimensions1 though    
there is nothing more misleading than   
the doctrine of averages1 unless indeed 
it be a false analogy4 ,but that any    
library eight hundred years before the  
invention of printing contained #gjj1jjj
 volumes in the modern sense of the     
word1 when the largest collection in the
 world1 three centuries after books     
began to be multiplied by types1 held   
less than #ajj1jjj volumes1 is one of   
the wildest fictions which writers have 
imposed upon the credulity of ages4  ,i 
cannot even touch upon the libraries of 
the ,romans1 though we have very        
attractive accounts1 among others1 of   
the literary riches of ,lucullus1 of    
,atticus1 and of ,cicero4 ,the first    
library in ,rome was founded #afg ,b4   
,c4 and in the ,augustan age they       
multiplied1 until there were twenty-nine
 public libraries in ,hadrian's time1   

#abj ,a4 ,d4 ,the emperor ,julian1 in   
the fourth century1 was a founder of    
libraries1 and is said to have placed   
over the doors this inscription3 ,alii  
quidem equos amant1 alii oves1 alii     
feros2 mihi vero a puerulo mirandum     
acquirendi et possidendi libros insedit 
desiderium4  ,the libraries of the      
middle ages were neither large nor      
numerous4 ,the neglect of learning and  
of literature was wide-spread2 only in  
the monasteries of ,europe were to be   
found scholars who kept alive the sacred
 flame4 ,in these were renewed those    
fruitful labors of the scriptorium which
 had preserved and multiplied so many   
precious books in classic times among   
the ,romans4 ,the monks1 indeed1 were   
not seldom creators as well as copyists1
 though the works which they composed   
were mainly theological 7as became their
 sacred profession and ascetic life74   
,the ,latin1 however1 being the almost  
universal language for so many          
centuries1 the love of learning         

conspired to widen the field of monastic
 study4 ,many zealous ecclesiastics were
 found who revived the classic authors1 
and copies of the works of poets1       
historians1 philosophers and            
rhetoricians were multiplied4 ,then were
 gradually formed those monastic        
libraries to which so many thousands of 
mediaeval scholars owed a debt of       
gratitude4 ,the order of ,benedictines  
took a leading and effective part in    
this revival of learning4 ,taxes were   
levied on the inmates of monasteries    
expressly for furnishing the library    
with books1 and the novices in many     
houses must contribute writing materials
 upon entering1 and books at the close  
of their novitiate1 for the enrichment  
of the library4 ,among notably valuable 
libraries1 several of which still       
survive1 were those of ,monte ,cassino  
in ,italy1 the ,abbey of ,fleury in     
,france1 ,st4 ,gall in ,switzerland1 and
 that of the illustrious congregation of
 ,st4 ,maur in ,france4 ,the latter had 

at one time no less than one hundred and
 seven writers engaged in multiplying   
books4  ,the first library in ,england  
is recorded 7in the ,canterbury         
,chartulary7 to have been given by ,pope
 ,gregory the ,great1 and brought by    
,st4 ,augustine1 first ,archbishop of   
,canterbury1 on his mission to ,england 
about ,a4 ,d4 #fjj4 ,it consisted of    
nine precious volumes on vellum1 being  
copies of parts of the ,scriptures1 with
 commentaries1 and a volume of ,lives of
 the ,martyrs4 ,the library of the      
,benedictine ,monastery at ,canterbury  
had grown in the #acth century to #cjjj 
titles1 being very rich in theology1 but
 with many books also in history1 poetry
 and science4 ,at ,york had been        
founded1 in the #hth century1 a noble   
library by ,archbishop ,egbert1 and the 
great scholar ,alcuin here acquired1    
amidst that infinite number of excellent
 books1 his life-long devotion to       
literature4 ,when he removed to ,tours1 
in ,france1 he lamented the loss of the 

literary treasures of ,york1 in a poem  
composed of excellent hexameters4 ,he   
begged of ,charlemagne to send into     
,britain to procure books1 that the     
garden of paradise may not be confined  
to ,york4  ,fine libraries were also    
gathered at the monasteries of ,durham1 
of ,glastonbury1 and of ,croyland1 and  
at the ,abbeys of ,whitby and           
,peterborough4  ,nor were the orders of 
,franciscans and ,dominicans far behind 
as book-collectors1 though they commonly
 preferred to buy rather than to        
transcribe manuscripts1 like the        
,benedictines4 ,in every convent of     
friars1 wrote ,fitzralph to the ,pope1  
in #acej1 there is a large and noble    
library4 ,and ,richard de ,bury1 ,bishop
 of ,durham1 and ,chancellor of ,england
 in #accd1 whose ,philobiblon is the    
most eloquent treatise in praise of     
books ever written1 said1 when visiting 
places where the mendicants had         
convents2 there amid the deepest        
poverty1 we found the most precious     

riches stored up4 ,the ,pope1 it        
appears1 relaxed for these orders the   
rigor of their vows of poverty1 in favor
 of amassing books--mindful1 doubtless1 
of that saying of ,solomon the          
wise--,therefore get wisdom1 because it 
is better than gold4  ,richard de ,bury1
 the enthusiast of learning1 wrote thus3
  ,the library1 therefore1 of wisdom is 
more precious than all riches1 and      
nothing that can be wished for is worthy
 to be compared with it4 ,whosoever1    
therefore1 acknowledges himself to be a 
zealous follower of the truth1 of       
happiness1 of wisdom1 of science1 or    
even of the faith1 must of necessity    
make himself a lover of books4  ,and    
said ,joseph ,hall1 ,bishop of          
,norwich--,i can wonder at nothing more 
than how a man can be idle--but of all  
others a scholar2 in so many            
improvements of reason1 in such         
sweetness of knowledge1 in such variety 
of studies1 in such importunity of      
thoughts4 ,to find wit in poetry2 in    

philosophy profoundness2 in history     
wonder of events2 in oratory1 sweet     
eloquence2 in divinity1 supernatural    
light and holy devotion--whom would it  
not ravish with delight8  ,charles the  
,fifth of ,france amassed a fine        
library1 afterwards sold to an ,english 
nobleman4 ,lorenzo de ,medici1 of       
,hungary1 and ,frederic ,duke of        
,urbino1 each gathered in the #aeth     
century a magnificent collection of     
books4 ,all of these became widely      
dispersed in later years1 though the    
manuscripts of the ,duke of ,urbino's   
collection are preserved in the library 
of the ,vatican4  ,i may here note a    
very few of the most extensive library  
collections now existing in ,europe and 
,america4  #a4 ,of the great public     
libraries of ,europe1 which owe much of 
their riches to the government privilege
 of the copy-tax1 the national library  
of ,france is the oldest and the        
largest1 now numbering two million six  
hundred thousand volumes4 ,founded in   

the #aeth century1 it has had four      
hundred years of opportunity for steady 
and large increase4 ,paris abounds in   
other public libraries also1 in which   
respect it is far superior to ,london4  
#b4 ,next to the ,bibliothque nationale 
of ,france1 comes the ,library of the   
,british ,museum1 with #b1jjj1jjj       
volumes1 very rich both in manuscripts  
and in printed books in all languages4  
,a liberal ,parliamentary grant of      
#fj1jjj a year for purchase of books and
 manuscripts keeps this great collection
 well up to date as to all important new
 works1 besides enabling it constantly  
to fill up deficiencies in the          
literature of the past4 ,following this1
 among the great libraries having over  
half a million books1 come in numerical 
order                                   
,volumes4  #c4 ,russian ,imperial       
,library1 ,st4 ,petersburg1             
#a1bjj1jjj  #d4 ,royal ,library of      
,prussia1 ,berlin1            #a1jjj1jjj
  #e4 ,royal ,library of ,bavaria1      

,munich1              #ihj1jjj  #f4     
,library of ,congress1 ,washington      
,city1          #hdj1jjj  #g4 ,boston   
,public ,library1                       
#gcd1jjj  #h4 ,university ,library1     
,strasburg1 ,germany1        #gjj1jjj   
#i4 ,imperial ,public ,library1 ,vienna1
               #ege1jjj #aj4 ,bodleian  
,library1 ,oxford                       
#ecj1jjj  ,it is a notable fact that    
among the richest monuments of learning 
that have been gathered by mankind1 the 
,university libraries hold a very high  
rank4 ,reckoned in number of volumes1   
there are many of them which far outrank
 the government libraries1 except in six
 instances4 ,out of #agd libraries1 all 
exceeding #ajj1jjj volumes1 as reported 
in the annual ,minerva1 in ,october1    
#ahih1 no less than #gb are the         
libraries of universities4 ,strasburg   
heads the list1 with a noble collection 
of #gjj1jjj volumes2 then ,oxford       
university1 whose ,bodleian library     
numbers #ecj1jjj2 ,leipzig university1  

#ejd1jjj2 ,cambridge university1        
,england1 ,gttingen university1 and     
,harvard university1 #ejj1jjj each2 the 
university of ,vienna1 #dge1jjj2 the    
universities of ,heidelberg and of      
,munich1 #djj1jjj each2 ,ghent and      
,wrzburg universities1 #cej1jjj each2   
,christiania1 ,norway1 university1 and  
,tbingen1 each #cdj1jjj2 ,university of 
,chicago1 #ccj1jjj2 ,copenhagen         
university1 #cje1jjj2 ,breslau1 ,cracow1
 ,rostock and ,upsala1 #cjj1jjj each2   
,yale university1 ,new ,haven1 #bhj1jjj2
 ,st4 ,petersburg1 #beg1jjj2 ,bologna1  
#bee1jjj2 ,freiburg and ,bonn           
universities1 #bej1jjj each2 ,prague1   
#bde1jjj2 ,trinity1 ,dublin1 #bcb1jjj2  
,knigsberg1 #bca1jjj2 ,kiel1 #bbi1jjj2  
,naples1 #bbd1jjj2 and ,buda-,pest1     
#baj1jjj4 ,i need not detain you by     
enumerating those that fall below       
#bjj1jjj volumes1 but will say that the 
whole number of volumes in the #gb      
university libraries embraced in my     
table is more than fifteen millions1    

which would be much enlarged if smaller 
libraries were included4 ,a noble       
exhibit is this1 which the institutions 
of the highest education hold up before 
us4         99       99       99        
99       99  ,we may now consider1      
somewhat more in detail as to           
particulars1 the origin and growth of   
the libraries of the ,united ,states4   
,the record will show an amazingly rapid
 development1 chiefly accomplished      
during the last quarter of a century1   
contrasted with the lamentably slow     
growth of earlier years4  ,thirty years 
ago the present year1 ,i was invited to 
give to the ,american ,social ,science  
,association1 then meeting at ,new      
,york1 a discourse upon ,public         
,libraries in the ,united ,states4 ,on  
recurring to this address1 ,i have been 
agreeably surprised to find how         
completely its facts and figures belong 
to the domain of ancient history4 ,for1 
while it may excite a smile to allude to
 anything belonging to a period only    

thirty years back as ancient history1   
yet1 so rapid has been the accumulation1
 not only of books1 but of libraries    
themselves in that brief period of three
 decades1 as almost to justify the term 
employed4  ,antiquarians must ever      
regard with interest the first efforts  
for the establishment of public         
libraries in the ,new ,world4 ,the first
 record of books dedicated to a public  
purpose in that part of this country now
 occupied by the ,english-speaking race 
is1 ,i believe1 to be found in the      
following entry in the ,records of the  
,virginia ,company of ,london3          
,november #ae1 #afbj4--;,after the ,acts
 of the former ,courte were read1 a     
straunger stept in presentinge a ,mapp  
of ,sr ,walter ,rawlighes contayinge a  
,descripcon of ,guiana1 and with the    
same fower great books as the ,guifte of
 one unto the ,company that desyred his 
name might not be made knowne1 whereof  
one booke was a treatise of ,st4        
,augustine of the ,citty of ,god        

translated into ,english1 the other     
three greate ,volumes wer the works of  
,mr4 ,perkins' newlie corrected and     
amended1 wch books the ,donor desyred   
they might be sent to the ,colledge in  
,virginia there to remayne in saftie to 
the use of the collegiates thereafter1  
and not suffered at any time to be sent 
abroade or used in the meane while4 ,for
 wch so worthy a guifte my ,lord of     
,southampton desyred the p'tie that     
presented them to returne deserued      
thanks from himselfe and the rest of the
 ,company to him that had so kindly     
bestowed them4#a  ,the college here     
referred to was the first ever founded  
in ,america1 and was seated at ,henrico1
 at the confluence of the ,james ,river 
with the ,chickahominy4 ,it was designed
 not only for the education of the      
,virginia settlers1 but to teach science
 and ,christianity to the ,indians4     
,large contributions were raised in     
,england by ,sir ,edwin ,sandys1 and    
others of the ,virginia ,company1 for   

its support4 ,but this ,virginia college
 and its incipient library were doomed  
to a speedy extinction4 ,like so many   
other brilliant prospects for planting  
arts and learning in ,america1 it did   
not survive the perils of the colonial  
epoch4 ,it was brought to a period by   
the bloody ,indian massacre of ,march   
#bb1 #afbb1 when three hundred and      
forty-seven of the ,virginia settlers   
were slaughtered in a day1 the new      
settlement broken up1 and the expanding 
lines of civilization contracted to the 
neighborhood of ,jamestown4  ,harvard   
,university ,library was founded in     
#afch by the endowment of ,john         
,harvard1 who bequeathed to the new     
college his library and half of his     
estate4 ,soon afterwards enriched by the
 zealous contributions of ,english      
,puritans and philosophers1 of          
,berkeley1 and ,baxter1 and ,lightfoot1 
and ,sir ,kenelm ,digby1 the first      
university library in ,america1 after a 
century and a quarter of usefulness1 was

 totally destroyed with the college     
edifice in the year #agfd by fire4 ,when
 we contemplate the ravages of this     
element1 which has consumed so many     
noble libraries1 destroying not only    
printed books of priceless value1 but   
often precious manuscripts which are    
unique and irreplaceable1 a lively sense
 of regret comes over us that these     
creations of the intellect1 which should
 be imperishable1 are even yet at the   
mercy of an accident in all the         
libraries of the world save a very few4 
,the destruction of books in private    
hands is natural and inevitable enough1 
and goes on continually4 ,whole editions
 of books1 now sought with avidity as   
the rarest volumes known to literature1 
have been gradually destroyed in        
innumerable fires1 worn out in the hands
 of readers1 used for waste paper by    
grocers and petty tradesmen1 swallowed  
up in the sack of towns1 or consumed by 
dampness1 mould1 or1 in rare instances1 
by the remorseless tooth of time4 ,yet  

there have always existed public        
libraries enough1 had they been         
fire-proof1 to have preserved many      
copies of every book bequeathed to the  
world1 both before the invention of     
printing and since4 ,but1 when your     
insurance office is bankrupt1 what      
becomes of the insured8 ,when nearly all
 our public libraries are so constructed
 as to become an easy prey to the       
flames1 the loss of so many books which 
have completely perished from the earth 
ceases to be wonderful4  ,the growth of 
,harvard ,university library1 from its  
second foundation a century ago1 has    
been steady1 though at no time rapid4   
,select and valuable in its principal   
contents1 it has received numerous      
benefactions from the friends of        
learning1 and promises to become the    
best1 as it already is much the largest1
 among the university libraries of the  
country4 ,its present strength is about 
#ejj1jjj volumes4  ,the year #agjj      
witnessed the birth of the first ,new   

,york library open to public use4 ,the  
,rev4 ,john ,sharp1 then chaplain of    
,his ,majesty's forces in that city 7it 
was in the days of good ,king ,william  
of ,orange71 bequeathed his private     
collection of books to found a public   
library in ,new ,york4 ,the library thus
 organized was placed in charge of the  
corporation of the city1 but the first  
city library of ,new ,york languished   
with little or no increase until #aged1 
when a society of gentlemen undertook to
 found a public library by subscription1
 and succeeded so well that the city    
authorities turned over to them what    
remained of the ,public ,city ,library4 
,this was the beginning of the ,new     
,york ,society ,library1 one of the     
largest of the proprietary libraries of 
the country4 ,it was then1 and for a    
long time afterwards1 commonly known as 
,the ,city ,library4 ,the ,continental  
,congress profited by its stores1 there 
being no other library open to their    
use2 and the ,first ,congress under the 

,constitution1 which met in ,new ,york  
in #aghi1 received the free use of the  
books it contained4 ,the library is     
conducted on the share system1 the      
payment of twenty-five dollars1 and an  
annual assessment of six dollars1 giving
 any one the privilege of membership4   
,it now contains about #ajj1jjj volumes4
  ,the same year1 #agjj1 in which the   
,new ,york ,library was founded1 ten    
,connecticut ministers met together at  
,lyme1 each bringing a number of books1 
and saying1 ,i give these books for the 
founding of a college in this colony4   
,such was the foundation of ,yale       
,university1 an institution that has    
done inestimable service to the cause of
 letters1 having been fruitful of       
writers of books1 as well as of living  
contributions to the ranks of every     
learned profession4 ,thirty years later1
 we find the good ,bishop ,berkeley     
pausing from the lofty speculations     
which absorbed him1 to send over to     
,yale ,college what was called the      

finest collection of books that ever    
came together at one time into ,america4
 ,for a century and a half the growth of
 this library was very slow1 the college
 being oppressed with poverty4 ,in      
#ahfi1 the number of volumes had risen  
only to #ej1jjj1 but it is cheering to  
relate that the last thirty years have  
witnessed a growth so rapid that in     
#ahii ,yale ,university ,library had    
#bhe1jjj volumes4  ,the fourth          
considerable library founded in the     
,united ,states was due in a large      
degree to the industry and zeal for     
knowledge of the illustrous ,franklin4  
,as unquestionably the first established
 proprietary library in ,america1 the   
,library ,company of ,philadelphia      
merits especial notice4 ,let us         
reverently take a leaf out of the       
autobiography of the printer-statesman  
of ,pennsylvania3  ,and now ,i set on   
foot my first project of a public       
nature1 that for a subscription library4
 ,i drew up the proposals1 got them put 

into form by our great scrivener1       
,brockden1 and by the help of my friends
 in the ,junto the ,junto was a club for
 mutual improvement1 founded by         
,franklin procured fifty subscribers at 
forty shillings each to begin with1 and 
ten shillings a year for fifty years1   
the term our company was to continue4   
,we afterwards obtained a charter1 the  
company being increased to one hundred2 
this was the mother of all the ,north   
,american subscription libraries now so 
numerous4 ,it is become a great thing   
itself1 and continually increasing4     
,these libraries have improved the      
general conversation of the ,americans1 
made the common tradesmen and farmers as
 intelligent as most gentlemen from     
other countries1 and perhaps have       
contributed in some degree to the stand 
so generally made throughout the        
colonies in defence of their privileges4
  ,when this ,philadelphia ,library was 
founded1 in #agca1 not a single city or 
town in ,england possessed a            

subscription library4 ,even the library 
of the ,british ,museum1 since become   
the greatest collection of books in the 
world1 save one1 was not opened until   
#agei1 more than a quarter of a century 
afterwards4 ,although not designed as a 
public library of circulation1 save to  
its own subscribers1 the ,philadelphia  
,library has been kept free to all for  
reference and consultation4 ,the record 
of the gradual increase of the first    
,philadelphia ,library from its first   
few hundred volumes1 when ,franklin was 
but twenty-five years of age1 to its    
present rank as the largest proprietary 
library in ,america1 with #aie1jjj      
volumes of books1 is highly interesting4
 ,its history1 in fact1 is to a large   
extent the history of intellectual      
culture in ,philadelphia1 which         
remained1 until the second decade in the
 present century1 the foremost city of  
the ,union in population1 and1 from     
#agia to #ahjj1 the seat of government  
of the ,united ,states4  ,the           

,philadelphia ,library ,company1 in     
#aggd1 voted that the gentlemen who were
 to meet in ,congress in that city      
should be furnished with such books as  
they might have occasion for2 and the   
same privilege was exercised on the     
return of the ,government to that city1 
in #agia1 and until the removal of      
,congress to ,washington in #ahjj4      
,during the nine months' occupation of  
,philadelphia by the ,british army1 it  
is refreshing to read that the          
conquerors lifted no spear against the  
,muses' bower1 but that the officers1   
without exception1 left deposits1 and   
paid hire for the books borrowed by     
them4 ,the collection1 in respect of    
early printed books1 is one of the      
largest and most valuable in ,america1  
embracing some books and files of       
newspapers which are to be found in no  
other public library4 ,the selection of 
new books has been kept unusually free  
from the masses of novels and other     
ephemeral publications which overload   

most of our popular libraries1 and the  
collection1 although limited in extent  
in every field1 and purposely leaving   
special topics1 such as the medical and 
natural sciences1 to the scientific     
libraries which abound in ,philadelphia1
 affords to the man of letters a good   
working library4 ,the shares in the     
library cost forty dollars1 with an     
annual assessment of four dollars to    
each stockholder4  ,in #ahfi1 the great 
bequest of ,doctor ,james ,rush to the  
,philadelphia ,library of his whole     
property1 valued at over #a1jjj1jjj1 was
 accepted by its stockholders1 by the   
bare majority of five votes in a poll of
 over five hundred4 ,this lack of       
harmony is attributable to the fact that
 the bequest1 so generous in itself1 was
 hampered by the donor with numerous    
conditions1 deemed by many friends of   
the library to be highly onerous and    
vexatious4 ,not the least among these   
was the following1 which is cited from  
the will itself3  ,let the library not  

keep cushioned seats for time-wasting   
and lounging readers1 nor places for    
every-day novels1 mind-tainting reviews1
 controversial politics1 scribblings of 
poetry and prose1 biographies of unknown
 names1 nor for those teachers of       
disjointed thinking1 the daily          
newspapers4  ,here is one more          
melancholy instance of a broad and      
liberal bequest narrowly bestowed4 ,the 
spirit which animated the respectable   
testator in attempting to exclude the   
larger part of modern literature from   
the library which his money was to      
benefit may have been unexceptionable   
enough4 ,doubtless there are evils      
connected with a public supply of       
frivolous and trifling literature2 and  
perhaps our periodicals may be justly   
chargeable with devoting an undue       
proportion of their columns to topics of
 merely ephemeral interest4 ,but it     
should never be forgotten that the      
literature of any period is and must be 
largely occupied with the questions of  

the day4 ,thus1 and thus only1 it       
becomes a representative literature1 and
 it is precious to posterity in         
proportion as it accurately reflects the
 spirit1 the prejudices1 and the        
personalities of a time which has passed
 into history1 leaving behind it no     
living representatives4 ,if we admit    
that the development of the human       
intellect at any particular period is   
worth studying1 then all books are1 or  
may become1 useful4 ,it is amazing that 
a person with any pretensions to        
discernment should denounce newspapers  
as unfitted to form a part of a public  
library4 ,the best newspapers of the    
time are sometimes the best books of the
 time4 ,a first-class daily journal is  
an epitome of the world1 recording the  
life and the deeds of men1 their laws   
and their literature1 their politics and
 religion1 their social and criminal    
statistics1 the progress of invention   
and of art1 the revolutions of empires1 
and the latest results of science4      

,grant that newspapers are prejudiced1  
superficial1 unfair2 so also are books4 
,grant that the journals often give     
place to things scurrilous and base2 but
 can there be anything baser or more    
scurrilous than are suffered to run riot
 in books8 ,there is to be found hidden 
away in the pages of some books such    
filth as no man would dare to print in a
 newspaper1 from fear of the instant    
wrath of the passers-by4  ,when ,i      
consider the debt which libraries and   
literature alike owe to the daily and   
weekly press1 it is difficult to        
characterize with patience the ,parthian
 arrow flung at it from the grave of a  
querulous millionaire1 who will owe to  
these very newspapers the greater part  
of his success and his reputation4 ,the 
father of the respectable testator1     
,doctor ,benjamin ,rush1 has left on    
record many learned speculations        
concerning the signs and evidences of   
lunacy4 ,we may now add to the number   
the vagaries of the author of a         

ponderous work on the human intellect1  
who gravely proposed to hand over to    
posterity an expurgated copy of the     
nineteenth century1 with all its        
newspapers left out4  ,the ,library of  
,congress1 or1 as it was called in its  
first general catalogue in #ahae1 ,the  
,library of the ,united ,states1 was    
founded in #ahjj1 by the purchase of    
five thousand dollars' worth of books by
 act of ,congress1 upon the removal of  
the government to ,washington4 ,by the  
act of ,january #bf1 #ahjb1 entitled ,an
 act concerning the ,library for the use
 of both ,houses of ,congress1 this     
library was placed in charge of a joint 
committee of both ,houses of ,congress1 
consisting of three ,senators and three 
,representatives1 and a ,librarian1 to  
be appointed by the ,president of the   
,united ,states4 ,it had grown to the   
number of only #c1jjj volumes in #ahad1 
when the ,british army made a bonfire of
 our national ,capitol1 and the library 
was consumed in the ruins4 ,the first   

library of ,congress being thus         
destroyed1 ex-,president ,jefferson1    
then living1 involved in debt1 and in   
his old age1 at ,monticello1 offered his
 fine private library of #f1gjj volumes 
to ,congress1 through friends in that   
body1 the terms of payment to be made   
convenient to the public1 and the price 
to be fixed by a committee4 ,the        
proposition met with able advocacy and  
also with some warm opposition4 ,it is  
illustrative of the crude conceptions   
regarding the uses of books which       
prevailed in the minds of some members1 
that the library was objected to on the 
somewhat incongruous grounds of         
embracing too many editions of the      
,bible1 and a number of the ,french     
writers in skeptical philosophy4 ,it was
 gravely proposed to pack up this       
portion of the library1 and return it to
 the illustrious owner at ,monticello1  
paying him for the remainder4 ,more     
enlightened counsels1 however1          
prevailed1 and the nation became        

possessed1 for about #bc1jjj1 of a good 
basis for a public library which might  
become worthy of the country4 ,the      
collection thus formed grew by slow     
accretion until1 in #ahea1 it had       
accumulated #ee1jjj volumes4 ,on the    
#bdth of ,december in that year1 a      
defective flue in the ,capitol set fire 
to the wood-work with which the whole   
library was surrounded1 and the result  
was a conflagration1 from which #bj1jjj 
volumes only were saved4 ,congress at   
once appropriated1 with praiseworthy    
liberality1 #ge1jjj for the purchase of 
new books1 and #ib1ejj for rebuilding   
the library room in solid iron2 the     
first instance of the employment of that
 safe and permanent material1 so capable
 of the lightest and most beautiful     
architectural effects1 in the entire    
interior structure of any public        
building4 ,the appropriation of #ge1jjj 
was principally expended in the purchase
 of standard ,english literature1       
including complete sets of many         

important periodicals1 and a selection  
of the more costly works in science and 
the fine arts4 ,in #ahff1 two wings1    
each as large as the central library1   
and constructed of the same fire-proof  
material1 were added to it1 and quickly 
filled by the accession1 the same year  
and the following1 of two large         
libraries1 that of the ,smithsonian     
,institution1 and the historical library
 of ,peter ,force1 of ,washington4 ,the 
latter was the largest private library  
ever then brought together in the       
,united ,states1 but its chief value    
consisted in its possession of a very   
great proportion of the books relating  
to the settlement1 history1 topography1 
and politics of ,america1 its #de1jjj   
pamphlets1 its files of early newspapers
 of the ,revolution1 its early printed  
books1 and its rich assemblage of maps  
and manuscripts1 many of the latter     
being original autographs of the highest
 historical interest1 including military
 letters and papers of the period of the

 ,american ,revolution4 ,the            
,smithsonian library1 the custody of    
which was accepted by ,congress as a    
trust1 is rich in scientific works in   
all the languages of ,europe1 and forms 
an extensive and appropriate supplement 
to the ,library of ,congress1 the chief 
strength of which lies in jurisprudence1
 political science1 history1 and books  
relating to ,america4 ,yet no department
 of literature or science has been left 
unrepresented in its formation1 and the 
fact has been kept steadily in view that
 the ,library of the ,government must   
become1 sooner or later1 a universal    
one4 ,as the only library which is      
entitled to the benefit of the copyright
 law1 by which copies of each           
publication for which the ,government   
grants an exclusive right must be       
deposited in the ,national ,library1    
this collection must become annually    
more important as an exponent of the    
growth of ,american literature4 ,this   
wise provision of law prevents the      

dispersion or destruction of books that 
tend continually to disappear2 a benefit
 to the cause of letters1 the full value
 of which it requires slight reflection 
to estimate4  ,this ,national ,library  
now embraces #hdj1jjj volumes1 besides  
about #bej1jjj pamphlets4 ,it is freely 
open1 as a library of reference and     
reading1 to the whole people2 but the   
books are not permitted to be drawn out1
 except by ,senators and                
,representatives and a few officials for
 use at the seat of government4 ,its    
new1 commodious and beautiful building1 
which may fitly be called the           
book-palace of the ,american people1    
open day and evening to all comers1 is a
 delight to the eye1 and to the mind4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,the library of the ,boston ,athenaeum  
originated1 in the year #ahjf1 with a   
society of gentlemen of literary tastes1
 who aimed at creating a reading-room   
for the best foreign and ,american      
periodicals1 together with a library of 

books4 ,to this a gallery of art was    
subsequently added4 ,the undertaking    
proved at once successful1 leaving us to
 wonder why cultivated ,boston1 though  
abounding in special and parish         
libraries1 should so long have done     
without a good general library2 ,new    
,york having anticipated her by         
fifty-two years1 and ,philadelphia by   
three-quarters of a century4 ,the       
,athenaeum ,library is peculiarly rich  
in files of ,american newspapers1 both  
old and new1 and its collection of early
 pamphlets is one of the largest in the 
country4 ,in literature and science it  
embraces a heavy proportion of the best 
books1 its total number of volumes being
 reckoned at #aij1jjj4 ,its collection  
of books1 pamphlets1 and newspapers     
relating to the recent civil war is     
among the completest known4 ,the price  
of a share in the ,athenaeum is three   
hundred dollars1 a large sum when       
compared with that of other proprietary 
libraries2 but it involves much more    

valuable property-rights than any other4
 ,the annual assessment is five dollars 
to shareholders1 who alone possess the  
right to draw books4 ,the proprietors   
have also the power to grant free       
admission to others1 and the library and
 reading-room are thus thrown open for  
reference to a wide range of readers4   
,the history of the ,astor ,library1    
opened in #ahed1 has been made too      
familiar by repeated publication to need
 repetition here4 ,the generous founder 
gave two per cent4 out of his fortune of
 #bj1jjj1jjj to create a free public    
library for the city which had given him
 all his wealth4 ,the gift was a        
splendid one1 greater than had ever     
before been given in money to found a   
library4 ,moreover1 the #djj1jjj of ,mr4
 ,astor1 half a century ago1 appeared to
 be1 and perhaps was1 a larger sum      
relatively than four millions in ,new   
,york of to-day4 ,yet it remains true   
that the bequest was but one-fiftieth   
part of the fortune of the donor1 and   

that the growth and even the proper     
accommodation of the library must have  
stopped1 but for the spontaneous        
supplementary gifts of the principal    
inheritors of his vast wealth4  ,the    
growth of the ,astor library has been   
very slow1 the annual income from what  
was left of ,mr4 ,astor's #djj1jjj      
bequest1 after defraying the cost of the
 library building1 and the #ajj1jjj     
expended for books at its foundation in 
#ahdh1 having been so small as to       
necessitate a pinching economy1 both in 
salaries of the library staff1 and in   
the annual purchase of books4 ,it was an
 example of a generous act performed in 
a niggardly way4 ,but after the lapse of
 half a century1 enlightened public     
policy1 building upon the ,astor        
foundation1 and on the ,lenox and       
,tilden bequests for founding public    
libraries in ,new ,york city1 is about  
to equip that long neglected city with a
 library worthy of the name4 ,there has 
already been gathered from these three  

united benefactions1 a collection of no 
less than #dej1jjj volumes1 making the  
,new ,york ,public ,library take rank as
 the fourth1 numerically1 in the ,united
 ,states4  ,while no library in ,america
 has yet reached one million volumes1   
there are five libraries in ,europe1    
which have passed the million mark4     
,some of these1 it is true1 are         
repositories of ancient and mediaeval   
literature1 chiefly1 with a considerable
 representation of the books of the last
 century1 and but few accessions from   
the more modern press4 ,such1 for the   
most part1 are the numerous libraries of
 ,italy1 while others1 like the ,library
 of the ,british ,museum1 in ,london1   
and the ,national ,library1 at ,paris1  
are about equally rich in ancient and   
modern literature4 ,the one great       
advantage which ,european libraries     
possess over ,american consists in the  
stores of ancient literature which the  
accumulations of the past have given    
them4 ,this advantage1 so far as        

manuscripts and early printed books are 
concerned1 can never be overcome4 ,with 
one or two hundred thousand volumes as a
 basis1 what but utter neglect can      
prevent a library from becoming a great 
and useful institution8 ,the most       
moderate share of discrimination1       
applied to the selection of current     
literature1 will keep up the character  
of the collection as a progressive one4 
,but with nothing at all as a basis1 as 
most of our large ,american libraries   
have started1 it will take generations  
for us to overtake some of the vast     
collections of ,europe--even            
numerically4  ,in the ,american ,almanac
 for #ahcg was published the earliest   
statistical account of ,american        
libraries which ,i have found4 ,it is   
confined to a statement of the numerical
 contents of twenty public and          
university libraries1 being all the     
,american libraries which then 7sixty   
years since7 contained over #aj1jjj     
volumes each4 ,the largest library in   

the ,united ,states at that date was    
that of the ,philadelphia ,library      
,company1 which embraced #dd1jjj        
volumes4 ,the first organized effort to 
collect the full statistics of libraries
 in the ,united ,states was made in     
#ahdi1 by ,professor ,c4 ,c4 ,jewett1   
then librarian of the ,smithsonian      
,institution1 and the results were      
published in #ahea1 under the auspices  
of that institution1 in a volume of #bjg
 pages4 ,it contains interesting notices
 of numerous libraries1 only forty of   
which1 however1 contained as many as    
#aj1jjj volumes each4 ,in #ahei1 ,mr4   
,w4 ,j4 ,rhees1 of the ,smithsonian     
,institution1 published ,a ,manual of   
,public ,libraries1 ,institutions1 and  
,societies in the ,united ,states1 a    
large volume of #fhg pages1 filled with 
statistical information in great detail1
 and recording the number of volumes in 
#acch libraries4 ,this work was an      
expansion of that of ,professor ,jewett4
 ,the next publication of the statistics

 of ,american ,libraries1 of an official
 character1 was published in ,the       
,national ,almanac1 ,philadelphia1 for  
the year #ahfd1 pp4 #eh-fb1 and was     
prepared by the present writer4 ,it gave
 the statistics of #ajd libraries1 each 
numbering #aj1jjj volumes or upwards1   
exhibiting a gratifying progress in all 
the larger collections1 and             
commemorating the more advanced and     
vigorous of the new libraries which had 
sprung into life4  ,the work of         
collecting and publishing the statistics
 of ,american ,libraries has for years  
past been admirably performed by the    
,united ,states ,bureau of ,education4  
,begun in #ahge1 that institution has   
issued four tabular statements of all   
libraries responding to its circulars of
 inquiry1 and having 7as last reported  
in #ahig7 one thousand volumes or       
upwards4 ,besides these invaluable      
reports1 costing much careful labor and 
great expense1 the ,bureau of ,education
 published1 in #ahgf1 an extensive work 

wholly devoted to the subject of        
libraries1 bearing the title ,special   
,report on ,public ,libraries in the    
,united ,states4 ,this publication 7now 
wholly out of print7 consisted of #abbb 
pages1 replete with information upon the
 history1 management1 and condition of  
,american ,libraries1 under the         
editorship of ,s4 ,r4 ,warren and ,s4   
,n4 ,clark1 of the ,bureau of           
,education4 ,it embraced many original  
contributions upon topics connected with
 library science1 by experienced        
librarians1 viz43 ,messrs4 ,w4 ,f4      
,poole1 ,justin ,winsor1 ,c4 ,a4        
,cutter1 ,j4 ,s4 ,billings1 ,theo4      
,gill1 ,melvil ,dewey1 ,o4 ,h4          
,robinson1 ,w4 ,i4 ,fletcher1 ,f4 ,b4   
,perkins1 ,h4 ,a4 ,homes1 ,a4 ,r4       
,spofford1 and others4  ,i have prepared
 a table of the numerical contents of   
the thirty-four largest libraries in    
this country in #ahig1 being all those  
having #ajj1jjj volumes each or upwards3
  ,library of ,congress1 ,washington1   

#hdj1jjj ,boston ,public ,library1      
,boston1                                
#gcj1jjj ,harvard ,university ,library1 
,cambridge1                    #eaj1jjj 
,new ,york ,public ,library1 ,new ,york 
,city1                   #dej1jjj       
,university of ,chicago ,library1       
#cce1jjj ,new ,york ,state ,library1    
,albany1                                
#cbj1gaj ,yale ,university ,library1    
,new ,haven1                            
#bhe1jjj ,new ,york ,mercantile         
,library1 ,new ,york1                   
#bgj1jjj ,columbia ,university ,library1
 ,new ,york1                    #bfj1jjj
 ,chicago ,public ,library1             
#bce1che ,cincinnati ,public ,library1  
#bbc1jdc ,cornell ,university ,library1 
,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y41                       
#bbj1jjj ,sutro ,library1 ,san          
,francisco1                             
#bjf1cjj ,newberry ,library1 ,chicago1  
#bjc1ajh ,philadelphia ,library         
,company1                               
#bjj1jjj ,philadelphia ,mercantile      

,library1                               
#aij1jjj ,boston ,athenaeum ,library1   
#aij1jjj ,enoch ,pratt ,library1        
,baltimore1                             
#ahe1ijb ,philadelphia ,mercantile      
,library1                               
#ahc1jjj ,detroit ,public ,library1     
,detroit1 ,mich41                       
#adh1aih ,university of ,pennsylvania   
,library1 ,phila41                      
#adj1jjj ,princeton ,university         
,library1 ,princeton1 ,n4 ,j41          
#ace1jjj ,pennsylvania ,state ,library1 
,harrisburg1                   #acd1jjj 
,peabody ,institute ,library1           
,baltimore1                     #acj1jjj
 ,cleveland ,public ,library1           
,cleveland1 ,o41                        
#abi1jjj ,st4 ,louis ,public ,library1  
#abe1jjj ,mechanics and ,tradesmen's    
,library1 ,new ,york1                   
#aae1ahe ,free ,public ,library1        
,worcester1 ,mass41                     
#aae1jjj ,san ,francisco ,public        
,library1                               

#ajh1jff ,philadelphia ,free ,library1  
#aje1jjj ,american ,antiquarian ,society
 ,library1 ,worcester1 ,mass41          
#aje1jjj ,california ,state ,library1   
,sacramento1                            
#ajj1jcb ,massachusetts ,state ,library1
 ,boston1                      #ajj1jjj 
,new ,york ,society ,library1 ,new      
,york1                       #ajj1jjj   
,public libraries endowed by private    
munificence form already a large class1 
and these are constantly increasing4 ,of
 the public libraries founded by        
individual bequest1 some of the         
principal are the ,public ,library of   
,new ,york1 the ,watkinson ,library1 at 
,hartford1 the ,peabody ,institute      
,libraries1 of ,baltimore1 and at       
,danvers and ,peabody1 ,mass41 the      
,newberry ,library and the ,john ,crerar
 ,library at ,chicago1 the ,sutro       
,library1 ,san ,francisco1 the ,enoch   
,pratt ,library1 ,baltimore1 and the    
,carnegie ,libraries at ,pittsburgh and 
,allegheny ,city1 ,pa4 ,nearly all of   

them are the growth of the last quarter 
of a century4 ,the more prominent1 in   
point of well equipped buildings or     
collections of books1 are here named1   
including all which number ten thousand 
volumes each1 or upwards1 among the     
public libraries associated with the    
founder's name4  ,new ,york ,public     
,library 7,astor ,lenox and ,tilden     
,foundations71  #dej1jjj ,newberry      
,library1 ,chicago1                     
#bjc1ajj ,sutro ,library1 ,san          
,francisco1                             
#bjf1cjj ,enoch ,pratt ,library1        
,baltimore1                             
#ahe1ijj ,peabody ,institute ,library1  
,baltimore1                             
#acj1jjj ,davenport ,library1 ,bath1 ,n4
 ,y41                                   
#ij1jjj ,silas ,bronson ,library1       
,waterbury1 ,conn41                     
#eb1jjj ,pratt ,institute ,free         
,library1 ,brooklyn1 ,n4 ,y41           
#ea1jjj ,watkinson ,library1 ,hartford1 
,conn41                                 

#dg1jjj ,sage ,library1 ,new ,brunswick1
 ,n4 ,y41                               
#dc1jjj ,case ,library1 ,cleveland1     
,ohio1                                  
#dj1jjj ,grosvenor ,library1 ,buffalo1  
,n4 ,y41                                
#ci1jjj ,forbes ,library1 ,northampton1 
,mass41                                 
#cf1jjj ,cooper ,union ,library1 ,new   
,york1                                  
#cd1jjj ,fisk ,free ,public ,library1   
,new ,orleans1                          
#cc1jjj ,peabody ,institute ,library1   
,peabody1 ,mass41                       
#cc1jjj ,reynolds ,library1 ,rochester1 
,n4 ,y41                                
#cc1jjj ,carnegie ,free ,library1       
,allegheny1 ,pa41                       
#cj1jjj ,fletcher ,free ,library1       
,burlington1 ,vt41                      
#cj1jjj ,howard ,memorial ,library1 ,new
 ,orleans1                              
#bf1jjj ,carnegie ,library1 ,pittsburgh1
 ,pa41                                  
#be1jjj ,sage ,public ,library1 ,west   

,bay ,city1 ,mich41                     
#be1jjj ,hoyt ,public ,library1         
,saginaw1 ,mich41                       
#bd1jjj ,osterhout ,free ,library1      
,wilkesbarre1 ,pa41                     
#bd1jjj ,seymour ,library1 ,auburn1 ,n4 
,y41                                    
#bd1jjj ,hackley ,public ,library1      
,muskegon1 ,mich41                      
#bb1jjj ,willard ,library1 ,evansville1 
,ind41                                  
#bb1jjj ,otis ,library1 ,norwich1       
,conn41                                 
#ba1jjj ,morrison-,reeves ,library1     
,richmond1 ,ind41                       
#ba1jjj ,baxter ,memorial ,library1     
,rutland1 ,vt41                         
#bj1jjj ,cornell ,library ,association1 
,ithaca1 ,n4 ,y41                       
#bj1jjj ,thomas ,crane ,public ,library1
 ,quincy1 ,mass41                       
#ai1jjj ,dimmick ,library1 ,mauch       
,chunk1 ,pa41                           
#ah1jjj ,gail ,borden ,public ,library1 
,elgin1 ,ill41                          

#ag1jjj ,peabody ,institute ,library1   
,danvers1 ,mass41                       
#ag1jjj ,tufts ,library1 ,weymouth1     
,mass41                                 
#ag1jjj ,warder ,public ,library1       
,springfield1 ,ohio1                    
#ag1jjj ,withers ,public ,library1      
,bloomington1 ,ill41                    
#ae1jjj ,cary ,library1 ,lexington1     
,mass41                                 
#ae1jjj ,fritz ,public ,library1        
,chelsea1 ,mass41                       
#ae1jjj ,turner ,free ,library1         
,randolph1 ,mass41                      
#ae1jjj ,ames ,free ,library1 ,north    
,easton1 ,mass41                        
#ad1jjj ,bigelow ,free ,library1        
,clinton1 ,mass41                       
#ad1jjj ,clarke ,public ,library1       
,coldwater1 ,mich41                     
#ad1jjj ,harris ,institute ,library1    
,woonsocket1 ,r4 ,i41                   
#ad1jjj ,merrick ,public ,library1      
,brookfield1 ,mass41                    
#ad1jjj ,robbins ,library1 ,arlington1  

,mass41                                 
#ad1jjj ,nevins ,memorial ,library1     
,methuen1 ,mass41                       
#ad1jjj ,sturgis ,library1 ,barnstable1 
,mass41                                 
#ac1jjj ,birchard ,library1 ,fremont1   
,ohio1                                  
#ab1ejj ,james ,prendergast ,library1   
,jamestown1 ,n4 ,y41                    
#ab1ejj ,rogers ,free ,library1         
,bristol1 ,r4 ,i41                      
#ab1cjj ,abbott ,public ,library1       
,marblehead1 ,mass41                    
#ab1jjj ,armour ,institute1 ,chicago1   
,ill41                                  
#ab1jjj ,beebe ,town ,library1          
,wakefield1 ,mass41                     
#ab1jjj ,carnegie ,free ,library1       
,braddock1 ,pa41                        
#ab1jjj ,goodnow ,library1 ,south       
,sudbury1 ,mass41                       
#ab1jjj ,millicent ,library1 ,fairhaven1
 ,mass41                                
#ab1jjj ,thayer ,public ,library1 ,south
 ,braintree1 ,mass41                    

#aa1jjj ,dyer ,library1 ,saco1 ,maine1  
#aj1ejj ,cossit ,library1 ,memphis1     
,tenn41                                 
#aj1jjj ,gloucester 7,mass47 ,sawyer    
,free ,library1                         
#aj1jjj ,ferguson ,library1 ,stamford1  
,conn41                                 
#aj1jjj ,parlin ,memorial ,library1     
,everett1 ,mass41                       
#aj1jjj ,jennie ,d4 ,haynes ,library1   
,alton1 ,ill41                          
#aj1jjj ,hornell ,free ,library1        
,hornellsville1 ,n4 ,y41                
#aj1jjj  ,besides the preceding list1   
purposely confined to free libraries    
chiefly founded by individuals1 which   
have reached the ten thousand volume    
mark1 there are a multitude of others1  
too numerous to be named1 having a less 
number of volumes4 ,in fact1 the public 
spirit which gives freely of private    
wealth to enlarge the intelligence of   
the community may be said to grow by    
emulation4 ,many men who have made      
fortunes have endowed their native      

places with libraries4 ,it is yearly    
becoming more and more widely recognized
 that a man can build no monument to    
himself so honorable or so lasting as a 
free public library4 ,its influence is  
well nigh universal1 and its benefits   
are perennial4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,we now come to   
consider the city or town libraries1    
created or maintained by voluntary      
taxation4 ,these1 like the class of     
libraries founded by private            
munificence1 are purely a modern growth4
 ,while the earliest movement in this   
direction in ,great ,britain dates back 
only to #ahej1 ,new ,hampshire has the  
honor of adopting the first free public 
library law1 in ,america1 in the year   
#ahdi4 ,massachusetts followed in #ahea1
 and the example was emulated by other  
,states at various intervals1 until     
there now remain but fifteen out of our 
forty-five ,states which have no public 
library law4 ,the general provisions of 
these laws authorize any town or city to

 collect taxes by vote of the citizens  
for maintaining a public library1 to be 
managed by trustees elected or appointed
 for the purpose4  ,but a more          
far-reaching provision for supplying the
 people with public libraries was       
adopted by ,new ,hampshire 7again the   
pioneer ,state71 in #ahie4 ,this was    
nothing less than the passage of a      
,state law making it compulsory on every
 town in ,new ,hampshire to assess      
annually the sum of thirty dollars for  
every dollar of public taxes apportioned
 to such town1 the amount to be         
appropriated to establish and maintain a
 free public library4 ,library trustees 
are to be elected1 and in towns where no
 public library exists1 the money is to 
be held by them1 and to accumulate until
 the town is ready to establish a       
library4  ,this ,new ,hampshire statute1
 making obligatory the supply of public 
information through books and           
periodicals in free libraries in every  
town1 may fairly be termed the          

high-water mark of modern means for the 
diffusion of knowledge4 ,this system of 
creating libraries proceeds upon the    
principle that intellectual             
enlightenment is as much a concern of   
the local government as sanitary        
regulations or public morality4 ,society
 has an interest that is common to all  
classes in the means that are provided  
for the education of the people4 ,among 
these means free town or city libraries 
are one of the most potent and useful4  
,new ,hampshire and ,massachusetts1 in  
nearly all of their towns and cities1   
have recognized the principle that      
public books are just as important to   
the general welfare as public lamps4    
,what are everywhere needed are         
libraries open to the people as a matter
 of right1 and not as a matter of favor4
  ,the largest library in the country1  
save one 7that at ,washington71 owes its
 origin and success to this principle1  
combined with some private munificence4 
,the ,boston ,public ,library is        

unquestionably one of the most widely   
useful collections of books open to the 
public in this country4 ,of all the     
greater collections1 it is the only one 
which lends out books free of charge to 
all citizens4 ,instituted in #aheb1 its 
career has been one of rapid progress   
and ever widening usefulness4 ,i shall  
not dwell upon it at length1 as the     
facts regarding it have been more widely
 published than those relating to any   
other library4  ,under the permissive   
library laws of thirty ,states1 there   
had been formed up to #ahif1 when the   
last comprehensive statistics were      
gathered1 about #a1bjj free public      
libraries1 supported by taxation1 in the
 ,united ,states4  ,a still more widely 
successful means of securing a library  
foundation that shall be permanent is   
found in uniting private benefactions   
with public money to found or to        
maintain a library4 ,many               
public-spirited citizens1 fortunately   
endowed with large means1 have offered  

to erect library buildings in certain   
places1 on condition that the local     
authorities would provide the books1 and
 the means of maintaining a free        
library4 ,such generous offers1 whether 
coupled with the condition of           
perpetuating the donor's name with that 
of the library1 or leaving the gift     
unhampered1 so that the library may bear
 the name of the town or city of its    
location1 have generally been accepted  
by municipal bodies1 or by popular vote4
 ,this secures1 in most cases1 a good   
working library of choice reading1 as   
well as its steady annual growth and    
management1 free of the heavy expense of
 building1 of which the tax-payers are  
relieved4 ,the many munificent gifts of 
library buildings by ,mr4 ,andrew       
,carnegie1 to ,american towns and       
cities1 and to some in his native       
,scotland1 are worthy of special note4  
,and the reader will see from the long  
list heretofore given of the more       
considerable public libraries to be     

credited wholly or in part to private   
munificence1 that ,american men of      
wealth have not been wanting as public  
benefactors4  ,in some cases1 whole     
libraries have been given to a town or  
village where a public library already  
existed1 or liberal gifts or bequests of
 money1 to be expended in the enrichment
 of such libraries1 have been bestowed4 
,very interesting lists of benefactions 
for the benefit of libraries may be     
found in the volumes of the ,library    
,journal1 ,new ,york4 ,it is with regret
 that candor requires me to add1 that   
several proffers of fine library        
buildings to certain places1 coupled    
with the condition that the municipal   
authorities would establish and maintain
 a free library1 have remained without  
acceptance1 thus forfeiting a liberal   
endowment4 ,where public education has  
been so neglected as to render possible 
such a niggardly1 penny-wise and        
pound-foolish policy1 there is          
manifestly signal need of every means of

 enlightenment4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,we now come to   
the various ,state libraries founded at 
the public charge1 and designed         
primarily for the use of the respective 
legislatures of the ,states4 ,the       
earliest of these is the ,new ,hampshire
 ,state ,library1 established in #agij1 
and the largest is the ,new ,york ,state
 ,library1 at ,albany1 founded in #ahah1
 now embracing #cbe1jjj volumes1 and    
distinguished alike by the value of its 
stores and the liberality of its        
management4 ,the reason for being of a  
,state library is obviously and         
primarily to furnish the legislative    
body and ,state courts with such ample  
books of reference in jurisprudence1    
history1 science1 etc41 as will aid them
 in the intelligent discharge of their  
duties as law-makers and judges of the  
law4 ,the library thus existing at each 
,state capital may well be opened to the
 public for reading and reference1 thus 
greatly enlarging its usefulness4       

,every ,state in the ,union has now at  
least a legislative library1 although   
the most of them consist chiefly of laws
 and legislative documents1 with a few  
works of reference superadded2 and their
 direct usefulness to the public is     
therefore very circumscribed4 ,the ,new 
,york ,state ,library is a model of what
 a great public library should be in the
 capital of a ,state4 ,in it are        
gathered a great proportion of the best 
books in each department of literature  
and science1 while indefatigable efforts
 have been made to enrich it in whatever
 relates to ,american history and       
polity4 ,its reading-room is freely     
opened to the public during many hours  
daily4 ,but a ,state library should     
never be made a library of circulation1 
since its utility as a reference        
library1 having its books always in for 
those who seek them1 would thereby be   
destroyed4 ,even under the existing     
system1 with the privilege of drawing   
books out confined to the ,legislature1 

some of the ,state libraries have been  
depleted and despoiled of many of their 
most valuable books1 through loaning    
them freely on the orders of members4   
,the sense of responsibility is far less
 in the case of borrowed books which are
 government property1 than in other     
cases4 ,the only safe rule for keeping a
 government library from being          
scattered1 is strict refusal of orders  
for loaning to any one not legally      
entitled to draw books1 and short terms 
of withdrawal to legislators1 with      
enforcement of a rule of replacement1 at
 their expense1 as to all books not     
returned at the end of each session4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,there is one class of libraries not yet
 touched upon1 namely1 school district  
libraries4 ,these originated for the    
first time in a legally organized       
system1 through an act of the ,new ,york
 ,state ,legislature in #ahce1          
authorizing the voters in each school   
district to levy a tax of twenty dollars

 with which to start a library1 and ten 
dollars a year for adding to the same4  
,these were not to be for the schools   
alone1 but for all the people living in 
the district where the school was       
located4 ,this was supplemented in #ahch
 by a ,state appropriation of #ee1jjj a 
year1 from ,new ,york's share of the    
surplus revenue fund distributed by     
,congress to the ,states in #ahcg1 and  
the income of which was devoted by ,new 
,york to enlarging the school district  
libraries4 ,after spending nearly two   
millions of dollars on these libraries  
in forty years1 the system was found to 
have been so far a failure that the     
volumes in the libraries had decreased  
from #a1fjj1jjj to #gjj1jjj volumes4    
,this extraordinary and deplorable      
result was attributed to several        
distinct causes4 #ast4 ,no proper       
responsibility as to the use and return 
of books was enforced4 #b;d4 ,the       
insignificance of the sum raised by     
taxation in each district prevented any 

considerable supply of books from being 
acquired4 #c;d4 ,the funds were largely 
devoted to buying the same books in each
 school district1 instead of being      
expended in building up a large and     
varied collection4 ,thus the system     
produced innumerable petty libraries of 
duplicates1 enriching publishers and    
booksellers1 while impoverishing the    
community4 ,the school district library 
system1 in short1 while promising much  
in theory1 in the way of public         
intelligence1 broke down completely in  
practice4 ,the people quickly lost      
interest in libraries which gave them so
 little variety in books1 either of     
instruction or of recreation4  ,although
 widely introduced in other ,states     
besides ,new ,york1 from #ahcg to #ahgg1
 it proved an admitted failure in all4  
,much public money1 raised by taxation  
of the people1 was squandered upon sets 
of books1 selected by ,state authority1 
and often of inferior interest and      
utility4 ,finally1 it was recognized    

that school district libraries were an  
evanescent dream1 and that town         
libraries must take their place4 ,this  
instructive chapter in ,library history 
shows an experience by which much was   
learned1 though the lesson was a costly 
one4  ,the ,historical libraries of the 
country are numerous1 and some of the   
larger ones are rich in printed         
,americana1 and in historical           
manuscripts4 ,the oldest is that of the 
,massachusetts ,historical ,society1    
founded in #agia1 and among the most    
extensive are those of the ,new ,york   
,historical ,society1 ,american         
,antiquarian ,society1 the ,historical  
,society of ,pennsylvania1 the ,new     
,england ,historic-genealogical         
,society1 and the ,wisconsin ,state     
,historical ,society4 ,there are no less
 than #bcj historical societies in the  
,u4 ,s41 some forty of which are ,state 
associations4  ,the ,mercantile         
libraries are properly a branch of the  
proprietary1 though depending mostly    

upon annual subscriptions4 ,the earliest
 of these was the ,boston ,mercantile   
,library1 founded in #ahbj1 and followed
 closely by the ,new ,york ,mercantile  
the same year1 the ,philadelphia in     
#ahba1 and the ,cincinnati ,mercantile  
in #ahce4  ,next we have the            
professional libraries1 law1 medical1   
scientific1 and1 in several cities1     
theological4 ,these supply a want of    
each of these professions seldom met by 
the public collections1 and are         
proportionately valuable4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,the most
 recent plan for the wide diffusion of  
popular books is the travelling library4
 ,this originated in ,new ,york in      
#ahic1 when the ,legislature empowered  
the ,regents of the ,state ,university  
7a body of trustees having charge of all
 library interests in that ,state7 to   
send out selections of books to any     
community without a library1 on request 
of #be resident taxpayers4 ,the results 
were most beneficial1 the sole expense  

being five dollars for each library4    
,travelling libraries1 7mostly of fifty 
volumes each7 have been set on foot in  
,massachusetts1 ,michigan1 ,iowa1       
,wisconsin1 ,pennsylvania1 and other    
,states1 and1 as the system appears     
capable of indefinite expansion1 great  
results are anticipated in the direction
 of the public intelligence4 ,it is     
pointed out that while the ,state1 by   
its free school system1 trains all the  
people to read1 it should not leave the 
quality of their reading to chance or to
 utter neglect1 when a few cents per    
capita annually would help them to an   
education of inestimable value in after 
life4  ,some objections1 on the other   
hand1 have been urged to the system1 as 
introducing features of paternalism into
 ,state government1 and taking out of   
the hands of individual generosity and  
local effort and enterprise what belongs
 properly to such agencies4 ,the vexed  
question of the proper function and     
limitations of ,state control in the    

domain of education cannot here be      
entered upon4  ,in the volume last      
published of statistics of ,american    
libraries1 that of #ahig1 great progress
 was shown in the five years since      
#ahia4 ,the record of libraries reported
 in #ahif embraced #d1jbf collections1  
being all which contained over #a1jjj   
volumes each4 ,the increase in volumes  
in the five years was a little over     
seven millions1 the aggregate of the    
#d1jbf libraries being #cc1jea1hgb      
volumes4 ,this increase was over #bg per
 cent4 in only five years4  ,if the good
 work so splendidly begun1 in ,new      
,england1 ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 and
 some of the ,western ,states1 in       
establishing libraries through public   
taxation and private munificence1 can   
only be extended in the ,southern and   
,middle ,states1 the century now about  
to dawn will witness an advance quite as
 remarkable as we have seen in the      
latter years of the century about to    
close4  ,,footnotes3  #a ,,ms4 ,records 

of the ,virginia ,company1 in the       
,library of ,congress4     ,,chapter    
#af4  ,,library ,,buildings ,,and       
,,furnishings4   ,proceeding now to the 
subject of library buildings1           
reading-rooms1 and furnishings1 it must 
be remarked at the outset that very few 
rules can be laid down which are of     
universal application4 ,the             
architectural plans1 exterior and       
interior1 of such great institutions as 
the ,library of ,congress1 or the       
,boston ,public ,library1 with their    
costly marbles1 splendid mural          
decorations1 and electric book-serving  
machinery1 afford no model for the      
library building in the country village4
 ,where the government of a nation or a 
wealthy city has millions to devote for 
providing a magnificent book-palace for 
its library1 the smaller cities or towns
 have only a few thousands4 ,so much the
 more important is it1 that a thoroughly
 well-considered plan for building      
should be marked out before beginning to

 build1 that no dollars should be       
wasted1 or costly alterations required1 
in order to fit the interior for all the
 uses of a library4  ,the need of this  
caution will be abundantly evident1 in  
the light of the unfit and inconvenient 
constructions seen in so many public    
libraries1 all over the country4 ,so    
general has been the want of carefully  
planned and well-executed structures for
 books1 that it may fairly be said that 
mistakes have been the rule1 and fit    
adaptation the exception4 ,for twenty   
years past1 at every meeting of the     
,american ,library ,association1 the    
reports upon library buildings have     
deplored the waste of money in          
well-meant edifices designed to         
accommodate the library service1 but    
successful only in obstructing it4 ,even
 in so recent a construction as the     
,boston ,public ,library building1 so   
many defects and inconveniences were    
found after it was supposed to have been
 finished1 that rooms had to be torn out

 and re-constructed on three floors1    
while the pneumatic tube system had been
 found so noisy as to be a public       
nuisance1 and had to be replaced by a   
later improved construction4  ,one      
leading cause for the mistakes which are
 so patent in our library buildings is  
that they are not planned by librarians 
but mainly by architects4 ,the library  
authorities commonly take it for granted
 that the able architect is master of   
his profession1 and entrust him with the
 whole design1 leaving out of account   
the librarian1 as a mere subordinate1   
entitled only to secondary              
consideration4 ,the result is a plan    
which exhibits1 in its prominent        
features1 the architect's skill in      
effective pilasters1 pillars1           
architraves1 cornices1 and balustrades1 
while the library apartments which these
 features ornament are planned1 not for 
convenient and rapid book-service1 but  
mainly for show4 ,it is the interest of 
architects to magnify their profession3 

and as none of them has ever been1 or   
ever will be a librarian1 they cannot be
 expected to carry into effect unaided1 
what they have never learned2 namely1   
the interior arrangements which will    
best meet the utilities of the library  
service4 ,here is where the librarian's 
practical experience1 or his observation
 of the successes or failures in the    
reading-room and delivery service of    
other libraries1 should imperatively be 
called in4 ,let him demonstrate to the  
governing board that he knows what is   
needed for prompt and economical        
administration1 and they will heed his  
judgment1 if they are reasonable men4   
,while it belongs to the architect to   
plan1 according to his own ideas1 the   
outside of the building1 the inside     
should be planned by the architect in   
direct concert with the librarian1 in   
all save merely ornamental or finishing 
work4  ,we do not erect a building and  
then determine whether it is to be a    
school house or a church3 it is planned 

from the start with strict reference to 
the utilities involved2 and so should it
 always be with a library4  ,in treating
 this subject1 ,i shall not occupy space
 in outlining the proper scheme of      
building and interior arrangement for a 
great library1 with its many distinct   
departments1 for such institutions are  
the exceptions1 while most libraries    
come within the rule of very moderate   
size1 and comparatively inexpensive     
equipment4 ,the first requisite for a   
public library1 then1 is a good         
location4 ,it is important that this    
should be central1 but it is equally    
important that the building should be   
isolated--that is1 with proper open     
space on all sides1 and not located in a
 block with other buildings4 ,many      
libraries have been destroyed or        
seriously damaged by fire originating in
 neighboring buildings1 or in other     
apartments in the same building2 while  
fires in separate library buildings have
 been extremely rare4 ,it would be a    

wise provision to secure a library lot  
sufficiently large in area to admit of  
further additions to the building1 both 
in the rear and at the side2 and with   
slight addition to the cost1 the walls  
and their supports may be so planned as 
to admit of this4 ,committees are seldom
 willing to incur the expense of an     
edifice large enough to provide for very
 prolonged growth of their collection2  
and the result is that the country is   
full of overcrowded libraries1 without  
money to build1 and prevented from      
expanding on the spot because no        
foresight was exercised in the original 
construction or land purchase1 to       
provide for ready increase of space by  
widening out1 and removing an outer wall
 so as to connect the old building with 
the new addition4 ,if a library has     
#aj1jjj volumes1 it would be very       
short-sighted policy to plan an edifice 
to contain less than #dj1jjj1 which it  
is likely to reach in from ten to forty 
years4  ,the next requisite to a central

 and sufficient site is that the        
location must be dry and airy4 ,any low 
site1 especially in river towns1 will be
 damp1 and among the enemies of books1  
moisture holds a foremost place4 ,next1 
the site should afford light on all     
sides1 and if necessary to place it near
 any thoroughfare1 it should be set back
 so as to afford ample light and        
ventilation in front4  ,it need hardly  
be said that every library building     
should be fire-proof1 after the many    
costly lessons we have had of the       
burning of public libraries at home and 
abroad4 ,the material for the outside   
walls may be brick or stone1 according  
to taste or relative cost4 ,brick is    
good enough1 and if of the best quality1
 and treated with stone trimmings1 is   
capable of sufficiently ornate effects1 
and is quite as durable as any granite  
or marble4 ,no temptation of cheapness  
should ever be allowed to introduce wood
 in any part of the construction3 walls1
 floors1 and roof should be only of     

brick1 stone1 iron1 or slate4 ,a wooden 
roof is nothing but a tinder-box that   
invites the flames4  ,in general1 two   
stories is a sufficient height for      
library buildings1 except in those of   
the largest class1 and the upper floors 
may be amply lighted by sky-lights4 ,the
 side-lights can hardly be too numerous3
 yet ,i have seen library buildings     
running back from a street fifty to     
seventy-five feet1 without a single     
window in either of the side walls4 ,the
 result was to throw all the books on   
shelves into a gloomy shade for many    
hours of each day4  ,the interior       
construction should be so managed as to 
effect the finding and delivery of books
 to readers with the greatest possible  
economy of time and space4 ,no shelves  
should be placed higher than can be     
reached by hand without mounting upon   
any steps or ladders2 i4 e41 seven to   
seven and a half feet4 ,the system of   
shelving should all be constructed of   
iron or steel1 instead of surrounding   

the books on three sides with           
combustible wood1 as is done in most    
libraries4 ,shelves of oxidized metal   
will be found smooth enough to prevent  
any abrasion of bindings4 ,shelves      
should be easily adjustable to any      
height1 to accommodate the various sizes
 of books4  ,in calculating shelf       
capacity1 one and a half inches         
thickness a volume is a fair average1 so
 that each hundred volumes would require
 about thirteen feet of linear shelf    
measurement4 ,the space between         
uprights1 that is1 the length of each   
shelf1 should not exceed two and a half 
feet4 ,all spaces between shelves should
 be #aj or #aa inches high1 to          
accommodate large octavos               
indiscriminately with smaller sizes2 and
 a base shelf for quartos and folios1 at
 a proper height from the floor1 will   
restrict the number of shelves to six in
 each tier4  ,in the arrangement of the 
cases or book-stacks1 the most          
economical method is to place book-cases

 of double face1 not less than three    
feet apart1 approached by aisles on     
either side1 so as to afford free       
passage for two persons meeting or      
passing one another4 ,the cases may be  
about ten feet each in length4 ,there   
should be electric lights between all   
cases1 to be turned on only when books  
are sought4 ,the cases should be set at 
right angles to the wall1 two or three  
feet from it1 with the light from       
abundant windows coming in between them4
 ,the width of shelves may be from #af  
to #ah inches in these double cases1    
thus giving about eight to nine inches  
depth to each side4 ,no partition is    
required between the two sides4  ,it    
should be stated that the light obtained
 from windows1 when thrown more than    
twenty feet1 among cases of books on    
shelves1 becomes too feeble for         
effective use in finding books4 ,this   
fact should be considered in advance1   
while plans of construction1 lighting1  
and interior arrangement are being made4

 ,all experience has shown that too much
 light cannot be had in any public      
library4  ,railings and stair-cases for 
the second or upper floors should be of 
perforated iron4  ,the reading-room     
should be distinct from the book        
delivery or charging-room1 to secure    
quiet for readers at all hours1 avoiding
 the pressure1 hurry and noise of       
conversation inevitable in a lending    
library or department4 ,in the          
reading-room should be shelved a liberal
 supply of books of reference1 and      
bibliographies1 open without tickets to 
the readers4 ,next the central desk     
there should be shelves for the deposit 
of books reserved day by day for the use
 of readers4 ,the library chairs1 of    
whatever pattern may be preferred1      
should always combine the two requisites
 of strength and lightness4 ,the floor  
should be covered with linoleum1 or some
 similar floor covering1 to deaden      
sound4 ,woolen carpets1 those perennial 
breeders of dust1 are an abomination4   

,in a library reading-room of any       
considerable size1 each reader should be
 provided with table or desk room1 not  
flat but sloping at a moderate angle1   
and allowing about three feet of space  
for each reader4 ,these appliances for  
study need not be single pieces of      
furniture1 but made in sections to      
accommodate from three to six readers at
 each4 ,about thirty inches from the    
floor is a proper height4  ,for large   
dictionaries1 atlases1 or other bulky   
volumes1 the adjustable revolving case1 
mounted on a pedestal1 should be used4  
,for moving any large number of volumes 
about the library1 book-trucks or       
barrows1 with noiseless rubber wheels1  
are required4  ,every library will need 
one or more catalogue cases to hold the 
alphabetical card catalogue4 ,these are 
made with a maximum of skill by the     
,library ,bureau1 ,boston4  ,the        
location of the issue-counter or desk is
 of cardinal importance4 ,it should be  
located near the centre of the system of

 book-cases1 or near the entrance to the
 stack1 so as to minimize the time      
consumed in collecting the books wanted4
 ,it should also have a full supply of  
light1 and this may be secured by a     
location directly in front of a large   
side window4 ,readers are impatient of  
delay1 and the farther the books are    
from the issue-counter the longer they  
will have to wait for them4  ,among     
modern designs for libraries1 that of   
,dr4 ,w4 ,f4 ,poole1 adapted for the    
,newberry ,library1 ,chicago1 is notable
 for dividing the library into many     
departments or separate rooms1 the book 
shelves occupying one half the height of
 each1 or #g feet out of #ae1 the       
remaining space being occupied by       
windows4 ,this construction1 of course1 
does not furnish as compact storage for 
books as the stack system4 ,it is       
claimed to possess the advantage of     
extraordinarily good light1 and of      
aiding the researches of readers4 ,but  
it has the disadvantage of requiring    

readers to visit widely separated rooms 
to pursue studies involving several     
subjects1 and of mounting in elevators  
to reach some departments4 ,a system    
which brings the books to the reader1   
instead of the readers travelling after 
the books1 would appear to be more      
practically useful to the public1 with  
whom time is of cardinal importance4    
,in all libraries1 there should be a    
receiving or packing room1 where boxes  
and parcels of books are opened and     
books mended1 collated1 and prepared for
 the shelves4 ,this room may well be in 
a dry and well lighted basement4 ,two   
small cloak-rooms for wraps will be     
needed1 one for each sex4 ,two toilet   
rooms or lavatories should be provided4 
,a room for the library directors or    
trustees1 and one for the librarian1 are
 essential in libraries of much extent4 
,a janitor's room or sleeping quarters  
sometimes needs to be provided4 ,a      
storage room for blanks1 stationery1    
catalogues1 etc41 will be necessary in  

libraries of much extent4 ,a periodical 
room is sometimes provided1 distinct    
from the reading-room or the delivery   
department4 ,in this case1 if several   
hundred periodicals are taken1 an       
attendant should be always present to   
serve them to readers1 from the shelves 
or cases where they should be kept in   
alphabetical order4 ,without this1 and a
 ticket system to keep track of what are
 in use1 no one can readily find what is
 needed1 nor ascertain whether it is in 
a reader's hands when sought for4       
,system and the alphabet alone will     
solve all difficulties4  ,as to the     
space required for readers in a         
periodical room1 it may be assumed that 
about five hundred square feet will     
accommodate twenty-five readers1 and the
 same proportion for a larger number at 
one time4 ,a room twenty-five by forty  
would seat fifty readers1 while one     
twenty-five by twenty would accommodate 
twenty-five readers1 with proper space  
for tables1 c4 ,the files for newspapers

 are referred to in another chapter on  
periodicals4  ,in a library building1   
the heating and ventilation are of prime
 importance4 ,upon their proper         
regulation largely depends the health   
and consequently the efficiency of all  
employed1 as well as the comfort of the 
reading public4 ,there is no space to   
enter upon specific descriptions1 for   
which the many conflicting systems1 with
 experience of their practical working1 
should be examined4 ,suffice it to say  
in general1 that a temperature not far  
below nor above #gj degrees ,fahrenheit 
should be aimed at2 that the furnace1   
with its attendant nuisances of noise1  
dust1 and odors1 should be outside the  
library building--not under it2 and that
 electric lighting alone should be used1
 gas being highly injurious to the      
welfare of books4  ,in calculating the  
space required for books shelved as has 
been heretofore suggested1 it may be    
approximately stated that every one     
thousand volumes will require at least  

eighty to one hundred square feet of    
floor measurement4 ,thus1 a library of  
#aj1jjj volumes would occupy an area of 
nearly one thousand square feet4 ,but it
 is necessary to provide also for the   
continual growth of the collection4 ,to 
do this1 experience shows that in any   
flourishing public library1 space should
 be reserved for three or four times the
 number of volumes in actual possession4
 ,if rooms are hired for the books1     
because of inability to build1 the      
library should be so arranged as to     
leave each alternate shelf vacant for   
additions1 or1 in the more rapidly      
growing divisions1 a still greater      
space4 ,this will permit accessions to  
be shelved with their related books1    
without the trouble of frequently moving
 and re-arranging large divisions of the
 library4 ,this latter is a very        
laborious process1 and should be        
resorted to only under compulsion4 ,the 
preventive remedy1 of making sure of    
space in advance1 by leaving a          

sufficiency of unoccupied shelves in    
every division of the library1 is the   
true one4  ,in some libraries1 a        
separate reading-room for ladies is     
provided4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,f4 ,poole records   
that in ,cincinnati such a room was     
opened at the instance of the library   
directors4 ,the result was that the     
ladies made it a kind of social         
rendezvous1 where they talked over      
society matters1 and exhibited the      
bargains made in their shopping         
excursions4 ,ladies who came to study   
preferred the general reading room1     
where they found every comfort among    
well conducted gentlemen1 and the       
ladies' reading-room was abandoned1 as  
not fulfilling its object4 ,the same    
experiment in the ,chicago ,public      
,library had the same result4  ,some    
libraries in the larger towns provide a 
special reading-room for children2 and  
this accomplishes a two-fold object1    
namely1 to keep the public reading-room 
free from flocks of little people in    

pursuit of books under difficulties1 and
 to furnish the boys and girls with     
accommodations of their own4 ,it may be 
suggested as an objection1 that the     
dividing line as to age is difficult to 
be drawn3 but let each applicant be     
questioned1 and if falling below twelve1
 or fifteen1 or whatever the age limit  
may be1 directed to the juvenile        
reading-room1 and there need be no      
trouble4 ,of course there will be some  
quite young readers who are gifted with 
intelligence beyond their years1 and who
 may dislike to be reckoned as children2
 but library rules are not made to suit 
exceptions1 but for the average2 and as 
no book need be refused to any applicant
 in the juvenile department1 no just    
cause of complaint can arise4  ,in some 
libraries1 and those usually of the     
larger size1 an art room is provided1   
where students of works on painting1    
sculpture1 and the decorative arts can  
go1 and have about them whatever        
treasures the library may contain in    

that attractive field4 ,the advantages  
of this provision are1 first1 to save   
the necessity of handling and carrying  
so many heavy volumes of galleries of   
art and illustrated books to the general
 reading-room1 and back again1 and      
secondly1 to enable those in charge of  
the art department to exercise more     
strict supervision in enforcing careful 
and cleanly treatment of the finest     
books in the library1 than can be       
maintained in the miscellaneous crowd of
 readers in the main reading-room4 ,the 
objections to it concern the general    
want of room to set apart for this      
purpose1 and the desirability of        
concentrating the use of books in one   
main hall or reading-room4              
,circumstances and experience should    
determine the question for each library4
  ,some public libraries1 and especially
 those constructed in recent years1 are 
provided with a lecture-hall1 or a large
 room for public meetings1 concerts1 or 
occasionally1 even an opera-house1 in   

the same building with the library4     
,there are some excellent arguments in  
favor of this2 and especially where a   
public benefactor donates to a city a   
building which combines both uses4 ,the 
building given by ,mr4 ,andrew ,carnegie
 to the ,public ,library of ,washington 
will be provided with a small hall      
suited to meetings1 c4 ,but in all      
cases1 such a public hall should be so  
isolated from the library reading-room  
as not to annoy readers1 to whom quiet  
is essential4 ,this end can be effected 
by having the intervening walls and     
floors so constructed as completely to  
deaden sound4 ,a wholly distinct        
entrance should also be provided1 not   
communicating with the doors and        
passages leading to the library4        
,comparisons are sometimes made as to   
the relative cost of library buildings  
to the number of volumes they are       
designed to accommodate2 but such       
estimates are misleading4 ,the cost of  
an edifice in which architectural beauty

 and interior decoration concur to make 
it a permanent ornament to a city or    
town1 need not be charged up at so much 
per volume4 ,buildings for libraries    
have cost all the way from twenty-five  
cents up to #d4 for each volume stored4 
,the ,library of ,congress1 which cost  
six million dollars1 and will ultimately
 accommodate #d1ejj1jjj volumes1 cost   
about #a4cf per volume4 ,but it contains
 besides books1 some half a million     
musical compositions1 works of graphic  
art1 maps and charts1 etc4  ,the        
comparative cost of some library        
buildings erected in recent years1 with 
ultimate capacity of each1 may be of    
interest4 ,kansas ,city ,public         
,library1 #acbadd1 #abe1jjj vols41      
#bjj1jjj4 ,newark1 ,n4 ,j4 ,free        
,library1 #achbaf1 #djj1jjj vols41      
#ahh1jjj4 ,forbes ,library1             
,northampton1 ,mass4 7granite71 #ajgacg1
 #bej1jjj vols41 #acd1jjj4 ,fall ,river1
 ,ms4 ,library1 #hjacj1 #bej1jjj vols41 
#ajj1jjj4 ,peoria1 ,ill4 ,public        

,library 7brick71 #gface1 #gj1jjj4      
,smiley ,memorial ,library1 ,redlands1  
,cal4 7brick71 #ifajj1 #ej1jjj4 ,reuben 
,hoar ,library1 ,littleton1 ,mass4      
7brick71 #ejeg1 #be1jjj vols41 #be1jjj4 
,rogers ,memorial ,library1 ,southworth1
 ,n4 ,y4 #gjajj1 #bj1jjj vols41 #bj1jjj4
 ,belfast 7,me47 ,free ,library         
7granite71 #bged1 #aj1jjj4 ,gail-,borden
 ,public ,library1 ,elgin1 ,ill4        
7brick71 #bheb1 #i1jjj4 ,warwick1 ,mass4
 ,public ,library 7wood71 #defj1 #e1jjj 
vols41 #e1jjj4  ,the largely increased  
number of public library buildings      
erected in recent years is a most       
cheering sign of the times4 ,since      
#ahie1 eleven extensive new library     
buildings have been opened3 namely1 the 
,library of ,congress1 the ,boston      
,public ,library1 the ,pratt ,institute 
,library1 ,brooklyn1 the ,columbia      
,university ,library1 ,new ,york1 the   
,princeton1 ,n4 ,j4 ,university         
,library1 the ,hart ,memorial ,library1 
of ,troy1 ,n4 ,y41 the ,carnegie        

,library1 ,pittsburgh1 the ,chicago     
,public ,library1 the ,peoria1 ,ill4    
,public ,library1 the ,kansas ,city1    
,mo4 ,public ,library1 and the ,omaha1  
,neb4 ,public ,library4  ,and there are 
provided for eight more public library  
buildings1 costing more than #ajj1jjj   
each2 namely1 the ,providence1 ,r4 ,i4  
,public ,library1 the ,lynn1 ,mass4     
,public ,library1 the ,fall ,river1     
,mass4 ,public ,library1 the ,newark1   
,n4 ,j4 ,free ,public ,library1 the     
,milwaukee1 ,wis4 ,public ,library and  
,museum1 the ,wisconsin ,state          
,historical ,society ,library1 ,madison1
 the ,new ,york ,public ,library1 and   
the ,jersey ,city ,public ,library4  ,to
 these will be added within the year    
#aijj1 as is confidently expected1 the  
,washington ,city ,public ,library1 the 
gift of ,andrew ,carnegie1 to cost      
#cjj1jjj4  ,no philanthropist can ever  
find a nobler object for his fortune1 or
 a more enduring monument to his memory1
 than the founding of a free public     

library4 ,the year #ahii has witnessed a
 new gift by ,mr4 ,carnegie of a one    
hundred thousand dollar library to      
,atlanta1 the ,capital of ,georgia1 on  
condition that the city will provide a  
site1 and #e1jjj a year for the         
maintenance of the library4 ,cities in  
the east are emulating one another in   
providing public library buildings of   
greater or less cost4 ,if the town      
library cannot have magnificence1 it    
need not have meanness4 ,a competition  
among architects selected to submit     
plans is becoming the favorite method of
 preparing to build4 ,five of the more  
extensive libraries have secured        
competitive plans of late from which to 
select--namely1 the ,new ,york ,public  
,library1 the ,jersey ,city ,public     
,library1 the ,newark ,free ,public     
,library1 the ,lynn ,public ,library1   
and the ,phoebe ,hearst building for the
 ,university of ,california1 which is to
 be planned for a library of #gej1jjj   
volumes4 ,it is gratifying to add that  

in several recent provisions made for   
erecting large and important structures1
 the librarian was made a member of the 
building committee--i4 e41 in the ,new  
,york ,public ,library1 the ,newark     
,free ,public ,library1 and the ,lynn   
,public ,library4     ,,chapter #ag4    
,,library ,,managers ,,or ,,trustees4   
,we now come to consider the management 
of libraries as entrusted to boards of  
directors1 trustees or library managers4
 ,these relations have a most intimate  
bearing upon the foundation1 the        
progress and the consequent success of  
any library4 ,where a liberal           
intelligence and a hearty coperation are
 found in those constituting the library
 board1 the affairs of the institution  
will be managed with the best results4  
,where a narrow-minded and dictatorial  
spirit is manifested1 even by a portion 
of those supervising a public library1  
it will require a large endowment both  
of patience and of tact in the          
librarian1 to accomplish those aims     

which involve the highest usefulness4   
,boards of library trustees vary in     
number1 usually from three to nine or   
more4 ,a board of three or five is found
 in practice more active and efficient  
than a larger number4 ,the zeal and     
responsibility felt is apt to diminish  
in direct proportion to the increased   
numbers of the board4 ,an odd number is 
preferable1 to avoid an equal division  
of opinion upon any question to be      
determined4  ,in town or city libraries1
 the mode of selection of library       
trustees varies much4 ,sometimes the    
mayor appoints the library board1       
sometimes they are chosen by the city   
council1 and sometimes elected by the   
people1 at the annual selection of      
school or municipal officers4 ,the term 
of service 7most usually three years7   
should be so arranged that retirement of
 any members should always leave two at 
least who have had experience on the    
board4 ,library trustees serve without  
salary1 the high honor of so serving the

 public counting for much4  ,the        
librarian is often made secretary of the
 trustees1 and then he keeps the record 
of their transactions4 ,he should never 
be made treasurer of the library funds1 
which would involve labor and           
responsibility incompatible with the    
manifold duties of the superintendent of
 a library4 ,in case of a library       
supported by municipal taxation1 the    
town treasurer may well serve as library
 treasurer also1 or the trustees can    
choose one from their own board4 ,the   
librarian1 however1 should be empowered 
to collect book fines or other dues1 to 
be deposited with the treasurer at      
regular intervals1 and he should have a 
small fund at disposal for such petty   
library expenses as constantly arise4   
,all bills for books and other          
purchases1 and all salaries of persons  
employed in the library should be paid  
by the treasurer4  ,the meetings of the 
trustees should be attended by the      
librarian1 who must always be ready to  

supply all information as to the        
workings of the library1 the needs for  
books1 etc4 ,frequently the trustees    
divide up the business before them1     
appointing sub-committees on book       
selections1 on library finances1 on     
administration1 furnishings1 c41 with a 
view to prompt action4  ,if a library   
receives endowments1 money gifts or     
legacies1 they are held and administered
 by the trustees as a body corporate1   
the same as the funds annually          
appropriated for library maintenance and
 increase4 ,their annual report to the  
council1 or municipal authorities1      
should exhibit the amount of money      
received from all sources in detail1 and
 the amount expended for all purposes1  
in detail2 also1 the number of books    
purchased in the year1 the aggregate of 
volumes in the library1 the number of   
readers1 and other facts of general     
interest4  ,all accounts against the    
library are first audited by the proper 
sub-committee1 and payment ordered by   

the full board1 by order on the         
treasurer4 ,the accounts for all these  
expenditures should be kept by the      
treasurer1 who should inform the        
librarian periodically as to balances4  
,the selection of books for a public    
library is a delicate and responsible   
duty1 involving wider literary and      
scientific knowledge than falls to the  
lot of most trustees of libraries4      
,there are sometimes specially qualified
 professional men or widely read        
scholars on such boards1 whose services 
in recruiting the library are of great  
value4 ,more frequently there are one or
 more men with hobbies1 who would spend 
the library funds much too freely upon a
 class of books of no general interest4 
,thus1 one trustee who plays golf may   
urge the purchase of all the various    
books upon that game1 when one or at    
most two of the best should supply all  
needful demands4 ,another may want to   
add to the library about all the        
published books on the horse2 another1  

who is a physician1 may recommend adding
 a lot of medical books to the          
collection1 utterly useless to the      
general reader4 ,beware of the man who  
has a hobby1 either as librarian or as  
library trustee2 he will aim to expend  
too much money on books which suit his  
own taste1 but which have little general
 utility4 ,two mischiefs result from    
such a course3 the library gets books   
which very few people read1 and its     
funds are diverted from buying many     
books that may be of prime importance4  
,trustees1 although usually1 7at least  
the majority of them7 persons of culture
 and intelligence1 cannot be expected to
 be bibliographers1 nor to be familiar  
with the great range of new books that  
continually pour from the press4 ,they  
have their own business or profession to
 engage them1 and are commonly far too  
busy to study catalogues1 or to follow  
the journals of the publishing world4   
,so these busy men1 charged with the    
oversight of the library interests1 call

 to their aid an expert1 and that expert
 is the librarian4 ,it is his interest  
and his business to know far more than  
they do both of what the library already
 contains1 and what it most needs4 ,it  
is his to peruse the critical journals  
and reviews1 as well as the literary    
notices of the select daily press1 and  
to be prepared to recommend what works  
to purchase4 ,he must always accompany  
his lists of wants with the prices1 or  
at least the approximate cost of each1  
and the aggregate amount4 ,if the       
trustees or book committee think the sum
 too large to be voted at any one time  
from the fund at their disposal1 the    
librarian must know what can best be    
postponed1 as well as what is most      
indispensable for the immediate wants of
 the library4 ,if they object to any    
works on the list1 he should be prepared
 to explain the quality and character of
 those called in question1 and why the  
library1 in his judgment1 should possess
 them4 ,if the list is largely cut down1

 and he considers himself hardly used1  
he should meet the disappointment with  
entire good humor1 and try again when   
the members of the committee are in     
better mood1 or funds in better supply4 
,it is very customary for boards of     
library officers to assume the charge of
 the administration so far as regards   
the library staff1 and to make          
appointments1 promotions or removals at 
their own pleasure4 ,in most libraries1 
however1 this power is exercised mainly 
on the advice or selection of the       
librarian1 his action being confirmed   
when there is no serious objection4 ,in 
still other cases1 the librarian is left
 wholly free to choose the assistants4  
,this is perhaps the course most likely 
to secure efficient service1 since his  
judgment1 if he is a person of tried    
capacity and mature experience1 will    
lead to the selection of the fittest    
candidates1 for the work which he alone 
thoroughly knows4 ,no library trustee   
can put himself fully in the place of a 

librarian1 and see for himself the      
multitude of occasions arising in the   
daily work of the library1 where        
promptness1 tact1 and wide knowledge of 
books will make a success1 and the want 
of any of these qualities a failure4    
,still less can he judge the competency 
or incompetency of one who is to be     
employed in the difficult and exact work
 of cataloguing books4 ,besides1 there  
is always the hazard that trustees1 or  
some of them1 may have personal         
favorites or relatives to prefer1 and   
will use their influence to secure the  
appointment or promotion of utterly     
uninstructed persons1 in place of such  
candidates as are known to the librarian
 to be best qualified4 ,in no case      
should any person be employed without   
full examination as to fitness for      
library work1 conducted either by the   
librarian1 or by a committee of which   
the librarian is a member or chief      
examiner4 ,a probationary trial should  
also follow before final appointment4   

,the power of patronage1 if unchecked by
 this safeguard1 will result in filling 
any library with incompetents1 to the   
serious detriment of the service on     
which its usefulness depends4 ,the      
librarian cannot keep a training school 
for inexperts3 he has no time for this1 
and he indispensably needs and should   
have assistants who are competent to    
their duties1 from their first entrance 
upon them4 ,as he is held responsible   
for all results1 in the conduct of the  
library1 both by the trustees and by the
 public1 he should have the power1 or at
 least the approximate power1 to select 
the means by which those results are to 
be attained4  ,in the ,boston ,public   
,library1 all appointments are made by  
the trustees upon nomination by the     
librarian1 after an examination somewhat
 similar to that of the civil service1  
but by a board of library experts4 ,in  
the ,british ,museum ,library1 the      
selection and promotion of members of   
the staff are passed upon by the        

trustees1 having the recommendation of  
the principal librarian before them4 ,in
 the ,library of ,congress1 appointments
 are made directly by the librarian     
after a probationary trial1 with        
previous examination as to education1   
former experience or employments1       
attainments1 and fitness for library    
service4  ,in smaller libraries1 both in
 this country and abroad1 a great       
diversity of usage prevails4 ,instances 
are rare in which the librarian has the 
uncontrolled power of appointment1      
promotion and removal4 ,the requirement 
of examinations to test the fitness of  
candidates is extending1 and since the  
establishment of five or six permanent  
schools of library science in the       
,united ,states1 with their graduates   
well equipped for library work1 there is
 no longer any excuse for putting       
novices in charge of                    
libraries--institutions where wide      
knowledge and thorough training are more
 indispensable than in any other        

profession whatever4  ,in ,state        
libraries1 no uniformity prevails as to 
control4 ,in some ,states1 the governor 
has the appointment of the librarian1   
while in others1 he is an elective      
officer1 the ,state ,legislature being  
the electors4 ,as governors rarely      
continue in office longer than two or   
three years1 the tenure of a librarian  
under them is precarious1 and a most    
valuable officer may at any time be     
superseded by another who would have to 
learn all that the other knows4 ,the    
result is rarely favorable to the       
efficient administration of the library4
 ,in a business absolutely demanding the
 very largest compass of literary and   
scientific knowledge1 frequent rotation 
in office is clearly out of place4 ,in a
 public or ,state library1 every added  
year of experience adds incalculably to 
the value of a librarian's services1    
provided he is of active habits1 and    
full of zeal to make his acquired       
knowledge constantly useful to those who

 use the library4 ,partizan politics1   
with their frequent changes1 if suffered
 to displace a tried librarian and      
staff1 will be sure to defeat the       
highest usefulness of any library4 ,what
 can a political appointee1 a man       
totally without either library training 
or library experience1 do with the tools
 of which he has never learned the use8 
,it will take him years to learn1 and by
 the time he has learned1 some other    
political party coming uppermost will   
probably displace him1 to make room for 
another novice1 on the principle that to
 the victors belong the spoils of       
office4 ,meanwhile1 the hungry sheep    
look up and are not fed1 as ,milton     
sings--that is1 readers are deprived of 
expert and intelligent guidance4  ,this 
bane of political jobbery has not been  
confined to the libraries of ,states1   
but has invaded the management of many  
city and town libraries also4 ,we have  
yet to learn of any benefit resulting to
 those who use the libraries4  ,in the  

case of a few of the ,state libraries1  
trustees or library commissioners or    
boards of control have been provided by 
law1 but in others1 a joint library     
committee1 composed of members of both  
houses of the ,legislature1 has charge  
of the library interests4 ,this is also 
the case in the ,library of ,congress at
 ,washington1 where three ,senators and 
three ,representatives constitute the   
,joint ,committee of both ,houses of    
,congress on the ,library4 ,the         
membership of this committee1 as of all 
others in ,congress1 is subject to      
change biennially4 ,it has been proposed
 to secure a more permanent and careful 
supervision of this ,national ,library  
by adding to the ,joint ,committee of   
,congress three or more trustees of     
eminent qualifications1 elected by      
,congress1 as the ,regents of the       
,smithsonian ,institution now are1 for a
 longer term of years4 ,the trustees of 
the ,british ,museum are appointed by   
the ,crown1 their tenure of office being

 for life4  ,in several ,states the     
librarian is appointed by the supreme   
court1 as the ,state libraries are      
composed more largely of law books1 than
 of miscellaneous literature1 and       
special knowledge of case law1 and the  
principles of jurisprudence1 is demanded
 of the librarian4  ,where the trustees 
of a public library are elected by the  
people1 they have in their own hands the
 power of choosing men who are far above
 party considerations1 and they should  
exercise it4 ,in no department of life  
is the maxim--the tools to the hands    
that can use them1 more important than  
in the case of librarians and boards of 
managers of libraries4 ,the value of    
skilled labor over the unskilled is     
everywhere recognized in the business of
 the world1 by more certain employment  
and larger compensation3 and why should 
it not be so in libraries8     ,,chapter
 #ah4  ,,library ,,regulations4   ,no   
feature in library administration is    
more important than the regulations     

under which the service of the library  
is conducted4 ,upon their propriety and 
regular enforcement depends very much of
 the utility of the collection4  ,rules 
are of two kinds1 those which concern   
the librarian and assistants1 and those 
which concern the public resorting to   
the library4 ,of the first class are the
 regulations as to hours1 division of   
labor1 leaves or vacations of employees1
 c4 ,the larger the library1 and        
consequently the force employed1 the    
more important is a careful adjustment  
of relative duties1 and of the times and
 seasons to be devoted to them4 ,the    
assignment of work to the various       
assistants will naturally depend upon   
their respective qualifications4 ,those 
who know ,latin1 and two or more of the 
modern languages1 would probably be     
employed upon the catalogue4 ,those who 
are familiar with the range of books    
published1 in literature and science1   
will be best qualified for the service  
of the reading-room1 which involves the 

supply of books and information4 ,in    
direct proportion to the breadth of     
information possessed by any one1 will  
be his usefulness in promptly supplying 
the wants of readers4 ,nothing is so    
satisfactory to students in libraries1  
or to the casual seekers of information 
of any kind1 as to find their wants     
immediately supplied4 ,the reader whom  
an intelligent librarian or assistant   
answers at once is grateful to the whole
 establishment2 while the reader who is 
required to wait ten to twenty minutes  
for what he wants1 becomes impatient and
 sometimes querulous1 or leaves the     
library unsatisfied4  ,one rule of      
service at the library desk or counter  
should be that every assistant there    
employed should deem it his duty to aid 
immediately any one who is waiting1 no  
matter what other concerns may engage   
his attention4 ,in other words1 the one 
primary rule of a public library should 
be that the service of the public is    
always paramount4 ,all other            

considerations should be subordinate to 
that4  ,it is desirable that assistants 
in every library should learn all       
departments of library work1            
cataloguing1 supplying books and        
information1 preparing books for the    
shelves1 etc4 ,this will enable each    
assistant to take the place of another  
in case of absence1 a most important    
point4 ,it will also help to qualify the
 more expert for promotion4  ,a second  
rule for internal administration in any 
library should be that all books are to 
be distributed1 or replaced upon their  
shelves1 daily4 ,if this is not         
systematically done1 the library will   
tend to fall into chaos4 ,and even a    
small number of volumes not in their    
places will embarrass the attendants    
seeking them1 and often deprive readers 
of their use--a thing to be always      
sedulously avoided4  ,in the ,library of
 ,congress1 the replacement of books    
upon the shelves is carried out much    
more frequently than once daily4 ,as    

fast as books come in at the central    
desk by the returns of readers1 they are
 sent back through the book-carriers1 to
 the proper floors1 where the outside   
label-numbers indicate that they belong1
 and replaced by the attendant there on 
their proper shelves4 ,these mechanical 
book-carriers run all day1 by electric  
power1 supplied by a dynamo in the      
basement1 and1 with their endless chain 
and attached boxes constantly revolving1
 they furnish a near approach to        
perpetual motion4 ,thus ,i have seen a  
set of ,macaulay's ,england1 called for 
by ticket from the reading-room1 arrive 
in three minutes from the outlying      
book-repository or iron stack1 several  
hundreds of feet distant on an upper    
floor1 placed on the reader's table1    
referred to1 and returned at once1 then 
placed in the book-carrier by the desk  
attendant1 received back on its proper  
floor1 and distributed to its own shelf 
by the attendant there1 all within half 
an hour after the reader's application4 

,another rule to be observed by the     
reading-room attendants is to examine   
all call-slips1 or readers' tickets1    
remaining uncalled for at the close of  
each day's business1 and see if the     
books on them are present in the        
library4 ,this precaution is demanded by
 the security of the collection1 as well
 as by the good order and arrangement of
 the library4 ,neglect of it may lead to
 losses or misplacements1 which might be
 prevented by careful and unremitting   
observance of this rule4  ,another rule 
of eminent propriety is that librarians 
or assistants are not to read newspapers
 during library hours4 ,when there      
happen to be no readers waiting to be   
helped1 the time should be constantly   
occupied with other library work4 ,there
 is no library large enough to be worthy
 of the name1 that does not have arrears
 of work incessantly waiting to be done4
 ,and while this is the case1 no library
 time should be wasted upon periodicals1
 which should be perused only outside of

 library hours4 ,if one person employed 
in a library reads the newspaper or     
magazine1 the bad example is likely to  
be followed by others4 ,thus serious    
inattention to the wants of readers1 as 
well as neglect of library work         
postponed1 will be sure to follow4  ,a  
fourth rule1 resting upon the same      
reason1 should prevent any long         
sustained gossip or conversation during 
library hours4 ,that time belongs       
explicitly to the public or to the work 
of the library4 ,the rule of silence    
which is enforced upon the public in the
 interest of readers should not be      
broken by the library managers          
themselves4 ,such brief question and    
answer as emergency or the needful      
business of the library requires should 
be conducted in a low tone1 and soon    
ended4 ,library administration is a     
business1 and must be conducted in a    
business way4 ,no library can properly  
be turned into a place of conversation4 
,all differences or disputes between    

attendants as to the work to be done by 
each1 or methods1 or any other question 
leading to dissension1 should be        
promptly and decisively settled by the  
librarian1 and of course cheerfully     
submitted to by all4 ,good order and    
discipline require that there should be 
only one final authority in any library4
 ,controversies are not only unseemly in
 themselves1 but they are               
time-consuming1 and are liable to be    
overheard by readers1 to the prejudice  
of those who engage in them4  ,another  
rule to be observed is to examine all   
books returned1 as carefully as a glance
 through the volume will permit1 to     
detect any missing or started leaves1 or
 injury to bindings4 ,no volume bearing 
marks of dilapidation of any kind should
 be permitted to go back to the shelves1
 or be given to readers1 but placed in a
 bindery reserve for needful repairs4   
,it should hardly be necessary to say   
that all those connected with a public  
library should be carefully observant of

 hours1 and be always in their places1  
unless excused4 ,the discipline of every
 library should be firm in this respect1
 and dilatory or tardy assistants       
brought to regard the rule of prompt and
 regular service4 ,no absence without   
leave should be mentally posted in the  
consciousness and the conscience of     
every one4  ,another rule should limit  
the time for mid-day refreshment1 and so
 arrange it that the various persons    
employed go at different hours4 ,as to  
time employed1 half-an-hour for lunch1  
as allowed in the ,washington           
departments1 is long enough in any      
library4  ,furloughs or vacations should
 be regulated to suit the library       
service1 and not allow several to be    
absent at the same time4 ,as to length  
of vacation time1 few libraries can     
afford the very liberal fashion of      
twelve months wages for eleven months   
work1 as prevalent in the ,washington   
,departments4 ,the average vacation time
 of business houses--about two          

weeks--more nearly corresponds to that  
allowed in the smaller public libraries4
 ,out of #agc libraries reporting in    
#ahic1 #fa allowed four weeks or more   
vacation1 #bg three weeks1 #ed two      
weeks1 and #ca none4 ,but in cases of   
actual illness1 the rule of liberality  
should be followed1 and no deduction of 
wages should follow temporary           
disability4  ,where many library        
attendants are employed1 all should be  
required to enter on a daily record     
sheet or book1 the hour of beginning    
work4 ,then the rule of no absence      
without special leave should be enforced
 as to all during the day4  ,we now come
 to such rules of library administration
 as concern the readers1 or the public4 
,the rule of silence1 or total          
abstinence from loud talking1 should be 
laid down and enforced4 ,this is        
essential for the protection of every   
reader from annoyance or interruption in
 his pursuits4 ,the rule should be      
printed on all readers' tickets1 and it 

is well also to post the word ,,silence1
 in large letters1 in two or more       
conspicuous places in the reading-room4 
,this will give a continual reminder to 
all of what is expected1 and will       
usually prevent any loud conversation4  
,while absolute silence is impossible in
 any public library1 the inquiries and  
answers at the desk can always be made  
in a low and even tone1 which need      
attract no attention from any readers1  
if removed only a few feet distant4 ,as 
there are always persons among readers  
who will talk1 notwithstanding rules1   
they should be checked by a courteous   
reminder from the librarian1 rather than
 from any subordinate4 ,this--for the   
obvious reason that admonition from the 
highest authority carries the greatest  
weight4  ,another rule1 which should    
always be printed on the call-slips1 or 
readers' tickets1 is the requirement to 
return books and receive back their     
tickets always before leaving the       
library4 ,this duty is very commonly    

neglected1 from the utter carelessness  
of many readers1 who do not realize that
 signing their ticket for any book holds
 them responsible for it until it is    
returned4 ,many are unwilling to spend a
 moment's time in waiting for a ticket  
to be returned to them4 ,many will leave
 their books on tables or seats where   
they were reading1 and go away without  
reclaiming their receipts4 ,while       
complete observance of this rule is of  
course hopeless of attainment in a      
country where free and easy manners     
prevail1 every librarian should endeavor
 to secure at least an approximate      
compliance with a rule adopted alike for
 the security and good order of the     
library1 and the efficient service of   
the reader4  ,all readers should be     
privileged to reserve books from day to 
day which they have not completed the   
use of1 and instructed always to give   
notice of such reservation before       
leaving the library4 ,this saves much   
time1 both to the reader and to the     

librarian in sending repeatedly for     
books put away needlessly4  ,in a       
circulating library1 a fixed rule       
limiting the time for which a book may  
be kept1 is essential4 ,this may be from
 three days to two weeks1 according to  
the demand for the book1 but it should  
not exceed the latter period4 ,still1 a 
renewal term may be conceded1 provided  
the book is not otherwise called for4 ,a
 small fine of so much a day for each   
volume kept out beyond the time         
prescribed by the rule1 will often      
secure prompt return1 and is the usage  
in most libraries where books are lent  
out4 ,in the ,boston ,public ,library no
 renewals are allowed4 ,a rule requiring
 the replacement or repair of books     
damaged while in the hands of a reader  
should be printed and enforced4 ,it may 
properly be waived where the damage is  
slight or unavoidable4  ,in public      
circulating libraries1 a rule of        
registration is required1 and in some   
libraries of reference also2 but in the 

,library of ,congress all readers over  
sixteen are admitted without any        
formality or registration whatever4  ,in
 popular libraries1 the need of a       
registry list of those entitled to      
borrow books1 is obvious1 to prevent the
 issue to improper or unauthorized      
persons2 as1 for example1 residents of  
another town1 or persons under the      
prescribed age of admission to library  
privileges4 ,a printed library card     
should be issued to each person         
privileged to draw books2 corresponding 
in number to the page or index-card of  
the library record4 ,each card should   
bear the full name and address of the   
applicant1 and be signed with an        
obligation to obey the rules of the     
library4 ,on this card all books drawn  
may be entered1 always with month and   
day date1 and credited with date of     
return1 the parallel entries being at   
the same time made in the library       
charging record4  ,library cards of     
registration should be issued for a     

limited period1 say twelve months1 in   
order to bring all persons to a         
systematic review of their privilege1   
and should be renewed annually1 so long 
as the holder is entitled to            
registration4 ,no books should be issued
 except to those presenting registration
 cards1 together with a call-slip or    
ticket for the book wanted4  ,another   
rule should fix a limit to the number of
 volumes to be drawn by any reader4 ,two
 volumes out at any one time would be a 
fair limit4 ,if made more to all        
readers1 there is likely to be sometimes
 a scarcity of books to be drawn upon2  
and if a few readers are permitted to   
draw more than others1 the charge of    
undue favoritism will be justified4     
,another rule should be that any        
incivility or neglect on the part of any
 library attendant should be reported to
 the librarian4 ,in such cases1 the     
attendant should always be heard1 before
 any admonition or censure is bestowed4 
,an almost necessary rule in most       

libraries is that no book should be     
taken from the shelves by any person not
 employed in the library4 ,the          
exceptions are of course1 the books     
provided expressly for the free and open
 reference of the readers4  ,another    
essential rule is that no writing or    
marks may be made in any library book or
 periodical2 nor is any turning down of 
leaves permitted4 ,a printed warning is 
important to the effect that any cutting
 or defacing of library books or        
periodicals is a penal offense1 and will
 be prosecuted according to law4  ,the  
regulations for admission to library    
privileges are important4 ,in this      
country the age limitation is more      
liberal than in ,europe4 ,the ,boston   
,public ,library1 for example1 is free  
to all persons over twelve years of age4
 ,in the ,library of ,congress1 the age 
limit is sixteen years or upward1 to    
entitle one to the privileges of a      
reader4 ,in the ,astor ,library1 none   
are admitted under nineteen1 and in the 

,british ,museum ,library none below    
twenty-one years4  ,the hours during    
which the library is open should be     
printed as part of the regulations4     
,all the library rules should be printed
 and furnished to the public4 ,the most 
essential of them1 if carefully         
expressed in few words1 can be grouped  
in a single small sheet1 of #afmo4 size 
or less1 and pasted in the inside cover 
of every book belonging to the library4 
,better still1 7and it will save expense
 in printing7 let the few simple rules1 
in small but legible type1 form a part  
of the book plate1 or library label1    
which goes on the left-hand inner cover 
of each volume4 ,thus every reader will 
have before him1 in daily prominence1   
the regulations which he is to observe1 
and no excuse can be pleaded of         
ignorance of the rules4  ,as no law is  
ever long respected unless it is        
enforced1 so no regulations are likely  
to be observed unless adhered to in     
every library4 ,rules are a most        

essential part of library               
administration1 and it should be a      
primary object of every librarian or    
assistant to see that they are observed 
by all4     ,,chapter #ai4  ,,library   
,,reports ,,and ,,advertising4   ,we now
 come to consider the annual reports of 
librarians4 ,these should be made to the
 trustees or board of library control1  
by whatever name it may be known1 and   
should be addressed to the chairman1 as 
the organ of the board4 ,in the         
preparation of such reports1 two        
conditions are equally                  
essential--conciseness and              
comprehensiveness4 ,every item in the   
administration1 frequentation1 and      
increase of the library should be       
separately treated1 but each should be  
condensed into the smallest compass     
consistent with clear statement4 ,very  
long reports are costly to publish1 and 
moreover1 have small chance of being    
read4 ,in fact1 the wide perusal of any 
report is in direct proportion to its   

brevity4  ,this being premised1 let us  
see what topics the librarian's report  
should deal with4  #a4 ,the progress of 
the library during the year must be     
viewed as most important4 ,a statistical
 statement of accessions1 giving volumes
 of books1 and number of pamphlets      
separately1 added during the year1      
should be followed by a statement of the
 aggregate of volumes and pamphlets in  
the collection4 ,this is ascertained by 
actual count of the books upon the      
shelves1 adding the number of volumes   
charged out1 or in the bindery1 or in   
readers' hands at the time of the       
enumeration4 ,this count is far from a  
difficult or time-consuming affair1 as  
there is a short-hand method of counting
 by which one person can easily arrive  
at the aggregate of a library of        
#ajj1jjj volumes1 in a single day of    
eight to ten hours4 ,this is done by    
counting by twos or threes the rows of  
books as they stand on the shelves1     
passing the finger rapidly along the    

backs1 from left to right and from top  
to bottom of the shelves4 ,as fast as   
one hundred volumes are counted1 simply 
write down a figure one2 then1 at the   
end of the second hundred1 a figure two1
 and so on1 always jotting down one     
figure the more for each hundred books  
counted4 ,the last figure in the        
counter's memorandum will represent the 
number of hundreds of volumes the       
library contains4 ,thus1 if the last    
figure is #ib1 the library has just     
#i1bjj volumes4 ,this rapid1 and at the 
same time accurate method1 by which any 
one of average quickness can easily     
count two hundred volumes a minute1     
saves all counting up by tallies of five
 or ten1 and also all slow additions of 
figures1 since one figure at the end    
multiplied by one hundred1 expresses the
 whole4  #b4 ,any specially noteworthy  
additions to the library should be      
briefly specified4  #c4 ,a list of      
donors of books during the year1 with   
number of volumes given by each1 should 

form part of the report4 ,this may      
properly come at the end as an appendix4
  #d4 ,a brief of the money income of   
the year1 with sources whence derived1  
and of all expenditures1 for books1     
salaries1 contingent expenses1 etc41    
should form a part of the report1 unless
 reported separately by a treasurer of  
the library funds4  #e4 ,the statistics 
of a librarian's report1 if of a lending
 library1 should give the aggregate     
number of volumes circulated during the 
year1 also the number of borrowers      
recorded who have used and who have not 
used the privilege of borrowing4 ,the   
number of volumes used by readers in the
 reference or reading-room department   
should be given1 as well as the         
aggregate of readers4 ,it is usual in   
some library reports to classify the    
books used by readers1 as1 so many in   
history1 poetry1 travels1 natural       
science1 etc41 but this involves labor  
and time quite out of proportion to its 
utility4 ,still1 a comparative statement

 of the aggregate volumes of fiction    
read or drawn out1 as against all other 
books1 may be highly useful as an object
 lesson1 if embodied in the library     
report4  #f4 ,a statement of the actual 
condition of the library1 as to books1  
shelving accommodations1 furniture1     
etc41 with any needful suggestions for  
improvement1 should be included in the  
annual report4  #g4 ,a well-considered  
suggestion of the value of contributions
 to the library in books or funds to    
enrich the collection1 should not be    
overlooked4  #h4 ,the librarian should  
not forget a word of praise for his     
assistants1 in the great and useful work
 of carrying on the library4 ,this will 
tend to excite added zeal to excel1 when
 the subordinates feel that their       
services are appreciated by their head1 
as well as by the public4  ,the         
preparation of an annual report affords 
some test of the librarian's skill and  
judgment4 ,it should aim at plain and   
careful statement1 and all rhetoric     

should be dispensed with4 ,divided into 
proper heads1 a condensed statement of  
facts or suggestions under each should  
be made1 and all repetition avoided4    
,such a library report should never fail
 to set forth the great benefit to the  
community which a free use of its       
treasures implies1 while urging the     
importance of building up the           
collection1 through liberal gifts of    
books1 periodicals1 or money1 thus      
enabling it to answer the wants of      
readers more fully1 year by year4 ,it   
will sometimes be a wise suggestion to  
be made in a librarian's report1 that   
the library still lacks some specially  
important work1 such as ,larned's       
,history for ,ready ,reference1 or the  
extensive ,dictionary of ,national      
,biography1 or ,brunet's ,manuel du     
,libraire1 or a set of ,congressional   
,debates from the beginning2 and such a 
suggestion may often bear fruit in      
leading some public-spirited citizen to 
supply the want by a timely             

contribution4  ,of course1 the annual   
report of every public library should be
 printed1 and as pamphlets are seldom   
read1 and tend rapidly to disappear1 its
 publication in the newspapers is vastly
 more important than in any other form4 
,while a pamphlet report may reach a few
 people1 the newspaper reaches nearly   
all2 and as a means of diffusing        
information in any community1 it stands 
absolutely without rival4 ,whether the  
library reports shall be printed in     
pamphlet form or not is a matter of     
expediency1 to be determined by the     
managing board4 ,funds are rarely ample 
enough1 in the smaller town libraries1  
to justify the expense1 in view of the  
small circulation which such reports    
receive1 and it is much better to put   
the money into printing library         
catalogues1 which every body needs and  
will use1 than into library reports1    
which comparatively few will make any   
use of4 ,a judicious compromise may be  
usefully made1 by inducing some         

newspaper1 which would print a liberal  
share of the report free of charge1 as  
news1 for public information1 to put the
 whole in type and strike off a few     
hundred copies in sheet form or pages1  
at a moderate charge4  ,this would      
enable the library officers to          
distribute a goodly number1 and to keep 
copies of each annual report for        
reference1 without the expense of a     
pamphlet edition4  ,in some of the      
larger and more enterprising of city    
libraries1 reports are made quarterly or
 monthly by the librarian4 ,these of    
course are much more nearly up to date1 
and if they publish lists of books added
 to the library1 they are               
correspondingly useful4 ,frequently they
 contain special bibliographies of books
 on certain subjects4 ,among these1 the 
monthly bulletins of the ,boston ,public
 ,library1 ,harvard ,university         
,library1 ,new ,york ,public ,library1  
,salem1 ,mass41 ,public ,library1 and   
the ,providence ,public ,library are    

specially numerous and important4  ,the 
relations of a public library to the    
local press of the city or town where it
 is situated will now be noticed4 ,it is
 the interest of the librarian to extend
 the usefulness of the library by every 
means2 and the most effective means is  
to make it widely known4 ,in every place
 are found many who are quite ignorant  
of the stores of knowledge which lie at 
their doors in the free library4 ,and   
among those who do know it and resort to
 it1 are many who need to have their    
interest and attention aroused by       
frequent notices as to its progress1    
recent additions to its stores1 etc4    
,the more often the library is brought  
before the public by the press1 the more
 interest will be taken in it by the    
community for whose information it      
exists4  ,it is of the utmost importance
 that the library conductors should have
 the active good will of all the        
newspaper editors in its vicinity4 ,this
 will be acquired both by aiding them in

 all researches which the daily or      
frequent wants of their profession      
render necessary2 and also1 by giving   
them freely and often items of          
intelligence about the library for      
publication4 ,enterprising journals are 
perpetually on the hunt for new and     
varied matter to fill their columns4    
,they send their reporters to the       
library to make a story1 as it is       
called1 out of something in it or about 
it4 ,these reporters are very seldom    
persons versed in books1 or able to     
write understandingly or attractively   
about them4 ,left to themselves to      
construct a story out of a half hour's  
conversation with the librarian1 the    
chances are that an article will be     
produced which contains nearly as many  
errors as matters of fact1 with the     
names of authors or the titles of their 
books mis-spelled or altered1 and with  
matters manufactured out of the         
reporter's fancy which formed no part of
 the interview1 while what did form     

important features in it are perhaps    
omitted4 ,the remedy1 or rather the     
preventive of such inadequate reports of
 what the librarian would say to the    
public is to become his own reporter4   
,the papers will willingly take for     
publication short library notes1 as they
 may be called1 containing information  
about the library or its books1         
carefully type-written4 ,this course at 
once secures accurate and authentic     
statements1 and saves the time of the   
press reporters for other work4  ,bear  
in mind always that the main object of  
such library notices is to attract      
attention1 and encourage people to use  
the library4 ,thus there should be      
sought frequent opportunities of        
advertising the library by this best of 
all possible means1 because it is the   
one which reaches the largest number4   
,to do it well requires some skill and  
practice1 and to do it often is quite as
 essential as to do it well4 ,keep the  
library continually before the public4  

,what are the business houses which are 
most thronged with customers8 ,they are 
those that advertise most persistently  
and attractively4 ,so with the library2 
it will be more and more resorted to1 in
 proportion as it keeps its name and its
 riches before the public eye4  ,a      
certain timeliness in these library     
notices should be cultivated4 ,the      
papers are eager to get anything that   
illustrates what is uppermost in the    
public mind4 ,if a local fair is in     
progress or preparing1 give them a list 
of the best books the library has in    
that field2 the history of the          
,philadelphia ,exposition1 the ,chicago 
,world's ,fair1 the ,paris ,expositions1
 c4 ,on another day1 set forth the books
 on manufactures1 horses1 cattle1       
domestic animals1 decorative art1 c4 ,if
 there is a poultry exhibition1 or a dog
 show1 call public attention to the     
books on poultry or dogs4 ,if an art    
exhibition1 bring forward the titles of 
books on painting1 sculpture1 drawing1  

and the history of art1 ancient and     
modern4  ,if some great man has died1 as
 ,bismarck or ,gladstone1 give the      
titles of any biographies or books about
 him1 adding even references to notable 
magazine articles that have appeared4   
,when the summer vacation is coming     
around1 advertise your best books of    
travel1 of summer resorts1 of ocean     
voyages1 of yachting1 camping1 fishing  
and shooting1 golf and other out-door   
games1 etc4 ,if there is a ,presidential
 campaign raging1 make known the        
library's riches in political science1  
the history of administrations1 and of  
nominating conventions1 lives of the    
,presidents1 books on elections1 etc4   
,if an international dispute or         
complication is on foot1 publish the    
titles of your books on international   
law1 and those on the history or        
resources of the country or countries   
involved2 and when a war is in progress1
 books on military science1 campaigns1  
battles1 sieges1 and the history of the 

contending nations will be timely and   
interesting4  ,whatever you do in this  
direction1 make it short and attractive4
 ,organize your material1 describe a    
specially interesting work by a         
reference to its style1 or its          
illustrations1 or its reputation1 etc4  
,distribute your library notes          
impartially2 that is1 if several papers 
are published1 be careful not to slight 
any of them4 ,find out the proper days  
to suit their want of matter1 and never 
send in your notes when the paper is    
overcrowded4 ,always read a proof-slip  
of each article2 time spent in going to 
a newspaper office to correct proof is  
well spent1 for misprints always await  
the unwary who trusts to the accuracy of
 types4  ,if the library acquires any   
extensive or notable book1 whether old  
or new1 do not fail to make it known    
through the press4 ,if any citizen gives
 a number of volumes to the library1 let
 his good deeds have an appreciative    
notice1 that others may go and do       

likewise4  ,another feature of library  
advertising is the publication in the   
press of the titles of new books added  
to the library4 ,as this is merely      
catalogue printing1 however abbreviated 
in form the titles may be1 it will      
usually 7and very properly7 be charged  
for by the newspapers4 ,but it will pay1
 in the direction of inducing a much    
larger use of the library1 and as the   
sole object of the institution is to    
contribute to public intelligence1 it   
becomes library managers not to spare   
any expense so conducive to that result4
     ,,chapter #bj4  ,,the ,,formation  
,,of ,,libraries4   ,in the widely      
extended and growing public interest in 
libraries for the people1 and in the    
ever increasing gatherings of books by  
private collectors1 ,i may be pardoned  
for some suggestions pertaining         
specially to the formation of libraries4
 ,i do not refer to the selection of    
books1 which is treated in the first    
chapter1 nor to the housing and care of 

libraries1 but to some important points 
involved in organizing the foundation1  
so to speak1 of a library4  ,the        
problem1 of course1 is a widely         
different one for the private collector 
of an individual or family library1 and 
for the organizers of a public one4 ,but
 in either case1 it is important1 first 
of all1 to have a clearly defined and   
well considered plan4 ,without this1    
costly mistakes are apt to be made1 and 
time1 energy and money wasted1 all of   
which might be saved by seeing the end  
from the beginning1 and planning        
accordingly4  ,let us suppose that a    
resident in a community which has never 
enjoyed the benefit of a circulating    
library conceives the idea of using     
every means to secure one4 ,the first   
question that arises is1 what are those 
means8 ,if the ,state in which his      
residence lies has a ,library law1      
empowering any town or city to raise    
money by taxation for founding and      
maintaining a free library1 the way is  

apparently easy1 at first sight4 ,but   
here comes in the problem--can the      
requisite authority to lay the tax be   
secured8 ,this may involve difficulties 
unforeseen at first4 ,if there is a city
 charter1 does it empower the municipal 
authorities 7city council or aldermen7  
to levy such a tax8 ,if not1 then appeal
 must be made to a popular vote1 at some
 election of municipal officers1 at     
which the ballots for or against a      
,library tax should determine the       
question4 ,this will at once involve a  
campaign of education1 in which should  
be enlisted 7#a7 ,the editors of all the
 local papers4 7#b7 ,the local          
clergymen1 lawyers and physicians4 7#c7 
,all literary men and citizens of wealth
 or influence in the community4 7#d7    
,all teachers in the public schools and 
other institutions of learning4 7#e7    
,the members of the city or town        
government4 ,these last will be apt to  
feel any impulse of public sentiment    
more keenly than their own individual   

opinions on the subject4 ,in any case1  
the public-spirited man who originates  
the movement should enlist as many able 
coadjutors as he can4 ,if he is not     
himself gifted with a ready tongue1 he  
should persuade some others who are     
ready and eloquent talkers to take up   
the cause1 and should inspire them with 
his own zeal4 ,a public meeting should  
be called1 after a goodly number of     
well-known and influential people are   
enlisted 7not before7 and addresses     
should be made1 setting forth the great 
advantage of a free library to every    
family4 ,its value to educate the       
people1 to furnish entertainment that   
will go far to supplant idleness and    
intemperance1 to help on the work of the
 public schools1 and to elevate the     
taste1 improve the morals1 quicken the  
intellect and employ the leisure hours  
of all1 should be set forth4  ,with all 
these means of persuasion constantly in 
exercise1 and unremitting diligence in  
pushing the good cause through the press

 and by every private opportunity1 up to
 the very day of the election1 the      
chances are heavily in favor of passing 
the library measure by a good majority4 
,it must be a truly ,boeotian community1
 far gone in stupidity or something     
worse1 which would so stand in its own  
light as to vote down a measure         
conducing in the highest degree to the  
public intelligence4 ,but even should it
 be defeated1 its advocates should never
 be discouraged4 ,like all other reforms
 or improvements1 its progress may be   
slow at first1 but it is none the less  
sure to win in the end4 ,one defeat has 
often led to a more complete victory    
when the conflict is renewed4 ,the      
beaten party gathers wisdom by          
experience1 finds out any weakness      
existing in its ranks or its management1
 and becomes sensible where its greatest
 strength should be put forth in a      
renewal of the contest4 ,the promoters  
of the measure should at once begin a   
fresh agitation4 ,they should pledge    

every friend of the library scheme to   
stand by it himself1 and to secure at   
least one new convert to the cause4 ,and
 the chances are that it will be carried
 triumphantly through at the next trial1
 or1 if not then1 at least within no    
long time4  ,but we should consider also
 the case of those communities where no 
,state ,library law exists4 ,these are  
unhappily not a few2 and it is a        
remarkable fact that even so old1 and   
rich1 and well-developed a ,state as    
,pennsylvania had no such provision for 
public enlightenment until within three 
years4 ,in the absence of a law         
empowering local governments or voters  
to lay a tax for such a purpose1 the    
most obvious way of founding a library  
is by local subscription4 ,this is of   
course a less desirable method than one 
by which all citizens should contribute 
to the object in proportion to their    
means4 ,but it is better to avail of the
 means that exist in any place than to  
wait an indefinite period for a ,state  

,legislature to be educated up to the   
point of passing measures which would   
render the formation of libraries easy  
in all places4  ,let the experiment be  
tried of founding a library by          
individual effort and concert4 ,with    
only two or three zealous and active    
promoters1 even such a plan can be      
carried into successful operation in    
almost any community4 ,a canvass should 
be made from house to house1 with a     
short prospectus or agreement drawn up1 
pledging the subscribers to give a      
certain sum toward the foundation of a  
library4 ,if a few residents with large 
property can be induced to head the list
 with liberal subscriptions1 it will aid
 much in securing confidence in the     
success of the movement1 and inducing   
others to subscribe4 ,no contributions1 
however small1 should fail to be        
welcomed1 since they stand for a wider  
interest in the object4 ,after a        
thorough canvass of the residents of the
 place1 a meeting of those subscribing  

should be called1 and a statement put   
before them of the amount subscribed4   
,then an executive committee1 say of    
three or five members1 should be chosen 
to take charge of the enterprise4 ,this 
committee should appoint a chairman1 a  
secretary1 and a treasurer1 the latter  
to receive and disburse the funds       
subscribed4 ,the chairman should call   
and preside at meetings of the          
committee1 of which the secretary should
 record the proceedings in a book kept  
for the purpose4  ,the first business of
 the ,library committee should be to    
confer and determine upon the ways and  
means of organizing the library4 ,this  
involves a selection of books suitable  
for a beginning1 a place of deposit for 
them1 and a custodian or librarian to   
catalogue them and keep the record of   
the books drawn out and returned4       
,usually1 a room can be had for library 
purposes in some public building or     
private house1 centrally located1       
without other expense than that of      

warming and lighting4 ,the services of a
 librarian1 too1 can often be secured by
 competent volunteer aid1 there being   
usually highly intelligent persons with 
sufficient leisure to give their time   
for the common benefit1 or to share that
 duty with others1 thus saving all the  
funds for books to enrich the library4  
,the chief trouble likely to be         
encountered by a ,library committee will
 lie in the selection of books to form  
the nucleus or starting point of the    
collection4 ,without repeating anything 
heretofore suggested1 it may be said    
that great care should be taken to have 
books known to be excellent1 both       
interesting in substance and attractive 
in style4 ,to so apportion the moderate 
amount of money at disposal as to give  
variety and interest to the collection1 
and attract readers from the start1 is a
 problem requiring good judgment for its
 solution4 ,much depends upon the extent
 of the fund1 but even with so small a  
sum as two or three hundred dollars1 a  

collection of the very best historians1 
poets1 essayists1 travellers and        
voyagers1 scientists1 and novelists can 
be brought together1 which will furnish 
a range of entertaining and instructive 
reading for several hundred borrowers4  
,the costlier encyclopaedias and works  
of reference might be waited for until  
funds are recruited by a library fair1  
or lectures1 or amateur concerts1 plays1
 or other evening entertainments4       
,another way of recruiting the library  
which has often proved fruitful is to   
solicit contributions of books and      
magazines from families and individuals 
in the vicinity4 ,this should be        
undertaken systematically some time     
after the subscriptions in money have   
been gathered in4 ,it is not good policy
 to aim at such donations at the outset1
 since many might make them an excuse   
for not subscribing to the fund for     
founding the library1 which it is to the
 interest of all to make as large as    
possible4 ,but when once successfully   

established1 appeals for books and      
periodicals will surely add largely to  
the collection1 and although many of    
such accessions may be duplicates1 they 
will none the less enlarge the          
facilities for supplying the demands of 
readers4 ,families who have read through
 all or nearly all the books they       
possess will gladly bestow them for so  
useful a purpose1 especially when       
assured of reaping reciprocal benefit by
 the opportunity of freely perusing a   
great variety of choice books1 new and  
old1 which they have never read4        
,sometimes1 too1 a public-spirited      
citizen1 when advised of the lack of a  
good cyclopaedia1 or of the latest      
extensive dictionary1 or collective     
biography1 in the library1 will be happy
 to supply it1 thereby winning the      
gratitude and good will of all who      
frequent the library4 ,all donations    
should have inserted in them a neat     
book-plate1 with the name of the donor  
inscribed1 in connection with the name  

of the ,library4  ,many a useful library
 of circulation has been started with a 
beginning of fifty to a hundred volumes1
 and the little acorn of learning thus  
planted has grown up in the course of   
years to a great tree1 full of fruitful 
and wide-spreading branches4            
,,chapter #ba4  ,,classification4   ,if 
there is any subject which1 more than   
all others1 divides opinion and provokes
 endless controversy among librarians   
and scholars1 it is the proper          
classification of books4 ,from the      
beginning of literature this has been a 
well-nigh insoluble problem4 ,treatise  
after treatise has been written upon it1
 system has been piled upon system1     
learned men have theorised and wrangled 
about it all their lives1 and successive
 generations have dropped into their    
graves1 leaving the vexed question as   
unsettled as ever4 ,every now and then a
 body of savans or a convention of      
librarians wrestles with it1 and perhaps
 votes upon it1      ,and by decision   

more embroils the fray  since the       
dissatisfied minority1 nearly as        
numerous and quite as obstinate as the  
majority1 always refuses to be bound by 
it4 ,no sooner does some sapient        
librarian1 with the sublime confidence  
of conviction1 get his classification   
house of cards constructed to his mind1 
and stands rapt in admiration before it1
 when there comes along some wise man of
 the east1 and demolishes the fair      
edifice at a blow1 while the architect  
stands by with a melancholy smile1 and  
sees all his household gods lying       
shivered around him4  ,meanwhile1       
systems of classification keep on       
growing1 until1 instead of the          
thirty-two systems so elaborately       
described in ,edwards's ,memoirs of     
,libraries1 we have almost as many as   
there are libraries1 if the endless     
modifications of them are taken into    
account4 ,in fact1 one begins to realise
 that the schemes for the classification
 of knowledge are becoming so numerous1 

that a classification of the systems    
themselves has fairly become a          
desideratum4 ,the youthful neophyte1 who
 is struggling after an education in    
library science1 and thinks perhaps that
 it is or should be an exact science1 is
 bewildered by the multitude of         
counsellors1 gets a head-ache over their
 conflicting systems1 and adds to it a  
heart-ache1 perhaps1 over the           
animosities and sarcasms which divide   
the warring schools of opinion4         
,perhaps there would be less trouble    
about classification1 if the            
system-mongers would consent to admit at
 the outset that no infallible system is
 possible1 and would endeavor1 amid all 
their other learning1 to learn a little 
of the saving grace of modesty4 ,a      
writer upon this subject has well       
observed that there is no man who can   
work out a scheme of classification that
 will satisfy permanently even himself4 
,much less should he expect that others1
 all having their favorite ideas and    

systems1 should be satisfied with his4  
,as there is no royal road to learning1 
so there can be none to classification2 
and we democratic republicans1 who stand
 upon the threshold of the twentieth    
century1 may rest satisfied that in the 
,republic of ,letters no autocrat can be
 allowed4  ,the chief difficulty with   
most systems for distributing the books 
in a library appears to lie in the      
attempt to apply scientific minuteness  
in a region where it is largely         
inapplicable4 ,one can divide and       
sub-divide the literature of any science
 indefinitely1 in a list of subjects1   
but such exhaustive sub-divisions can   
never be made among the books on the    
shelves4 ,here1 for example1 is a       
,treatise on diseases of the heart and  
lungs4 ,this falls naturally into its   
two places in the subject catalogue1 the
 one under ,heart1 and the second under 
,lungs2 but the attempt to classify it  
on the shelves must fail1 as regards    
half its contents4 ,you cannot tear the 

book to pieces to satisfy logical       
classification4 ,thousands of similar   
cases will occur1 where the same book   
treats of several subjects4 ,nearly all 
periodicals and transactions of         
societies of every kind refuse to be    
classified1 though they can be          
catalogued perfectly on paper by        
analysing their contents4 ,to bring all 
the resources of the library on any     
subject together on the shelves is      
clearly impossible4 ,they must be       
assembled for readers from various      
sections of the library1 where the rule 
of analogy or of superior convenience   
has placed them4  ,what is termed close 
classification1 it will be found1 fails 
by attempting too much4 ,one of the     
chief obstacles to its general use is   
that it involves a too complicated      
notation4 ,the many letters and figures 
that indicate position on the shelves   
are difficult to remember in the direct 
ratio of their number4 ,the more minute 
the classification1 the more signs of   

location are required4 ,when they become
 very numerous1 in any system of        
classification1 the system breaks down  
by its own weight4 ,library attendants  
consume an undue amount of time in      
learning it1 and library cataloguers and
 classifiers in affixing the requisite  
signs of designation to the labels1 the 
shelves1 and the catalogues4 ,memory1   
too1 is unduly taxed to apply the       
system4 ,while a superior memory may be 
found equal to any task imposed upon it1
 average memories are not so fortunate4 
,the expert librarian1 in whose         
accomplished head the whole world of    
science and literature lies cordinated1 
so that he can apply his classification 
unerringly to all the books in a vast   
library1 must not presume that unskilled
 assistants can do the same4  ,one of   
the mistakes made by the positivists in 
classification is the claim that their  
favorite system can be applied to all   
libraries alike4 ,that this is a fallacy
 may be seen in an example or two4 ,take

 the case of a large and comprehensive  
,botanical library1 in which an exact   
scientific distribution of the books may
 and should be made4 ,it is classified  
not only in the grand divisions1 such as
 scientific and economic botany1 etc41  
but a close analytical treatment is     
extended over the whole vegetable       
kingdom4 ,books treating of every plant 
are relegated to their appropriate      
classes1 genera1 and species1 until the 
whole library is organised on a strictly
 scientific basis4 ,but in the case1    
even of what are called large libraries1
 so minute a classification would be not
 only unnecessary1 but even obstructive 
to prompt service of the books4 ,and the
 average town library1 containing only a
 shelf or two of botanical works1       
clearly has no use for such a           
classification4 ,the attempt to impose a
 universal law upon library arrangement1
 while the conditions of the collections
 are endlessly varied1 is foredoomed to 
failure4  ,the object of classification 

is to bring order out of confusion1 and 
to arrange the great mass of books in   
science and literature of which every   
library is composed1 so that those on   
related subjects should be as nearly as 
possible brought together4 ,let us      
suppose a collection of some hundred    
thousand volumes1 in all branches of    
human knowledge1 thrown together without
 any classification or catalogue1 on the
 tables1 the shelves1 and the floor of  
an extensive reading-room4 ,suppose also
 an assemblage of scholars and other    
readers1 ready and anxious to avail     
themselves of these literary treasures1 
this immense library without a key4     
,each wants some certain book1 by some  
author whose name he knows1 or upon some
 subject upon which he seeks to inform  
himself4 ,but how vain and hopeless the 
effort to go through all this chaos of  
learning1 to find the one volume which  
he needs6 ,this illustration points the 
prime necessity of classification of    
some kind1 before a collection of books 

can be used in an available way4  ,then 
comes in the skilled bibliographer1 to  
convert this chaos into a cosmos1 to    
illumine this darkness with the light of
 science4 ,he distributes the whole     
mass1 volume by volume1 into a few great
 distinct classes2 he creates families  
or sub-divisions in every class2 he     
assembles together in groups all that   
treat of the same subject1 or any of its
 branches2 and thus the entire scattered
 multitude of volumes is at length      
cordinated into a clear and systematic  
collection1 ready for use in every      
department4 ,a great library is like a  
great army3 when unorganized1 your army 
is a mere undisciplined mob3 but divide 
and sub-divide it into army corps1      
divisions1 brigades1 regiments1 and     
companies1 and you can put your finger  
upon every man4  ,to make this complete 
organization of a library successful1   
one must have an organising mind1 a wide
 acquaintance with literature1 history1 
and the outlines1 at least1 of all the  

sciences2 a knowledge of the ancient and
 of various modern languages2 a quick   
intuition1 a ripe judgment1 a cultivated
 taste1 a retentive memory1 and a       
patience and perseverance that are      
inexhaustible4  ,even were all these    
qualities possessed1 there will be in   
the arrangement elements of discord and 
of a failure4 ,a multitude of uncertain 
points in classification1 and many      
exceptions will arise2 and these must of
 necessity be settled arbitrarily4 ,the 
more conversant one becomes with systems
 of classification1 when reduced to     
practice1 the more he becomes assured   
that a perfect bibliographical system is
 impossible4  ,every system of          
classification must find its application
 fraught with doubts1 complications1 and
 difficulties2 but the wise             
bibliographer will not pause in his work
 to resolve all these insoluble         
problems2 he will classify the book in  
hand according to his best judgment at  
the moment it comes before him4 ,he can 

no more afford to spend time over       
intricate questions of the preponderance
 of this1 that1 or the other subject in 
a book1 than a man about to walk to a   
certain place can afford to debate      
whether he shall put his right foot     
forward or his left4 ,the one thing     
needful is to go forward4  ,referring to
 the chapter on bibliography for other  
details1 ,i may here say that the       
,french claim to have reached a highly  
practical system of classification in   
that set forth in ,j4 ,c4 ,brunet's     
,manuel du ,libraire4 ,this is now      
generally used in the arrangement of    
collections of books in ,france1 with   
some modifications1 and the book trade  
find it so well adapted to their wants1 
that classified sale and auction        
catalogues are mostly arranged on that  
system4 ,it has only five grand         
divisions3 ,theology1 ,law1 ,arts and   
,sciences1 ,belles-lettres1 and         
,history4 ,each of these classes has    
numerous sub-divisions4 ,for example1   

geography and voyages and travels form a
 division of history1 between the       
philosophy of history and chronology1   
etc4  ,the classification in use in the 
,bibliothque nationale of ,france places
 ,theology first1 followed by ,law1     
,history1 ,philosophy and               
,belles-lettres4 ,the grand division of 
,philosophy includes all which is       
classified under ,arts and ,sciences in 
the system of ,brunet4  ,in the ,library
 of the ,british ,museum the            
classification starts with ,theology1   
followed by #b4 ,jurisprudence2 #c4     
,natural ,history 7including ,botany1   
,geology1 ,zology1 and ,medicine72 #d4  
,art 7including ,archaeology1 ,fine     
,arts1 ,architecture1 ,music1 and       
,useful ,arts72 #e4 ,philosophy         
7including ,politics1 ,economics1       
,sociology1 ,education1 ,ethics1        
,metaphysics1 ,mathematics1 ,military   
and ,naval ,science1 and ,chemistry72   
#f4 ,history 7including ,heraldry and   
,genealogy72 #g4 ,geography 7including  

,ethnology72 #h4 ,biography 7including  
,epistles72 #i4 ,belles-lettres         
7including ,poetry1 ,drama1 ,rhetoric1  
,criticism1 ,bibliography1 ,collected   
,works1 ,encyclopaedias1 ,speeches1     
,proverbs1 ,anecdotes1 ,satirical and   
facetious works1 ,essays1 ,folklore and 
,fiction72 #aj4 ,philology4             
,sub-divisions by countries are         
introduced in nearly all the classes4   
,in the ,library of ,congress the       
classification was originally based upon
 ,lord ,bacon's scheme for the division 
of knowledge into three great classes1  
according to the faculty of the mind    
employed in each4 #a4 ,history 7based   
upon memory72 #b4 ,philosophy 7based    
upon reason72 #c4 ,poetry 7based upon   
imagination74 ,this scheme was much     
better adapted to a classification of   
ideas than of books4 ,its failure to    
answer the ends of a practical          
classification of the library led to    
radical modifications of the plan1 as   
applied to the books on the shelves1 for

 reasons of logical arrangement1 as well
 as of convenience4 ,a more thorough and
 systematic re-arrangement is now in    
progress4  ,mr4 ,c4 ,a4 ,cutter has     
devised a system of ,expansive          
classification1 now widely used in      
,american libraries4 ,in this1 the      
classes are each indicated by a single  
letter1 followed by numbers representing
 divisions by countries1 and these in   
turn by letters indicating sub-divisions
 by subjects1 etc4 ,it is claimed that  
this method is not a rigid unchangeable 
system1 but adaptable in a high degree1 
and capable of modification to suit the 
special wants of any library4 ,in it the
 whole range of literature and science  
is divided into several grand classes1  
which1 with their sub-classes1 are      
indicated by the twenty-six letters of  
the alphabet4 ,thus ,class ,a embraces  
,generalia2 ,b to ,d1 ,spiritual        
sciences 7including philosophy and      
religion72 ,e to ,g1 ,historical        
sciences 7including1 besides history and

 biography1 geography and travels72 ,h  
to ,k1 ,social sciences 7including law  
and political science and economics72 ,l
 to ,p1 ,natural sciences2 ,q1          
,medicine2 and ,r to ,z1 ,arts          
7including not only mechanical1         
recreative and fine arts1 but music1    
languages1 literature1 and              
bibliography74  ,the sub-divisions of   
these principal classes are arranged    
with progressive fullness1 to suit      
smaller or larger libraries4 ,thus1 the 
first classification provides only      
eleven classes1 suited to very small    
libraries3 the second is expanded to    
fifteen classes1 the third to thirty    
classes1 and so on up to the seventh or 
final one1 designed to provide for the  
arrangement of the very largest         
libraries4  ,this is the most elaborate 
and far-reaching library classification 
yet put forth1 claiming superior        
clearness1 flexibility1 brevity of      
notation1 logical cordination1 etc41    
while objections have been freely made  

to it on the score of over-refinement   
and aiming at the unattainable4  ,what  
is known as the decimal or the ,dewey   
system of classification was originally 
suggested by ,mr4 ,n4 ,b4 ,shurtleff's  
,decimal system for the arrangement and 
administration of libraries1 published  
at ,boston in #ahef4 ,but in its present
 form it has been developed by ,mr4     
,melvil ,dewey into a most ingenious    
scheme for distributing the whole vast  
range of human knowledge into ten       
classes1 marked from #j to #i1 each of  
which sub-divides into exactly ten      
sub-classes1 all divisible in their turn
 into ten minor divisions1 and so on    
until the material in hand1 or the      
ingenuity of the classifier is          
exhausted4 ,the notation of the books on
 the shelves corresponds to these       
divisions and sub-divisions4 ,the claims
 of this system1 which has been quite   
extensively followed in the smaller     
,american libraries1 and in many        
,european ones1 are economy1 simplicity1

 brevity of notation1 expansibility1    
unchanging call-numbers1 etc4 ,it has   
been criticised as too mechanical1 as   
illogical in arrangement of classes1 as 
presenting many incongruities in its    
divisions1 as procrustean1 as wholly    
inadequate in its classification of     
jurisprudence1 etc4 ,it is partially    
used by librarians who have had to      
introduce radical changes in portions of
 the classification1 and in fact it is  
understood that the classification has  
been very largely made over both in     
,amherst ,college library and in that of
 ,columbia ,university1 ,n4 ,y41 where  
it was fully established4  ,this only   
adds to the cumulative proofs that      
library classification cannot be made an
 exact science1 but is in its nature    
indefinitely progressive and improvable4
 ,its main object is not to classify    
knowledge1 but books4 ,there being      
multitudes of books that do not belong  
absolutely to any one class1 all        
classification of them is necessarily a 

compromise4 ,nearly all the             
classification schemers have made over  
their schemes--some of them many times4 
,i am not arguing against               
classification1 which is essential to   
the practical utility of any library4   
,an imperfect classification is much    
better than none3 but the tendency to   
erect classification into a fetish1 and 
to lay down cast-iron rules for it1     
should be guarded against4 ,in any      
library1 reasons of convenience must    
often prevail over logical arrangement2 
and he who spends time due to prompt    
library service in worrying over errors 
in a catalogue1 or vexing his soul at a 
faulty classification1 is as mistaken as
 those fussy individuals who fancy that 
they are personally responsible for the 
obliquity of the earth's axis4  ,it may 
be added that in the ,american ,library 
,association's ,catalogue of #e1jjj     
books for a popular library1            
,washington1 #ahic1 the classification  
is given both on the ,dewey 7,decimal7  

system1 and on the ,cutter expansive    
system1 so that all may take their      
choice4  ,the fixed location system of  
arrangement1 by which every book is     
assigned by its number to one definite  
shelf1 is objectionable as preventing   
accessions from being placed with their 
cognate books4 ,this is of such cardinal
 importance in every library1 that a    
more elastic system of some kind should 
be adopted1 to save continual           
re-numbering4 ,no system which makes    
mere arithmetical progression a         
substitute for intrinsic qualities can  
long prove satisfactory4  ,the relative 
or movable location on shelves is now   
more generally adopted than the old plan
 of numbering every shelf and assigning 
a fixed location to every volume on that
 shelf4 ,the book-marks1 if designating 
simply the relative order of the        
volumes1 permit the books to be moved   
along1 as accessions come in1 from shelf
 to shelf1 as the latter become crowded4
 ,this does not derange the numbers1    

since the order of succession is        
observed4  ,for small town libraries no 
elaborate system of classification can  
properly be attempted4 ,here1 the most  
convenient grouping is apt to prove the 
best1 because books are most readily    
found by it4 ,mr4 ,w4 ,i4 ,fletcher has 
outlined a scheme for libraries of      
#aj1jjj volumes or less1 as follows3    
,a4 ,fiction 7appended1 ,j4 ,juvenile   
books72 ,b4 ,english and ,american      
literature2 ,c4 ,history2 ,d4           
,biography2 ,e4 ,travels2 ,f4 ,science2 
,g4 ,useful arts2 ,h4 ,fine and         
recreative arts2 ,i4 ,political and     
social science2 ,k4 ,philosophy and     
religion2 ,l4 ,works on language and in 
foreign languages2 ,r4 ,reference books4
  ,numerous sub-divisions would be      
required to make such a scheme 7or      
indeed any other7 fit any collection of 
books4  ,in arranging the main classes1 
care should be taken to bring those most
 drawn upon near to the delivery desk1  
or charging system of the library4  ,the

 alphabet is usefully applied in the    
arrangement of several of the great     
classes of books1 and in many           
sub-divisions of other classes4 ,thus1  
all ,english and ,american fiction may  
be arranged in a single alphabet of     
authors1 including ,english translations
 of foreign works4 ,all collected works1
 or polygraphy1 may form an alphabet1 as
 well as poetry1 dramatic works1        
collections of letters1 and miscellanea1
 arranged by authors' names4 ,in any of 
these classes1 sub-divisions by         
languages may be made1 if desired4  ,the
 class biography may best be arranged in
 an alphabet of the subjects of the     
biographies1 rather than of writers1 for
 obvious reasons of convenience in      
finding at once the books about each    
person4     ,,chapter #bb4              
,,catalogues4   ,catalogues of libraries
 are useful to readers in direct        
proportion to their fulfilment of three 
conditions3 7#a7 ,quick and ready       
reference4 7#b7 ,arranging all authors' 

names in an alphabet1 followed by titles
 of their works4 7#c7 ,subjects or      
titles in their alphabetical order in   
the same alphabet as the authors4 ,this 
is what is known as a ,dictionary       
catalogue2 but why is it preferable to  
any other8 ,because it answers more     
questions in less time than any other4  
,the more prevalent styles of catalogues
 have been1 #a4 ,a list of authors1 with
 titles of their works under each4 #b4  
,a catalogue of subjects1 in a          
classified topical or alphabetical      
order1 the authors and their works being
 grouped under each head4 #c4 ,a        
catalogue attempting to combine these   
two1 by appending to the                
author-catalogue a classed list of      
subjects1 with a brief of authors under 
each1 referring to the page on which the
 titles of their works may be found2 or 
else1 #d4 ,appending to the             
subject-catalogue an alphabet of        
authors1 with similar references to     
pages under subjects4  ,each of these   

methods of catalogue-making1 while very 
useful1 contrives to miss the highest   
utility1 which lies in enabling the     
reader to put his finger on the book he 
wants1 at one glance of the eye4 ,the   
catalogue of authors will not help him  
to subjects1 nor will the catalogue of  
subjects1 as a rule1 give the authors   
and titles with the fullness that may be
 needed4 ,in either case1 a double      
reference becomes necessary1 consuming  
just twice the time1 and in a two-column
 catalogue1 three times the time        
required in a dictionary catalogue4     
,the reader who wants ,darwin's ,origin 
of ,species finds it readily enough by  
the author-catalogue2 but he wants1 at  
the same time1 to find other works on   
the same subject1 and all the           
author-catalogues in the world will not 
help him to them4 ,but give him a       
dictionary catalogue1 and he has1 in the
 same alphabet with his ,darwin1 7if the
 library is large7 dozens of books      
discussing the theory of that great     

naturalist1 under species1 evolution1   
,darwinism1 etc4  ,thus he finds that   
there is no key which so quickly unlocks
 the stores of knowledge which a library
 contains1 as a dictionary catalogue4   
,the objections to it are chiefly       
brought by minds schooled in systems1   
who look askance on all innovations1 and
 instinctively prefer round-about       
methods to short-hand ones4  ,ask such  
an objector if he would prefer his      
dictionary of the ,english language     
arranged1 not alphabetically1 but       
subjectively1 so that all medical terms 
should be defined only under medicine1  
all species of fish described only under
 fishes1 etc41 and he will probably say 
that there is no analogy in the case4   
,but the analogy becomes apparent when  
we find1 in what are called systematic  
catalogues1 no two systems alike1 and   
the finding of books complicated by     
endless varieties of classification1    
with no common alphabet to simplify the 
search4 ,the authors of systems         

doubtless understand them themselves1   
but no one else does1 until he devotes  
time to learn the key to them2 and even 
when learned1 the knowledge is not worth
 the time lost in acquiring it1 since   
the field covered in any one catalogue  
is so small4 ,alphabetical arrangement1 
on the other hand1 strictly adhered to1 
is a universal key to the authors and   
subjects and titles of all the books    
contained in the library it represents4 
,the devotee of a bibliographical system
 may be as mistaken as the slave of a   
scientific terminology4 ,he forgets that
 bibliography is not a school for       
teaching all departments of knowledge1  
but a brief and handy index to books    
that may contain that knowledge4 ,a     
student who has once made a thorough    
comparative test of the merits1 as aids 
to wide and rapid research1 of the      
old-fashioned bibliographies and the    
best modern dictionary catalogues1 will 
no more deny the superiority of the     
latter1 than he will contest the maxim  

that a straight line is the nearest road
 between two points4 ,meantime1 while   
doctors disagree1 disciples are free2   
and the disciples who would follow the  
latest guides in the art how to make and
 use a catalogue1 must get rid of many  
formulas4  ,the reader will find in the 
chapter on bibliography1 notes on some  
classes of catalogues1 with the more    
notable examples of them4 ,we are here  
concerned with the true method of       
preparing catalogues1 and such plain    
rules as brevity will permit to be      
given1 will be equally adapted to       
private or public libraries4 ,for more  
ample treatment1 with reasons for and   
against many rules laid down1 reference 
is made to the able and acute work1     
,rules for a ,dictionary ,catalogue1 by 
,c4 ,a4 ,cutter1 published by the ,u4   
,s4 ,bureau of ,education1 #c;d ed4     
#ahia4   ,,condensed ,,rules ,,for ,,an 
,,author ,,and ,,title ,,catalogue4     
,prepared by the ,co-operation          
,committee of the ,american ,library    

,association4                   ,,entry4
       ,books are to be entered under   
the3       ,surnames of authors when    
ascertained1 the abbreviation ,anon4    
being added to the titles of anonymous  
works4       ,initials of authors' names
 when these only are known1 the last    
initial being put first4                
,pseudonyms of the writers when the real
 names are not      ascertained4        
,names of editors of collections1 each  
separate item to be at the      same    
time sufficiently catalogued under its  
own heading4       ,names of countries1 
cities1 societies1 or other bodies which
 are      responsible for their         
publication4       ,first word 7not an  
article or serial number7 of the titles 
of      periodicals and of anonymous    
books1 the names of whose authors       
are not known4 ,and a motto or the      
designation of a series may be          
neglected when it begins a title1 and   
the entry may be made under      the    
first word of the real title following4 

,commentaries accompanying a text1 and  
translations1 are to be      entered    
under the heading of the original work2 
but commentaries      without the text  
under the name of the commentator4 ,a   
book      entitled ,commentary on 4444  
and containing the text1 should be      
put under both4       ,the ,bible1 or   
any part of it 7including the           
,apocrypha71 in any      language1 is to
 be entered under the word ,bible4      
,the ,talmud and ,koran 7and parts of   
them7 are to be entered under      those
 words2 the sacred books of other       
religions are to be      entered under  
the names by which they are generally   
known2      references to be given from 
the names of editors1 translators1      
etc4       ,the respondent or defender  
of an academical thesis is to be        
considered as the author1 unless the    
work unequivocally appears      to be   
the work of the praeses4       ,books   
having more than one author to be       
entered under the one      first named  

in the title1 with a reference from each
 of the      others4       ,reports of  
civil actions are to be entered under   
the name of the      party to the suit  
which stands first on the title page4   
,reports      of crown and criminal     
proceedings are to be entered under the 
name of the defendant4 ,admiralty       
proceedings relating to vessels      are
 to be put under the name of the vessel4
       ,noblemen are to be entered under
 their titles1 unless the family        
name is decidedly better known4         
,ecclesiastical dignitaries1 unless     
popes or sovereigns1 are to be          
entered under their surnames4           
,sovereigns 7other than ,greek or       
,roman71 ruling princes1 ,oriental      
writers1 popes1 friars1 persons         
canonized1 and all other persons        
known only by their first name1 are to  
be entered under this      first name4  
,married women1 and other persons who   
have changed their names1      are to be
 put under the last well-known form4    

,a pseudonym may be used instead of the 
surname 7and only a      reference to   
the pseudonym made under the surname7   
when an author      is much more known  
by his false than by his real name4 ,in 
case of      doubt1 use the real name4  
,a society is to be entered under the   
first word1 not an article1      of its 
corporate name1 with references from any
 other name by      which it is known1  
especially from the name of the place   
where      its headquarters are         
established1 if it is often called by   
that      name4                         
,,references4       ,when an author has 
been known by more than one name1       
references      should be inserted from 
the name or names not to be used as     
headings to the one used4               
,references are also to be made to the  
headings chosen3        asked for by    
their titles2         from other        
striking titles2         from noticeable
 words in anonymous titles1 especially  
from the        names of subjects of    

anonymous biographies2         from the 
names of editors of periodicals1 when   
the periodicals are        generally    
called by the editor's name2            
from the names of important translators 
7especially poetic        translators7  
and commentators2         from the title
 of an ecclesiastical dignitary1 when   
that1 and not        the family name1 is
 used in the book catalogued2           
and in other cases where a reference is 
needed to insure the ready              
finding of the book4                    
,,headings4       ,in the heading of    
titles1 the names of authors are to be  
given in      full1 and in their        
vernacular form1 except that the ,latin 
form      may be used when it is more   
generally known1 the vernacular form    
being added in parentheses2 except1     
also1 that sovereigns and      popes may
 be given in the ,english form4         
,english and ,french surnames beginning 
with a prefix 7except the      ,french  
de and d'7 are to be recorded under the 

prefix2 in other      languages under   
the word following4       ,english      
compound surnames are to be entered     
under the last part      of the name2   
foreign ones under the first part4      
,designations are to be added to        
distinguish writers of the same         
name from each other4       ,prefixes   
indicating the rank or profession of    
writers may be      added in the        
heading1 when they are part of the usual
 designation      of the writers4       
,names of places to be given in the     
,english form4 ,when both an            
,english and a vernacular form are used 
in ,english works1 prefer      the      
vernacular4                    ,,titles4
       ,the title is to be an exact     
transcript of the title-page1 neither   
amended1 translated1 nor in any way     
altered1 except that mottos1      titles
 of authors1 repetitions1 and matter of 
any kind not      essential1 are to be  
omitted4 ,where great accuracy is       
desirable1      omissions are to be     

indicated by three dots 744474 ,the     
titles of      books especially valuable
 for antiquity or rarity may be given in
      full1 with all practicable        
precision4 ,the phraseology and         
spelling1 but not necessarily the       
punctuation1 of the title are      to be
 exactly copied4       ,any additions   
needed to make the title clear are to be
 supplied1      and inclosed by         
brackets4       ,initial capitals are to
 be given in ,english3        noted     
events1 and periods 7each separate word 
not an article1        conjunction1 or  
preposition1 may be capitalized in these
 cases72         to adjectives and other
 derivatives from proper names when they
        have a direct reference to the  
person1 place1 etc41 from which         
they are derived2         to the first  
word of every sentence and of every     
quoted title2         to titles of honor
 when standing instead of a proper name 
7e4 g41 the ,earl of ,derby1 but ,john  
,stanley1 earl of ,derby72         ,in  

foreign languages1 according to the     
local usage2         ,in doubtful cases 
capitals are to be avoided4             
,foreign languages4--,titles in foreign 
characters may be      transliterated4  
,the languages in which a book is       
written are to be      stated when there
 are several1 and the fact is not       
apparent from the      title4           
,,imprints4       ,after the title are  
to be given1 in the following order1    
those in        being optional3         
the place of publication2         and   
the publisher's name 7these three in the
 language of        the title72         
the year as given on the title-page1 but
 in ,arabic figures2         the year of
 copyright or actual publication1 if    
known to be        different in         
brackets1 and preceded by c4 or p4 as   
the case may be2         the number of  
volumes1 or of pages if there is only   
one volume2         the number of maps1 
portraits1 or illustrations not included
 in the        text2         and either 

the approximate size designated by      
letter1 or the        exact size in     
centimeters2         the name of the    
series to which the book belongs is to  
be given in        parentheses after the
 other imprint entries4       ,after the
 place of publication1 the place of     
printing may be      given if different4
 ,this is desirable only in rare and old
 books4       ,the number of pages is to
 be indicated by giving the last number 
of each paging1 connecting the numbers  
by the sign 2 the      addition of      
unpaged matter may be shown by a 1 or   
the number of      pages ascertained by 
counting may be given in brackets4 ,when
      there are more than three pagings1
 it is better to add them      together 
and give the sum in brackets4           
,these imprint entries are to give the  
facts1 whether ascertained      from the
 book or from other sources2 those which
 are usually      taken from the title  
7edition1 place1 publisher's name1 and  
series7 should be in the language of the

 title1 corrections and      additions  
being inclosed in brackets4 ,it is      
better to give the      words1 maps1    
portraits1 etc41 and the abbreviations  
for      volumes and pages1 in ,english4
                    ,,contents1 ,,notes4
       ,notes 7in ,english7 and contents
 of volumes are to be given when        
necessary to properly describe the      
works4 ,both notes and lists of         
contents to be in a smaller type4       
,,miscellaneous4       ,a single dash or
 indent indicates the omission of the   
preceding      heading2 a subsequent    
dash or indent indicates the omission of
 a      subordinate heading1 or of a    
title4       ,a dash connecting numbers 
signifies to and including2 following a 
number it signifies continuation4       
,a 8 following a word or entry signifies
 probably4       ,brackets inclose words
 added to titles or imprints1 or changed
 in      form4       ,arabic figures are
 to be used rather than ,roman2 but     
small      capitals may be used after   

the names of sovereigns1 princes1 and   
popes4       ,a list of abbreviations to
 be used was given in the ,library      
journal1 ,vol4 #c3 #af-bj4              
,,arrangement4       ,the surname when  
used alone precedes the same name used  
with      forenames2 where the initials 
only of the forenames are given1        
they are to precede fully written       
forenames beginning with the      same  
initials 7e4 g41 ,brown1 ,brown1 ,j42   
,brown1 ,j4 ,l42 ,brown1      ,james74  
,the prefixes ,m and ,mc1 ,s41 ,st41    
,ste41 ,messrs41 ,mr41 and ,mrs41 are   
to be arranged as if written in full1   
,mac1 ,sanctus1 ,saint1      ,sainte1   
,messieurs1 ,mister1 and ,mistress4     
,the works of an author are to be       
arranged in the following order3        
#b4 ,partial collections4         #c4   
,single works1 alphabetically1 by the   
first word of the title4       ,the     
order of alphabeting is to be that of   
the ,english alphabet4       ,the       
,german ae1 oe1 ue1 are always to be    

written as 1 1 1 and      arranged as a1
 o1 u4       ,names of persons are to   
precede similar names of places1 which  
in turn      precede similar first words
 of titles4  ,a few desirable           
modifications or additions to these     
rules may be suggested4  #a4 ,in        
title-entries1 let the year of          
publication stand last1 instead of the  
indication of size4  #b4 ,noblemen to be
 entered under their family names1 with 
reference from their titles4  #c4       
,instead of designations of title1      
profession1 residence1 or family1 to    
distinguish authors1 let every name be  
followed by the chronology1 as--        
,james 7,henry7 #ahaa-hb4     ,james    
7,henry7 #ahdc-  ,it is highly desirable
 to give this information as to the     
author's period in every title-heading1 
without exception1 when ascertainable4  
,if unknown1 the approximate period to  
be given1 with a query4  #d4 ,all titles
 to be written in small letters1 and    
printed in lower case1 whether in       

,english1 ,german1 or any other         
language1 avoiding capitals except in   
cases named in the rule4  #e4 ,works    
without date1 when the exact date is not
 found1 are to be described             
conjecturally1 thus3      #afij8 or     
about #ahdj4  #f4 ,in expressing        
collations1 use commas rather than the  
sign  between the pagings1 as--xvi1     
#deb1 vii pp4--not xvi#debvii pp4  #g4  
,forenames should be separated from the 
surnames which precede them by          
parenthesis rather than commas1 as a    
clearer discrimination3 as--            
,alembert 7,jean ,baptiste le ,rond     
d'7--not     ,alembert1 ,jean ,baptiste 
le ,rond d'4  ,the printed catalogue of 
the ,british ,museum ,library follows   
this method1 as well as that in the     
preceding paragraph4  #h4 ,all books of 
history1 travels1 or voyages to have the
 period covered by them inserted in     
brackets1 when not expressed in the     
title-page4  #i4 ,all collected works of
 authors1 and all libraries or          

collections of different works to be    
analysed by giving the contents of each 
volume1 either in order of volumes1 or  
alphabetically by authors' names4  ,of  
course there are multitudes of points in
 catalogue practice not provided for in 
the necessarily brief summary preceding3
 and1 as books on the art abound1 the   
writer gives only such space to it as   
justice to the wide range of library    
topics here treated permits4  ,probably 
the most important question in preparing
 catalogue titles1 is what space to give
 to the author's frequently             
long-drawn-out verbiage in his          
title-page4 ,there are two extremes to  
be considered3 7#a7 ,copying the title  
literally and in full1 however prolix2  
and 7#b7 reducing all title-pages1 by a 
,procrustean rule1 to what we may call  
one-line titles4 ,take an example3      
,jones 7,richard ,t47 ,a theoretical and
 practical treatise on the benefits of  
agriculture to mankind4 ,with an        
appendix containing many useful         

reflections derived from practical      
experience4 iv1 #chi pp4 #h4 ,london1   
,,mdccxliv4 ,as abridged to a short     
title1 this would read3 ,jones 7,richard
 ,t47 ,benefits of agriculture1 iv1 #chi
 pp4 #h4 ,lond4 #agdd4 ,who will say    
that the last form of title does not    
convey substantially all that is        
significant of the book1 stripped of    
superfluous verbiage8 ,but we need not  
insist upon titles crowded into a single
 line of the catalogue1 whether written 
or printed4 ,this would do violence to  
the actual scope of many books1 by      
suppressing some significant or         
important part of their titles4 ,the    
rule should be to give in the briefest  
words selected out of the title 7never  
imported into it7 the essential         
character of the book1 so far as the    
author has expressed it4 ,take another  
example3  ,bowman 7,thomas7 ,a new1     
easy1 and complete ,hebrew course2      
containing a ,hebrew grammar1 with      
copious ,hebrew and ,english exercises1 

strictly graduated3 also1 a             
,hebrew-,english and ,english-,hebrew   
lexicon4 ,in two parts4 ,part ,i4       
,regular verbs4 ,edinburgh1 #ahgi4      
,this might be usefully condensed thus3 
,bowman1 7,thomas7 ,hebrew course3      
grammar1 exercises1 lexicon1      c4    
,part ,i4 ,regular verbs4 ,edinburgh1   
#ahgi4  ,one objection brought against  
the dictionary catalogue is that it     
widely separates subjects that belong   
together4 ,in the ,boston ,athenaeum    
catalogue1 for example1 the topic ,banks
 is found in ,vol4 #a1 while ,money is  
in ,vol4 #c2 and for ,wages1 one must go
 to ,vol4 #e1 while ,labor is in ,vol4  
#c4 ,but there are two valid reasons for
 this4 ,first1 the reader who wants to  
know about banks or wages may care      
nothing about the larger topics of money
 or of labor2 and secondly1 if he does  
want them1 he is sent to them at once by
 cross-reference1 where they belong in  
the alphabet2 whereas1 if they were     
grouped under ,political ,economy1 as in

 classed catalogues1 he must hunt for   
them through a maze of unrelated books1 
without any alphabet at all4  ,it is    
often forgotten by the advocates of     
systematic subject catalogues rather    
than alphabetical ones1 that catalogues 
are for those who do not know1 more than
 for those who do4 ,the order of the    
alphabet is settled and familiar2 but no
 classification by subjects is either   
familiar or settled4 ,catalogues should 
aim at the greatest convenience of the  
greatest number of readers4  ,it is     
noteworthy that the ,english ,catalogue 
7the one national bibliography of the   
current literature of that country7 has 
adopted1 since #ahia1 the dictionary    
form of recording authors1 titles and   
subjects in one alphabet1 distinguishing
 authors' names by antique type4 ,it is 
hoped that the ,american ,catalogue1 an 
indispensable work in all libraries1    
will adopt in its annual and            
quinquennial issues the time-saving     
method of a single alphabet4  ,it is not

 claimed that the dictionary catalogue  
possesses fully all the advantages in   
educating readers that the best classed 
catalogues embody4 ,but the chief end of
 catalogues being to find books         
promptly1 rather than to educate        
readers1 the fact that the dictionary   
catalogue1 though far from perfect1     
comes nearer to the true object than any
 other system1 weighs heavily in its    
favor4 ,edward ,edwards said--,many a   
reader has spent whole days in          
book-hunting in catalogues which ought  
to have been spent in book-reading4 ,it 
is to save this wasted time that        
catalogues should aim4  ,nothing can be 
easier than to make a poor catalogue1   
while nothing is more difficult than to 
make a good one4 ,the most expert       
,french bibliographers who have         
distinguished themselves by compiling   
catalogues have been most severely      
criticised by writers who no doubt would
 have been victimized in their turn if  
they had undertaken similar work4 ,byron

 says      ,a man must serve his time to
 every trade1      ,save                
censure2--critics all are ready made4   
,when ,de ,bure and ,van ,praet1 most   
accomplished bibliographers1 published  
the catalogue of the precious library of
 the duke de ,la ,vallire1 the abb ,rive
 boasted that he had discovered a       
blunder in every one of the five        
thousand titles of their catalogue4     
,barbier and ,brunet have both been     
criticised for swarms of errors in the  
earlier editions of their famous        
catalogues4 ,the task of the exact      
cataloguer is full of difficulty1       
constantly renewed1 and demanding almost
 encyclopaedic knowledge1 and incessant 
care of minute particulars4  ,the       
liability to error is so great in a kind
 of work which1 more than almost any    
other1 demands the most scrupulous      
accuracy1 lest a catalogue should record
 a book with such mistakes as to        
completely mislead a reader1 that rules 
are imperatively necessary4 ,and        

whatever rules are adopted1 a rigid     
adherence to them is no less essential1 
to avoid misapprehension and confusion4 
,a singular instance of imperfect and   
misleading catalogue work was           
unwittingly furnished by ,mr4 ,j4 ,payne
 ,collier1 a noted ,english critic1     
author1 and librarian1 who criticised   
the slow progress of the ,british       
,museum catalogue1 saying that he could 
himself do twenty-five titles an hour   
without trouble4 ,his twenty-five titles
 when examined1 were found to contain   
almost every possible error that can be 
made in cataloguing books4 ,these       
included using names of translators or  
editors as headings1 when the author's  
name was on the title-page2 omitting    
christian names of authors2 omitting to 
specify the edition2 using ,english     
instead of foreign words to give the    
titles of foreign books2 adopting titled
 instead of family names for authors    
7which would separate ,stanhope's       
,england under ,queen ,anne from the    

same writer's ,history of ,england1     
published when he was ,lord ,mahon72    
errors in grammar1 etc4 ,these          
ridiculous blunders of a                
twenty-five-title-an-hour man exemplify 
the maxim the more haste1 the worse     
speed1 in catalogue-making4  ,that our  
,british brethren are neither adapted   
nor inclined to pose as exemplars in the
 fine art of cataloguing1 we need only  
cite their own self-criticisms to prove4
 ,here are two confessions found in two 
authors of books on catalogue-making1   
both ,englishmen4 ,says one3 ,we are    
deficient in good bibliographies4 ,it is
 a standing disgrace to the country that
 we have no complete bibliography of    
,english authors1 much less of ,english 
literature generally4 ,says another3    
,the ,english are a supremely illogical 
people4 ,the disposition to irregularity
 has made ,english bibliography1 or work
 on catalogues1 a by-word among those   
who give attention to these matters4    
,an ,american may well add1 ,they do    

these things better in ,france and      
,germany1 while declining to claim the  
meed of superiority for the ,united     
,states4  ,too much prominence should   
not be given to place-numbers in library
 catalogues4 ,the tendency to substitute
 mere numerical signs for authors and   
subjects has been carried so far in some
 libraries1 that books are called for   
and charged by class-numbers only1      
instead of their distinctive names4 ,an 
,english librarian testifies that       
assistants trained in such libraries are
 generally the most ignorant of         
literature4 ,when mechanical or         
mnemonical signs are wholly substituted 
for ideas and for authors1 is it any    
wonder that persons incessantly using   
them become mechanical8 ,let catalogue  
and classification go hand in hand in   
bringing all related books together1 and
 library assistants will not stunt their
 intellects by becoming bond-slaves to  
the nine digits1 nor lose the power of  
thought and reflection by never growing 

out of their a b c's4  ,there are two   
forms of catalogue not here discussed1  
which are adjuncts to the library       
catalogue proper4 ,the accession        
catalogue1 kept in a large volume1      
records the particulars regarding every 
volume1 on its receipt by the library4  
,it gives author1 title1 date1 size1    
binding1 whence acquired1 cost1 etc41   
and assigns it an accession number1     
which it ever after retains4 ,the shelf 
catalogue 7or shelf-list7 is a portable 
one divided into sections representing  
the cases of shelves in the library4 ,it
 gives the shelf classification number1 
author1 brief title and number of       
volumes of each book1 as arranged on the
 shelves2 thus constituting an inventory
 of each case1 or stack1 throughout the 
library4  ,to check a library over is to
 take an account of stock of all the    
books it should contain4 ,this is done  
annually in some libraries1 and the     
deficiencies reported4 ,all libraries   
lose some books1 however few1 and these 

losses will be small or great according 
to the care exercised and the           
safe-guards provided4 ,the method is to 
take one division of the library at a   
time1 and check off all books on the    
shelves by their numbers on the         
shelf-list1 supplemented by careful     
examination of all numbers drawn out1 or
 at bindery1 or in other parts of the   
library4 ,not a volume should be absent 
unaccounted for4 ,those found missing   
after a certain time should be noted on 
the shelf-list and accession book1 and  
replaced1 if important1 after the loss  
is definitely assured4  ,the reason for 
writing and printing all catalogue      
titles in small letters1 without        
capitals 7except for proper names7 is   
two-fold4 ,first1 there can be no       
standard prescribing what words should  
or should not be capitalized1 and the   
cataloguer will be constantly at a loss1
 or will use capitals in the most       
unprincipled way4 ,he will write one    
day1 perhaps1 ,the ,dangers of great    

,cities1 and the next1 ,the dangers of  
,great cities--with no controlling      
reason for either form4 ,secondly1 the  
symmetry of a title or a sentence1      
whether written or printed1 is best     
attained by the uniform exclusion of    
capitals4 ,that this should be applied  
to all languages1 notwithstanding the   
habit of most ,german typographers of   
printing all nouns with capitals1 is    
borne out by no less an authority than  
the new ,grimm's ,deutsches ,wrterbuch1 
which prints all words in lower case    
type except proper names4 ,nothing can  
be more unsightly than the constant     
breaking up of the harmony of a line by 
the capricious use of capitals4  ,to    
discriminate carefully the various      
editions of each work is part of the    
necessary duty of the cataloguer4 ,many 
books have passed through several       
editions1 and as these are by no means  
always specified on the title-page1 one 
should establish the sequence1 if       
possible1 by other means4 ,the first    

edition is one which includes all copies
 printed from the plates or the type as 
first set2 the second1 one which is     
reprinted1 with or without changes in   
the text or the title4 ,first editions  
often acquire a greatly enhanced value1 
in the case of a noted author1 by reason
 of changes made in the text in later   
issues of the work4 ,for though the     
latest revision may and should be the   
author's best improved expression1 his  
earliest furnishes food for the hunters 
of literary curiosities4 ,every         
catalogue should distinguish first      
editions thus #ast ed4 in brackets4  ,in
 the arrangement of titles in           
catalogues1 either of the various works 
of the same writer1 or of many books on 
the same subject1 some compilers follow 
the alphabetical order1 while others    
prefer the chronological--or the order  
of years of publication of the various  
works4 ,the latter has the advantage of 
showing the reader the earlier as       
distinguished from the recent           

literature1 but in a long sequence of   
authors 7in a subject-catalogue7 it is  
more difficult to find a given writer's 
work1 or to detect its absence4  ,the   
task of accurately distributing the     
titles in a catalogue of subjects would 
be much simplified1 if the books were   
all properly named4 ,but it is an       
unhappy failing of many writers to give 
fanciful or far-fetched titles to their 
books1 so that1 instead of a descriptive
 name1 they have names that describe    
nothing4 ,this adds indefinitely to the 
labor of the cataloguer1 who must spend 
time to analyse to some extent the      
contents of the book1 before he can     
classify it4 ,this must be done to avoid
 what may be gross errors in the        
catalogue4 ,familiar examples are       
,ruskin's ,notes on ,sheep-folds 7an    
ecclesiastical criticism7 classified    
under ,agriculture2 and ,edgeworth's    
,irish ,bulls under ,domestic animals4  
,the work of alphabeting a large number 
of title-cards is much simplified and   

abbreviated by observing certain obvious
 rules in the distribution4 7#a7 ,gather
 in the same pile all the cards in the  
first letter of the alphabet1 ,a1       
followed in successive parallel rows by 
all the ,b's1 and so on1 to the letter  
,z4 7#b7 ,next1 pursue the same course  
with all the titles1 arranging under the
 second letter of the alphabet1 ,aa1    
,ab1 ,ac1 etc41 and so with all the     
cards under ,b4 ,c4 c4 for all the      
letters4 7#c7 ,if there still remain a  
great many titles to distribute into a  
closer alphabetic sequence1 the third   
operation will consist in arranging     
under the third letter of the alphabet1 
e4 g41 ,abb1 ,abc1 ,abd1 etc4 ,the same 
method is pursued throughout the entire 
alphabet1 until all the title-cards are 
arranged in strict order4  ,too much    
care cannot be taken to distinguish     
between books written by different      
authors1 but bearing the same name4     
,many catalogues are full of errors in  
this respect1 attributing1 for example1 

works written by ,jonathan ,edwards1 the
 younger1 7#agde-ahja7 to ,jonathan     
,edwards the elder1 7#agjc-eh72 or      
cataloguing under ,henry ,james1 ,jr41  
the works of his father1 ,henry ,james4 
,the abundant means of identification   
which exist should cause such errors to 
be avoided2 and when the true authorship
 is fixed1 every author's chronology    
should appear next after his name on    
every card-title3 e4 g4 ,james 7,henry1 
#ahaa-hb7 ,moralism and ,christianity1  
,new ,york1 #ahej4 ,james 7,henry1      
#ahdc- 7 ,daisy ,miller1 ,n4 ,y4 #ahgi4 
,the designation of book sizes is a     
vexed question in catalogues4 ,the      
generally used descriptions of size1    
from folio down to #dhmo4 signify no    
accurate measurement whatever1 the same 
book being described by different       
catalogues as #abmo4 #hvo1 crown #hvo4  
c41 according to fancy2 while the same  
cataloguer who describes a volume as    
octavo to-day1 is very likely to call it
 a duodecimo to-morrow4 ,library        

catalogues are full of these            
heterogeneous descriptions1 and the     
size-notation is the bte noir of the    
veteran bibliographer1 and the despair  
of the infant librarian4 ,yet it is     
probable that the question has excited a
 discussion out of all proportion to its
 importance4 ,of what consequence is the
 size of a book to any one1 except to   
the searcher who has to find it on the  
shelves8 ,while the matter has been much
 exaggerated1 some concert or uniformity
 in describing the sizes of books is    
highly desirable4  ,a ,committee of the 
,american ,library ,association agreed  
to a size-notation1 figured below1      
adopting the metric system as the       
standard1 to which we add the           
approximate equivalents in inches4      
,centimetres                            
,size           outside ,sizes4         
abbreviations4      height4    ,inches4 
,folio1 ,f4                     ,f      
#dj          #af ,quarto1 #d4           
,q                 #cj          #ab     

,octavo1 #h4                    ,o      
#be          #aj ,duodecimo1 #ab4       
,d                 #bj           #h     
,sixteen mo41 #af4              ,s      
#ag4e         #g ,twenty-four mo41 #bd4 
,t                 #ae           #f     
,thirty-two mo41 #cb4          ,tt      
#ab4c         #e ,forty-eight mo41 #dh4 
,fe                 #aj           #d    
,it will be understood that the figure  
against each size indicated represents  
the maximum measure3 e4 g4 a volume is  
octavo when above #bj and below #be     
centimetres 7#h to #aj inches high74    
,as this question of sizes concerns     
publishers and booksellers1 as well as  
librarians1 and the metric system1      
though established in continental       
,europe1 is in little use in the ,united
 ,states and ,england1 it remains       
doubtful if any general adherence to    
this system of notation can be          
reached--or1 indeed1 to any other4 ,the 
,publishers' ,weekly 7,n4 ,y47 the organ
 of the book trade1 has adopted it for  

the titles of new books actually in     
hand1 but follows the publishers'       
descriptions of sizes as to others4     
,librarian ,j4 ,winter ,jones1 of the   
,british ,museum1 recommended classing  
all books above twelve inches in height 
as folios1 those between ten and twelve 
inches as quartos1 those from seven to  
ten inches as octavos1 and all measuring
 seven inches or under as #abmos4 ,mr4  
,h4 ,b4 ,wheatley1 in his work1 ,how to 
,catalogue a ,library1 #ahhi1 proposed  
to call all books small octavos which   
measure below the ordinary octavo size4 
,as all sizes run into each other1 and  
the former classification by the fold of
 the sheets is quite obsolete1 people   
appear to be left to their own devices  
in describing the sizes of books4 ,while
 the metric notation would be exact1 if 
the size of every book were expressed in
 centimetres1 the size-notation in the  
table given is wholly wanting in        
precision1 and has no more claim to be  
adopted than any other arbitrary plan4  

,still1 it will serve ordinary wants1   
and the fact that we cannot reach an    
exact standard is no reason for refusing
 to be as nearly exact as we can4  ,and 
while we are upon the subject of        
notation may be added a brief           
explanation of the method adopted in    
earlier ages1 7and especially the years 
reckoned from the ,christian era7 to    
express numbers by ,roman numerals4 ,the
 one simple principle was1 that each    
letter placed after a figure of greater 
equal value adds to it just the value   
which itself has2 and1 on the other     
hand1 a letter of less value placed     
before 7or on the left of7 a larger     
figure1 diminishes the value of that    
figure in the same proportion4 ,for     
example3  ,these letters--,,vi represent
 six2 which is the same as saying ,v,i4 
,on the contrary1 these same letters    
reversed represent four2 thus--,,iv3    
that is ,v-,i#d4 ,nine is represented by
 ,,ix1 i4 e41 ,x-,i1 ten minus one4 ,on 
the same principle1 ,,lx represents     

#fj--or ,l,n3 whereas ,,xl means        
#dj--;being ,l-,x4 ,proceeding on the   
same basis1 we find that ,,lxx,l,,xx#gj2
 and ,,lxxx or ,l,,xxx is #hj4 ,but when
 we come to ninety1 instead of adding   
four ,x's to the ,l1 they took a shorter
 method1 and expressed it in two figures
 instead of five1 thus1 ,,xc1 i4 e4 #ajj
 or ,c-,x#ij4  ,the remarkable thing    
about this ,roman notation is that only 
six letters sufficed to express all     
numbers up to one thousand1 and even    
beyond1 by skilful and simple           
combinations3 namely the ,i1 the ,v1 the
 ,x1 the ,l1 the ,c1 and the ,m1 and by 
adding or subtracting some of these     
letters1 when placed before or after    
another letter1 they had a whole        
succession of numbers done to their     
hand--thus3     ,i1                #a   
,,xx1               #bj      ,,cc1      
#bjj   ,,ii1                #b          
,,xxx1               #cj     ,,ccc1     
#cjj  ,,iii1                #c          
,,xl1               #dj    ,,cccc1      

#djj   ,,iv1                #d       ,l1
               #ej       ,d1            
#ejj    ,v1                #e      ,,lx1
               #fj      ,,dc1           
#fjj   ,,vi1                #f          
,,lxx1               #gj     ,,dcc1     
#gjj  ,,vii1                #g          
,,lxxx1               #hj    ,,dccc1    
#hjj ,,viii1                #h          
,,xc1               #ij      ,,cm1      
#ijj   ,,ix1                #i       ,c 
7centum71     #ajj       ,m1 7mille71   
#a1jjj    ,x1               #aj  ,now1  
when the early printers came to apply   
dates of publication to the books they  
issued1 7and here is where their methods
 of notation become most important to   
librarians7 they used precisely these   
methods4 ,for example1 to express the   
year #afie1 they printed it thus3       
,,mdcvc1 that is--#ajjjejjajjajj-e4 ,but
 the printers of the #aeth century and  
later1 often used complications of      
letters1 dictated by caprice rather than
 by any fixed principles1 so that it is 

sometimes difficult to interpret certain
 dates in the colophons or title-pages  
of books1 without collateral aid of some
 kind1 usually supplied to the librarian
 by bibliographies4 ,one of the simpler 
methods of departure from the regular   
notation as above explained1 was to     
substitute for the letter ,d 7#ejj7 two 
letters1 thus--,iinverted ,c1 an ,i and 
a ,c inverted1 supposed to resemble the 
letter ,d in outline4 ,another fancy was
 to replace the ,m1 standing for #a1jjj1
 by the symbols ,,ciinverted ,c--which  
present a faint approach to the outline 
of the letter ,m1 for which they stand4 
,thus1 to express the year #afaj1 we    
have this combination--,,ciinverted ,c  
,iinverted ,c ,,cx1 which would be      
indecipherable to a modern reader1      
uninstructed in the numerical signs     
anciently used1 and their values4 ,in   
like manner1 #aedh is expressed thus3   
,,mdxliix1 meaning #ajjjejjdjaj-b4 ,and 
for #afbf1 we have ,,ciinverted ,c      
,iinverted ,c ,c ,,xxvi4  ,as every     

considerable library has early printed  
books1 a librarian must know these      
peculiarities of notation1 in order to  
catalogue them properly1 without mistake
 as to their dates4 ,in some books1     
where a capricious combination of ,roman
 numerals leaves him without a precedent
 to guide him to the true date1         
reference must be had to the            
bibliographies of the older literature1 
7as ,hain1 ,panzer1 etc471 which will   
commonly solve the doubt4  ,as to the   
mechanics of catalogue-making1 widely   
different usages and materials prevail4 
,in ,america1 the card or title-slip    
system is well nigh universal1 while in 
,england it is but slowly gaining       
ground1 as against the ledger or blank  
book catalogue4 ,its obvious advantage  
lies in affording the only possible     
means of maintaining a strict           
alphabetical sequence in titles1 whether
 of authors or subjects4 ,the           
title-cards should be always of uniform 
size1 and the measure most in vogue is  

five inches in length by three inches in
 breadth4 ,they should not be too stiff1
 though of sufficient thickness1 whether
 of paper or of thin card board1 to     
stand upright without doubling at the   
edges4 ,they may be ruled or plain1 at  
pleasure1 and kept in drawers1 trays1 or
 7in case of a small catalogue7 in such 
paste-board boxes as letter envelopes   
come in4  ,the many advantages of the   
card system1 both for catalogues and    
indexes1 should not lead us to overlook 
its palpable defects4 ,these are 7#a7   
,it obliges readers to manipulate many  
cards1 to arrive at all the works of an 
author1 or all the books on any subject1
 instead of having them under his eye at
 once1 as in printed catalogues4 7#b7   
,it can be used only in the library1 and
 in only one place in the library1 and  
by only one person at a time in the same
 spot1 while a printed catalogue can be 
freely used anywhere1 and by any        
numbers1 copies being multiplied4 7#c7  
,it entails frequent crowding of readers

 around the catalogue drawers1 who need 
to consult the same subjects or authors 
at the same time4 7#d7 ,it requires     
immeasurably more room than a printed   
catalogue1 and in fact1 exacts space    
which in some libraries can be ill      
afforded4 7#e7 ,it obliges readers to   
search the title-cards at inconvenient  
angles of vision1 and often with        
inadequate light4 7#f7 ,it is cumbersome
 in itself1 and doubly cumbersome to    
searchers1 who must stand up instead of 
sitting to consult it1 and travel from  
drawer to drawer1 interfering with other
 searchers almost constantly1 or losing 
time in waiting4 7#g7 ,to this is added 
the inconvenience of constant insertion 
of new title-cards by members of the    
library staff1 and the time-consuming   
process of working the rods which keep  
the cards in place1 if they are used1   
and if not used1 the risk of loss of    
titles1 or misplacement equivalent to   
loss for a time4  ,says ,mr4 ,h4 ,b4    
,wheatley3 ,i can scarcely imagine      

anything more maddening than a frequent 
reference to cards in a drawer4 ,but it 
is to be considered that all systems    
have defects1 and the problem of        
choosing the least defective is ever    
before us4 ,most of the suggested       
defects of the card catalogue1 as       
concerns the readers1 can be obviated by
 making a two-fold catalogue1 the       
type-written titles being manifolded1   
and one set arranged in card-drawers for
 the use of the library staff1 while    
another is mounted on large sheets in   
bound volumes for use of the public4    
,this would secure the advantages of a  
printed catalogue1 with no more expense 
than the manuscript titles would cost4  
,if desired1 a number of copies could be
 bound up for reading-room use4         
,accessions of new books could be       
incorporated from month to month1 by    
leaving the right-hand pages blank for  
that purpose4 ,this would be near enough
 to alphabetical order for most readers1
 with the immense advantage of opening  

at one glance before the eye1 any author
 or subject4 ,it would go far to solve  
the problem how to unite the flexibility
 and perfect alphabeting of the card    
system1 with the superior comfort1      
safety1 and ease of reference of the    
book4 ,it would also be a safe-guard    
against the loss or displacement of     
titles1 a danger inherent in the card   
system1 as they could be replaced by    
copying missing titles from the         
catalogue volumes4  ,while the undoubted
 merits of the card system have been    
much overrated1 it would be as unwise to
 dispense with it as the complete       
official catalogue of the library1 as it
 would be to tie down the public to its 
use1 when there is a more excellent way1
 saving time and patience1 and          
contributing to the comfort of all4  ,to
 print or not to print8 is a vital      
question for libraries1 and it is in    
most cases decided to forego or to      
postpone printing1 because of its great 
expense4 ,yet so manifest are the       

advantages of a printed catalogue1 that 
all public libraries should make every  
effort to endow their readers with its  
benefits4 ,these advantages are 7#a7    
,greater facility of reading titles4    
7#b7 ,much more rapid turning from      
letter to letter of the catalogue       
alphabet4 7#c7 ,ability to consult it   
outside of the library4 7#d7 ,unlimited 
command of the catalogue by many readers
 at once1 from the number of copies at  
hand1 whereas card catalogues or        
manuscript volumes involve loss of time 
in waiting1 or interfering with the     
researches of others4 ,a part of these  
advantages may be realized by printing  
type-written copies of all titles in    
duplicate1 or by carbon paper in        
manifold1 thus furnishing the library   
with several copies of its catalogue3   
but why not extend this by multiplying  
copies through the ingenious processes  
now in use1 by which the printing of    
titles can be effected far more cheaply 
than in any printing office8 ,might not 

every library become its own printer1   
thus saving it from the inconvenience   
and risk of sending its titles outside1 
or the great expense of copying them for
 the printer8  ,the titles thus         
manifolded could be combined into       
volumes1 by cutting away all superfluous
 margins and mounting the thin          
title-slips alphabetically on paper of  
uniform size1 which1 when bound1 would  
be readily handled4 ,all the titles of  
an author's works would be under the eye
 at a glance1 instead of only one at a  
time1 as in the card catalogue4 ,and the
 titles of books on every subject would 
lie open1 without slowly manipulating an
 infinite series of cards1 one after    
another1 to reveal them to the eye4 ,the
 classification marks could be readily  
placed against each title1 or even      
printed as a part of the manifold card  
titles4  ,not that the card catalogue   
system would be abolished3 it would     
remain as the only complete catalogue of
 the library1 always up to date1 in a   

single alphabet4 ,daily accessions      
inserted in it would render it the      
standard of appeal as to all that the   
library contained1 and it would thus    
supplement the printed catalogue4  ,of  
course1 large and increasing accessions 
would require to be combined in         
occasional supplementary volumes of the 
catalogue2 and in no long number of     
years the whole might be re-combined in 
a single alphabet1 furnishing a printed 
dictionary catalogue up to its date4    
,the experience of the great ,british   
,museum ,library in this matter of      
catalogues is an instructive one4 ,after
 printing various incomplete            
author-catalogues in the years from     
#aghg to #ahda1 the attempt to print    
came to a full stop4 ,the extensive     
collection grew apace1 and the          
management got along somehow with a     
manuscript catalogue1 the titles of     
which 7written in script with           
approximate fullness7 were pasted in a  
series of unwieldy but alphabetically   

arranged volumes4 ,to incorporate the   
accessions1 these volumes had           
continually to be taken apart by the    
binder1 and the new titles combined in  
alphabetical order1 entailing a         
literally endless labor of transcribing1
 shifting1 relaying and rebinding1 to   
secure even an imperfect alphabetical   
sequence4 ,in #ahge1 the catalogue had  
grown to over two thousand thick folio  
volumes1 and it was foreseen1 by a      
simple computation of the rate of growth
 of the library1 that in a very few     
years its catalogue could no longer be  
contained in the reading-room4 ,the     
bulky manuscript catalogue system broke 
down by its own weight1 and the         
management was compelled to resort to   
printing in self defence4 ,before the   
printing had reached any where near the 
concluding letters of the alphabet1 the 
,,ms4 catalogue had grown to three      
thousand volumes1 and was a daily and   
hourly incubus to librarians and        
readers4  ,this printed catalogue of the

 largest library in the world1 save one1
 is strictly a catalogue of authors1    
giving in alphabetical order the names1 
followed by the titles of all works by  
each writer which that library          
possesses4 ,in addition1 it refers in   
the case of biographies or comments upon
 any writer found in the index1 to the  
authors of such works2 and also from    
translators or editors to the authors of
 the translated or edited work4 ,the    
titles of accessions to the library     
7between thirty and forty thousand      
volumes a year7 were incorporated year  
by year as the printing went on4 ,all   
claim to minute accuracy had to be      
ignored1 and the titles greatly abridged
 by omitting superfluous words1         
otherwise its cost would have been      
prohibitory4 ,the work was prosecuted   
with great energy and diligence by the  
staff of able scholars in the service of
 the ,museum ,library4 ,as the catalogue
 embraces far more titles of books1     
pamphlets1 and periodicals than any     

other ever printed1 it is a great public
 boon1 the aid it affords to all        
investigators being incalculable4 ,and  
any library possessing it may find1 with
 many titles of rare and unattainable   
works1 multitudes of books now available
 by purchase in the market1 to enrich   
its own collection4 ,it is said to      
contain about #c1ejj1jjj titles and     
cross-references4 ,it is printed in     
large1 clear type1 double columns1 well 
spaced1 and its open page is a comfort  
to the eye4 ,issued in paper covers1 the
 thin folios can be bound in volumes of 
any thickness desired by the possessor4 
,it has several capital defects3 7#a7   
,it fails to discriminate authors of the
 same name by printing the years or     
period of each2 instead of which it     
gives designations like the elder1 the  
younger1 or the residence1 or           
occupation1 or title of the author4 ,the
 years during which any writer          
flourished would have been easily added 
to the name in most cases1 and the value

 of such information would have been    
great1 solving at once many doubts as to
 many writers4 7#b7 ,the catalogue fails
 to print the collations of all works1  
except as to a portion of those         
published since #ahhb1 or in the newer  
portions issued4 ,this omission leaves a
 reader uncertain whether the book      
recorded is a pamphlet or an extensive  
work4 7#c7 ,the letters ,i and ,j and ,u
 and ,v are run together in the         
alphabet1 after the ancient fashion1    
thus placing ,josephus before ,irving1  
and ,utah after ,virginia2 an           
arrangement highly perplexing1 not to   
say exasperating1 to every searcher4 ,to
 follow an obsolete usage may be        
defended on the plea that it is a good  
one1 but when it is bad as well as      
outworn1 no excuse for it can satisfy a 
modern reader4 7#d7 ,no analysis is     
given of the collected works of authors1
 nor of many libraries made up of       
monographs4 ,one cannot find in it the  
contents of the volumes of any of       

,swift's ,works1 nor even of ,milton's  
,prose ,writings4 7#e7 ,it fails to     
record the names of publishers1 except  
in the case of some early or rare books4
  ,the printing of this monumental      
catalogue began in #ahha1 the volumes of
 ,,ms4 catalogue being set up by the    
printer without transcription1 which    
would have delayed the work             
indefinitely1 and it is now             
substantially completed4 ,its total cost
 will be not far from #ej1jjj4 ,there   
are about #cgd volumes or parts in all4 
,only #bej copies were printed1 part of 
which were presented to large libraries1
 and others were offered for sale at    
#c4aj per annum1 payable as issued1 so  
that a complete set costs about #gj4    
,one learns with surprise that only     
about forty copies have been subscribed 
for4 ,this furnishes another evidence of
 the low estate of bibliography in      
,england1 where1 in a nation full of    
rich book-collectors and owners of fine 
libraries1 almost no buyers are found   

for the most extensive bibliography ever
 published1 a national work1 furnishing 
so copious and useful a key to the      
literature of the world in every        
department of human knowledge4          
,,chapter #bc4  ,,copyright ,,and       
,,libraries4   ,the preservation of     
literature through public libraries has 
been and will ever be one of the most   
signal benefits which civilization has  
brought to mankind4 ,when we consider   
the multitude of books which have       
perished from the earth1 from the want  
of a preserving hand1 a lively sense of 
regret comes over us that so few        
libraries have been charged with the    
duty of acquiring and keeping every     
publication that comes from the press4  
,yet we owe an immeasurable debt to the 
wisdom and far-sightedness of those who1
 centuries ago1 provided by this means  
for the perpetuity of literature4  ,the 
earliest step taken in this direction   
appears to have been in ,france4 ,by an 
ordinance proclaimed in #aecg1          

regulating the printing of books1 it was
 required that a copy of each work      
issued from the press should be         
deposited in the royal library4 ,and it 
was distinctly affirmed that the ground 
of this exaction was to preserve to     
posterity the literature of the time1   
which might otherwise disappear4#b ,this
 edict of three centuries and a half ago
 was the seed-grain from which has grown
 the largest library yet gathered in the
 world--the ,bibliothque ,nationale of  
,france4 ,it antedated by more than two 
hundred years1 any similar provision in 
,england for the preservation of the    
national literature4  ,it is a notable  
fact that the ,united ,states of        
,america was the first nation that ever 
embodied the principle of protection to 
the rights of authors in its fundamental
 law4 ,the ,congress shall have power to
 promote the progress of science and    
useful arts1 by securing for limited    
times to authors and inventors the      
exclusive right to their respective     

writings and discoveries4 ,thus anchored
 in the ,constitution itself1 this      
principle has been further recognized by
 repeated acts of ,congress1 aimed in   
all cases at giving it full practical   
effect4  ,if it is asked why the authors
 of the ,constitution gave to ,congress 
no plenary power1 which might have      
authorized a grant of copyright in      
perpetuity1 the answer is1 that in this1
 ,british precedent had a great1 if not 
a controlling influence4 ,copyright in  
,england1 by virtue of the statute of   
,anne1 passed in #agaj 7the first       
,british copyright act71 was limited to 
fourteen years1 with right of renewal1  
by a living author1 of only fourteen    
years more2 and this was in full force  
in #aghg1 when our ,constitution was    
framed4 ,prior to the ,british statute  
of #agaj1 authors had only what is      
called a common law right to their      
writings2 and however good such a right 
might be1 so long as they held them in  
manuscript1 the protection to printed   

books was extremely uncertain and       
precarious4  ,it has been held1 indeed1 
that all copyright laws1 so far from    
maintaining an exclusive property right 
to authors1 do in effect deny it 7at    
least in the sense of a natural right71 
by explicitly limiting the term of      
exclusive ownership1 which might        
otherwise be held 7as in other property7
 to be perpetual4 ,but there is a       
radical distinction between the products
 of the brain1 when put in the concrete 
form of books and multiplied by the art 
of printing1 and the land or other      
property which is held by common law    
tenure4 ,society views the absolute or  
exclusive property in books or          
inventions as a monopoly4 ,while a      
monopoly may be justified for a         
reasonable number of years1 on the      
obvious ground of securing to their     
originators the pecuniary benefit of    
their own ideas1 a perpetual monopoly is
 generally regarded as odious and       
unjust4 ,hence society says to the      

author or inventor3 ,put your ideas into
 material form1 and we will guarantee   
you the exclusive right to multiply and 
sell your books or your inventions for a
 term long enough to secure a fair      
reward to you and to your family2 after 
that period we want your monopoly1 with 
its individual benefits1 to cease in    
favor of the greatest good of all4 ,if  
this appears unfair to authors1 who     
contribute so greatly to the instruction
 and the advancement of mankind1 it is  
to be considered that a perpetual       
copyright would 7#a7 largely increase   
the cost of books1 which should be most 
widely diffused for the public benefit1 
prolonging the enhanced cost            
indefinitely beyond the author's        
lifetime2 7#b7 it would benefit by a    
special privilege1 prolonged without    
limit1 a class of book manufacturers or 
publishers who act as middle-men between
 the author and the public1 and who own1
 in most cases1 the entire property in  
the works of authors deceased1 and which

 they did not originate2 7#c7 it would  
amount in a few centuries to so vast a  
sum1 taxed upon the community who buy   
books1 that the publishers of           
,shakespeare's works1 for example1 who  
under perpetual copyright could alone   
print the poet's writings1 might have   
reaped colossal fortunes1 perhaps       
unequalled by any private wealth yet    
amassed in the world4  ,if it is said   
that copyright1 thus limited1 is a      
purely arbitrary right1 it may be       
answered that all legal provisions are  
arbitrary4 ,that which is an absolute or
 natural right1 so long as held in idea 
or in manuscript1 becomes1 when given to
 the world in multiplied copies1 the    
creature of law4 ,the most that authors 
can fairly claim is a sufficiently      
prolonged exclusive right to guarantee  
them for a lifetime the just reward of  
their labors1 with a reversion for their
 immediate heirs4 ,that such exclusive  
rights should run to their remotest     
posterity1 or1 a fortiori1 to mere      

merchants or artificers who had no hand 
whatever in the creation of the         
intellectual work thus protected1 would 
be manifestly unjust4 ,the judicial     
tribunals1 both in ,england and         
,america1 have held that copyright laws 
do not affirm an existing right1 but    
create a right1 with special privileges 
not before existing1 and also with      
special limitations4  ,the earliest     
copyright enactment of #agij granted the
 exclusive privilege of printing his    
work to the author or his assigns for   
#ad  #ad1 or twenty-eight years in all4 
,the act further required entry of the  
title1 before publication1 in the office
 of the ,clerk of the ,united ,states   
,district ,court in the ,state where the
 author or proprietor resided4  ,this   
remained the law1 with slight amendment1
 until #ahca1 when a new copyright act  
extended the duration of copyright from 
fourteen to twenty-eight years for the  
original1 or first term1 with right of  
renewal to the author 7now first        

extended to his widow or children1 in   
case of his decease7 for fourteen       
additional years1 making forty-two years
 in all4  ,by the same act the privilege
 of copyright was extended to cover     
musical compositions1 as it had been    
earlier extended 7in #ahjb7 to include  
designs1 engravings1 and etchings4      
,copyright was further extended in #ahef
 to dramatic compositions1 and in #ahfe 
to photographs and negatives thereof4   
,in #ahgj a new copyright code1 to take 
the place of all existing and scattered 
statutes1 was enacted1 and there were   
added to the lawful subjects of         
copyright1 paintings1 drawings1 chromos1
 statues1 statuary1 and models or       
designs intended to be perfected as     
works of the fine arts4 ,and finally1 by
 act of ,march #c1 #ahia1 the benefits  
of copyright were extended so as to     
embrace foreign authors4 ,in #ahig1     
,congress created the office of         
,register of ,copyrights1 but continued 
the ,copyright office1 with its records1

 in the ,library of ,congress4  ,in     
#ahdf1 the first enactment entitling the
 ,library of the ,united ,states        
,government to a copy of every work     
protected by copyright was passed4 ,this
 act1 to establish the ,smithsonian     
,institution1 required that one copy of 
each copyright publication be deposited 
therein1 and one copy in the ,library of
 ,congress4 ,no penalties were provided1
 and in #ahei1 on complaint of the      
authorities of the ,smithsonian         
,institution that the law brought in    
much trash in the shape of articles     
which were not books1 the law was       
repealed1 with the apparent concurrence 
of those in charge of the ,congressional
 ,library4  ,this left that ,library    
without any accessions of copyright     
books until #ahfe1 when1 at the instance
 of the present writer1 the ,library    
,committee recommended1 and ,congress   
passed an act restoring the privilege to
 the ,library of ,congress4 ,but it was 
found to require1 in order to its       

enforcement1 frequent visits to the     
records of the clerks of ,united ,states
 ,district ,courts in many cities1 with 
costly transcripts of records in more   
than thirty other offices1 in order to  
ascertain what books had actually been  
copyrighted4 ,to this was added the     
necessity of issuing demands upon       
delinquent authors or publishers for    
books not sent to the ,library2 no      
residence of the delinquents1 however1  
being found in any of the records1 which
 simply recorded those claiming         
copyright as of the said ,district4  ,it
 resulted that no complete1 nor even    
approximate compliance with the law was 
secured1 and after five years' trial1   
the ,librarian was obliged to bring     
before the committees of ,congress the  
plan of a copyright registry at the seat
 of government1 as had been the         
requirement in the case of ,patents from
 the beginning4  ,the law of copyright1 
as codified by act of ,july #h1 #ahgj1  
made an epoch in the copyright system of

 the ,united ,states4 ,it transferred   
the entire registry of books and other  
publications1 under copyright law1 to   
the city of ,washington1 and made the   
,librarian of ,congress sole register of
 copyrights1 instead of the clerks of   
the ,district ,courts of the ,united    
,states4 ,manifold reasons existed for  
this radical change1 and those which    
were most influential with ,congress in 
making it were the following3  #a4 ,the 
transfer of the copyright records to    
,washington it was foreseen would       
concentrate and simplify the business1  
and this was a cardinal point4 ,prior to
 #ahgj there were between forty and     
fifty separate and distinct authorities 
for issuing copyrights4 ,the ,american  
people were put to much trouble to find 
out where to apply1 in the complicated  
system of ,district ,courts1 several of 
them frequently in a single ,state1 to  
enter titles for publication4 ,they were
 required to make entry in the district 
where the applicant resided1 and this   

was frequently a matter of doubt4       
,moreover1 they were required to go to  
the expense and trouble of transmitting 
a copy of the work1 after publication1  
to the ,district clerk1 and another copy
 to the ,library of ,congress4 ,were    
both copies mailed to ,washington       
7post-free by law7 this duty would be   
diminished by one-half4  #b4 ,a         
copyright work is not an invention nor a
 patent2 it is a contribution to        
literature4 ,it is not material1 but    
intellectual1 and has no natural        
relation to a department which is       
charged with the care of the mechanic   
arts2 and it belongs rather to a        
national library system than to any     
other department of the civil service4  
,the responsibility of caring for it    
would be an incident to the similar     
labors already devolved upon the        
,librarian of ,congress2 and the        
receipts from copyright certificates    
would much more than pay its expense1   
thus leaving the treasury the gainer by 

the change4  #c4 ,the advantage of      
securing to our national library a      
complete collection of all ,american    
copyright publications can scarcely be  
over-estimated4 ,if such a law as that  
enacted in #ahgj had been enforced since
 the beginning of the government1 we    
should now have in the ,library of      
,congress a complete representation of  
the product of the ,american mind in    
every department of science and         
literature4 ,many publications which are
 printed in small editions1 or which    
become out of print from the many       
accidents which continually destroy     
books1 would owe to such a library their
 sole chance of preservation4 ,we ought 
to have one comprehensive library in the
 country1 and that belonging to the     
nation1 whose aim it should be to       
preserve the books which other libraries
 have not the room nor the means to     
procure4  #d4 ,this consideration       
assumes additional weight when it is    
remembered that the ,library of         

,congress is freely open to the public  
day and evening throughout the year1 and
 is rapidly becoming the great reference
 library of the country1 resorted to not
 only by ,congress and the residents of 
,washington1 but by students and writers
 from all parts of the ,union1 in search
 of references and authorities not      
elsewhere to be found4 ,the advantage of
 having all ,american publications      
accessible upon inquiry would be to     
build up at ,washington a truly national
 library1 approximately complete and    
available to all the people4  ,these    
considerations prevailed with ,congress 
to effect the amendment in copyright    
registration referred to4  ,by enactment
 of the statute of #ahgj all the defects
 in the methods of registration and     
deposit of copies were obviated4 ,the   
original records of copyright in all the
 ,states were thenceforward kept in the 
office of the ,librarian of ,congress4  
,all questions as to literary property1 
involving a search of records to        

determine points of validity1 such as   
priority of entry1 names and residence  
of actual owners1 transfers or          
assignments1 timely deposit of the      
required copies1 etc41 could be         
determined upon inquiry at a single     
office of record4 ,these inquiries are  
extremely numerous1 and obviously very  
important1 involving frequently large   
interests in valuable publications in   
which litigation to establish the rights
 of authors1 publishers or infringers   
has been commenced or threatened4 ,by   
the full records of copyright entries   
thus preserved1 moreover1 the ,library  
of ,congress 7which is the property of  
the nation7 has been enabled to secure  
what was before unattainable1 namely1 an
 approximately complete collection of   
all ,american books1 etc41 protected by 
copyright1 since the legislation        
referred to went into effect4 ,the      
system has been found in practice to    
give general satisfaction2 the manner of
 securing copyright has been made plain 

and easy to all1 the office of record   
being now a matter of public notoriety2 
and the test of experience during thirty
 years has established the system so    
thoroughly that none would be found to  
favor a return to the former methods4   
,the ,act of #ahgj provided for the     
removal of the collection of copyright  
books and other publications from the   
over-crowded ,patent ,office to the     
,library of ,congress4 ,these           
publications were the accumulations of  
about eighty years1 received from the   
,united ,states ,district ,clerks'      
offices under the old law4 ,by request  
of the ,commissioner of ,patents all the
 law books and a large number of        
technical works were reserved at the    
,department of the ,interior4 ,the      
residue1 when removed to the ,capitol1  
were found to number #bc1jgj volumes1 a 
much smaller number than had been       
anticipated1 in view of the length of   
time during which the copy tax had been 
in operation4 ,but the observance of the

 acts requiring deposits of copyright   
publications with the ,clerks of the    
,united ,states ,district ,courts had   
been very defective 7no penalty being   
provided for non-compliance71 and1      
moreover1 the ,patent ,office had failed
 to receive from the offices of original
 deposit large numbers of publications  
which should have been sent to          
,washington4 ,from one of the oldest    
,states in the ,union not a single book 
had been sent in evidence of copyright4 
,the books1 however1 which were added to
 the ,congressional ,library1 although  
consisting largely of school books and  
the minor literature of the last half   
century1 comprised many valuable        
additions to the collection of ,american
 books1 which it should be the aim of a 
,national ,library to render complete4  
,among them were the earliest editions  
of the works of many well-known writers1
 now out of print and scarce4  ,the     
first book ever entered for copyright   
privileges under the laws of the ,united

 ,states was ,the ,philadelphia         
,spelling ,book1 which was registered in
 the ,clerk's ,office of the ,district  
of ,pennsylvania1 ,june #i1 #agij1 by   
,john ,barry as author4 ,the spelling   
book was a fit introduction to the long 
series of books since produced to       
further the diffusion of knowledge among
 men4 ,the second book entered was ,the 
,american ,geography1 by ,jedediah      
,morse1 entered in the ,district of     
,massachusetts on ,july #aj1 #agij1 a   
copy of which is preserved in the       
,library of ,congress4 ,the earliest    
book entered in the ,state of ,new ,york
 was on the #cjth of ,april1 #agia1 and 
it was entitled ,the ,young ,gentleman's
 and ,lady's ,assistant1 by ,donald     
,fraser1 ,schoolmaster4  ,objection has 
occasionally1 though rarely1 been made  
to what is known as the copy-tax1 by    
which two copies of each publication    
must be deposited in the ,national      
,library4 ,this requirement rests upon  
two valid grounds3 7#a7 ,the            

preservation of copies of everything    
protected by copyright is necessary in  
the interest of authors and publishers1 
in evidence of copyright1 and in aid of 
identification in connection with the   
record of title2 7#b7 the library of the
 government 7which is that of the whole 
people7 should possess and permanently  
preserve a complete collection of the   
products of the ,american press1 so far 
as secured by copyright4 ,the government
 makes no unreasonable exaction in      
saying to authors and publishers3 ,the  
nation gives you exclusive right to make
 and sell your publication1 without     
limit as to quantity1 for forty-two     
years2 give the nation in return two    
copies1 one for the use and reference of
 ,congress and the public in the        
,national ,library1 the other for       
preservation in the copyright archives1 
in perpetual evidence of your right4    
,in view of the valuable monopoly       
conceded by the public1 does not the    
government in effect give far more than 

a quid pro quo for the copy-tax8 ,of    
course it would not be equitable to     
exact even one copy of publications not 
secured by copyright1 in which case the 
government gives nothing and gets       
nothing2 but the exaction of actually   
protected publications1 while it is     
almost unfelt by publishers1 is so      
clearly in the interest of the public   
intelligence1 as well as of authors and 
publishers themselves1 that no valid    
objection to it appears to exist4 ,in   
,great ,britain five copies of every    
book protected by copyright are required
 for five different libraries1 which    
appears somewhat unreasonable4          
,regarding the right of renewal of the  
term of copyright1 it is a significant  
fact that it is availed of in           
comparatively few instances1 compared   
with the whole body of publications4    
,multitudes of books are published which
 not only never reach a second edition1 
but the sale of which does not exhaust  
more than a small part of the copies    

printed of the first4 ,in these cases   
the right of renewal is waived and      
suffered to lapse1 from defect of       
commercial value in the work protected4 
,in many other cases the right of       
renewal expires before the author or his
 assigns bethink them of the privilege  
secured to them under the law4 ,it      
results that more than nine-tenths1     
probably1 of all books published are    
free to any one to print1 without reward
 or royalty to their authors1 after a   
very few years have elapsed4 ,on the    
other hand1 the exclusive right in some 
publications of considerable commercial 
value is kept alive far beyond the      
forty-two years included in the original
 and the renewal term1 by entry of new  
editions of the work1 and securing      
copyright on the same4 ,while this      
method may not protect any of the       
original work from republication by     
others1 it enables the publishers of the
 copyright edition to advertise such    
unauthorized reprints as imperfect1 and 

without the author's or editor's latest 
revision or additions4  ,the whole      
number of entries of copyright in the   
,united ,states since we became a nation
 considerably exceeds a million and a   
half4 ,it may be of interest to give the
 aggregate number of titles of          
publications entered for copyright in   
each year since the transfer of the     
entire records to ,washington in #ahgj4 
,,copyrights ,,registered ,,in ,,the    
,,united ,,states1                      
#ahgj-ahii4  #ahgj    #e1fjj     #ahgd  
#af1bhc     #ahgh   #ae1gih #ahga       
#ab1fhh     #ahge   #ad1cfd     #ahgi   
#ah1abe #ahgb   #ad1afd     #ahgf       
#ad1hhb     #ahhj   #bj1fhf #ahgc       
#ae1ceb     #ahgg   #ae1geh     #ahha   
#ba1jge #ahhb   #bb1iah     #ahhh       
#ch1bbe     #ahid   #fb1gfb #ahhc       
#be1bgc     #ahhi   #dj1ggg     #ahie   
#fg1egb #ahhd   #bf1hic     #ahij       
#db1geh     #ahif   #gb1dgj #ahhe       
#bh1daj     #ahia   #dh1ijh     #ahig   
#gd1cba #ahhf   #ca1bda     #ahib       

#ed1gce     #ahih   #gf1hgd #ahhg       
#ce1jhc     #ahic   #eh1icf     #ahii   
#hf1dib       ,total1 #cj years1        
#a1jgi1dde  ,it will readily be seen    
that this great number of copyrights    
does not represent books alone4 ,many   
thousands of entries are daily and      
weekly periodicals claiming copyright   
protection1 in which case they are      
required by law to make entry of every  
separate issue4 ,these include a        
multitude of journals1 literary1        
political1 scientific1 religious1       
pictorial1 technical1 commercial1       
agricultural1 sporting1 dramatic1 etc41 
among which are a number in foreign     
languages4 ,these entries also embrace  
all the leading monthly and quarterly   
magazines and reviews1 with many devoted
 to specialties--as metaphysics1        
sociology1 law1 theology1 art1 finance1 
education1 and the arts and sciences    
generally4 ,another large class of      
copyright entries 7and the largest next 
to books and periodicals7 is musical    

compositions1 numbering recently some   
#bj1jjj publications yearly4 ,much of   
this property is valuable1 and it is    
nearly all protected by entry of        
copyright1 coming from all parts of the 
,union4 ,there is also a large and      
constantly increasing number of works of
 graphic art1 comprising engravings1    
photographs1 photogravures1 chromos1    
lithographs1 etchings1 prints1 and      
drawings1 for which copyright is        
entered4 ,the steady accumulation of    
hundreds of thousands of these various  
pictorial illustrations will enable the 
government at no distant day1 without a 
dollar of expense1 to make an exhibit of
 the progress of the arts of design in  
,america1 which will be highly          
interesting and instructive4 ,an art    
gallery of ample dimensions for this    
purpose is provided in the new ,national
 ,library building4  ,it remains to     
consider briefly the principles and     
practice of what is known as            
international copyright4  ,perhaps there

 is no argument for copyright at all in 
the productions of the intellect which  
is not good for its extension to all    
countries4 ,the basis of copyright is   
that all useful labor is worthy of a    
recompense2 but since all human thought 
when put into material or merchantable  
form becomes1 in a certain sense1 public
 property1 the laws of all countries    
recognize and protect the original      
owners1 or their assigns to whom they   
may convey the right1 in an exclusive   
privilege for limited terms only4       
,literary property therefore is not a   
natural right1 but a conventional one4  
,the author's right to his manuscript   
is1 indeed1 absolute1 and the law will  
protect him in it as fully as it will   
guard any other property4 ,but when once
 put in type and multiplied through the 
printing-press1 his claim to an         
exclusive right has to be guarded by a  
special statute1 otherwise it is held to
 be abandoned 7like the articles in a   
newspaper7 to the public4 ,this special 

protection is furnished in nearly all   
civilized countries by copyright law4   
,what we call copyright is an exclusive 
right to multiply copies of any         
publication for sale4 ,domestic         
copyright1 which is all we formerly had 
in this country1 is limited to the      
,united ,states4 ,international         
copyright1 which has now been enacted1  
extends the right of ,american authors  
to foreign countries1 and recognizes a  
parallel right of foreign authors in our
 own4 ,there is nothing in the          
constitutional provision which restrains
 ,congress from granting copyright to   
other than ,american citizens4 ,patent  
right1 coming under the same clause of  
the ,constitution1 has been extended to 
foreigners4 ,out of over #bj1jjj patents
 annually issued1 about #b1ejj 7or #ab  
per cent47 are issued to foreigners1    
while ,american patents are similarly   
protected abroad4 ,if we have           
international patent right1 why not     
international copyright8 ,the grant of  

power is the same2 both patent right and
 copyright are for a limited time2 both 
rights during this time are exclusive2  
and both rest upon the broad ground of  
the promotion of science and the useful 
arts4 ,if copyright is justifiable at   
all1 if authors are to be secured a     
reward for their labors1 they claim that
 all who use them should contribute     
equally to this result4 ,the principle  
of copyright once admitted1 it cannot   
logically be confined to ,state lines or
 national boundaries4 ,there appears to 
be no middle ground between the doctrine
 of common property in all productions  
of the intellect--which leads us to     
communism by the shortest road--and the 
admission that copyright is due1 while  
its limited term lasts1 from all who use
 the works of an author1 wherever found4
  ,accordingly1 international copyright 
has become the policy of nearly all     
civilized nations4 ,the term of         
copyright is longer in most countries   
than in the ,united ,states1 ranging    

from the life of the author and seven   
years beyond1 in ,england1 to a life    
term and fifty years additional in      
,france and ,russia4 ,copyright is thus 
made a life tenure and something more in
 all countries except our own1 where its
 utmost limit is forty-two years4 ,this 
may perhaps be held to represent a fair 
average lifetime1 reckoned from the age 
of intellectual maturity4 ,there have   
not been wanting advocates for a        
perpetual copyright1 to run to the      
author and his heirs and assigns        
forever4 ,this was urged before the     
,british ,copyright ,commission in #ahgh
 by leading ,british publishers1 but the
 term of copyright is hitherto1 in all  
nations1 limited by law4  ,only brief   
allusion can be made to the most recent 
7and in some respects most important7   
advance step which has been taken in    
copyright legislation in the ,united    
,states4 ,this act of ,congress is aimed
 at securing reciprocal protection to   
,american and foreign authors in the    

respective countries which may comply   
with its provisions4 ,there is here no  
room to sketch the hitherto vain attempt
 to secure to authors1 here and abroad1 
an international protection to their    
writings4 ,suffice it to say that a     
union of interests was at last effected1
 whereby authors1 publishers and        
manufacturers are supposed to have      
secured some measure of protection to   
their varied interests4 ,the measure is 
largely experimental1 and the           
satisfaction felt over its passage into 
law is tempered by doubt in various     
quarters as to the justice1 or          
liberality1 or actual benefit to authors
 of its provisions4 ,what is to be said 
of a statute which was denounced by some
 ,senators as a long step backward      
toward barbarism1 and hailed by others  
as a great landmark in the progress of  
civilization8  ,the main features added 
to the existing law of copyright by this
 act1 which took effect ,july #a1 #ahia1
 are these3  #a4 ,all limitation of the 

privilege of copyright to citizens and  
residents of the ,united ,states is     
repealed4  #b4 ,foreigners applying for 
copyright are to pay fees of #a for     
record1 or #a4ej for certificate of     
copyright4  #c4 ,importation of books1  
photographs1 chromos or lithographs     
entered here for copyright is           
prohibited1 except two copies of any    
book for use and not for sale4  #d4 ,the
 two copies of books1 photographs1      
chromos or lithographs deposited with   
the ,librarian of ,congress must be     
printed from type set1 or plates1 etc41 
made in the ,united ,states4 ,it follows
 that all foreign works protected by    
,american copyright must be wholly      
manufactured in this country4  #e4 ,the 
copyright privilege is restricted to    
citizens or subjects of nations         
permitting the benefit of copyright to  
,americans on substantially the same    
terms as their own citizens1 or of      
nations who have international          
agreements providing for reciprocity in 

the grant of copyright1 to which the    
,united ,states may at its pleasure     
become a party4  #f4 ,the benefit of    
copyright in the ,united ,states is not 
to take effect as to any foreigner until
 the actual existence of either of the  
conditions just recited1 in the case of 
the nation to which he belongs1 shall   
have been made known by a proclamation  
of the ,president of the ,united        
,states4  ,one very material benefit has
 been secured through international     
copyright4 ,under it1 authors are       
assured the control of their own text1  
both as to correctness and completeness4
 ,formerly1 republication was conducted 
on a scramble system1 by which books    
were hastened through the press1 to     
secure the earliest market1 with little 
or no regard to a correct re-production4
 ,moreover1 it was in the power of the  
,american publisher of an ,english book1
 or of a ,british publisher of an       
,american one1 to alter or omit passages
 in any work reprinted1 at his pleasure4

 ,this license was formerly exercised1  
and imperfect1 garbled1 or truncated    
editions of an author's writings were   
issued without his consent1 an outrage  
against which international copyright   
furnishes the only preventive4  ,another
 benefit of copyright between nations   
has been to check the relentless flood  
of cheap1 unpaid-for fiction1 which     
formerly poured from the press1         
submerging the better literature4 ,the  
,seaside and other libraries1 with their
 miserable type1 flimsy paper1 and ugly 
form1 were an injury alike to the       
eyesight1 to the taste1 and in many     
cases1 to the morals of the community4  
,more than ninety per cent4 of these    
wretched ,libraries were foreign novels4
 ,an avalanche of ,english and          
translated ,french novels of the bigamy 
school of fiction swept over the land1  
until the cut-throat competition of     
publishers1 after exhausting the stock  
of unwholesome foreign literature1 led  
to the failure of many houses1 and piled

 high the counters of book and other    
stores with bankrupt stock4 ,having at  
last got rid of this unclean brood1 7it 
is hoped forever7 we now have better    
books1 produced on good paper and type1 
and worth preserving1 at prices not much
 above those of the trash formerly      
offered us4  ,at the same time1 standard
 works of science and literature are    
being published in ,england at prices   
which tend steadily toward increased    
popular circulation4 ,even conservative 
publishers are reversing the rule of    
small editions at high prices1 for      
larger editions at low prices4 ,the old 
three-volume novel is nearly supplanted 
by the one volume1 well-printed and     
bound book at five or six shillings4    
,many more reductions would follow in   
the higher class of books1 were not the 
measure of reciprocal copyright thus far
 secured handicapped by the necessity of
 re-printing on this side at double     
cost1 if a large ,american circulation  
is in view4  ,the writers of ,america1  

with the steady and rapid progress of   
the art of making books1 have come more 
and more to appreciate the value of     
their preservation1 in complete and     
unbroken series1 in the library of the  
government1 the appropriate conservator 
of the nation's literature4 ,inclusive  
and not exclusive1 as this library is   
wisely made by law1 so far as copyright 
works are concerned1 it preserves with  
impartial care the illustrious and the  
obscure4 ,in its archives all sciences  
and all schools of opinion stand on     
equal ground4 ,in the beautiful and     
ample repository1 now erected and       
dedicated to literature and art through 
the liberal action of ,congress1 the    
intellectual wealth of the past and the 
present age will be handed down to the  
ages that are to follow4  ,,footnotes3  
#b ,g4 ,h4 ,putnam1 ,books and their    
makers in the ,middle ,ages1 ,n4 ,y4    
#ahig1 vol4 #b1 p4 #ddg4     ,,chapter  
#bd4  ,,poetry ,,of ,,the ,,library4    
,,the ,,librarian',s ,,dream4           

#a4     ,he sat at night by his lonely  
bed1       ,with an open book before    
him2     ,and slowly nodded his weary   
head1       ,as slumber came stealing   
o'er him4                        #b4    
,and he saw in his dream a mighty host  
,of the writers gone before1     ,and   
the shadowy form of many a ghost        
,glided in at the open door4            
#c4     ,great ,homer came first in a   
snow-white shroud1       ,and ,virgil   
sang sweet by his side2     ,while      
,cicero thundered in accents loud1      
,and ,caesar most gravely replied4      
#d4     ,anacreon1 too1 from his        
rhythmical lips       ,the honey of     
,hybla distilled1     ,and ,herodotus   
suffered a partial eclipse1       ,while
 ,horace with music was filled4         
#e4     ,the procession of ancients was 
brilliant and long1       ,aristotle and
 ,plato were there1     ,thucydides1    
too1 and ,tacitus strong1       ,and    
,plutarch1 and ,sappho the fair4        
#f4     ,aristophanes elbowed gay       

,ovid's white ghost1       ,and         
,euripides ,xenophon led1     ,while    
,propertius laughed loud at ,juvenal's  
jokes1       ,and ,sophocles rose from  
the dead4                        #g4    
,then followed a throng to memory dear1 
,of writers more modern in age1         
,cervantes and ,shakespeare1 who died   
the same year1       ,and ,chaucer1 and 
,bacon the sage4                        
#h4     ,immortal the laurels that      
decked the fair throng1       ,and      
,dante moved by with his lyre1          
,while ,montaigne and ,pascal stood rapt
 by his song1       ,and ,boccaccio     
paused to admire4                       
#i4     ,sweet ,spenser and ,calderon   
moved arm in arm1       ,while ,milton  
and ,sidney were there1     ,pope1      
,dryden1 and ,molire added their charm1 
,and ,bunyan1 and ,marlowe so rare4     
#aj4     ,then ,gibbon stalked by in    
classical guise1       ,and ,hume1 and  
,macaulay1 and ,froude1     ,while      
,darwin1 and ,huxley1 and ,tyndall      

looked wise1       ,and ,humboldt and   
,comte near them stood4                 
#aa4     ,dean ,swift looked sardonic on
 ,addison's face1       ,and ,johnson   
tipped ,boswell a wink1     ,walter     
,scott and ,jane ,austen hobnobbed o'er 
a glass1       ,and ,goethe himself     
deigned to drink4                       
#ab4     ,robert ,burns followed next   
with ,thomas ,carlyle1       ,jean ,paul
 paired with ,coleridge1 too1     ,while
 ,de ,foe elbowed ,goldsmith1 the master
 of style1       ,and ,fielding and     
,schiller made two4                     
#ac4     ,rousseau with his eloquent1   
marvellous style1       ,and ,voltaire1 
with his keen1 witty pen1     ,victor   
,hugo so grand1 though repellent the    
while1       ,and ,dumas and ,balzac    
again4                       #ad4       
,dear ,thackeray came in his happiest   
mood1       ,and stayed until midnight  
was done1     ,bulwer-,lytton1 and      
,reade1 and ,kingsley and ,hood1        
,and ,dickens1 the master of fun4       

#ae4     ,george ,eliot1 too1 with her  
matter-full page1       ,and ,byron1 and
 ,browning1 and ,keats1     ,while      
,shelley and ,tennyson joined youth and 
age1       ,and ,wordsworth the circle  
completes4                       #af4   
,then followed a group of ,america's    
best1       ,with ,irving1 and ,bryant1 
and ,holmes1     ,while ,bancroft and   
,motley unite with the rest1       ,and 
,thoreau with ,whittier comes4          
#ag4     ,with his ,raven in hand       
dreamed on ,edgar ,poe1       ,and      
,longfellow sweet and serene1     ,while
 ,prescott1 and ,ticknor1 and ,emerson  
too1       ,and ,hawthorne and ,lowell  
were seen4                       #ah4   
,while thus the assembly of witty and   
wise       ,rejoiced the librarian's    
sight1     ,ere the wonderful vision had
 fled from his eyes1       ,from above  
shone a heavenly light3                 
#ai4     ,and solemn and sweet came a   
voice from the skies1       ,all battles
 and conflicts are done1     ,the temple

 of ,knowledge shall open all eyes1     
,and law1 faith1 and reason are one6    
,when the radiant dawn of the morning   
broke1     ,from his glorious dream the 
librarian woke4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,,the ,,library4  
,that place that does contain my books1 
,my books1 the best companions1 is to   
me1     ,a glorious court1 where hourly 
,i converse     ,with the old sages and 
philosophers2     ,and sometimes1 for   
variety ,i confer     ,with kings and   
emperors1 and weigh their counsels4     
,,beaumont ,,and ,,fletcher4         99 
99       99       99       99      ,the 
bard of every age and clime1     ,of    
genius fruitful and of soul sublime1    
,who from the glowing mint of fancy     
pours     ,no spurious metal1 fused from
 common ores1     ,but gold to matchless
 purity refined1     ,and stamped with  
all the ,godhead in his mind4           
,,juvenal4         99       99       99 
99       99      ,books1 we know1       
,are a substantial world1 both pure and 

good2     ,round these1 with tendrils   
strong as flesh and blood1     ,our     
pastime and our happiness will grow4    
,,wordsworth4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,,quaint ,,lines  
,,on ,a ,,book-,,worm4          ,the    
,bokeworme sitteth in his celle1     ,he
 studyethe all alone1     ,and burnethe 
oute the oile1     ',till ye midnight   
hour is gone     ,then gethe he downe   
upon his bedde1     ,ne mo watch will he
 a-keepe1     ,he layethe his heade on  
ye pillowe1     ,and eke he tryes to    
sleepe4     ,then swyfte there cometh a 
vision grimme1     ,and greetythe him   
sleepynge fair1     ,and straighte he   
dreameth of grislie dreames1     ,and   
dreades fellowne and rayre4             
,wherefore1 if cravest life to eld      
,ne rede longe uppe at night1     ,but  
go to bed at ,curfew bell     ,and ryse 
wythe mornynge's lyte4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,,ballade
 ,,of ,,the ,,book-,,hunter4            
,in torrid heats of late ,july1         

,in ,march1 beneath the bitter bise1    
,he book-hunts while the loungers fly1--
         ,he book-hunts1 though         
,december freeze2         ,in breeches  
baggy at the knees1         ,and        
heedless of the public jeers1           
,for these1 for these1 he hoards his    
fees1--         ,aldines1 ,bodonis1     
,elzevirs4          ,no dismal stall    
escapes his eye1         ,he turns o'er 
tomes of low degrees1         ,there    
soiled romanticists may lie1         ,or
 ,restoration comedies2         ,each   
tract that flutters in the breeze       
,for him is charged with hopes and      
fears1         ,in mouldy novels fancy  
sees         ,aldines1 ,bodonis1        
,elzevirs4          ,with restless eyes 
that peer and spy1         ,sad eyes    
that heed not skies nor trees1          
,in dismal nooks he loves to pry1       
,whose motto evermore is ,spes6         
,but ah6 the fabled treasure flees2     
,grown rarer with the fleeting years1   
,in rich men's shelves they take their  

ease1--         ,aldines1 ,bodonis1     
,elzevirs6      ,prince1 all the things 
that tease and please1--       ,fame1   
hope1 wealth1 kisses1 jeers and tears1  
,what are they but such toys as these-- 
,aldines1 ,bodonis1 ,elzevirs8          
,,andrew ,,lang4         99       99    
99       99       99      ',tis in books
 the chief     ,of all perfections to be
 plain and brief4                       
,,samuel ,,butler4      ,of all those   
arts in which the wise excel1           
,nature's chief master-piece is writing 
well4                                   
,,buckingham4      ,books should to one 
of these four ends conduce3     ,for    
wisdom1 piety1 delight1 or use4         
,,sir ,,john ,,denham4         99       
99       99       99       99  ,,my     
,,books4      ,oh1 happy he who1 weary  
of the sound     ,of throbbing life1 can
 shut his study door1     ,like         
,heinsius1 on it all1 to find a store   
,of peace that otherwise is never found6
     ,such happiness is mine1 when all  

around     ,my dear dumb friends in     
groups of three or four     ,command my 
soul to linger on the shore     ,of     
those fair realms where they reign      
monarchs crowned4     ,to-day the       
strivings of the world are naught1      
,for ,i am in a land that glows with    
,god1     ,and ,i am in a path by angels
 trod4     ,dost ask what book creates  
such heavenly thought8     ,then know   
that ,i with ,dante soar afar1     ,till
 earth shrinks slowly to a tiny star4   
,j4 ,,williams4         99       99     
99       99       99  ,,thoughts ,,in ,a
 ,,library4      ,speak low6 tread      
softly through these halls2       ,here 
genius lives enshrined2     ,here reign 
in silent majesty       ,the monarchs of
 the mind4      ,a mighty spirit host   
they come       ,from every age and     
clime2     ,above the buried wrecks of  
years       ,they breast the tide of    
time4      ,here shall the poets chant  
for thee       ,their sweetest1 loftiest
 lays1     ,and prophets wait to guide  

thy steps       ,in ,wisdom's pleasant  
ways4      ,come1 with these            
,god-anointed kings       ,be thou      
companion here2     ,and in the mighty  
realm of mind       ,thou shalt go forth
 a peer6                                
,,anne ,c4 ,,lynch ,,botta4         99  
99       99       99       99  ,,verses 
,,in ,a ,,library4      ,give me that   
book whose power is such     ,that ,i   
forget the north wind's touch4          
,give me that book that brings to me    
,forgetfulness of what ,i be4      ,give
 me that book that takes my life     ,in
 seeming far from all its strife4       
,give me that book wherein each page    
,destroys my sense of creeping age4     
,,john ,,kendrick ,,bangs4         99   
99       99       99       99  ,a ,,book
 ,,by ,,the ,,brook4      ,give me a    
nook and a book1     ,and let the proud 
world spin round2     ,let it scramble  
by hook or by crook     ,for wealth or a
 name with a sound4     ,you are welcome
 to amble your ways1     ,aspirers to   

place or to glory2     ,may big bells   
jangle your praise1     ,and golden pens
 blazon your story2     ,for me1 let me 
dwell in my nook1     ,here by the curve
 of this brook1     ,that croons to the 
tune of my book3     ,whose melody wafts
 me forever     ,on the waves of an     
unseen river4                           
,,william ,,freeland4      ,the love of 
learning1 the sequestered nooks1        
,and all the sweet serenity of books4   
,h4 ,w4 ,,longfellow4      ,oh for a    
booke and a shady nooke       ,eyther in
 door or out1     ,with the greene      
leaves whispering overhead1       ,or   
the streete cryes all about3     ,where 
,i maie reade all at my ease       ,both
 of the newe and olde1     ,for a jollie
 goode booke whereon to looke       ,is 
better to me than golde6         99     
99       99       99       99  ,,to     
,,daniel ,,elzevir4  7,from the ,latin  
of ,mnage47      ,what do ,i see6 ,oh6  
gods divine     ,and ,goddesses--this   
,book of mine--     ,this child of many 

hopes and fears1     ,is published by   
the ,elzevirs6     ,oh ,perfect         
publishers complete6     ,oh dainty     
volume1 new and neat6     ,the ,paper   
doth outshine the snow1     ,the ,print 
is blacker than the crow1     ,the      
,title-page1 with crimson bright1       
,the vellum cover smooth and white1     
,all sorts of readers to invite2        
,ay1 and will keep them reading still1  
,against their will1 or with their will6
     ,thus what of grace the ,rhymes may
 lack     ,the ,publisher has given them
 back1     ,as ,milliners adorn the fair
     ,whose charms are something skimp  
and spare4      ,oh dulce decus1        
,elzevirs6     ,the pride of dead and   
dawning years1     ,how can a poet best 
repay     ,the debt he owes your ,house 
to-day8     ,may this round world1 while
 aught endures1     ,applaud1 and buy1  
these books of yours4     ,may          
purchasers incessant pop1     ,my       
,elzevirs1 within your shop1     ,and   
learned bards salute1 with cheers1      

,the volumes of the ,elzevirs1     ,till
 your renown fills earth and sky1       
,till men forget the ,stephani1     ,and
 all that ,aldus wrought1 and all       
,turnebus sold in shop or stall1        
,while still may ,fate's 7and ,binders'7
 shears     ,respect1 and spare1 the    
,elzevirs6         99       99       99 
99       99      ,blessings be with     
them1 and eternal praise1     ,who gave 
us nobler loves and nobler cares6       
,the ,poets1 who on earth have made us  
heirs     ,of truth and pure delight by 
heavenly lays4                          
,,wordsworth4         99       99       
99       99       99  ,,companions4     
,but books1 old friends that are always 
new1     ,of all good things that we    
know are best2     ,they never forsake  
us1 as others do1     ,and never disturb
 our inward rest4     ,here is truth in 
a world of lies1     ,and all that in   
man is great and wise6     ,better than 
men and women1 friend1     ,that are    
dust1 though dear in our joy and pain1  

,are the books their cunning hands have 
penned1     ,for they depart1 but the   
books remain4                           
,,richard ,,henry ,,stoddard4         99
       99       99       99       99    
,,the ,,paradox ,,of ,,books4      ,i'm 
strange contradictions2 ,i'm new and    
,i'm old1     ,i'm often in tatters1 and
 oft decked with gold4     ,though ,i   
never could read1 yet lettered ,i'm     
found2     ,though blind1 ,i enlighten2 
though loose1 ,i am bound4     ,i'm     
always in black1 and ,i'm always in     
white2     ,i am grave and ,i'm gay1 ,i 
am heavy and light4     ,in form too ,i 
differ1--,i'm thick and ,i'm thin2      
,i've no flesh and no bone1 yet ,i'm    
covered with skin2     ,i've more points
 than the compass1 more stops than the  
flute2     ,i sing without voice1       
without speaking confute2     ,i'm      
,english1 ,i'm ,german1 ,i'm ,french1   
and ,i'm ,dutch2     ,some love me too  
fondly1 some slight me too much2     ,i 
often die soon1 though ,i sometimes live

 ages1     ,and no monarch alive has so 
many pages4                             
,,hannah ,,more4         99       99    
99       99       99      ,i love my    
books as drinkers love their wine2      
,the more ,i drink1 the more they seem  
divine2     ,with joy elate my soul in  
love runs o'er1     ,and each fresh     
draught is sweeter than before3         
,books bring me friends where'er on     
earth ,i be1--     ,solace of solitude1 
bonds of society4      ,i love my books6
 they are companions dear1     ,sterling
 in worth1 in friendship most sincere2  
,here talk ,i with the wise in ages     
gone1     ,and with the nobly gifted in 
our own3     ,if love1 joy1 laughter1   
sorrow please my mind1     ,love1 joy1  
grief1 laughter in my books ,i find4    
,,francis ,,bennoch4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,,my       
,,library4      ,all round the room my  
silent servants wait1--     ,my friends 
in every season1 bright and dim         
,angels and seraphim     ,come down and 

murmur to me1 sweet and low1     ,and   
spirits of the skies all come and go    
,early and late2     ,from the old      
world's divine and distant date1        
,from the sublimer few1     ,down to the
 poet who but yester-eve     ,sang sweet
 and made us grieve1     ,all come1     
assembling here in order due4     ,and  
here ,i dwell with ,poesy1 my mate1     
,with ,erato and all her vernal sighs1  
,great ,clio with her victories elate1  
,or pale ,urania's deep and starry eyes4
     ,oh friends1 whom chance or change 
can never harm1     ,whom ,death the    
tyrant cannot doom to die1     ,within  
whose folding soft eternal charm     ,i 
love to lie1     ,and meditate upon your
 verse that flows1     ,and fertilizes  
wheresoe'er it goes4                    
,,bryan ,,waller ,,procter4         99  
99       99       99       99           
,,rational ,,madness4  ,a ,song1 for the
 ,lover of ,curious and ,rare ,books4   
,come1 boys1 fill your glasses1 and fill
 to the brim1     ,here's the essence of

 humor1 the soul1 too1 of whim6         
,attend and receive 7and sure 'tis no   
vapour7     ,a hap' worth of wit on a   
pennyworth of paper4      ,those joys   
which the ,bibliomania affords     ,are 
felt and acknowledged by ,dukes and by  
,lords6     ,and the finest estate would
 be offer'd in vain     ,for an exemplar
 bound by the famed ,roger ,payne6      
,to a proverb goes madness with love    
hand in hand1     ,but our senses we    
yield to a double command2     ,the dear
 frenzy in both is first rous'd by fair 
looks1--     ,here's our sweethearts1 my
 boys6 not forgetting our books6        
,thus our time may we pass with rare    
books and rare friends1     ,growing    
wiser and better1 till life itself ends3
     ,and may those who delight not in  
black-letter lore1     ,by some obsolete
 act be sent from our shore6         99 
99       99       99       99  ,,ballade
 ,,of ,,true ,,wisdom4      ,while      
others are asking for beauty or fame1   
,or praying to know that for which they 

should pray1     ,or courting ,queen    
,venus1 that affable dame1     ,or      
chasing the ,muses the weary and grey1  
,the sage has found out a more excellent
 way--     ,to ,pan and to ,pallas his  
incense he showers1     ,and his humble 
petition puts up day by day1     ,for a 
house full of books1 and a garden of    
flowers4      ,inventors may bow to the 
,god that is lame1     ,and crave from  
the fire on his stithy a ray2           
,philosophers kneel to the ,god without 
name1     ,like the people of ,athens1  
agnostics are they2     ,the hunter a   
fawn to ,diana will slay1     ,the      
maiden wild roses will wreathe for the  
,hours2     ,but the wise man will ask1 
ere libation he pay1     ,for a house   
full of books1 and a garden of flowers4 
,oh grant me a life without pleasure or 
blame     7,as mortals count pleasure   
who rush through their day     ,with a  
speed to which that of the tempest is   
tame7     ,o grant me a house by the    
beach of a bay1     ,where the waves can

 be surly in winter1 and play     ,with 
the sea-weed in summer1 ye bountiful    
powers6     ,and ,i'd leave all the     
hurry1 the noise1 and the fray1     ,for
 a house full of books1 and a garden of 
flowers4  ,,envoy4      ,gods1 grant or 
withhold it2 your yea and your nay      
,are immutable1 heedless of outcry of   
ours3     ,but life is worth living1 and
 here we would stay     ,for a house    
full of books1 and a garden of flowers4 
,,andrew ,,lang4         99       99    
99       99       99  ,,the ,,library4  
,they soothe the grieved1 the stubborn  
they chastise1     ,fools they admonish1
 and confirm the wise3     ,their aid   
they yield to all3 they never shun      
,the man of sorrow1 nor the wretch      
undone3     ,unlike the hard1 the       
selfish1 and the proud1     ,they fly   
not sullen from the suppliant crowd2    
,nor tell to various people various     
things1     ,but show to subjects1 what 
they show to kings4      ,blest be the  
gracious ,power1 who taught mankind     

,to stamp a lasting image of the mind6  
,with awe1 around these silent walks ,i 
tread2     ,these are the lasting       
mansions of the dead3--     ,the dead6  
methinks a thousand tongues reply2      
,these are the tombs of such as cannot  
die6     ,crown'd with eternal fame1    
they sit sublime1     ,and laugh at all 
the little strife of time4      ,lo1 all
 in silence1 all in order stand1        
,and mighty folios first1 a lordly band2
     ,then quartos their well-order'd   
ranks maintain1     ,and light octavos  
fill a spacious plain3     ,see yonder1 
rangd in more frequent rows1     ,a     
humbler band of duodecimos2     ,while  
undistinguished trifles swell the scene1
     ,the last new play and fritter'd   
magazine4      ,here all the rage of    
controversy ends1     ,and rival zealots
 rest like bosom friends3     ,an       
,athanasian here1 in deep repose1       
,sleeps with the fiercest of his ,arian 
foes2     ,socinians here with          
,calvinists abide1     ,and thin        

partitions angry chiefs divide2         
,here wily ,jesuits simple ,quakers     
meet1     ,and ,bellarmine has rest at  
,luther's feet4                         
,,george ,,crabbe4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,,eternity ,,of   
,,poetry4      ,for deeds doe die1      
however noblie donne1     ,and thoughts 
do as themselves decay2     ,but wise   
words1 taught in numbers for to runne   
,recorded by the ,muses1 live for ay2   
,ne may with storming showers be washt  
away1     ,ne bitter breathing windes   
with harmful blast1     ,nor age1 nor   
envie1 shall them ever wast4            
,,spenser4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,,the ,,old ,,books4       
,the old books1 the old books1 the books
 of long ago6     ,who ever felt ,miss  
,austen tame1 or called ,sir ,walter    
slow8     ,we did not care the worst to 
hear of human sty or den2     ,we liked 
to love a little bit1 and trust our     
fellow-men4     ,the old books1 the old 
books1 as pure as summer breeze6     ,we

 read them under garden boughs1 by      
fire-light on our knees1     ,they did  
not teach1 they did not preach1 or scold
 us into good2     ,a noble spirit from 
them breathed1 the rest was understood4 
,the old books1 the old books1 the      
mother loves them best2     ,they leave 
no bitter taste behind to haunt the     
youthful breast3     ,they bid us hope1 
they bid us fill our hearts with visions
 fair2     ,they do not paralyze the    
will with problems of despair4     ,and 
as they lift from sloth and sense to    
follow loftier planes1     ,and stir the
 blood of indolence to bubble in the    
veins3     ,inheritors of mighty things1
 who own a lineage high1     ,we feel   
within us budding wings that long to    
reach the sky3     ,to rise above the   
commonplace1 and through the cloud to   
soar1     ,and join the loftier company 
of grander souls of yore4               
,,the ,,spectator4     ,,chapter #be4   
,,humors ,,of ,,the ,,library4#c  ,,some
 ,,thoughts ,,on ,,classification4  ,by 

,librarian ,f4 ,m4 ,crunden4            
,classification is vexation1            
,shelf-numbering is as bad2             
,the rule of ,d             ,doth puzzle
 me2         ,mnemonics drives me mad4  
,air--,the ,lord ,chancellor's ,song4   
,when first ,i became a librarian1      
,says ,i to myself1 says ,i1     ,i'll  
learn all their systems as fast as ,i   
can1         ,says ,i to myself1 says   
,i2     ,the ,cutter1 the ,dewey1 the   
,schwartz1 and the ,poole1     ,the     
alphabet1 numeral1 mnemonic rule1       
,the old1 and the new1 and the eclectic 
school1         ,says ,i to myself1 says
 ,i4      ,class-numbers1 shelf-numbers1
 book-numbers1 too1         ,says ,i to 
myself1 says ,i1     ,i'll study them   
all1 and ,i'll learn them clear thro'1  
,says ,i to myself1 says ,i2     ,i'll  
find what is good1 and what's better and
 best1     ,and ,i'll put two or three  
to a practical test2     ,and then--if  
,i've time--,i'll take a short rest1    
,says ,i to myself1 says ,i4      ,but  

art it is long and time it doth fly1    
,says ,i to myself1 says ,i1     ,and   
three or four years have already passed 
by1         ,says ,i to myself1 says ,i2
     ,and yet on those systems ,i'm not 
at all clear1     ,while new            
combinations forever appear1     ,to    
master them all is a life-work1 ,i fear1
         ,says ,i to myself1 says ,i4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,classification in a ,library in        
,western ,new ,york3 ,gail ,hamilton's  
,woolgathering1 under ,agriculture4     
99       99       99       99       99  
,book asked for4 ,an attack philosopher 
in ,paris4  ,a changed title4 ,a young  
woman went into a library the other day 
and asked for the novel entitled ,she   
combeth not her head1 but she finally   
concluded to take ,he cometh not1 she   
said4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,labor-saving devices4 ,the
 economical catalogue-maker who thus set
 down two titles--      ,mill on the    
,floss1       do4 ,political economy4   

has a sister who keeps a universal      
scrap-book into which everything goes1  
but which is carefully indexed4 ,she1   
too1 has a mind for saving1 as witness3 
,patti1 ,adelina4       do4 ,oyster4    
99       99       99       99       99  
,from a ,new ,york auction catalogue3   
#bfg4 ,junius ,stat ,nominis ,umbrii1   
with numerous splendid portraits4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,at the ,new ,york ,free ,circulating   
,library1 a youth of twenty said        
,shakespeare made him tired4 ,why       
couldn't he write ,english instead of   
indulging in that thee and thou         
business8 ,miss ,braddon he pronounced a
 daisy4 ,a pretty little blue-eyed      
fellow liked ,american history best of  
all1 but found the first volume of      
,justin ,winsor's history too much for  
him4 ,the ,french and ,german and       
,hebrew in it are all right1 but there's
 ,spanish and ,italian and ,latin1 and  
,i don't know those4         99       99
       99       99       99  ,a         

gentleman in ,paris sent to the         
bookbinder two volumes of the ,french   
edition of ,uncle ,tom's ,cabin4 ,the   
title in ,french is ,l',oncle ,tom1 and 
the two volumes were returned to him    
marked on their backs3  ,l',oncle1      
,l',oncle1 ,tome ,i4                    
,tome ,,ii4         99       99       99
       99       99  ,,how ,a            
,,bibliomaniac ,,binds ,,his ,,books4   
,i'd like my favorite books to bind     
,so that their outward dress     ,to    
every bibliomaniac's mind     ,their    
contents should express4                
,napoleon's life should glare in red1   
,john ,calvin's life in blue2     ,thus 
they would typify bloodshed     ,and    
sour religion's hue4      ,the ,popes in
 scarlet well may go2     ,in jealous   
green1 ,othello2     ,in gray1 ,old ,age
 of ,cicero1     ,and ,london ,cries in 
yellow4      ,my ,walton should his     
gentle art     ,in salmon best express1 
,and ,penn and ,fox the friendly heart  
,in quiet drab confess4      ,crimea's  

warlike facts and dates     ,of fragrant
 ,russia smell2     ,the subjugated     
,barbary ,states     ,in crushed        
,morocco dwell4      ,but oh6 that one  
,i hold so dear     ,should be arrayed  
so cheap     ,gives me a qualm2 ,i sadly
 fear     ,my ,lamb must be half-sheep6 
,,irving ,,browne4         99       99  
99       99       99  ,in a ,wisconsin  
library1 a young lady asked for the     
,life of ,national ,harthorne and the   
,autograph on the breakfast table4      
99       99       99       99       99  
,have you a poem on the ,victor of      
,manengo1 by ,anon8         99       99 
99       99       99  ,library          
inquiry--,i want the catalogue of       
temporary literature4  ,query--,what did
 she want8  ,a friend proposes to put   
,owen's ,footfalls on the ,boundaries of
 ,another ,world in ,travels4 ,shall we 
let him8         99       99       99   
99       99  ,a poet1 in ,boston1 filled
 out an application for a volume of     
,pope's works1 an edition reserved from 

circulation1 in the following tuneful   
manner3      ,you ask me1 dear sir1 to a
 reason define     ,why you should for a
 fortnight this volume resign     ,to my
 care4--,i am also a son of the nine4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,a worthy ,deutscher1 confident in his  
mastery of the ,english tongue1 sent the
 following quaint document across the   
sea3  ,i send you with the ,post six    
numbers1 of our ,allgemeine             
,militr-,zeitung1 which is published in 
the next year to the fifty times4       
,excuse my bath english ,i learned in   
the school and ,i forgot so much4 ,if   
you have interest to german             
,antiquariatskataloge ,i will send to   
you some4 ,i remain however yours truly 
servant4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,a gentlemanly stranger    
once asked the delivery clerk for a     
genealogy4 ,what one8 she asked4 ,oh6   
any1 he said4 ,well--,savage's8 ,no2    
white men4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,said ,melvil ,dewey3 ,to  

my thinking1 a great librarian must have
 a clear head1 a strong hand1 and1 above
 all1 a great heart4 ,such shall be     
greatest among librarians2 and1 when ,i 
look into the future1 ,i am inclined to 
think that most of the men who will     
achieve this greatness will be women4   
99       99       99       99       99  
,a ,,library ,,hymn4  ,by an ,assistant 
,librarian4  ,i have endeavored to      
clothe the dull prose of the usual      
,library ,rules with the mantle of      
poetry1 that they may be more           
attractive1 and more easily remembered  
by the great public whom we serve4      
,gently1 reader1 gently moving1         
,wipe your feet beside the door2        
,hush your voice to whispers soothing1  
,take your hat off1 ,i implore6         
,mark your number1 plainly1 rightly1    
,from the catalogue you see2     ,with  
the card projecting slightly1     ,then 
your book bring unto me4                
,quickly working1         ,with no      
shirking1     ,soon another there will  

be4      ,if above two weeks you've left
 me1     ,just two cents a day ,i'll    
take1     ,and1 unless my mind's bereft 
me1     ,payment you must straightway   
make4     ,treat your books as if       
to-morrow1     ,gabriel's trump would   
surely sound1     ,and all scribbling1  
to your sorrow1     ',gainst your credit
 would be found4         ,therefore tear
 not1         ,spot and wear not        
,all these books so neatly bound4       
,these few simple rules abiding1     ,we
 shall always on you smile3     ,there  
will be no room for chiding1     ,no    
one's temper will you rile4     ,and    
when ,heaven's golden portals     ,for  
you on their hinges turn1     ,with the 
books for all immortals1     ,there will
 be no rules to learn4                  
,therefore heed them1         ,often    
read them1     ,lest your future weal   
you spurn4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,,titles ,,of ,,books      
,,asked ,,for ,,by ,,written ,,slips    
,,in ,a ,,popular ,,library4            

,aristopholus translated by ,buckley4   
,alfreri ,tragedus4     ,bertall ,lavie 
,hors ,de ,ches ,soi4     ,cooke ,m4 ,c4
 ,m4 ,a4 ,l4 ,l4 ,d4 their nature and   
uses4         ,edited by ,rev4 ,j4 ,m4  
,berkeley ,m4 ,a4 ,f4 ,r4 ,s4 7,fungi47 
,caralus ,note ,book 7,a ,cavalier's74  
,gobden ,club-,essays4     ,specie the  
origin of ,darwin4     ,an ,epistropal  
,prayer ,book4         99       99      
99       99       99  ,,blunders ,,in   
,,cataloguing4      ,gasparin4 ,the     
uprising of a great many people4        
,hughes1 ,tom4 ,the scouring of the     
,white ,house4     ,mayhew4 ,the        
pheasant boy4     ,wind in the lower    
animals 7,mind47         99       99    
99       99       99  ,,recent ,,calls  
,,for ,,books ,,at ,a ,,western         
,,library4      ,account of ,monte      
,cristo4     ,acrost the ,kontinent by  
,boles4     ,bula4     ,count of ,corpus
 ,cristy4     ,dant's ,infernal comedy4 
,darwin's ,descent on man4     ,feminine
 ,cooper's works4     ,infeleese4       

,less ,miserable4     ,some of          
,macbeth's writings4     ,something in  
the way of friction4     ,squeal to a   
book4         99       99       99      
99       99  ,in ,vol4 #c of ,laporte's 
,bibliographie contemporaine1 ,dibdin's 
famous book is entered thus3            
,bibliomania1 or boock1 madnss3 a       
bibliographical romance444ilustrated    
with cats4         99       99       99 
99       99  ,a well-known librarian    
writes3  ,the ,catalogue of the ,indiana
 ,state ,library for the year #ahei has 
long been my wonder and admiration4     
,bank's ,history of the ,popes appears  
under the letter ,b4 ,strong in the     
historical department1 it offers a      
choice between the ,life of ,john       
,tyler1 by ,harper  ,brothers1 ,memoirs 
of ,moses ,henderson1 by ,jewish        
,philosophers1 ,memoirs and             
,correspondence of ,viscount            
,castlereach1 by the ,marquis of        
,londonderry1 and ,memoirs of           
,benvenuto1 by ,gellini4 ,in fiction1   

you may find ,tales of ,my ,landlord by 
,cleishbotham1 and ,the ,pilot1 by the  
,author of the ,pioneers2 while1 if your
 passion for plural authorship is       
otherwise unappeasable--if ,beaumont and
 ,fletcher or ,erckman-,chatrian seem to
 you too feeble a combination of        
talents--you may well be captivated by  
the title ,small ,arms1 by the ,united  
,states ,army4  ,the ,state of ,indiana 
has undoubtedly learned a good many     
things since #ahei2 but whosoever its   
present librarian may be1 it is hardly  
probable that its highest flight in     
bibliography has surpassed the catalogue
 from which the above are quoted4       
99       99       99       99       99  
,books demanded at a certain public     
library3      ,the ,stuck-up            
,minister--7,stickit ,minister47        
,from ,jessie to ,ernest 7,jest to      
,earnest74         99       99       99 
99       99  ,a country order for books 
called for ,the ,thrown of ,david1 ,echo
 of ,hummo 7,ecce ,homo7 and ,echo of   

,deas 7,ecce ,deus74         99       99
       99       99       99  ,the       
,nation mentions as an instance of the  
havoc which types can make with the     
titles of books1 that a single catalogue
 gives us ',clara ,reeve's ,old ,english
 ,barn1' ',swinburne's ,century of      
,scoundrels1' and ',una and her         
,papuse4' ,but this is outdone by the   
bookseller who offered for sale         
,balvatzky1 ,mrs4 ,izis unveiled4       
,another goddess is offended in         
,transits of ,venice1 by ,r4 ,a4        
,proctor4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,in a certain city1 an     
examination of applicants for employment
 in the public library was held4 ,the   
following is an exact copy of the answer
 to a question1 asking for the title of 
a work written by each of the authors   
named3 ,john ,ruskin1 ',the ,bread      
,winners2' ,william ,h4 ,prescott1 ',the
 ,frozen ,pirate2' ,charles ,darwin1    
',the ,missing ,link2' ,thomas ,carlyle1
 ',caesar's ,column4' ,the same man is  

responsible for saying that ,b4 ,c4     
stands for the ,creation1 and ,a4 ,d4   
for the ,deluge4  ,who wants this bright
 young man8         99       99       99
       99       99  ,a ,,story ,,about  
,,stories4      ,when ,a ,man's ,single1
 all ,vanity ,fair      ,courts his     
favor and smiles1      ,and feminine    
,moths ,in ,silk ,attire      ,try on   
him ,a ,woman's ,wiles4      ,the       
,world1 the ,flesh and the ,devil       
,were ,wormwood and gall to me1         
,weary and sick of ,the ,passing ,show1 
,no ,woman's ,face was ,fair to ,see4   
,i fled away to ,the ,mill on the ,floss
      ,two ,years ,ago1 ,in an ,evil    
,hour1      ,for ,the ,miller's         
,daughter there ,i met1      ,who       
,cometh ,up as a ,flower4       ,she was
 a simple ,rose in ,june1      ,and ,i  
was ,an ,average ,man2      ,we ,two    
were ,far ,from the ,madding ,crowd     
,when our ,love and ,life began4        
,it was but ,a ,modern ,instance        
,of true ,love's ,random ,shot1         

,and ,i1 ,the ,heir of ,redclyffe       
,was ,kidnapped3 and ,why ,not8         
,we cannot escape the hand of ,fate1    
,and few are ,fated to be ,free1        
,but beware of ,a ,social ,departure--  
,you'll live ,under the ,ban1 like me4  
,i tried to force the ,gates ,ajar      
,for my ,queen of ,curds and ,cream1    
,but ,the ,pillars of ,society          
,shook with horror at my ,dream4        
,i am no more ,a ,happy ,man1           
,though blessed with ,heavenly ,twins1  
,because ,the ,wicked ,world maintains  
,a ,low ,marriage the worst of sins4    
,pride and ,prejudice rule the world1   
,a ,marriage for ,love is ,a ,capital   
,crime1      ,beware of ,a ,country     
,neighborhood      ,and shun ,mad ,love 
in time4         99       99       99   
99       99  ,says the ,nation3  ,a     
,philadelphia catalogue1 whose compiler 
must have been more interested in       
current events than in his task1 offers 
for sale ,intrigues of the ,queen of    
,spain with ,mc,kinley1 the ,prince of  

,peace1 ,boston1 #ahji4 ,how ,godoy     
should become ,mc,kinley1 or ,mc,kinley 
should become the ,prince of ,peace1 is 
a problem for psychologists4         99 
99       99       99       99           
,,confusion ,,of ,,knowledge4  ,the     
following are some specimens of answers 
to ,examinations of candidates for      
,library employment1 given within the   
past five years3  ,a sonnet is a poem   
which is adapted to music1 as           
,petrarch's sonnets2 a sonnet is a short
 poem sometimes and sometimes a long one
 and generally a reflection1 or thoughts
 upon some inanimate thing1 as ,young's 
',night thoughts4' ,an epic is a        
critical writing1 as ',criticism on     
man'2 an epic is a literary form written
 in verse1 and which teaches us some    
lesson not necessarily of a moral       
nature2 an epic is a dramatic poem4     
,epigrammatic writing is very clearly   
defined as critical in a grammatical    
way4 ,allegory is writing highly        
colored1 as ,pope's works2 allegory is  

writing of something that never         
happened1 but it is purely imaginary1   
often a wandering from the main point4  
,a common mistake regarding the meaning 
of the word bibliography results in such
 answers as bibliography--a study of the
 ,bible2 or gives the lives of the      
people in the ,bible4 ,an encyclopaedia 
was aptly defined as a storehouse of    
knowledge for the enlightenment of the  
public1 while another answer reads ,book
 of ,books1 giving the life of famous   
persons1 life and habits of animals and 
plants1 and some medical knowledge4 ,a  
collection of works of any author is    
termed an anthropology4 ,anthology is   
the study of insects4 ,folklore is      
defined as giving to animals and things 
human sense2 an elegy means a eulogy1   
oratory1 the deliverance of words4      
,belles-lettres is to one applicant     
beautiful ideas1 to another the title of
 a book1 to another short stories2 again
 are the letters of ,french writers1 and
 still another writes ,french for       

prominent literature and light          
literature4 ,a concordance is the       
explication or definition of something  
told in a simpler form1 is the extremely
 lucid answer to one question1 which was
 answered by another candidate as a     
table of reference at back of book4     
,the titles of books are too seldom     
associated with their authors' names1   
resulting in such answers as ,homer is  
the author of the ,aeneid2 ,lalla ,rookh
 was written by ,james ,blackmore2      
,children of the ,abbey1 by ,walter     
,besant 7while another attributed it to 
,jane ,porter72 ,bow of orange ,ribbon1 
by ,george ,meredith2 ,hon4 ,peter      
,stirling1 by ,fielding2 ,quo ,vadis1 by
 ,browning2 ,pamela1 by ,frank ,stockton
 7according to another by ,marie        
,edgworth72 ,love's ,labour's ,lost1 by 
,bryant 7another gives ,thomas ,reade as
 the author1 while still another guesses
 ,schiller72 ,descent of ,man1 by       
,alexander ,pope 7another gives         
,dryden72 ,the ,essay on ,man1 by       

,francis ,bacon4  ,one candidate        
believes ,hudibras to be an early ,saxon
 poem2 another that ,victor ,hugo's best
 known work is ,william ,tell2 another  
that ,aesop's ,fables is a famous       
allegory4 ,charlotte ,bront is described
 as an ,american--nineteenth            
century--children's book4 ,cicero was   
known for ,latin poetry4 ,dante is an   
exceedingly bitter writer2 he takes you 
into hell and describes ,satan and his  
angels4 ,he wrote his play for the      
stage4 ,another's idea of the ,divine   
,comedy is a play which could be acted  
by the priests on the steps of a church 
for the benefit of the poorer class4    
,civil service in the mind of one young 
woman was the service done by the       
government in a country1 domesticly4  ,a
 ,christian socialist is an advocate of 
,christian science4 ,a limited monarchy 
is a kingdom whose ruler is under the   
ruler of another country4 ,legal tender 
is the legal rate of interest2 another  
considers it ,paper money4 ,in          

economics1 some of the answers were     
profit-sharing1 a term used in          
socialism1 the rich to divide among the 
poor4 ,monopolies is the money gained by
 selling church properties2 while a     
trust is usually a place where a person 
puts some money where it will be safe to
 keep it4  ,about noted personages and  
historic events and places the answers  
are equally startling4 ,molire was a    
,french essayist and critic 7also a     
,french writer of the nineteenth        
century17 ,cecil ,rhodes1 the founder of
 ,bryn ,mawr ,college2 ,seth            
,low--,england1 eighteenth century2     
,attila a woman mentioned in the ,bible 
for her great cruelty to her child2     
,warren ,hastings was a ,german soldier 
7also was a discoverer2 died about      
#ahgj72 ,nero was a ,roman emperor ,b4  
,c4 #dej4 ,perhaps the most unique guess
 in this line was ,richard ,wagner      
invented the ,wagner cars2 ,abbotsford  
is the title of a book by ,sir ,walter  
,scott2 ,vassar ,college is a dream1    

high-up and unattainable2 ,tammany ,hall
 is a political meeting place in        
,london2 the ,parthenon1 an art gallery 
in ,athens4  ,pedagogy seemed one of the
 most perplexing of words4 ,it was      
defined by one as the science of        
religion1 by another as learned         
pomposity2 but the most remarkable of   
all was pedagogy is the study of feet4  
99       99       99       99       99  
,,song ,,of ,,some ,,library ,,school   
,,scholars4                ,three little
 maids from school are we1              
,filled to the brim with economy--      
,not of the house but library1          
,learnt in the ,library ,school4        
#ast ,maid--,i range my books from      
number one4     #bnd                    
,maid--,alphabetically ,i've begun4     
#crd ,maid--,in regular classes mine do 
run4          ,all--,three maids from   
the ,library ,school4                   
,all--,three little maidens all unwary1 
,each in charge of a library1           
,each with a system quite contrary      

,to every other school4                 
,our catalogues1 we quite agree1        
,from faults and errors must be free1   
,if only we our way can see             
,to find the proper rule4         99    
99       99       99       99  ,boy's   
remark on returning a certain juvenile  
book to the library3 ,i don't want any  
more of them books4 ,the girls is all   
too holy4         99       99       99  
99       99  ,half the books in this    
library are not worth reading1 said a   
sour-visaged1 hypercritical1            
novel-satiated woman4--,read the other  
half1 then1 advised a bystander4        
99       99       99       99       99  
,,the ,,woes ,,of ,a ,,librarian4       
,let us give a brief rehearsal     ,of  
the learning universal1     ,which men  
expect to find     ,in ,librarians to   
their mind4      ,he must undergo       
probation1     ,before he gets a        
situation2     ,must begin at the       
creation1     ,when the world was in    
formation1     ,and come down to its    

cremation1     ,in the final            
consummation     ,of the old world's    
final spasm3     ,he must study         
protoplasm1     ,and bridge over every  
chasm     ,in the origin of species1    
,ere the monkey wore the breeches1      
,or the ,simian tribe began     ,to     
ascend from ape to man4      ,he must   
master the cosmology1     ,and know all 
about psychology1     ,and the wonders  
of biology1     ,and be deep in         
ornithology1     ,and develop ideology1 
,with the aid of craniology4     ,he    
must learn to teach zology1     ,and be 
skilled in etymology1     ,and the      
science of philology1     ,and calculate
 chronology1     ,while he digs into    
geology1     ,and treats of entomology1 
,and hunts up old mythology1     ,and   
dips into theology1     ,and grows wise 
in sociology1     ,and expert in        
anthropology4      ,he must also know   
geography1     ,and the best works on   
photography1     ,and the science of    
stenography1     ,and be well up on     

cosmography1     ,and the secrets of    
cryptography4     ,must interpret blind 
chirography1     ,know by heart all     
mens' biography1     ,and the black art 
of typography1     ,and every book in   
bibliography4      ,these things are all
 essential     ,and highly              
consequential4      ,if he's haunted by 
ambition     ,for a library position1   
,and esteems it a high mission1     ,to 
aspire to erudition2     ,he will find  
some politician     ,of an envious      
disposition1     ,getting up a coalition
     ,to secure his non-admission1      
,and send him to perdition1     ,before 
he's reached fruition4      ,if he gets 
the situation1     ,and is full of proud
 elation     ,and of fond anticipation1 
,and has in contemplation     ,to       
enlighten half the nation1     ,he may  
write a dissertation     ,for the public
 information     ,on the laws of        
observation1     ,and the art of        
conversation4      ,he must know each   
famed oration1     ,and poetical        

quotation1     ,and master derivation1  
,and the science of translation1        
,and complex pagination1     ,and       
perfect punctuation1     ,and binomial  
equation1     ,and accurate computation1
     ,and boundless permutation1        
,and infinite gradation1     ,and the   
craft of divination1     ,and ,scripture
 revelation1     ,and the secret of     
salvation4      ,he must know the       
population     ,of every separate       
nation1     ,the amount of immigration1 
,and be wise in arbitration1     ,and   
the art of navigation1     ,and colonial
 annexation1     ,and problems          
,australasian4      ,he must take his   
daily ration     ,of catalogue vexation1
     ,and endless botheration     ,with 
ceaseless complication     ,of decimal  
notation1     ,or ,cutter combination4  
,to complete his education1     ,he must
 know the valuation     ,of all the     
publications     ,of many generations1  
,with their endless variations1     ,and
 true interpretations4      ,when he's  

spent a life in learning1     ,if his   
lamp continues burning1     ,when he's  
mastered all philosophy1     ,and the   
science of theosophy1     ,grown as     
learned as ,mezzofanti1     ,as poetical
 as ,dante1     ,as wise as             
,magliabecchi1     ,as profound as ,mr4 
,lecky--     ,has absorbed more kinds of
 knowledge     ,than are found in any   
college2     ,he may take his full      
degree     ,of ,ph4 or ,,ll4 ,d4        
,and prepare to pass the portal         
,that leads to life immortal4           
,,footnotes3  #c ,mostly from the       
,library ,journal1 ,new ,york4          
,,chapter #bf4  ,,rare ,,books4   ,there
 is perhaps no field of inquiry         
concerning literature in which so large 
an amount of actual mis-information or  
of ignorance exists as that of the      
rarity of many books4 ,the makers of    
second-hand catalogues are responsible  
for much of this1 in describing the     
books which they wish to sell as rare1  
very scarce1 etc41 but more of it       

proceeds from absolute ignorance of the 
book-markets of the world4 ,i have had  
multitudes of volumes offered for sale  
whose commercial value was hardly as    
many cents as was demanded in dollars by
 their ill-informed owners1 who fancied 
the commonest book valuable because they
 had never seen another copy4 ,no one's 
ideas of the money value of any book are
 worth anything1 unless he has had long 
experimental knowledge of the market for
 books both in ,america and in ,europe4 
,what constitutes rarity in books is a  
question that involves many particulars4
 ,thus1 a given book may be rare in the 
,united ,states which is abundant in    
,london2 or rare in ,london1 when common
 enough in ,germany4 ,so books may be   
rare in one age which were easily found 
in another3 and again1 books on certain 
subjects may be so absorbed by public   
demand when events excite interest in   
that subject1 as to take up most of the 
copies in market1 and enhance the price 
of the remainder4 ,thus1 ,napoleon's    

conquering career in ,egypt created a   
great demand for all books on ,egypt and
 ,africa4 ,the scheme for founding a    
great ,french colony in ,louisiana      
raised the price of all books and       
pamphlets on that region1 which soon    
after fell into the possession of the   
,united ,states4 ,president ,lincoln's  
assassination caused a demand for all   
accounts of the murder of the heads of  
nations4 ,latterly1 all books on ,cuba1 
the ,west ,indies1 and the ,philippines 
have been in unprecedented demand1 and  
dealers have raised the prices1 which   
will again decline after the recent     
public interest in them has been        
supplanted by future events4  ,there is 
a broad distinction to be drawn between 
books which are absolutely rare1 and    
those which are only relatively scarce1 
or which become temporarily rare1 as    
just explained4 ,thus1 a large share of 
the books published in the infancy of   
printing are rare2 nearly all which     
appeared in the quarter century after   

printing began are very rare2 and       
several among these last are            
superlatively rare4 ,i may instance the 
,mazarin ,bible of ,gutenberg and       
,schoeffer 7#adee87 of which only       
twenty-four copies are known1 nearly all
 in public libraries1 where they ought  
to be2 the ,mentz ,psalter of the same  
printers1 #adeg1 the first book ever    
printed with a date2 and the first      
edition of ,livy1 ,rome #adfi the only  
copy of which printed on vellum is in   
the ,british ,museum ,library4  ,one    
reason of the scarcity of books         
emanating from the presses of the       
fifteenth century is that of many of    
them the editions consisted of only two 
hundred to three hundred copies1 of     
which the large number absorbed in      
public libraries1 or destroyed by use1  
fire or decay1 left very few in the     
hands of booksellers or private persons4
 ,still1 it is a great mistake to infer 
that all books printed before ,a4 ,d4   
#aejj are rare4 ,the editions of many   

were large1 especially after about      
#adhj1 many were reprinted in several   
editions1 and of such incunabula copies 
can even now be picked up on the        
continent at very low prices4  ,contrary
 to a wide-spread belief1 mere age adds 
very little to the value of any book1   
and oft-times nothing at all4 ,all      
librarians are pestered to buy hundred  
year old treatises on theology or       
philosophy1 as dry as the desert of     
,sahara1 on the ground that they are    
both old and rare1 whereas such books1  
two hundred and even three hundred years
 old1 swarm in unsalable masses on the  
shelves of ,london and provincial       
booksellers at a few pence per volume4  
,the reason that they are comparatively 
rare in this country is that nobody     
wants them1 and so they do not get      
imported4  ,a rare book is1 strictly    
speaking1 only one which is found with  
difficulty1 taking into view all the    
principal book markets of various       
countries4 ,very few books printed since

 #afej have any peculiar value on       
account of their age4 ,of many books1   
both old and new1 the reason of scarcity
 is that only a few copies actually     
remain1 outside of public libraries1 and
 these last1 of course1 are not for     
sale4 ,this scarcity of copies is       
produced by a great variety of causes1  
most of which are here noted4  7#a7 ,the
 small number of the books originally   
printed leads to rarity4 ,this is by no 
means peculiar to early impressions of  
the press3 on the contrary1 of some     
books printed only last year not one    
tenth as many exist as of a multitude of
 books printed four centuries ago4 ,not 
only privately printed books1 not       
designed for publication1 but some      
family or personal memoirs1 or original 
works circulated only among friends1 and
 many other publications belong to this 
class of rarities4 ,the books printed at
 private presses are mostly rare4       
,horace ,walpole's ,strawberry ,hill    
press produced some thirty works from   

#ageg to #aghi1 in editions varying from
 fifty to six hundred copies4 ,the ,lee 
,priory press of ,sir ,e4 ,brydges      
printed many literary curiosities1 none 
of which had more than one hundred      
impressions4 ,most of the editions of   
the ,shakespearean and other critical   
essays of ,j4 ,o4 ,halliwell-,phillipps 
were limited to forty copies1 or even   
less4 ,the genealogical and heraldic    
imprints of ,sir ,thomas ,phillipps1 at 
the ,middle ,hill press1 #ahai-ei1      
numbering some hundreds of different    
works1 were mostly confined to twenty   
copies each1 and some to only six       
copies4 ,some of them are as rare as    
many manuscripts1 of which several      
copies have been made1 and sell at      
prices dictated by their scarcity4 ,most
 of them are in the ,library of         
,congress4 ,the ,kelmscott press of     
,william ,morris printed in sumptuous   
style1 improved upon the finest models  
of antique typography1 a number of      
literary works1 which now bring enhanced

 prices4 ,of the many historical and    
literary publications of the ,roxburghe 
,club1 the ,percy ,society1 the         
,maitland1 the ,abbotsford1 and the     
,bannatyne ,clubs abroad1 only thirty to
 one hundred copies were printed4 ,of   
those of the ,prince ,society1 the      
,grolier ,club1 and others in ,america1 
only from #aej to #cjj copies were      
printed1 being for subscribers only4    
,rarity and enhanced prices necessarily 
result in all these cases4 ,of some     
books1 only five to ten copies have been
 printed1 or else1 out of fifty or more 
printed1 all but a very few have been   
ruthlessly destroyed1 in order to give a
 fanciful value to the remainder4 ,in   
these extreme instances1 the rarity     
commonly constitutes almost the sole    
value of the work4  7#b7 ,even where    
many copies have been printed1 the      
destruction of the greater part of the  
edition has rendered the book very rare4
 ,printing offices and book binderies   
are peculiarly subject to fires1 and    

many editions have thus been consumed   
before more than a few copies have been 
issued4 ,the great theological libraries
 edited by the ,abb ,j4 ,p4 ,migne1 the 
,patrologie ,grecque1 et ,latine1 owe   
their scarcity and advanced prices to a 
fire which consumed the entire remainder
 of the edition4 ,all the copies of a   
large edition of ,twenty years among our
 savage ,indians1 by ,j4 ,l4            
,humfreville1 were destroyed by fire in 
a ,hartford printing office in #ahii1   
except two1 which had been deposited in 
the ,library of ,congress1 to secure the
 copyright4 ,the whole edition of the   
,machina coelestis of ,hevelius was     
burned1 except the few copies which the 
author had presented to friends before  
the fire occurred4 ,the earlier issues  
in ,spanish of the ,mexican and         
,peruvian presses prior to #afjj are    
exceedingly rare4 ,and editions of books
 printed at places in the ,united       
,states where no books are now published
 are sought for their imprint alone and 

seldom found4  7#c7 ,many books have    
become rare because proscribed and in   
part destroyed by governmental or       
ecclesiastical authority4 ,this applies 
more especially to the ages that        
succeeded the application of printing to
 the art of multiplying books4 ,the     
freedom of many writers upon politics   
and popular rights led to the           
suppression of their books by kings1    
emperors or parliaments4 ,at the same   
time1 books of church history or        
doctrinal theology which departed1 in   
however slight a degree1 from the       
standard of faith proclaimed by the     
church1 were put in the ,index          
,expurgatorius1 or list of works        
condemned in whole or in part as        
heretical and unlawful to be read4 ,a   
long and melancholy record of such      
proscriptions1 civil and ecclesiastical1
 is found in ,gabriel ,peignot's two    
volumes--,dictionnaire des livres       
condamns au feu1 supprims1 ou censurs1  
etc4 ,works of writers of genius and    

versatile ability were thus proscribed1 
until it gave rise to the sarcasm among 
the scholars of ,europe1 that if one    
wanted to find what were the books best 
worth reading1 he should look in the    
,index ,expurgatorius4 ,it appears to   
have been quite forgotten by those in   
authority that persecution commonly     
helps the cause persecuted1 and that the
 best way to promote the circulation of 
a book is to undertake to suppress it4  
,this age finds itself endowed with so  
many heretics that it is no longer      
possible to find purchasers at high     
prices for books once deemed unholy4    
,suppressed passages in later editions  
lead to a demand for the uncastrated    
copies which adds an element of enhanced
 cost in the market4  7#d7 ,another     
source of rarity is the great extent and
 cost of many works1 outrunning the     
ability of most collectors to buy or to 
accommodate them on their shelves4      
,these costly possessions have been     
commonly printed in limited numbers for 

subscribers1 or for distribution by     
governments under whose patronage they  
were produced4 ,such are some of the    
notable collections of early voyages1   
the great folios of many illustrated    
scientific works on natural history1    
local geography1 etc4 ,that great       
scholar1 ,baron von ,humboldt1 used     
jocosely to say that he could not afford
 to own a set of his own works1 most of 
which are folios sumptuously printed1   
with finely engraved illustrations4 ,the
 collection known as the ,grands et     
petits ,voyages of ,de ,bry1 the former 
in #ac volumes1 relating to ,america1   
and finely illustrated with             
copper-plates produced in the highest   
style of that art1 are among the rarest 
sets of books to find complete4 ,the    
collection of voyages by ,hulsius is    
equally difficult to procure4 ,a really 
perfect set of ,piranesi's great        
illustrated work on the art and         
architecture of ancient ,rome is very   
difficult to acquire4 ,the ,acta        

,sanctorum1 in the original edition1 is 
very seldom found4 ,but there is no room
 to multiply examples4  7#e7 ,what adds 
to the rarity and cost of certain books 
is the peculiarly expensive style or    
condition in which they are produced or 
preserved4 ,some few copies of an       
edition1 for example1 are printed on    
vellum1 or on ,china or ,india or other 
choice paper1 in colored ink or bronze1 
on colored paper1 7rose-tinted1 or      
green1 blue or yellow17 on large paper1 
with broad margins1 etc4 ,uncut copies  
always fetch a higher price than those  
whose edges are trimmed down in binding4
 ,to some book-collecting amateurs cut  
edges are an abomination4 ,they will pay
 more for a book in sheets1 which they  
can bind after their own taste1 than for
 the finest copy in calf or morocco with
 gilt edges4 ,some books1 also1 are     
exceptionally costly because bound in a 
style of superior elegance and beauty1  
or as having belonged to a crowned head 
or a noble person1 7books with a        

pedigree7 or an eminent author1 or      
having autographs of notable characters 
on the fly-leaves or title-pages1 or    
original letters inserted in the volume4
 ,others still are extra-illustrated    
works1 in which one volume is swelled to
 several by the insertion of a multitude
 of portraits1 autographs1 and          
engravings1 more or less illustrative of
 the contents of the book4 ,this is     
called ,grangerising1 from its origin in
 the practice of thus illustrating      
,granger's ,biographical ,history of    
,england4 ,book amateurs of expensive   
tastes are by no means rare1 especially 
in ,england1 ,france1 and ,america1 and 
the great commercial value placed upon  
uncut and rarely beautiful books1 on    
which the highest arts of the printer   
and book-binder have been lavished1     
evinces the fact4  7#f7 ,the books      
emanating from the presses of famous    
printers are more sought for by         
collectors and libraries than other     
publications1 because of their superior 

excellence4 ,sometimes this is found in 
the beauty of the type1 or the clear and
 elegant press-work2 sometimes in the   
printers' marks1 monograms1 engraved    
initial letters1 head and tail-pieces1  
or other illustrations2 and sometimes in
 the fine quality of the choice paper on
 which the books are printed4 ,thus1 the
 productions of the presses of ,aldus1  
,giunta1 ,bodoni1 ,etienne1 ,elzevir1   
,froben1 ,gutenberg1 ,fust and          
,schoeffer1 ,plantin1 ,caxton1 ,wynkyn  
de ,worde1 ,bulmer1 ,didot1             
,baskerville1 ,pickering1 ,whittingham1 
and others1 are always in demand1 and   
some of the choicer specimens of their  
art1 if in fine condition1 bring great  
prices in the second-hand book-shops1 or
 the auction room4 ,an example of       
,caxton's press is now almost           
unattainable1 except in fragmentary     
copies4 ,there are known to be only     
about #efj examples of ,caxtons in the  
world1 four-fifths of which are in      
,england1 and thirty-one of these are   

unique4 ,his ,king ,arthur 7#adhe7      
brought #aiej at auction in #ahhe1 and  
the ,polychronicon 7#adhb7 was sold at  
the ,ives sale 7,n4 ,y47 in #ahia1 for  
#a1ejj4  7#g7 ,in the case of all finely
 illustrated works1 the earlier         
impressions taken1 both of text and     
plates1 are more rare1 and hence more   
valuable1 than the bulk of the edition4 
,thus1 copies with proofs before letters
 of the steel engravings or etchings1   
sometimes command more than double the  
price of copies having only the ordinary
 plates4 ,each added impression         
deteriorates a little the sharp1 clear  
outlines and brilliant impressions which
 are peculiar to the first copies       
printed4  7#h7 ,of some books1 certain  
volumes only are rare1 and very costly  
in consequence4 ,thus1 ,burk's ,history 
of ,virginia is common enough in three  
volumes1 but volume #d of the set1 by   
,jones and ,girardin1 7#ahaf17 is       
exceedingly rare1 and seldom found with 
the others4 ,the fifth and last volume  

of ,bunsen's ,egypt's ,place in         
,universal ,history is very scarce1     
while the others are readily procured4  
,of ,de ,bry's ,voyages1 the #acth or   
final part of the ,american voyages is  
so rare as to be quite unattainable1    
unless after long years of search1 and  
at an unconscionable price4  7#i7 ,the  
condition of any book is an unfailing   
factor in its price4 ,many1 if not most 
books offered by second-hand dealers are
 shop-worn1 soiled1 or with broken      
bindings1 or some other defect4 ,a pure1
 clean copy1 in handsome condition      
without and within1 commands invariably 
an extra price4 ,thus the noted         
,nuremberg ,chronicle of #adic1 a huge  
portly folio1 with #b1bej wood-cuts in  
the text1 many of them by ,albert ,drer 
or other early artists1 is priced in    
,london catalogues all the way from     
#g4ae up to #ce1 for identically the    
same edition4 ,the difference is        
dependent wholly on the condition of the
 copies offered4 ,here is part of a     

description of the best copy3 ,nuremberg
 ,chronicle1 by ,schedel1 printed by    
,koberger1 first edition1 #adic1 royal  
folio1 with fine original impressions of
 the #b1bej large wood-cuts of towns1   
historical events1 portraits1 etc41 very
 tall copy1 measuring #ah inches by #ab1
 beautifully bound in morocco super     
extra1 full gilt edges1 by ,riviere1    
#ce4 ,all the cuts are brilliant        
impressions1 large and spirited4 ,the   
book is genuine and perfect throughout2 
no washed leaves1 and all the large     
capitals filled in by the rubricator by 
different colored inks3 it has the six  
additional leaves at end1 which ,brunet 
says are nearly always wanting4  7#aj7  
,the first editions printed of many     
books always command high prices4 ,not  
only is this true of the editio princeps
 of ,homer1 ,virgil1 ,tacitus and other 
,greek and ,roman writers1 published in 
the infancy of printing1 but of every   
noted author1 of ancient or modern date4
 ,the edition printed during the life of

 the writer has had his own oversight   
and correction4 ,and when more than one 
issue of his book has thus appeared1 one
 sees how his maturer judgment has      
altered the substance or the style of   
his work4 ,first editions of any very   
successful work always tend to become   
scarce1 since the number printed is     
smaller1 as a rule1 and a large part of 
the issue is absorbed by public         
libraries4 ,the earliest published      
writings of ,tennyson1 now found with   
difficulty1 show how much of emendation 
and omission this great poet thought    
proper to make in his poems in after    
years4 ,a first edition of ,ivanhoe1 #c 
vols41 #ahbj1 brings #g or more1 in the 
original boards1 but if rebound in any  
style1 the first ,waverley novels can be
 had at much less1 though collectors are
 many4  7#aa7 ,another class of rare    
books is found in many local histories1 
both among the county histories of      
,great ,britain1 and those of towns and 
counties in the ,united ,states4 ,jay   

,gould's ,history of ,delaware ,county1 
,n4 ,y41 published in #ahef1 and sought 
after in later times because of his note
 as a financier1 is seldom found4 ,of   
family genealogies1 too1 printed in     
small editions1 there are many which    
cannot be had at all1 and many more     
which have risen to double or even      
quadruple price4 ,the market value of   
these books1 always dependent on demand1
 is enhanced by the wants of public     
libraries which are making or completing
 collections of these much sought       
sources of information4  7#ab7 ,there is
 a class of books rarely found in any   
reputable book shop1 and which ought to 
be much rarer than they are--namely1    
those that belong to the domain of      
indecent literature4 ,booksellers who   
deal in such wares often put them in    
catalogues under the head of facetiae1  
thus making a vile use of what should be
 characteristic only of books of wit or 
humor4 ,men of prurient tastes become   
collectors of such books1 many of which 

are not without some literary merit1    
while many more are neither fit to be   
written1 nor printed1 nor read4  7#ac7  
,there is a large variety of books that 
are sought mainly on account1 not of    
their authors1 nor for their value as   
literature1 but for their illustrators4 
,many eminent artists 7in fact most of  
those of any period7 have made designs  
for certain books of their day4 ,the    
reputation of an artist sometimes rests 
more upon his work given to the public  
in engravings1 etchings1 wood-cuts1     
etc41 that illustrate books1 than upon  
his works on canvas or in marble4 ,many 
finely illustrated works bear prices    
enhanced by the eagerness of collectors1
 who are bent upon possessing the       
designs of some favorite artist1 while  
some amateurs covet a collection of far 
wider scope4 ,this demand1 although     
fitful1 and sometimes evanescent1       
7though more frequently recurrent17     
lessens the supply of illustrated books1
 and with the constant drafts of new    

libraries1 raises prices4 ,turner's     
exquisite pictures in ,rogers's ,italy  
and ,poems 7#ahcj-cd7 have floated into 
fame books of verse which find very few 
readers4 ,hablot ,k4 ,browne 7,phiz7    
designed those immortal ,wellers in     
,pickwick1 which have delighted two     
whole generations of readers4 ,the      
,cruikshankiana are sought with avidity1
 in whatever numerous volumes they      
adorn4 ,books illustrated with the      
designs of ,bartolozzi1 ,marillier1     
,eisen1 ,gravelot1 ,moreau1 ,johannot1  
,grandville1 ,rowlandson1 ,bewick1      
,william ,blake1 ,stothard1 ,stanfield1 
,harvey1 ,martin1 ,cattermole1 ,birket  
,foster1 ,mulready1 ,tenniel1 ,maclise1 
,gilbert1 ,dalziel1 ,leighton1 ,holman  
,hunt1 ,doyle1 ,leech1 ,millais1        
,rossetti1 ,linton1 ,du ,maurier1       
,sambourne1 ,caldecott1 ,walter ,crane1 
,kate ,greenaway1 ,haden1 ,hamerton1    
,whistler1 ,dor1 ,anderson1 ,darley1    
,matt ,morgan1 ,thos4 ,nast1 ,vedder1   
and others1 are in constant demand1     

especially for the early impressions of 
books in which their designs appear4    
7#ad7 ,finally1 that extensive class of 
books known as early ,americana have    
been steadily growing rarer1 and rising 
in commercial value1 since about the    
middle of the nineteenth century4 ,books
 and pamphlets relating to any part of  
the ,american continent or islands1 the 
first voyages1 discoveries1 narratives  
or histories of those regions1 which    
were hardly noted or cared for a century
 ago1 are now eagerly sought by         
collectors for libraries both public and
 private4 ,in this field1 the keen      
competition of ,american ,historical    
,societies1 and of several great        
libraries1 besides the ever increasing  
number of private collectors with large 
means1 has notably enhanced the prices  
of all desirable and rare books4 ,nor do
 the many reprints which have appeared  
much affect the market value of the     
originals1 or first editions4  ,this    
rise in prices1 while far from uniform1 

and furnishing many examples of isolated
 extravagance1 has been marked4 ,witness
 some examples4 ,the ,bay ,psalm ,book1 
,cambridge1 ,mass41 ,a4 ,d4 #afdj1 is   
the ,caxton of ,new ,england1 so rare   
that no perfect copy has been found for 
many years4 ,in #ahee1 ,henry ,stevens  
had the singular good fortune to find   
this typographical gem sandwiched in an 
odd bundle of old hymn books1 unknown to
 the auctioneers or catalogue1 at a     
,london book sale4 ,keeping his own     
counsel1 he bid off the lot at nine     
shillings1 completed an imperfection in 
the book1 from another imperfect copy1  
had it bound in ,bedford's best1 and    
sold it to ,mr4 ,lenox's library at #hj4
 ,in #ahfh1 ,stevens sold another copy  
to ,george ,brinley for #aej guineas1   
which was bought for #a1bjj in #ahgh1 by
 ,c4 ,vanderbilt1 at the ,brinley sale4 
,john ,smith's folio ,historie of       
,virginia1 #ast ed41 #afbd1 large paper1
 was sold to ,brinley in #ahgd at       
#a1bge1 and re-sold in #ahgh for #a1hjj 

to ,mr4 ,lenox4 ,in #ahhd a copy on     
large paper brought #fje at the         
,hamilton ,library sale in ,london4 ,in 
#ahii1 a perfect copy of the large paper
 edition was presented to the ,library  
of ,congress by ,gen4 ,w4 ,b4 ,franklin4
 ,perfect copies of ,smith's ,virginia  
of #afbd on small paper have sold for   
#a1jjj1 and those wanting some maps at  
#gj to #aej4  ,the earlier ,english     
tracts relating to ,virginia and ,new   
,england1 printed between #afjh and     
#agjj1 command large prices3 e4 g41     
,lescarbot's ,new ,france1 ,canada1     
#afji1 #ej to #aej2 ,wood's ,new        
,england's ,prospect1 #afce1 #ej to     
#cbj2 ,hubbard's ,present ,state of ,new
 ,england1 ,boston1 #afgg1 #ahj to #caf4
  ,it is curious to note1 in contrast1  
the following record of prices at the   
sale of ,dr4 ,bernard's ,library in     
,london1 in #afhf3  ,t4 ,morton's ,new  
,england1 #afae1 eight pence2           
,lescarbot's ,new ,france1 #afji1 ten   
pence2 ,wood's ,new ,england's          

,prospect1 #afce1 and three others1 #e  
s4 #h d42 nine ,eliot ,tracts1 c41 #e s4
 #b d42 ,hubbard's ,present ,state of   
,new ,england1 #afgg1 #a s42 ,smith's   
,historie of ,virginia1 #afbd1 #d s4 #b 
d4  ,the numerous and now rare works of 
,increase and ,cotton ,mather1 printed  
from #affg to #agbh1 though mostly      
sermons1 are collected by a sufficient  
number of libraries to maintain prices  
at from #d to #be each1 according to    
condition4 ,they number over #dgj       
volumes4  ,several collections have been
 attempted of ,frankliniana1 or works   
printed at ,benjamin ,franklin's press1 
and of the many editions of his         
writings1 with all books concerning the 
illustrious printer-statesman of        
,america4 ,his ,poor ,richard's         
,almanacs1 printed by him from #agcc to 
#ageh1 and by successors to #agih1 are  
so rare that ,mr4 ,p4 ,l4 ,ford found a 
visit to three cities requisite to see  
all of them4 ,the ,library of ,congress 
possesses thirty-five years of these    

issues4  ,a word may be added as to     
early newspapers1 of some special       
numbers of which prices that are        
literally fabulous are recorded4 ,there 
are many reprints afloat of the first   
,american newspaper1 and most librarians
 have frequent offers of the ,ulster    
,county1 7,n4 ,y47 ,gazette of ,jan4    
#aj1 #ahjj1 in mourning for the death of
 ,washington1 a genuine copy of which is
 worth money1 but the many spurious     
reprints 7which include all those       
offered7 are worth nothing4  ,of many   
rare early books reprints or facsimiles 
are rife in the market1 especially of   
those having but few leaves2 these1     
however1 are easily detected by an      
expert eye1 and need deceive no one4    
,of some scarce books1 it may be said   
that they are as rare as the individuals
 who want them3 and of a very few1 that 
they are as rare as the extinct dodo4   
,in fact1 volumes have been written     
concerning extinct books1 not without   
interest to the bibliomaniac who is     

fired with the passion for possessing   
something which no one else has got4    
,some books are quite as worthless as   
they are rare4 ,but books deemed        
worthless by the common or even by the  
enlightened mind are cherished as       
treasures by many collectors4 ,the      
cook-book1 entitled ,le ,pastissier     
franois1 an ,elzevir of #afee1 is so    
rare as to have brought several times   
its weight in gold4 ,nearly all the     
copies of some books have been worn to  
rags by anglers1 devout women1 cooks1 or
 children4  ,when a book is sold at a   
great price as very rare1 it often      
happens that several copies come into   
the market soon after1 and1 there being 
no demand1 the commercial value is      
correspondingly depressed4 ,the books   
most sure of maintaining full prices are
 first editions of master-pieces in     
literature4 ,fitzgerald's version of    
,omar ,khayyam was bought by nobody when
 ,quaritch first published it in #ahei4 
,after eight years1 he put the remainder

 of the edition1--a paper-covered       
volume--down to a penny each4 ,when the 
book had grown into fame1 and the many  
variations in later issues were         
discovered1 this first edition1 no      
longer procurable1 rose to #ba1 the     
price actually paid by ,mr4 ,quaritch   
himself at a book auction in #ahih6     
,auction sales of libraries having many 
rare books have been frequent in ,london
 and ,paris4 ,the largest price yet     
obtained for any library was reached in 
#ahhb-c1 when that of ,mr4 ,wm4         
,beckford brought #gc1eea1 being an     
average of nearly #dj a volume4 ,but ,w4
 ,c4 ,hazlitt says of this sale1 the    
,beckford books realized perfectly      
insane prices1 and were afterwards      
re-sold for a sixth or even tenth of the
 amount1 to the serious loss of         
somebody1 when the barometer had fallen4
  ,the second-hand bookseller1 having   
the whole range of printed literature   
for his field1 has a great advantage in 
dealing with book collectors over the   

average dealer1 who has to offer only   
new books1 or such as are in print4  ,it
 may be owned that the love of rare     
books is chiefly sentimental4 ,he who   
delights to spend his days or his nights
 in the contemplation of black-letter   
volumes1 quaint title-pages1 fine old   
bindings1 and curious early             
illustrations1 may not add to the       
knowledge or the happiness of mankind1  
but he makes sure of his own4  ,the     
passion for rare books1 merely because  
of their rarity1 is a low order of the  
taste for books4 ,but the desire to     
possess and read wise old books which   
have been touched by the hoar frost of  
time is of a higher mood4 ,the first    
impression of ,paradise ,lost 7#affg7   
with its quarto page and antique        
orthography1 is it not more redolent of 
the author's age than the elegant       
,pickering edition1 or the one          
illustrated by ,john ,martin or ,gustave
 ,dor8 ,when you hold in your hand      
,shakespeare's ,midsommer ,night's      

,dream 7,a4 ,d4 #afjj7 and read with    
fresh admiration and delight the        
exquisite speeches of ,oberon and       
,titania1 may not the thought that      
perhaps that very copy may once have    
been held in the immortal bard's own    
hand send a thrill through your own8    
,when you turn over the classic pages of
 ,homer illustrated by ,flaxman1 that   
dear sculptor of eternity1 as ,william  
,blake called him1 or drink in the      
beauty of those delicious landscapes of 
,turner1 that astonishing man1 who shall
 wonder at your desire to possess them8 
,the genuine book lover is he who reads 
books2 who values them for what they    
contain1 not for their rarity1 nor for  
the preposterous prices which have been 
paid for them4 ,to him1 book-hunting is 
an ever-enduring delight4 ,of all the   
pleasures tasted here below1 that of the
 book lover in finding a precious and   
long sought volume is one of the purest 
and most innocent4 ,in books1 he becomes
 master of all the kingdoms of the      

world4     ,,chapter #bg4               
,,bibliography4   ,to the book collector
 and the ,librarian1 books of           
bibliography are the tools of the       
profession4 ,without them he would be   
lost in a maze of literature without a  
clue4 ,with them1 his path is plain1    
and1 in exact proportion to his         
acquaintance with them1 will his        
knowledge and usefulness extend4        
,bibliography may be defined as the     
science which treats of books1 of their 
authors1 subjects1 history1             
classification1 cataloguing1 typography1
 materials 7including paper1 printing   
and binding7 dates1 editions1 etc4 ,this
 compound word1 derived from two ,greek 
roots1 ,biblion1 book1 and graphein1 to 
write1 has many analogous words1 some of
 which1 ignorantly used to express a    
bibliographer1 may be set down for      
distinction3 as1 for                    
example--,bibliopole--a seller of books1
 often erroneously applied to a         
librarian1 who buys but never sells3    

,bibliophile1 a lover of books1 a title 
which he should always exemplify3       
,bibliopegist1 a book-binder3           
,bibliolater1 a worshipper of books3    
,bibliophobe1 a hater of books3         
,bibliotaph1 a burier of books--one who 
hides or conceals them3 ,bibliomaniac1  
or bibliomane1 one who has a mania or   
passion for collecting books4           
7,bibliomania1 some one has said1 is a  
disease3 ,bibliophily is a science3 ,the
 first is a parody of the second47      
,bibliophage1 or bibliophagist1 a       
book-eater1 or devourer of books4       
,bibliognost1 one versed in the science 
of books4 ,biblioklept1 a book thief4   
7,this1 you perceive1 is from the same  
,greek root as kleptomaniac47           
,bibliogist1 one learned about books1   
7the same nearly as bibliographer72 and 
finally1 ,bibliothecary1 a librarian4   
,this brings me to say1 in supplementing
 this elementary list 7needless for some
 readers7 that ,bibliotheca is ,latin   
for a library2 ,bibliothque is ,french  

for the same2 ,bibliothcaire is ,french 
for ,librarian1 while the ,french word  
,libraire means book seller or          
publisher1 though often mistaken by     
otherwise intelligent persons1 for      
librarian1 or library4  ,the word       
bibliotechny is not found in any        
,english dictionary known to me1        
although long in use in its equivalent  
forms in ,france and ,germany4 ,it means
 all that belongs to the knowledge of   
the book1 to its handling1 cataloguing1 
and its arrangement upon the shelves of 
a library4 ,it is also applied to the   
science of the formation of libraries1  
and their complete organization4 ,it is 
employed in the widest and most extended
 sense of what may be termed material or
 physical bibliography4 ,bibliotechny   
applies1 that is to say1 to the technics
 of the librarian's work--to the outside
 of the books rather than the inside--to
 the mechanics1 not the metaphysics of  
the profession4 ,the ,french word       
,bibliothconomie1 much in use of late   

years1 signifies much the same thing as 
,bibliotechnie1 and we translate it1 not
 into one word1 but two1 calling it     
library economy4 ,this word economy is  
not used in the most current sense--as  
significant of saving--but in the broad1
 modern sense of systematic order1 or   
arrangement4  ,there are two other words
 which have found their way into        
,murray's ,oxford ,dictionary1 the most 
copious repository of ,english words1   
with illustrations of their origin and  
history1 ever published1 namely1        
,biblioclast--a destroyer of books 7from
 the same final root as iconoclast7 and 
,bibliogony1 the production of books4 ,i
 will add that out of the fifteen or    
more words cited as analogous to        
,bibliography1 only three are found used
 earlier than the last quarter century1 
the first use of most having been this  
side of #ahhj4 ,this is a striking      
instance of the phenomenal growth of new
 words in our already rich and flexible 
,english tongue4 ,carlyle even has the  

word ,bibliopoesy1 the making of        
books1--from ,biblion1 and poiein--to   
make4  ,public libraries are useful to  
readers in proportion to the extent and 
ready supply of the helps they furnish  
to facilitate researches of every kind4 
,among these helps a wisely selected    
collection of books of reference stands 
foremost4 ,considering the vast extent  
and opulence of the world of letters1   
and the want of experience of the       
majority of readers in exploring this   
almost boundless field1 the importance  
of every key which can unlock its hidden
 stores becomes apparent4 ,the printed  
catalogue of no single library is at all
 adequate to supply full references1    
even to its own stores of knowledge2    
while these catalogues are1 of course1  
comparatively useless as to other stores
 of information1 elsewhere existing4    
,even the completest and most extensive 
catalogue in the world1 that of the     
,british ,museum ,library1 although now 
extended to more than #cgj folio volumes

 in print1 representing #c1jjj volumes  
in manuscript1 is not completed so as to
 embrace the entire contents of that    
rich repository of knowledge4  ,from    
lack of information of the aid furnished
 by adequate books of reference in a    
special field1 many a reader goes       
groping in pursuit of references or     
information which might be found in some
 one of the many volumes which may be   
designated as works of bibliography4    
,the diffidence and reserve of many     
students in libraries1 and the mistaken 
fear of giving trouble to librarians1   
frequently deprives them of even those  
aids which a few words of inquiry might 
bring forth from the ready knowledge of 
the custodians in charge4  ,that is the 
best library1 and he is the most useful 
librarian1 by whose aid every reader is 
enabled to put his finger on the fact he
 wants1 just when it is wanted4 ,in     
attaining this end it is essential that 
the more recent1 important1 and valuable
 aids to research in general science1 as

 well as in special departments of each1
 should form a part of the library4 ,in 
order to make a fit selection of books  
7and all libraries are practically      
reduced to a selection1 from want of    
means to possess the whole7 it is       
indispensable to know the relative value
 of the books concerned4 ,many works of 
reference of great fame1 and once of    
great value1 have become almost         
obsolete1 through the issue of more     
extensive and carefully edited works in 
the same field4 ,while a great and      
comprehensive library should possess    
every work of reference1 old or new1    
which has aided or may aid the          
researches of scholars1 7not forgetting 
even the earlier editions of works often
 reprinted71 the smaller libraries1 on  
the other hand1 are compelled to        
exercise a close economy of selection4  
,the most valuable works of reference1  
among which the more copious and        
extensive bibliographies stand first1   
are frequently expensive treasures1 and 

it is important to the librarian        
furnishing a limited and select library 
to know what books he can best afford to
 do without4 ,if he cannot buy both the 
,manuel du libraire by ,brunet1 in five 
volumes1 and the ,trsor des livres rares
 et prcieux of ,graesse1 seven volumes1 
both of which are dictionaries of the   
choicer portions of literature1 it is   
important to know that ,brunet is the   
more indispensable of the two4 ,from the
 #bj1jjj reference books lying open to  
the consultation of all readers in the  
great rotunda of the ,british ,museum   
reading room1 to the small and select   
case of dictionaries1 catalogues1       
cyclopaedias1 and other works of        
reference in a town or subscription     
library1 the interval is wide indeed4   
,but where we cannot have all1 it       
becomes the more important to have the  
best2 and the reader who has at hand for
 ready reference the latest and most    
copious dictionary of each of the       
leading languages of the world1 two or  

three of the best general               
bibliographies1 the most copious        
catalogue raisonn of the literature in  
each great department of science1 the   
best biographical dictionaries1 and the 
latest and most copious encyclopaedias  
issued from the press1 is tolerably well
 equipped for the prosecution of his    
researches4  ,next in importance to the 
possession in any library of a good     
selection of the most useful books of   
reference1 is the convenient            
accessibility of these works to the     
reading public4 ,just in proportion to  
the indispensability and frequency of   
use of any work should be the facility  
to the reader of availing himself of its
 aid4 ,the leading encyclopaedias1      
bibliographies1 dictionaries1 annuals1  
and other books of reference should     
never be locked up in cases1 nor placed 
on high or remote shelves4 ,there should
 be in every library what may be termed 
a central bureau of reference4 ,here    
should be assembled1 whether on circular

 cases made to revolve on a pivot1 or on
 a rectangular case1 with volumes       
covering both sides1 or in a central    
alcove forming a portion of the shelves 
of the main library1 all those books of 
reference1 and volumes incessantly      
needed by students in pursuit of their  
various inquiries4 ,it is important that
 the custodians of all libraries should 
remember that this ready and convenient 
supply of the reference books most      
constantly wanted1 serves the double    
object of economizing the time of the   
librarian and assistants for other      
labor1 and of accommodating in the      
highest degree the readers1 whose time  
is also economized4 ,the misplacement of
 volumes which will thus occur is easily
 rectified1 while the possibility of    
loss through abstraction is so extremely
 small that it should not be permitted  
to weigh for a moment in comparison with
 the great advantages resulting from the
 rule of liberality in aiding the wants 
of readers4  ,bibliography1 in its most 

intimate sense1 is the proper science of
 the librarian4 ,to many it is a        
study--to some1 it is a passion4 ,while 
the best works in bibliography have not 
always been written by librarians1 but  
by scholars enamored of the science of  
books1 and devotees of learning1 it is  
safe to say that the great catalogues   
which afford such inestimable aid to    
research1 have nearly all been prepared 
in libraries1 and not one of the books  
worthy of the name of bibliography1     
could have been written without their   
aid4  ,in viewing the extensive field of
 bibliographies1 regard for systematic  
treatment requires that they be divided 
into classes4 ,beginning first with     
general bibliographies1 or those        
claiming to be universal1 we should     
afterwards consider the numerous        
bibliographies of countries1 or those   
devoted to national literature2         
following that by the still more        
numerous special bibliographies1 or     
those embracing works on specially      

designated subjects4 ,the two classes   
last named are by far the most numerous4
  ,although what may be termed a        
universal catalogue has been the dream  
of scholars for many ages1 it is as far 
as ever from being realized--and in fact
 much farther than ever before1 since   
each year that is added to the long roll
 of the past increases enormously the   
number of books to be dealt with1 and   
consequently the difficulties of the    
problem4 ,we may set down the           
publication of a work which should      
contain the titles of all books ever    
printed1 as a practical impossibility4  
,the world's literature is too vast and 
complex to be completely catalogued1    
whether on the coperative plan1 or any  
other4 ,meanwhile the many thousands of 
volumes1 each of which has been devoted 
to some portion of the vast and         
ever-increasing stores of literature and
 science which human brains have put in 
print1 will serve to aid the researches 
of the student1 when rightly guided by  

an intelligent librarian4               
,notwithstanding the hopeless nature of 
the quest1 it is true that some men of  
learning have essayed what have been    
termed universal bibliographies4 ,the   
earliest attempt in this direction was  
published at ,zrich in #aede1 under the 
title of ,bibliotheca ,universalis1 by  
,conrad ,gesner1 a ,swiss scholar whose 
acquisition of knowledge was so         
extensive that he was styled a miracle  
of learning4 ,this great work gave the  
titles of all books of which its author 
could find trace1 and was illustrated by
 a mass of bibliographical notes and    
criticism4 ,it long held a high place in
 the world of letters1 though it is now 
seldom referred to in the plethora of   
more modern works of bibliography4 ,in  
#afbe1 the bookseller ,b4 ,ostern put   
forth at ,frankfort1 his ,bibliothque   
,universelle1 a catalogue of all books  
from #aejj to #afbd4 ,in #agdb1 ,th4    
,georgi issued in eleven folio volumes1 
his ,allgemeines ,europisches           

,bcher-lexikon1 claiming to represent   
the works of nearly all writers from    
#aejj down to #agci4 ,this formidable   
catalogue may perhaps be said to embrace
 more forgotten books than any other in 
the literary history of the world4      
,almost equally formidable1 however1 is 
the bibliography of that erudite        
scholar1 ,christian ,g4 ,jcher1 who put 
forth in #agej1 at ,leipzig1 his        
,allgemeines ,gelehrten-lexicon1 in     
which1 says the title page1 the learned 
men of all classes who have lived from  
the beginning of the world up to the    
present time1 are described4 ,this book1
 with its supplement1 by ,adelung and   
,rotermund1 7completed only to letter   
,r71 makes ten ponderous quarto volumes1
 and may fairly be styled a thesaurus of
 the birth and death of ancient scholars
 and their works4 ,it is still largely  
used in great libraries1 to identify the
 period and the full names of many      
obscure writers of books1 who are not   
commemorated in the catalogues of       

universal bibliography1 compiled on a   
more restrictive plan4  ,we come now to 
the notable catalogues of early-printed 
books1 which aim to cover all the issues
 of the press from the first invention  
of printing1 up to a certain period4    
,one of the most carefully edited and   
most readily useful of these is ,hain1  
7,l47 ,repertorium ,bibliographicum1 in 
four small and portable octavo volumes1 
published at ,stuttgart in #ahbf-ch4    
,this gives1 in an alphabet of authors1 
all the publications found printed 7with
 their variations and new editions71    
from ,a4 ,d4 #adej to ,a4 ,d4 #aejj4    
,more extensive is the great catalogue  
of ,g4 ,w4 ,panzer1 entitled ,annales   
,typographici1 in eleven quarto volumes1
 published at ,nuremberg from #agic to  
#ahjc4 ,this work1 which covers the     
period from #adeg 7the period of the    
first book ever printed with a date7 up 
to ,a4 ,d4 #aecf1 is not arranged       
alphabetically 7as in ,hain's           
,repertorium7 by the names of authors1  

but in the order of the cities or places
 where the books catalogued were        
printed4 ,the bibliography thus brings  
together in one view1 the typographical 
product of each city or town for about  
eighty years after the earliest dated   
issues of the press1 arranged in        
chronological order of the years when   
printed4 ,this system has undeniable    
advantages1 but equally obvious defects1
 which are sought to be remedied by many
 copious indexes of authors and         
printers4  ,next in importance comes ,m4
 ,maittaire's ,annales ,typographici1 ab
 artis inventae origine ad annum #affd1 
printed at ,the ,hague 7,hagae ,comitum7
 and completed at ,london1 from         
#agbb-hi1 in eleven volumes1 quarto1    
often bound in five volumes4 ,there is  
besides1 devoted to the early printed   
literature of the world1 the useful     
three volume bibliography by ,la ,serna 
de ,santander1 published at ,brussels in
 #ahje1 entitled ,dictionnaire          
bibliographique choisie du quinzime     

sicle1 ,bruxelles1 #ahjc1 embracing a   
selection of what its compiler deemed   
the more important books published from 
the beginning of printing up to ,a4 ,d4 
#aejj4 ,all the four works last named   
contain the titles and descriptions of  
what are known as incunabula1 or        
cradle-books 7from ,latin cunabula1 a   
cradle7 a term applied to all works     
produced in the infancy of printing1 and
 most commonly to those appearing before
 #aejj4 ,these books are also sometimes 
called fifteeners1 or #aeth century     
books4  ,of general bibliographies of   
later date1 only a few of the most      
useful and important can here be named4 
,at the head of these stands1           
deservedly1 the great work of ,j4 ,c4   
,brunet1 entitled ,manuel du ,libraire  
et de l'amateur des livres1 the last or 
#eth edition of which appeared at ,paris
 in #ahfj-fd1 in five thick octavo      
volumes4 ,the first edition of ,brunet  
appeared in #ahaj1 and every issue since
 has exhibited not only an extensive    

enlargement1 but great improvement in   
careful1 critical editorship4 ,it       
embraces most of the choicest books that
 have appeared in the principal         
languages of ,europe1 and a supplement  
in two volumes1 by ,p4 ,deschamps and   
,g4 ,brunet1 appeared in #ahgh4  ,next  
to ,brunet in importance to the         
librarian1 is ,j4 ,g4 ,t4 ,graesse's    
,trsor des ,livres rares et prcieux1    
which is more full than ,brunet in works
 in the ,teutonic languages1 and was    
published at ,dresden in six quarto     
volumes1 with a supplement1 in #ahfa-fi4
 ,both of these bibliographies aim at a 
universal range1 though they make a     
selection of the best authors and       
editions1 ancient and modern1 omitting  
however1 the most recent writers4 ,the  
arrangement of both is strictly         
alphabetical1 or a dictionary of        
authors' names1 while ,brunet gives in a
 final volume a classification by       
subjects4 ,both catalogues are rendered 
additionally valuable by the citation of

 prices at which many of the works      
catalogued have been sold at book       
auctions in the present century4  ,in   
#aheg was published at ,paris a kind of 
universal bibliography1 on the plan of a
 catalogue raisonn1 or dictionary of    
subjects1 by ,messrs4 ,f4 ,denis1       
,pinon1 and ,de ,martonne1 two of whom  
were librarians by profession4 ,this    
work of over #gjj pages1 though printed 
in almost microscopic type1 and now     
about forty years in arrears1 has much  
value as a ready key to the best books  
then known on nearly every subject in   
science and literature4 ,it is arranged 
in a complete index of topics1 the books
 under each being described in          
chronological order1 instead of the     
alphabetical4 ,the preponderance is     
given to the ,french in the works cited 
on most subjects1 but the literature of 
other nations is by no means neglected4 
,it is entitled ,nouveau ,manuel de     
,bibliographie universelle1 and being a 
subjective index1 while ,brunet and     

,graesse are arranged by authors' names1
 it may be used to advantage in         
connection with these standard          
bibliographies4  ,while on this subject1
 let me name the books specially devoted
 to lists of bibliographical            
works--general and special4 ,these may  
be termed the catalogues of             
catalogues1--and are highly useful aids1
 indeed indispensable to the librarian1 
who seeks to know what lists of books   
have appeared that are devoted to the   
titles of publications covering any     
period1 or country1 or special subject  
in the whole circle of sciences or      
literatures4 ,the first notably         
important book of reference in this     
field1 was the work of that most        
industrious bibliographer1 ,gabriel     
,peignot1 who published at ,paris1 in   
#ahab1 his ,repertoire bibliographique  
universelle1 in one volume4 ,this work  
contains the titles of most special     
bibliographies1 of whatever subject or  
country1 published up to #ahab1 and of  

many works bibliographical in character1
 devoted to literary history4  ,dr4     
,julius ,petzholdt1 one of the most     
learned and laborious of librarians1    
issued at ,leipzig in #ahff1 a          
,bibliotheca bibliographica1 the fuller 
title of which was a critical catalogue1
 exhibiting in systematic order1 the    
entire field of bibliography covering   
the literature of ,germany and other    
countries4 ,the rather ambitious promise
 of this title is well redeemed in the  
contents3 for very few catalogues of    
importance issued before #ahff1 are     
omitted in this elaborate book of #ica  
closely printed pages4 ,most titles of  
the bibliographies given are followed by
 critical and explanatory notes1 of much
 value to the unskilled reader4 ,these  
notes are in ,german1 while all the     
titles cited are in the language of the 
books themselves4 ,after giving full    
titles of all the books in general      
bibliography1 he takes up the national  
bibliographies by countries1 citing both

 systematic catalogues and periodicals  
devoted to the literature of each in any
 period4 ,this is followed by a         
distributive list of scientific         
bibliographies1 so full as to leave     
little to be desired1 except for later  
issues of the press4 ,one of the        
curiosities of this work is its         
catalogue of all the issues of the      
,index ,librorum ,prohibitorum1 or books
 forbidden to be read1 including #ahe   
separate catalogues1 from ,a4 ,d4 #aeaj 
to ,a4 ,d4 #ahfb4  ,the next            
bibliographical work claiming to cover  
this field was in the ,french language1 
being the ,bibliographie des            
bibliographies of ,lon ,valle1 published
 in #ahhc at ,paris4 ,this book1 though 
beautifully printed1 is so full of      
errors1 and still fuller of omissions1  
that it is regarded by competent        
scholars as a failure1 though still     
having its uses to the librarian4 ,it is
 amazing that any writer should put     
forth a book seventeen years after the  

great and successful work of ,petzholdt1
 purporting to be a catalogue of        
bibliographies1 and yet fail to record  
such a multitude of printed             
contributions to the science of sciences
 as ,valle has overlooked4  ,some ten   
years later1 or in #ahig1 there came    
from the ,french press1 a far better    
bibliographical work1 covering the      
modern issues of books of bibliography  
more especially1 with greater fullness  
and superior plan4 ,this is the ,manuel 
de ,bibliographie gnrale1 by ,henri     
,stein4 ,this work contains1 in #iae    
well-printed pages1 #ast4 a list of     
universal bibliographies3 #b;d4 a       
catalogue of national bibliographies1 in
 alphabetical order of countries3 #c;d4 
a list of classified bibliographies of  
subjects1 divided into seventeen        
classes1 namely1 religious sciences1    
philosophical sciences1 juridical1      
economic1 social1 and educational       
sciences1 pure and applied sciences1    
medical sciences1 philology and belles  

lettres1 geographical and historical    
sciences1 sciences auxiliary to history1
 archaeology and fine arts1 music1 and  
biography4 ,besides these extremely     
useful categories of bibliographical    
aids1 in which the freshest publications
 of catalogues and lists of books in    
each field are set forth1 ,m4 ,stein    
gives us a complete geographical        
bibliography of printing1 on a new plan4
 ,this he entitles ,gographie           
bibliographique1 or systematic lists of 
localities in every part of the world   
which possessed a printing press prior  
to the #aith century4 ,it gives1 after  
the modern or current name of each      
place1 the ,latin1 or ancient name1 the 
country in which located1 the year in   
which the first printed publication     
appeared in each place1 and finally1 the
 authority for the statement4 ,this     
handy-list of information alone1 is     
worth the cost of the work1 since it    
will save much time of the inquirer1 in 
hunting over many volumes of ,panzer1   

,maittaire1 ,hain1 ,dibdin1 ,thomas1 or 
other authors on printing1 to find the  
origin of the art1 or early name of the 
place where it was introduced4 ,the work
 contains1 in addition1 a general table 
of the periodicals of all countries1 7of
 course not exhaustive7 divided into    
classes1 and filling seventy-five pages4
 ,it closes with a repertory of the     
principal libraries of the entire world1
 and with an index to the whole work1 in
 which the early names in ,latin1 of all
 places where books were printed1 are   
interspersed in the alphabet1           
distinguished by italic type1 and with  
the modern name of each town or city    
affixed4 ,this admirable feature will   
render unnecessary any reference to the 
,orbis ,latinus of ,graesse1 or to any  
other vocabulary of geography1 to       
identify the place in which             
early-printed books appeared4 ,stein is 
by no means free from errors1 and some  
surprising omissions4 ,one cardinal     
defect is the absence of any full index 

of authors whose books are cited4       
,there are also quite brief catalogues  
of works on bibliography in ,j4 ,power's
 ,handy ,book about ,books1 ,london1    
#ahgj1 and in ,j4 ,sabin's              
,bibliography3 a handy book about books 
which relate to books1 ,n4 ,y41 #ahgg4  
,the latter work is an expansion of the 
first-named4  ,we come now to the second
 class of our bibliographies1 viz43     
those of various countries4 ,here the   
reader must be on his guard not to be   
misled into too general an              
interpretation of geographical terms4   
,thus1 he will find many books and      
pamphlets ambitiously styled ,catalogue 
,amricaine1 which are so far from being 
general bibliographies of books relating
 to ,america1 that they are merely lists
 of a few books for sale by some        
book-dealer1 which have something       
,american in their subject4 ,to know    
what catalogues are comprehensive1 and  
what period they cover1 as well as the  
limitations of nearly all of them1 is a 

necessary part of the training of a     
bibliographer1 and is essential to the  
librarian who would economize his time  
and enlarge his usefulness4  ,let us    
begin with our own country4 ,here we are
 met at the outset by the great paucity 
of general catalogues of ,american      
literature1 and the utter impossibility 
of finding any really comprehensive     
lists of the books published in the     
,united ,states1 during certain periods4
 ,we can get along tolerably well for   
the publications within the last thirty 
years1 which nearly represent the time  
since systematic weekly bibliographical 
journals have been published1 containing
 lists of the current issues of books4  
,but for the period just before the     
,civil ,war1 back to the year #agge1 or 
for very nearly a century1 we are       
without any systematic bibliography of  
the product of the ,american press4 ,the
 fragmentary attempts which have been   
made toward supplying an account of what
 books have been published in the       

,united ,states from the beginning1 will
 hereafter be briefly noted4 ,at the    
outset1 you are to observe the wide     
distinction that exists between books   
treating of ,america1 or any part of it1
 and books printed in ,america4 ,the    
former may have been printed anywhere1  
at any time since #adib1 and in any     
language3 and to such books1 the broad  
significant term ,americana may properly
 be applied1 as implying books relating 
to ,america4 ,but this class of works is
 wholly different from that of books    
written or produced by ,americans1 or   
printed in ,america4 ,it is these latter
 that we mean when we lament the want of
 a comprehensive ,american catalogue4   
,there have been published in the       
,united ,states alone 7to go no farther 
into ,america at present7 thousands of  
books1 whose titles are not found       
anywhere1 except widely scattered in the
 catalogues of libraries1 public and    
private1 in which they exist4 ,nay1     
there are multitudes of publications    

which have been issued in this country  
during the last two hundred years1 whose
 titles cannot be found anywhere in     
print4 ,this is not1 generally1 because 
the books have perished utterly1--though
 this is unquestionably true of some1   
but because multitudes of books that    
have appeared1 and do appear1 wholly    
escape the eye of the literary1 or      
critical1 or bibliographical chronicler4
 ,it is1 beyond doubt true even now1    
that what are commonly accepted as      
complete catalogues of the issues of the
 press of any year1 are wofully         
incomplete1 and that too1 through no    
fault of their compilers4 ,many works   
are printed in obscure towns1 or in     
newspaper offices1 which never reach the
 great eastern cities1 where our        
principal bibliographies1 both          
periodical and permanent1 are prepared4 
,many books1 too1 are privately printed1
 to gratify the pride or the taste of   
their authors1 and a few copies         
distributed to friends1 or sometimes to 

selected libraries1 or public men4 ,in  
these cases1 not only are the public    
chroniclers of new issues of the press  
in ignorance of the printing of many    
books1 but they are purposely kept in   
ignorance4 ,charles ,lamb1 of humorous  
and perhaps immortal memory1 used to    
complain of the multitudes of books     
which are no books2 and we of to-day may
 complain1 if we choose1 of the vast    
number of publications that are not     
published4  ,take a single example of   
the failure of even large and imposing  
volumes to be included in the ,american 
,catalogue1 for whose aid1 librarians   
are so immeasurably indebted to the     
enterprise of its publishers4 ,a single 
publishing house west of ,new ,york1    
printed and circulated in about four    
years time1 no less than thirty-two     
elaborate and costly histories1 of      
western counties and towns1 not one of  
which was ever recorded by title in our 
only comprehensive ,american            
bibliography4 ,why was this8 ,simply    

because the works referred to were      
published only as subscription books1   
circulated by agents1 carefully kept out
 of booksellers' hands1 and never sent  
to the ,eastern press for notice or     
review4 ,when circumstances like these  
exist as to even very recent ,american  
publications 7and they are continually  
happening7 is it any wonder that our    
bibliographies are incomplete8  ,perhaps
 some will suggest that there must be   
one record of ,american publications    
which is complete1 namely1 the office of
 ,copyright at ,washington4 ,it is true 
that the titles of all copyright        
publications are required by law to be  
there registered1 and copies deposited  
as soon as printed4 ,it is also true    
that a weekly catalogue of all books and
 other copyright publications is        
printed1 and distributed by the         
,treasury1 to all our custom-houses1 to 
intercept piratical re-prints which     
might be imported4 ,but the books just  
referred to were not entered for        

copyright at all1 the publishers        
apparently preferring the risk of any   
rival's reprinting them1 rather than to 
incur the cost of the small copyright   
fee1 and the deposit of copies4 ,in such
 cases1 there is no law requiring       
publishers to furnish copies of their   
books4 ,the government guarantees no    
monopoly of publication1 and so cannot  
exact a quid pro quo41 however much it  
might inure to the interest of publisher
 and author to have the work seen and   
noticed1 and preserved beyond risk of   
perishing 7unless printed on wood-pulp  
paper7 in the ,library of the ,united   
,states4  ,if such extensive omissions  
of the titles of books sometimes        
important1 can now continually occur in 
our accepted standards of national      
bibliography1 what shall we say of times
 when we had no critical journals1 no   
publishers' trade organs1 and no weekly1
 nor annual1 nor quinquennial catalogues
 of ,american books issued8 ,must we not
 allow1 in the absence of any catalogues

 worthy of the name1 to represent such  
periods1 that all our reference books   
are from the very necessity of the case 
deplorably incomplete8 ,only by the most
 devoted1 indefatigable and unrewarded  
industry have we got such aids to       
research as to the existence of         
,american publications1 as ,haven's     
,catalogue of ,american publications    
prior to #aggf1 ,sabin's ,bibliotheca   
,americana1 and the ,american           
,catalogues of ,leypoldt1 ,bowker1 and  
their coadjutors4  ,these illustrations 
are cited to guard against the too      
common error of supposing that we have  
in the numerous ,american catalogues    
that exist1 even putting them all       
together1 any full bibliography of the  
titles of ,american books4 ,while it    
cannot be said that the lacunae or      
omissions approach the actual entries in
 number1 it must be allowed that books  
are turning up every day1 both new and  
old1 whose titles are not found in any  
catalogue4 ,the most important          

books--those which deserve a name as    
literature1 are found recorded          
somewhere--although even as to many of  
these1 one has to search many alphabets1
 in a large number of volumes1 before   
tracing them1 or some editions of them4 
,one principal source of the great      
number of titles of books found wanting 
in ,american catalogues1 is that many   
books were printed at places remote from
 the great cities1 and were never       
announced in the columns of the press at
 all4 ,this is especially true as to    
books printed toward the close of the   
#ahth century1 and during the first     
quarter of the #aith4 ,not only have we 
no bibliography whatever of ,american   
issues of the press1 specially devoted  
to covering the long period between     
#agge and #ahbj1 but multitudes of books
 printed during that neglected          
half-century1 have failed to get into   
the printed catalogues of our libraries4
 ,as illustrations we might give a long 
catalogue of places where               

book-publication was long carried on1   
and many books of more or less          
importance printed or reprinted1 but in 
which towns not a book has been produced
 for more than three-quarters of a      
century past4 ,one of these towns was   
,winchester1 and another ,williamsburg1 
in ,virginia2 another was ,exeter1 ,new 
,hampshire1 and a fourth was ,carlisle1 
,pa4 ,in the last-named place1 one      
,archibald ,loudon printed many books1  
between ,a4 ,d4 #agih1 and #ahac1 which 
have nearly all escaped the chroniclers 
of ,american book-titles4 ,notable among
 the productions of his press1 was his  
own book1 ,a ,history of ,indian ,wars1 
or as he styled it in the title page1 ,a
 selection of some of the most          
interesting narratives of outrages      
committed by the ,indians in their wars 
with the white people4 ,this history    
appeared in two volumes from the press  
of ,a4 ,loudon1 ,carlisle1 ,pa41 in     
#ahjh and #ahaa4 ,it is so rare that ,i 
have failed to find its title anywhere  

except in ,sabin's ,bibliotheca         
,americana1 ,field's ,indian            
,bibliography1 and the ,catalogue of the
 ,library of ,congress4 ,not even the   
,british ,museum ,library1 so rich in   
,americana1 has a copy4 ,sabin states   
that only six copies are known1 and     
,field styles it1 this rarest of books  
on ,america1 adding that he could learn 
of only three perfect copies in the     
world4 ,a ,harrisburg reprint of #ahhh  
7#ajj copies to subscribers7 is also    
quite rare4  ,continuing the subject of 
,american bibliography1 and still       
lamenting the want of any comprehensive 
or finished work in that field which is 
worthy of the name1 let us see what     
catalogues do exist1 even approximating 
completeness for any period4 ,the       
earlier years of the production of      
,american books have been partially     
covered by the ,catalogue of            
publications in what is now the ,united 
,states1 prior to #aggf4 ,this list was 
compiled by an indefatigable librarian1 

the late ,samuel ,f4 ,haven1 who was at 
the head of the ,library of the         
,american ,antiquarian ,society1 at     
,worcester1 ,mass4 ,it gives all titles 
by sequence of years of publication1    
instead of alphabetical order1 from     
#afci 7the epoch of the earliest        
printing in the ,united ,states7 to the 
end of #agge4 ,the titles of books and  
pamphlets are described with provoking  
brevity1 being generally limited to a   
single line for each1 and usually       
without publishers' names1 7though the  
places of publication and sometimes the 
number of pages are given7 so that it   
leaves much to be desired4              
,notwithstanding this1 ,mr4 ,haven's    
catalogue is an invaluable aid to the   
searcher after titles of the early      
printed literature of our country4 ,it  
appeared at ,albany1 ,n4 ,y41 in #ahgd1 
as an appendix in ,vol #b to a new 7or  
second7 edition of ,isaiah ,thomas's    
,history of ,printing in ,america1 which
 was first published in #ahaj4 ,in using

 it1 the librarian will find no         
difficulty1 if he knows the year when   
the publication he looks for appeared1  
as all books of each year are arranged  
in alphabetical order4 ,but if he knows 
only the author's name1 he may have a   
long search to trace the title1 there   
being no general alphabet or index of   
authors4 ,this chronological arrangement
 has certain advantages to the literary 
inquirer or historian1 while for ready  
reference1 its disadvantages are        
obvious4  ,while there were several     
earlier undertakings of an ,american    
bibliography than ,haven's catalogue of 
publications before the ,american       
revolution1 yet the long period which   
that list covers1 and its importance1   
entitled it to first mention here4      
,there had1 however1 appeared1 as early 
as the year #ahjd1 in ,boston1 ,a       
,catalogue of all books1 printed in the 
,united ,states1 with the prices1 and   
places where published1 annexed4 ,this  
large promise is hardly redeemed by the 

contents of this thin pamphlet of #ia   
pages1 all told4 ,yet the editor goes on
 to assure us--       ,this ,catalogue  
is intended to include all books of     
general sale      printed in the ,united
 ,states1 whether original1 or          
reprinted2      that the public may see 
the rapid progress of book-printing in a
      country1 where1 twenty years      
since1 scarcely a book was              
published4 ,local and occasional tracts 
are generally omitted4      ,some of the
 books in the ,catalogue are now out of 
print1 and      others are scarce4 ,it  
is contemplated to publish a new edition
 of      this ,catalogue1 every two     
years1 and to make the necessary        
additions and corrections2 and it is    
hoped the time is not far      distant1 
when useful ,libraries may be formed of 
,american editions      of ,books1 well 
printed1 and handsomely bound4          
,printed at ,boston1 for the ,book      
sellers1 ,jan41 #ahjd4  ,the really     
remarkable thing about this catalogue is

 that it was the very first             
bibliographical attempt at a general    
catalogue1 in separate form1 in         
,america4 ,it is quite interesting as an
 early booksellers' list of ,american   
publications1 as well as for its        
classification1 which is as follows3    
,law1 ,physic1 ,divinity1 ,bibles1      
,miscellanies1 ,school ,books1 ,singing 
,books1 ,omissions4  ,the fact that no  
subsequent issues of the catalogue      
appeared1 evinces the very small        
interest taken in bibliographic         
knowledge in those early days4  ,this   
curiosity of early ,american            
bibliography gives the titles of #acch  
books1 all of ,american publication1    
with prices in #ahjd4 ,here are samples3
 ,bingham's ,columbian ,orator1 #ge     
cts43 ,burney's ,cecilia1 #c vols4 #c3  
,memoirs of ,pious ,women1 #a4ab3       
,belknap's ,new ,hampshire1 #c vols4 #e3
 ,mrs4 ,coghlan's ,memoirs1 #fb cts43   
,brockden ,brown's ,wieland1 #a3        
,federalist1 #b vols4 #d4ej3 ,dilworth's

 ,spelling ,book1 #ab cts43 ,pike's     
,arithmetic1 #b4be4  ,the number of     
out-of-the-way places in which books    
were published in those days is         
remarkable4 ,thus1 in ,connecticut1 we  
have as issuing books1 ,litchfield1 ,new
 ,london and ,fairhaven3 in             
,massachusetts1 ,leominster1 ,dedham1   
,greenfield1 ,brookfield1 and ,wrentham3
 in ,new ,hampshire1 ,dover1 ,walpole1  
,portsmouth1 and ,exeter3 in            
,pennsylvania1 ,washington1 ,carlisle1  
and ,chambersburg3 in ,new ,jersey1     
,morristown1 ,elizabethtown1 and        
,burlington4 ,at ,alexandria1 ,va41     
eight books are recorded as published4  
,this historical nugget of the ,boston  
bookmongers of a century ago is so rare1
 that only two copies are known in      
public libraries1 namely1 in the        
,library of ,congress1 and in that of   
the ,massachusetts ,historical ,society4
 ,it was reprinted in #ahih1 for the    
,dibdin ,club of ,new ,york1 by ,mr4 ,a4
 ,growoll1 of the ,publishers' ,weekly1 

to whose curious and valuable notes on  
,booktrade ,bibliography in the ,united 
,states in the #aith century1 it forms a
 supplement4  ,the next catalogue of    
note claiming to be an ,american        
catalogue1 or of books published in     
,america1 was put forth in #ahdg1 at    
,claremont1 ,n4 ,h41 by ,alexander ,v4  
,blake4 ,this was entitled1 ,the        
,american ,bookseller's complete        
reference trade-list1 and alphabetical  
catalogue of books1 published in this   
country1 with the publishers' and       
authors' names1 and prices4 ,this quarto
 volume1 making #cea pages 7with its    
supplement issued in #ahdh7 was the     
precursor of the now current ,trade     
,list ,annual1 containing the lists of  
books published by all publishers whose 
lists could be secured4 ,the titles are 
very brief1 and are arranged in the     
catalogue under the names of the        
respective publishers1 with an          
alphabetical index of authors and of    
anonymous titles at the end4 ,it served 

well its purpose of a book-trade        
catalogue fifty years ago1 being the    
pioneer in that important field4 ,it is 
now1 like the catalogue of #ahjd1 just  
noticed1 chiefly interesting as a       
bibliographical curiosity1 although both
 lists do contain the titles of some    
books not elsewhere found4  ,mr4        
,orville ,a4 ,roorbach1 a ,new ,york    
bookseller1 was the next compiler of an 
,american bibliography4 ,his first issue
 of #ahdi was enlarged and published in 
#aheb1 under this title3 ,bibliotheca   
,americana3 a catalogue of ,american    
publications1 including reprints and    
original works1 from #ahbj to #aheb1    
inclusive4 ,this octavo volume of #ffc  
pages1 in large1 clear type1 closely    
abbreviates nearly all titles1 though   
giving in one comprehensive alphabet1   
the authors' names1 and the titles of   
the books under the first word1 with    
year and place of publication1          
publisher's name1 and price at which    
issued4 ,no collation of the books is   

given1 but the catalogue supplies       
sufficient portions of each title to    
identify the book4 ,it is followed in an
 appendix by a catalogue of law books1  
in a separate alphabet1 and a list of   
periodicals published in the ,united    
,states in #aheb4  ,roorbach continued  
his catalogue to the year #ahfa1 by the 
issue of three successive supplements3  
7#a7 covering the ,american publications
 of #ahec to #ahee3 7#b7 from #ahee to  
#aheh3 7#c7 from #aheh to #ahfa4 ,these 
four catalogues1 aiming to cover1 in    
four different alphabets1 the issues of 
the ,american press for forty years1 or 
from #ahbj to #ahfa1 are extremely      
useful lists to the librarian1 as       
finding lists1 although the rigorously  
abbreviated titles leave very much to be
 desired by the bibliographer1 and the  
omissions are exceedingly numerous of   
books published within the years named1 
but whose titles escaped the compiler4  
,following close upon ,roorbach's       
,bibliotheca ,americana in chronological

 order1 we have next two bibliographies 
covering ,american book issues from     
#ahfa to #ahga4 ,these were compiled by 
a ,new ,york book dealer named ,james   
,kelly1 and were entitled ,the ,american
 ,catalogue of ,books1 7original and    
reprint7 published in the ,united       
,states from ,jan41 #ahfa1 to ,jan41    
#ahff1 and from ,jan41 #ahff1 to ,jan41 
#ahga with date of publication1 size1   
price1 and publisher's name4 ,the first 
volume contained a supplement1 with list
 of pamphlets on the civil war1 and also
 a list of the publications of learned  
societies4 ,these very useful and       
important catalogues cover ten years of 
,american publishing activity1 adding   
also to their own period many titles    
omitted by ,roorbach in earlier years4  
,kelly's catalogues number #cjg and #ddd
 pages respectively1 and1 like          
,roorbach's1 they give both author and  
title in a single alphabet4 ,names of   
publishers are given1 with place and    
year of publication1 and retail price1  

but without number of pages1 and with no
 alphabet of subjects4  ,next after     
,kelly's catalogue came the first issue 
of the ,american ,catalogue1 which1 with
 its successive volumes 7all published  
in quarto form7 ably represents the     
bibliography of our country during the  
past twenty-five years4 ,the title of   
the first volume1 issued in #ahhj1 reads
 ,american ,catalogue of books in print 
and for sale 7including reprints and    
importations7 ,july #a1 #ahgf4 ,compiled
 under direction of ,f4 ,leypoldt1 by   
,l4 ,e4 ,jones4 ,this copious repository
 of book-titles was in two parts3 7#a7  
,authors1 and 7#b7 ,subject-index4 ,both
 are of course in alphabetical order1   
and the titles of books are given with  
considerable abbreviation4 ,the fact    
that its plan includes many titles of   
books imported from ,great ,britain1 7as
 supplying information to book-dealers  
and book-buyers7 prevents it from being 
considered as a bibliography of strictly
 ,american publications4 ,still1 it is  

the only approximately full ,american   
bibliography of the publications current
 twenty-five years ago4 ,as such1 its   
volumes are indispensable in every      
library1 and should be in its earliest  
purchase of works of reference4 ,the    
limitation of the catalogue to books    
still in print--i4 e41 to be had of the 
publishers at the time of its issue1 of 
course precludes it from being ranked as
 a universal ,american bibliography4    
,the first issue in #ahhj was followed1 
in #ahhe1 by the ,american ,catalogue1  
#ahgf-ahhd3 books recorded 7including   
reprints and importations71 under       
editorial direction of ,r4 ,r4 ,bowker1 
by ,miss ,a4 ,i4 ,appleton4 ,this       
appeared in one volume1 but with two    
alphabets2 one being authors and titles1
 and the other an alphabet of subjects4 
,as this volume included eight years    
issues of the ,american press1 the next 
bibliography published covered the next 
ensuing six years1 and included the     
books recorded from ,july1 #ahhd to     

,july1 #ahij4 ,this appeared in #ahia1  
edited with care by ,miss ,appleton and 
others4  ,in #ahif appeared its         
successor1 the ,american ,catalogue1    
#ahij-ie4 ,compiled under the editorial 
direction of ,r4 ,r4 ,bowker4 ,this     
catalogue records in its first volume1  
or alphabet of authors3 7#a7 author2    
7#b7 size of book2 7#c7 year of issue2  
7#d7 price2 7#e7 publisher's name4 ,the 
names of places where published are not 
given with the title1 being rendered    
unnecessary by the full alphabetical    
list of publishers which precedes1 and  
fixes the city or town where each       
published his books4 ,this same usage is
 followed in succeeding issues of the   
,american ,catalogue4  ,this            
indispensable bibliography of recent    
,american books1 in addition to its     
regular alphabets of authors and titles 
7the latter under first words and in the
 same alphabet with the authors7 and the
 succeeding alphabet of subjects1 prints
 a full list of the publications of the 

,united ,states government1 arranged by 
departments and bureaus2 also a list of 
the publications of ,state governments1 
of ,societies1 and of books published in
 series4  ,this last issue has #ici     
pages4 ,its only defects 7aside from its
 inevitable omissions of many unrecorded
 books7 are the double alphabet1 and the
 want of collation1 or an indication of 
the number of pages in each work1 which 
should follow every title4 ,its cost in 
bound form is #ae1 at which the two     
preceding ,american catalogues #ahgf-hd1
 and #ahhd to #ahij can also be had1    
while the catalogue of books in print in
 #ahgf1 published in #ahhj1 is quite out
 of print1 though a copy turns up       
occasionally from some book-dealer's    
stock4  ,the ,american ,catalogue has   
now become a quinquennial issue1        
gathering the publications of five years
 into one alphabet2 and it is           
supplemented at the end of every year by
 the ,annual ,american ,catalogue1      
started in #ahhf1 which gives1 in about 

#djj pages1 in its first alphabet1      
collations of the books of the year 7a  
most important feature1 unfortunately   
absent from the quinquennial ,american  
,catalogue47 ,its second alphabet gives 
authors1 titles1 and sometimes          
subject-matters1 but without the        
distribution into subject-divisions     
found in the quinquennial catalogue2 and
 the titles are greatly abridged from   
the full record of its first alphabet4  
,its price is #c4ej each year4  ,and    
this annual1 in turn1 is made up from   
the catalogues of titles of all         
publications1 which appear in the       
,publishers' ,weekly1 the carefully     
edited organ of the book publishing     
interests in the ,united ,states4 ,this 
periodical1 which will be found a prime 
necessity in every library1 originated  
in ,new ,york1 in #ahee1 as the         
,american ,publishers' ,circular1 and   
has developed into the recognized       
authority in ,american publications1    
under the able management of ,r4 ,r4    

,bowker and ,a4 ,growoll4 ,for three    
dollars a year1 it supplies weekly and  
monthly alphabetical lists of whatever  
comes from the press1 in book form1 as  
completely as the titles can be gathered
 from every source4 ,it gives valuable  
notes after most titles1 defining the   
scope and idea of the work1 with        
collations1 features which are copied   
into the ,annual ,american ,catalogue4  
,i must not omit to mention among       
,american bibliographies1 although      
published in ,london1 and edited by a   
foreigner1 ,mr4 ,n4 ,trbner's           
,bibliographical ,guide to ,american    
literature3 a classed list of books     
published in the ,united ,states during 
the last forty years4 ,this book        
appeared in #ahei1 and is a carefully   
edited bibliography1 arranged           
systematically in thirty-two divisions  
of subjects1 filling #gad pages octavo4 
,it gives under each topic1 an alphabet 
of authors1 followed by titles of the   
works1 given with approximate fullness1 

followed by place and year of           
publication1 but without publishers'    
names4 ,the number of pages is also     
given where ascertained1 and the price  
of the work quoted in sterling ,english 
money4 ,this work1 by a competent       
,german-,english book-publisher of      
,london1 is preceded by a brief history 
of ,american literature1 and closes with
 a full index of authors whose works are
 catalogued in it4  ,we come now to by  
far the most comprehensive and ambitious
 attempt to cover not only the wide     
field of ,american publications1 but the
 still more extensive field of books    
relating to ,america1 which has ever yet
 been made4 ,i refer to the ,bibliotheca
 ,americana2 a dictionary of books      
relating to ,america1 by ,joseph ,sabin1
 begun more than thirty years ago1 in   
#ahfh1 and still unfinished1 its        
indefatigable compiler having died in   
#ahha1 at the age of sixty4 ,this vast  
bibliographical undertaking was         
originated by a variously-gifted and    

most energetic man1 not a scholar1 but a
 bookseller and auctioneer1 born in     
,england4 ,mr4 ,sabin is said to have   
compiled more catalogues of private     
libraries that have been brought to the 
auctioneer's hammer1 than any man who   
ever lived in ,america4 ,he bought and  
sold1 during nearly twenty years1 old   
and rare books1 in a shop in ,nassau    
street1 ,new ,york1 which was the resort
 of book collectors and bibliophiles    
without number4 ,he made a specialty of 
,americana1 and of early printed books  
in ,english literature1 crossing the    
,atlantic twenty-five times to gather   
fresh stores with which to feed his     
hungry ,american customers4 ,during all 
these years1 he worked steadily at his  
magnum opus1 the bibliography of        
,america1 carrying with him in his many 
journeys and voyages1 in cars or on     
ocean steamships1 copy and proofs of    
some part of the work4 ,there have been 
completed about ninety parts1 or        
eighteen thick volumes of nearly #fjj   

pages each2 and since his death the     
catalogue has been brought down to the  
letter ,s1 mainly by ,mr4 ,wilberforce  
,eames1 librarian of the ,lenox         
,library1 ,new ,york4 ,though its       
ultimate completion must be regarded as 
uncertain1 the great value to all       
librarians1 and students of ,american   
bibliography or history1 of the work so 
far as issued1 can hardly be            
over-estimated4 ,mr4 ,sabin had the     
benefit in revising the proofs of most  
of the work1 of the critical knowledge  
and large experience of ,mr4 ,charles   
,a4 ,cutter1 the librarian of the       
,boston ,athenaeum ,library1 whose      
catalogue of the books in that          
institution1 in five goodly volumes1 is 
a monument of bibliographical learning  
and industry4 ,sabin's ,dictionary is   
well printed1 in large1 clear type1 the 
titles being frequently annotated1 and  
prices at auction sales of the rarer and
 earlier books noted4 ,every known      
edition of each work is given1 and the  

initials of public libraries in the     
,united ,states1 to the number of       
thirteen1 in which the more important   
works are found1 are appended4 ,in not a
 few cases1 where no copy was known to  
the compiler in a public collection1 but
 was found in a private library1 the    
initials of its owner were given        
instead4  ,this extensive bibliography  
was published solely by subscription1   
only #fce copies being printed at #b4ej 
a part1 so that its cost to those       
subscribing was about #bbe unbound1 up  
to the time of its suspension4 ,the     
first part appeared ,january #a1 #ahfg1 
although ,vol4 ,i4 bears date ,new      
,york1 #ahfh4 ,it records most important
 titles in full1 with 7usually7 marks   
denoting omissions where such are made4 
,in the case of many rare books relating
 to ,america 7and especially those      
published prior to the #ahth century7   
the collations are printed so as to show
 what each line of the original title   
embraces1 i4 e4 with vertical marks or  

dashes between the matter of the        
respective lines4 ,this careful         
description is invaluable to the        
bibliographical student1 frequently     
enabling him to identify editions1 or to
 solve doubts as to the genuineness of a
 book-title in hand4 ,the collation by  
number of pages is given in all cases   
where the book has been seen1 or        
reported fully to the editor4 ,the order
 of description as to each title is as  
follows3 7#a7 ,place of publication 7#b7
 publisher 7#c7 year 7#d7 collation and 
size of book4 ,notes in a smaller type  
frequently convey information of other  
editions1 of prices in various sales1 of
 minor works by the same writer1 etc4   
,the fullness which has been aimed at in
 ,sabin's ,american bibliography is seen
 in the great number of sermons and     
other specimens of pamphlet literature  
which it chronicles4 ,it gives also the 
titles of most early ,american          
magazines1 reviews1 and other           
periodicals1 except newspapers1 which   

are generally omitted1 as are maps also4
 ,as an example of the often minute     
cataloguing of the work1 ,i may mention 
that no less than eight pages are       
occupied with a list of the various     
publications and editions of books by   
,dr4 ,jedediah ,morse1 an author of whom
 few of the present generation of       
,americans have ever heard4 ,he was the 
earliest ,american geographer who       
published any comprehensive books upon  
the subject1 and his numerous           
,gazetteers and ,geographies1 published 
from #aghd to #ahbf1 were constantly    
reprinted1 until supplanted by more     
full1 if not more accurate works4  ,upon
 the whole1 ,sabin's great work1        
although so far from being finished1 is 
invaluable as containing immeasurably   
more and fuller titles than any other   
,american bibliography4 ,it is also the 
only extensive work on the subject which
 covers all periods1 although the books 
of the last thirty years must chiefly be
 excepted as not represented4 ,as a work

 of reference1 while its cost and       
scarcity may prevent the smaller public 
libraries from possessing it1 it is     
always accessible in the libraries of   
the larger cities1 where it is among the
 foremost works to be consulted in any  
research involving ,american            
publications1 or books of any period or 
country relating to ,america1 or its    
numerous sub-divisions4  ,i may now     
mention1 much more cursorily1 some other
 bibliographies pertaining to our       
country4 ,the late ,henry ,stevens1 who 
died in #ahhf1 compiled a ,catalogue of 
the ,american ,books in the ,library of 
the ,british ,museum4 ,this was printed 
by the ,museum authorities in #ahef1 and
 fills #ged octavo pages4 ,its editor   
was a highly accomplished bibliographer 
and book-merchant1 born in ,vermont1 but
 during the last forty years of his life
 resided in ,london1 where he devoted   
himself to his profession with great    
learning and assiduity4 ,he published   
many catalogues of various stocks of    

books collected by him1 under such      
titles as ,bibliotheca historica1       
,bibliotheca ,americana1 etc41 in which 
the books were carefully described1     
often with notes illustrating their     
history or their value4 ,he became an   
authority upon rare books and early     
editions1 and made a valuable catalogue 
of the ,bibles in the ,caxton exhibition
 at ,london1 in #ahgg1 with             
bibliographical commentary4 ,he was for 
years chief purveyor of the ,british    
,museum ,library for its ,american book 
purchases1 and aided the late ,james    
,lenox in building up that rich         
collection of ,americana and editions of
 the ,scriptures which is now a part of 
the ,new ,york ,public ,library4 ,his   
catalogue of the ,american books in the 
,british ,museum1 though now over forty 
years old1 and supplanted by the full   
alphabetical catalogue of that entire   
library since published1 is a valuable  
contribution to ,american bibliography4 
,mr4 ,stevens was one of the most acute 

and learned bibliographers ,i have      
known4 ,he was a man of marked          
individuality and independent views2    
with a spice of eccentricity and humor1 
which crept into all his catalogues1 and
 made his notes highly entertaining     
reading4 ,besides his services to the   
,british ,museum ,library1 in building  
up its noble collection of ,americana1  
and in whose rooms he labored for many  
years1 with the aid of ,panizzi and his 
successors1 whom he aided in return1    
,stevens collected multitudes of the    
books which now form the choice         
treasures of the ,lenox library1 the    
,carter ,brown library1 at ,providence1 
the ,library of ,congress1 and many more
 ,american collections4 ,to go with him 
through any lot of ,americana1 in one of
 his enterprising visits to ,new ,york1 
where he sometimes came to market his   
overflowing stores picked up in ,london 
and on the continent1 was a rare treat4 
,every book1 almost1 brought out some   
verbal criticism1 anecdote or           

reminiscence of his book-hunting        
experiences1 which began in ,america1   
and extended all over ,europe4  ,he was 
not only an indefatigable collector1 but
 a most industrious and accurate        
bibliographer1 doing more work in that  
field1 probably1 than any other         
,american4 ,he wrote a singularly       
careful1 though rapid hand1 as plain and
 condensed as print1 and in days before 
modern devices for manifolding writing  
were known1 he copied out his invoices  
in duplicate or triplicate in his own   
hand1 with titles in full1 and frequent 
descriptive notes attached4 ,his many   
catalogues are notable for the varied   
learning embodied4 ,he was a most       
intelligent and vigilant book collector 
for more than forty years1 his early    
labors embracing towns in ,new ,york and
 ,new ,england1 as purveyor for material
 for ,peter ,force1 of ,washington1     
whose ,american ,archives were then in  
course of preparation4 ,among the       
library collectors who absorbed large   

portions of his gathered treasures1 were
 ,james ,lenox1 ,jared ,sparks1 ,george 
,livermore1 ,john ,carter ,brown1 ,henry
 ,c4 ,murphy1 ,george ,brinley1 the     
,american ,geographical ,society1 and   
many historical societies4 ,he was an   
authority on all the early voyages1 and 
wrote much upon them4 ,no one knew more 
about early ,bibles than ,henry         
,stevens4  ,his enterprise and ambition 
for success led him to bold and         
sometimes extensive purchases4 ,he      
bought about #ahfe1 the library of      
,baron von ,humboldt1 and this and other
 large ventures embarrassed him much in 
later years4 ,he became the owner of the
 ,franklin manuscripts1 left in ,london 
by the great man's grandson1 and        
collected during many years a library of
 ,frankliniana1 which came to the       
,library of ,congress when the ,franklin
 manuscripts were purchased for the     
,state ,department in #ahha4  ,he was   
proud of his country and his ,state1    
always signing himself ,henry ,stevens1 

of ,vermont4 ,his book-plate had        
engraved beneath his name1 the titles1  
,g4 ,m4 ,b43 ,f4 ,s4 ,a4 ,the last1 of  
course1 designated him as ,fellow of the
 ,society of ,antiquaries of ,london1   
but the first puzzled even his friends1 
until it was interpreted as signifying  
,green ,mountain ,boy4 ,his brother used
 jocosely to assure me that it really   
meant ,grubber of ,musty ,books4  ,as to
 his prices for books1 while some       
collectors complained of them as very   
stiff1 they appear1 when compared with  
recent sales of ,americana1 at auction  
and in sale catalogues1 to be quite     
moderate4 ,the late historian ,motley   
told me that ,mr4 ,stevens charged more 
than any one for ,dutch books relating  
to ,america2 but ,mr4 ,motley's measure 
of values was gauged by the low prices  
of ,dutch booksellers which prevailed   
during his residence in the             
,netherlands1 for years before the keen 
demand from ,america had rendered the   
numerous ,dutch tracts of the ,west     

,india ,company1 etc41 more scarce and  
of greater commercial value than they   
bore at the middle of this century4  ,as
 treating of books by ,american authors1
 though not so much a complete          
bibliography of their works1 as a       
critical history1 with specimens        
selected from each writer1 ,duyckinck's 
,cyclopaedia of ,american ,literature   
deserves special mention4 ,the last     
edition appeared at ,philadelphia1 in   
#ahge1 in two large quarto volumes4     
,equally worthy of note is the          
compilation by ,e4 ,c4 ,stedman and     
,ellen ,m4 ,hutchinson1 in eleven       
volumes1 entitled ,library of ,american 
,literature1 ,new ,york1 #ahhg-ij4 ,a   
most convenient hand-book of            
bibliographical reference is ,oscar ,f4 
,adams's ,dictionary of ,american       
,authors1 ,boston1 #ahig1 which gives in
 a compact duodecimo volume1 the name   
and period of nearly every ,american    
writer1 with a brief list of his        
principal works1 and their date of      

publication1 in one alphabet4  ,of      
notable catalogues of books relating to 
,america1 rather than of ,american      
publications1 should be named ,white    
,kennet's ,bibliotheca ,americana       
primordia1 the earliest known catalogue 
devoted to ,american bibliography1      
,london1 #agac2 ,o4 ,rich1 ,catalogue of
 ,books relating to ,america1           
#aejj-agjj1 ,london1 #ahcb2 ,rich1      
,bibliotheca ,americana nova1 books     
printed between #agjj and #ahdd1 two    
volumes1 ,london1 #ahce-df2 ,h4         
,harrisse1 ,bibliotheca ,americana      
vetustissima1 ,new ,york1 #ahff1 and its
 supplement1 ,paris1 #ahgb1 both        
embracing rare early ,americana1        
published from #adib to #aeea4 ,this is 
a critically edited bibliography of the 
rarest books concerning ,america that   
appeared in the first half century after
 its discovery4  ,the important field of
 ,american local history has given birth
 to many bibliographies4 ,the earliest  
to be noted is ,h4 ,e4 ,ludewig's       

,literature of ,american ,local         
,history1 ,new ,york1 #ahdf4 ,thirty    
years later came ,f4 ,b4 ,perkins's     
,check ,list for ,american ,local       
,history1 ,boston1 #ahgf2 followed by   
,a4 ,p4 ,c4 ,griffin's ,index of        
articles upon ,american ,local ,history 
in historical collections1 ,boston1     
#ahhi1 and by his ,index of the         
literature of ,american local history in
 collections published in #ahij-ie1     
,boston1 #ahif4 ,closely allied to the  
catalogues of city1 town1 and county    
histories1 come the bibliographies of   
genealogies and family histories1 of    
which the last or #dth edition of ,d4   
,s4 ,durrie's ,bibliographia genealogica
 ,americana2 an alphabetical index to   
,american genealogies in county and town
 histories1 printed genealogies1 and    
kindred works1 ,albany1 #ahie1 is the   
most comprehensive and indispensable4   
,this work gives us an alphabet of      
family names1 under each of which are   
grouped the titles of books in which    

that special name is treated1 with      
citation of the page4 ,it also gives the
 name and date of publication of the    
special family genealogies which are    
separately printed1 whether book or     
pamphlet1 with number of pages in each4 
,the work is by a librarian1 to whose   
laborious diligence ,americans are      
deeply indebted4  ,among other          
bibliographies of genealogy are         
,munsell's ,american ,genealogist3 a    
catalogue of family histories1 ,albany1 
#ahig4 ,this work aims to give the      
titles of all separately printed        
,american genealogies1 in an alphabet of
 family names1 giving titles in full1   
with place and year of publication1 name
 of publisher1 and collation1 or number 
of pages4  ,for the multitudinous public
 documents of the ,united ,states1      
consult ,b4 ,p4 ,poore's ,descriptive   
catalogue of the government publications
 of the ,united ,states1 #agge-ahha1    
,washington1 #ahhe1 and ,f4 ,a4         
,crandall1 ,check list of public        

documents1 debates and proceedings from 
#ast to #ec;d ,congress 7#aghi-ahie71   
,washington1 #ahie2 also1               
,comprehensive index to the publications
 of the ,united ,states government1     
#ahhi-ahic4 ,the same--,united ,states  
,catalogue of ,public ,documents1 #ahic 
to #ahie1 ,washington1 #ahif4 ,several  
biennial or annual lists of ,united     
,states ,documents have followed4  ,as  
supplementing these extensive           
catalogues1 we have in the ,appendix to 
the ,american ,catalogue of #ahhe a     
,list of ,united ,states ,government    
publications from #ahhj to #ahhd2 in    
that of #ahia a ,list from #ahhd to     
#ahij2 and in that of #ahif a ,list     
covering the years #ahia to #ahie4  ,a  
most important recent bibliography is   
found in ,h4 ,c4 ,bolton's ,catalogue of
 ,scientific and ,technical             
,periodicals1 #affe-ahie1 ,washington1  
#ahig4  ,there are also many sale       
catalogues of ,american books1 with     
prices1 some of which may be noted1 e4  

g4 ,j4 ,r4 ,smith1 ,bibliotheca         
,americana1 ,london1 #ahfe2 ,f4 ,mller1 
,catalogue of books and pamphlets       
relating to ,america1 ,amsterdam1 #ahgg1
 and later years4 ,ternaux-,compans1    
,bibliothque ,amricaine2 books printed  
before #agjj1 ,paris1 #ahcg3 ,p4 ,trmel1
 ,bibliothque ,amricaine1 ,leipzig1     
#ahfa3 ,d4 ,b4 ,warden1 ,bibliothque    
,amricaine1 ,paris1 #ahdj3 ,r4 ,clarke  
,co41 ,bibliotheca ,americana1          
,cincinnati1 #ahgd1 #ahgh1 #ahhg1 #ahia1
 and #ahic4  ,there are1 besides1       
important catalogues of some private    
libraries1 devoted wholly or chiefly to 
books relating to ,america4 ,among      
these1 the most extensive and costly is 
,john ,r4 ,bartlett's catalogue of the  
library of ,j4 ,carter ,brown1 of       
,providence1 in four sumptuous volumes1 
with fac-similes of early title-pages1  
of which bibliography only fifty copies 
were printed4 ,it is entitled1          
,bibliotheca ,americana3 a catalogue of 
books relating to ,north and ,south     

,america1 #adhb-ahjj1 #d vols4 large    
#hvo41 ,providence1 #ahgj-hb4 ,the      
,carter ,brown ,library is now the      
richest collection of ,americana in any 
private library in the world4  ,among   
catalogues of libraries sold by auction1
 and composed largely of ,american      
books1 are those of ,john ,a4 ,rice1    
,new ,york1 #ahgj3 ,w4 ,menzies1 ,new   
,york1 #ahge3 ,george ,brinley1 in five 
volumes1 sold #ahgh to #ahhf3 ,henry ,c4
 ,murphy1 ,new ,york1 #ahhd3 ,s4 ,l4 ,m4
 ,barlow1 ,new ,york1 #ahhi3 and        
,brayton ,ives1 ,new ,york1 #ahia4  ,the
 wide field of bibliography of ,english 
literature has given birth to many      
books4 ,only the more comprehensive can 
here be noted4  ,r4 ,watt's ,bibliotheca
 ,britannica1 in four quarto volumes1   
,edinburgh1 #ahbd1 although now old1 is 
still an indispensable work of          
reference1 giving multitudes of titles  
of ,english books and pamphlets not     
found in any other bibliography4 ,it of 
course abounds in errors1 most of which 

have been copied in ,allibone's         
,dictionary of ,english literature4     
,this extensive work is a monument of   
labor1 to which the industrious compiler
 devoted many years1 dying of too       
intense study1 at ,glasgow1 at the early
 age of forty-five1 in the year #ahai4  
,the issue of the work in #ahbd1 being  
thus posthumous1 its errors and         
omissions are largely accounted for by  
the author's inability to correct the   
press4 ,the plan of the work is unique4 
,vols4 #a and #b contain the alphabet of
 authors and titles1 with dates and     
publishers' prices when known4 ,vols4 #c
 and #d contain an alphabet of subjects1
 in which the titles re-appear1 with a  
key alphabet in italic letters attached 
to each title1 by which reference is    
made to the author-catalogue1 at a fixed
 place1 where all the works of the      
author are recorded4  ,the work is      
printed in small type1 with two crowded 
columns on a page1 thus containing an   
enormous amount of matter4 ,the key is  

quickly learned1 and by its aid1 and the
 alphabet of subjects1 the librarian can
 find out the authors of many anonymous 
books4 ,watt is the only general        
bibliography of ,english literature     
which gives most of the obscure writers 
and their works4  ,lowndes'             
,bibliographer's ,manual of ,english    
,literature1 in its second edition1     
enlarged by ,h4 ,g4 ,bohn1 is a most    
indispensable bibliography4 ,this work  
is arranged alphabetically by authors'  
names1 and aims to record all important 
books published in ,great ,britain1 from
 the earliest times to about ,a4 ,d4    
#ahcd4 ,it is in eleven parts1 or #f    
vols4 #af mo4 of very portable size1    
,lond41 #aheg-fe4 ,while it gives       
collations of the more important works1 
with publishers and dates1 it fails to  
record many editions of the same work4  
,its quoted prices represent the        
original publisher's price1 with very   
frequent additions of the sale prices   
obtained at book auctions4 ,the chief   

defect of ,lowndes' ,manual is its total
 lack of any index of subjects4  ,s4    
,austin ,allibone's ,critical           
,dictionary of ,english literature1     
,philadelphia1 #aheh-ga1 #c volumes1    
with supplement by ,john ,f4 ,kirk1 in  
#b vols41 ,philadelphia1 #ahia1 is a    
copious reference book1 which1 in spite 
of its many errors and crudities1 should
 be in all libraries4 ,it contains in   
abbreviated form most of the titles in  
,watt and ,lowndes1 with the addition of
 ,american authors1 and of ,british     
books published since the period covered
 by ,lowndes4 ,the three volumes of     
,allibone accompany the titles of works 
by noted authors with many critical     
remarks1 copied mostly from reviews and 
literary journals4 ,this feature of the 
book1 which makes it rather a work of   
literary history and criticism than a   
bibliography pure and simple1 has been  
dropped in ,mr4 ,kirk's supplement1     
which thus becomes properly a           
bibliography4 ,the publications of      

,england and ,america1 from about #ahej 
to #ahij1 are more fully chronicled in  
this work of ,kirk than in any other    
bibliography4  ,the important ,english  
,catalogue of ,books1 from ,a4 ,d4 #ahce
 to #ahig1 in #e vols41 with its        
valuable ,index of ,subjects1 in #d     
vols41 from #aheg up to #ahhi1 is so    
constantly useful as to be almost       
indispensable in a public library4 ,it  
records1 in provokingly brief one-line  
titles1 with publisher's name1 year of  
issue1 and price1 all books published in
 ,great ,britain whose titles could be  
secured4 ,it thus subserves the same    
purpose for ,english publications1 which
 the ,american ,catalogue fulfills for  
those of the ,united ,states4 ,both are 
in effect greatly condensed             
bibliographies1 enabling the librarian  
to locate most of the published         
literature in the ,english language for 
many years back4 ,the ,english          
catalogue1 from #ahig to date1 is       
supplemented by its annual issues1      

entitled the ,english ,catalogue of     
,books for #ahih1 etc4  ,i have said    
that accuracy should be one of the      
cardinal aims of the librarian3 and this
 because in that profession it is       
peculiarly important4 ,bibliography is a
 study which approaches very nearly to  
the rank of an exact science2 and the   
practice of it1 in application to the   
daily work of the librarian1 is at once 
a school of accuracy1 and a test of     
ability4 ,a habit of analytical methods 
should be assiduously cultivated1       
without which much time will be lost in 
fruitless searches in the wrong books to
 find what one wants4 ,as a single      
illustration of this need of method1    
suppose that you want to find the title 
of a certain book with its full         
description1 a want likely to occur     
every hour in the day1 and sometimes    
many times an hour4 ,the book is perhaps
 ,sir ,walter ,scott's ,life of         
,napoleon1--#i vols41 ,london1 #ahbg1   
and your object is to trace its title1  

published price1 etc41 among the        
numerous bibliographies of literature4  
,you begin by a simple act of           
analysis--thus4 ,this is a ,london1 not 
an ,american book--hence it is useless  
to look in any ,american catalogue4 ,it 
is written in ,english1 so you are      
dispensed from looking for it in any    
,french or other foreign bibliography4  
,its date is #ahbg1 ,london4 ,therefore 
among the three leading ,english        
reference books in bibliography1 which  
are ,watt's ,bibliotheca ,britannica1   
,lowndes' ,bibliographer's ,manual1 and 
the ,english ,catalogue1 you at once    
eliminate the former as not containing  
the book4 ,why do you do this8 ,because 
,watt's great work1 in four huge        
quartos1 though invaluable for the early
 ,english literature1 stops with books  
published before the date of its issue1 
#ahbd4 ,your book is published in #ahbg1
 and of course could not appear in a    
catalogue of #ahbd4 ,shall you refer    
then to the ,english ,catalogue for its 

title8 ,no1 because the five volumes of 
that useful work 7though some imperfect 
book lists were published earlier71     
begin with the year #ahce1 and the book 
you seek bears date of #ahbg4 ,you are  
then reduced1 by this simple process of 
analyzing in your mind the various      
sources of information1 and rejecting   
all except one1 namely ,lowndes'        
,bibliographer's ,manual1 to a search in
 a single catalogue for your title4     
,this simplifies matters greatly1 and   
saves all the time which might otherwise
 have been lost in hunting fruitlessly  
through several works of reference4     
,lowndes' invaluable ,manual was        
published in #ahcd1 and though a second 
edition1 edited by ,bohn1 appeared      
thirty years later1 it does not contain 
books published after that date1 unless 
they are later editions of works issued 
earlier4 ,you find in it your ,scott's  
,napoleon1 date #ahbg1 with its         
published price1 #d4 #ad4 #f1 and an    
account of other later editions of the  

book4 ,of course you will observe that  
it is necessary to know what period of  
years is covered by the various         
bibliographies1 and to carry those dates
 perpetually in your memory1 in order   
thus to simplify searches1 and save     
time4 ,once learned1 you will have the  
comfort of knowing where to turn for    
light upon any book1 and the faculty of 
accurate memory will reward the pains   
taken to acquire it4  ,i must not omit  
to include1 in noting the more useful   
and important ,english bibliographies1  
the very copious list of works appended 
to each biography of ,british writers1  
in the new ,dictionary of ,national     
,biography1 ,lond41 #ahhe-aijj4 ,this   
extensive work is nearly finished in    
about #fe volumes1 and constitutes a    
rich thesaurus of information about all 
,british authors1 except living ones4   
,living characters1 considered notable1 
and brief note of their books1 are      
recorded in ,men and ,women of the      
,time1 #aeth ed4 ,london1 #ahii--;but   

this book1 although highly useful1 is   
far from being a bibliography4  ,i      
should not omit to mention among useful 
librarians' aids1 the ,book ,prices     
,current2 record of prices at which     
books have been sold at auction4 ,this  
,london publication began with the year 
#ahhg4 ,no sales are reported of books  
bringing less than one pound sterling4  
,the book-sales of #ahih were reported  
in #ahii of this issue1 and the book is 
published in each case the next year4   
,the similar catalogue entitled         
,american ,book ,prices ,current was    
begun with #ahie1 being compiled from   
the sale catalogues of ,american        
auctioneers1 for that year1 and the     
prices brought at auction in ,new ,york1
 ,boston1 ,philadelphia1 and ,chicago1  
are recorded for all notable books1 but 
limited to works bringing as much as #c 
or upward4 ,five years' reports1 in as  
many volumes1 have now been issued1 and 
the publication is to be continued4 ,its
 utility of course consists in informing

 librarians or collectors of the most   
recent auction values of books4 ,at the 
same time1 a word of caution is         
required1 since it is not safe to judge 
of average commercial values1 from any  
isolated bid at an auction sale4  ,a    
very useful classed catalogue1 published
 by the ,british ,museum library1 and   
edited by ,g4 ,k4 ,fortescue1 an        
assistant librarian1 is the so-called   
,subject-index to modern works1 of which
 three volumes have appeared1 beginning 
with the accessions of #ahhj-he1 each   
covering five years additions of new    
works1 in all ,european languages1 to   
that library4 ,the third volume embraces
 the years #ahij to #ahie1 and appeared 
in #ahif4 ,as this is not confined to   
works in ,english1 it should be classed 
with universal bibliography4 ,as        
containing most of the latest books of  
any note1 all three volumes are         
important aids to research4 ,they are   
printed in large type1 in which it is a 
refreshment to the eye to read titles1  

after the small and obscure print of    
,watt's ,bibliotheca ,britannica1 and   
the but little better type of ,lowndes' 
,manual1 and of the ,english ,catalogue4
 ,a collation of pages is also added in 
most cases1 and the importance of this  
can hardly be overrated4 ,these         
catalogues of the ,british ,museum      
,library abound in pamphlets1 ,english1 
,french1 ,german1 ,italian1 etc41       
evincing how large a share of attention 
is given to the minor literature coming 
from the press in the more recent years4
  ,w4 ,h4 ,d4 ,adams's ,dictionary of   
,english ,literature1 ,london1 #ahhj1   
and later1 in a compact volume1 gives   
authors and titles of the more important
 ,english and ,american books4 ,also1 in
 the same alphabet1 an index to the     
titles1 as well as authors1 by the first
 word1 and to many sayings or           
quotations1 with their original sources4
 ,it is a highly useful book1 although  
its small bulk leaves it far from being 
a comprehensive one4  ,chambers'        

,cyclopaedia of ,english ,literature1 in
 #b vols41 ,london1 #ahgf1 has an       
account of the most notable ,british    
writers1 with specimens of their works1 
and forms what may be termed an         
essential part of the equipment of every
 public library4  ,the ,library         
,association of the ,united ,kingdom1   
since #ahhh1 the date of its            
organization1 has published             
,transactions and ,proceedings2 also1   
since #ahhi1 ,the ,library1 a periodical
 with bibliographical information4  ,it 
may be noted1 without undue expression  
of pride1 that ,america first set the   
example of an organized national        
association of ,librarians 7founded in  
#ahgf7 followed the same year by a      
journal devoted to ,library interests4  
,that extremely useful periodical1 the  
,library ,journal1 is now in its        
twenty-fourth volume4 ,its successive   
issues have contained lists of nearly   
all new bibliographical works and       
catalogues published1 in whatever       

language4  ,the ,london ,publisher's    
,circular1 first established in #ahch1  
is a weekly organ of the book-publishing
 trade1 aiming to record the titles of  
all ,british publications as they appear
 from the press4 ,it gives1 in an       
alphabet by authors' names1 the titles  
in much abbreviated form1 with          
publisher1 size in inches1 collation1   
price1 and date1 with a fairly good     
index of titles or subjects1 in the same
 alphabet4 ,covering much the same      
ground1 as a publishers' periodical1 is 
,the ,bookseller1 issued monthly since  
#aheh1 with lists of the new issues of  
the ,british press1 and critical        
notices4 ,in addition to the ,english   
catalogue1 there is the extensive       
,whitaker's ,reference catalogue of     
current literature1 published every     
year1 which now makes two large volumes1
 and embraces the trade catalogues of   
,english publishers1 bound up in        
alphabetical order1 with a copious      
index1 by authors and titles1 in one    

alphabet1 prefixed4  ,while on ,english 
bibliographies1 ,i must note the        
important work on local history1 by ,j4 
,p4 ,anderson1 ,book of ,british        
,topography1 ,london1 #ahha4 ,this      
gives1 in an alphabet of counties1      
titles of all county histories or       
descriptive works of ,england1          
,scotland1 ,ireland1 and ,wales1        
followed in each county by a list of    
town histories or topographical works4  
,the arrangement under each town is     
chronological4 ,its only want is a      
collation of the books4 ,british        
genealogy1 or the history of families1  
is treated bibliographically in ,g4 ,w4 
,marshall's ,the ,genealogist's ,guide1 
,london1 #ahic1 which gives an alphabet 
of family names1 with references in     
great detail to county and town         
histories1 pedigrees1 heralds'          
visitations1 genealogies1 etc41 all over
 ,great ,britain1 in which any family is
 treated4  ,the wide field of foreign   
bibliography1 by countries1 cannot here 

be entered upon1 nor can ,i now treat of
 the still more extensive range of works
 devoted to the bibliography of various 
subjects4     ,,index4       ,access to 
shelves1 #bae-bbe     ,accuracy1 rarity 
of1 #bed-beg     ,adams 7,o4 ,f47       
,dictionary of ,american authors1 #dij  
,adams 7,w4 ,h4 ,d47 ,dictionary of     
,english literature1 #dii               
,administration1 faculty of1 #bdi       
,advertising1 library1 #cec-cef         
,aids to readers1 #aij-bad              
,alexandrian library1 #ajg1 #bhi        
,allibone 7,s4 ,a47 ,critical dictionary
 of ,english literature1 #did-die       
,alphabeting titles1 #chj1 #chh-chi     
,american book prices1 current1         
#ahie-ii1 #dih     ,american catalogue1 
#ahgf-ahii1 #dha-dhd     ,american      
,library ,association         catalogue 
of #e1jjj books1 #be1 #cga              
foundation of1 #dii         list of     
novelists1 #bb         on open shelves1 
#bbc         on size-notation1 #cij     
,americana1         bibliographies of1  

#dgb-dic         rare1 #ded-def         
what are1 #dgc     ,anderson 7,j4 ,p47  
book of ,british topography1 #ejj       
,arabic figures1 #ha     ,art of        
reading1 #aga-ahi     ,art1 lesson from1
 #bd     ,assistants in libraries       
appointment of1 #ccg-cci                
qualifications of1 #bdb-bgd             
regulations for1 #cda-cde     ,astor    
library1 ,n4 ,y41 #ce1 #cjf             
mutilation in1 #acg1 #adj     ,auction  
sales1 #ch-dj1 #de-dg1 #deg             
,authorship1 #bga-b      ,bad books1    
#bj-bd1 #bha-b     ,bartlett 7,j4 ,r47  
catalogue of ,j4 ,carter ,brown library1
 #dic     ,bay ,psalm book1 #dee        
,beckford library sale1 #gd1 #deg-h     
,beecher 7,h4 ,w47 on books1 #ae        
,bibliography1 #dei-ejj                 
accessibility of1 #dfc-dfd              
bibliographies of1 #dfi-dga             
classification of1 #dfd-e               
definition of1 #dei         earliest    
,american1 #dgh         early works in1 
#dfe         no full ,american1 #dge    

of ,american publications1 #dgb-dic     
selection of works in1 #dfb     ,binding
 of books1 #ej-hg1 #ic-id         colors
 in1 #eg         desiderata in1 #eb     
how a bibliomaniac binds1 #dcb          
importance of1 #hg         lettering    
titles1 #gb1 #gh-hc         machine     
methods1 #fb-c         marbling and     
gilding1 #fh-fi1 #gc         materials  
for1 #ec         rebinding methods1 #fd 
,biography1 #d-g1 #ag                   
discrepancies in1 #baj-bab              
living characters1 #aig     ,blake 7,a4 
,v47 ,american booksellers' trade-list  
catalogue1 #dgi     ,boccaccio of #adga1
 sale of1 #df     ,bolton 7,h4 ,c47     
catalogue of scientific and technical   
periodicals1 #dib     ,book binding1    
#ej-hg1 #ic-id     ,book buying1 #cc-di 
,book covering1 #ig     ,book-marks1    
#aae     ,book plates1 #ij-ic1 #ig-ajj  
,book prices         current1 #ahhg-ii1 
#dig-dih         ,american1 #ahie-ii1   
#dih     ,book shops1 second hand1      
#db-de1 #deh     ,book supports1 #if1   

#aaj     ,book worms1 #ajh     ,books1  
cheap and poor editions of1 #cj         
,books1 choice of1 #c-cb     ,books for 
public libraries1 selection of1 #ae-cb1 
#cfa     ,books of reference1 #af1      
#dfb-dfc     ,books1 three classes of1  
#ahb     ,books which have helped me1   
#ahc     ,books1--see ,reading          
,bores1 how to treat1 #bei     ,boston  
,athenaeum library1 #cje1 #dhe          
early pamphlets in1 #adi     ,boston    
public library1 #cae                    
appointments in1 #cch         languages 
demanded1 #bdg     ,bowker 7,r4 ,r47    
,american catalogue1 #dhb-dhc           
,publishers' weekly1 #dhc     ,british  
,museum library         appointments in1
 #cch         catalogue of1 #cif-cii1   
#dih             its defects1 #cih      
classification1 #cfg         mutilation 
in1 #acg-ach         trustees of1 #cdj  
,brown 7,j4 ,carter7 library of         
,americana1 #dic     ,brunet 7,j4 ,c47  
,manuel du libraire1 #dfg     ,bry 7,de7
 ,voyages1 #ddi1 #dea     ,buildings1   

library1 #cba-ccc         cost of1 #cca 
light in1 #cbe         location of1     
#cbc-cbd         many mistakes in1 #cba 
materials for1 #cbd         periodical  
room1 #cbh         shelving1 #cbe       
,bulwer-,lytton 7,e4 ,l47 writings of1  
#bc1 #agd     ,burnham 7,t4 ,o4 ,h4     
,p471 #dd     ,bury1 ,richard de1 #bib  
,buying of books1 #cc-di         methods
 of1 #cf-cg      ,calf binding1 #ee     
,campbell 7,john71 #de     ,capitals1   
how to be used in catalogues1 #cgh1 #chg
     ,card catalogue system1 #cic       
its defects1 #cic-cid         how       
obviated1 #cid-cif     ,cards1 for      
catalogues1 #cic     ,carlyle 7,thomas7 
life of ,cromwell1 #adh         on      
librarians1 #bdi         on reading1    
#aga     ,carnegie 7,andrew7 gifts to   
libraries1 #cae     ,catalogue of all   
books printed in the ,u4 ,s4 #ahjd1     
#dgh-dgi     ,catalogues1 #cgc-cii      
abridging titles1 #chb-chc              
accession1 #chf         auction1 #ch-ci 
card system for1 #cic         chronology

 of authors1 #cha1 #chi1 #cih           
classed1 #cgd-e1 #chc         collations
 in1 #cgi         cross references1 #cgg
         ,cutter's rules for1 #cge      
deficiencies of ,american1 #dgc-dgf     
dictionary1 #cgc-e1 #chc-chd            
,english1 #chc1 #die         errors in1 
#chd-che1 #chh         imprints1 how    
given1 #cgi         kinds of1 #cgc      
of ,british ,museum library1 #cif-cii1  
#dih         printing1 advantages of1   
#cie-cif         rules for1 #cge-cha    
sale1 value of1 #cc-cd1 #cg             
shelf1 #chf         size-notation in1   
#chi-cia         use of capitals in1    
#cgh1 #chg     ,caxton's press1 books1  
#dea     ,census of wealth1 futility of1
 #aid-aif     ,chambers' ,cyclopaedia of
 ,english literature1 #dii              
,children's books1 #bgf1 #bgh           
reading-rooms1 #cbi-ccj     ,choice of  
books1 #c-cb1 #bgg1 #cce     ,chronology
 of authors1 #cha1 #cih     ,classic    
authors1 #cj     ,classification of     
books1 #cfb-cgb         application of1 

#cff         ,bibliothque nationale1    
system of1 #cfh         ,british museum1
 system of1 #cfh         ,brunet's      
system of1 #cfg         close           
classification1 #cfd-cfe                
conflict of systems1 #cfb-cfc           
,crunden's verses on1 #dcj              
,cutter1 system of1 #cfi         ,dewey1
 system of1 #cgj         ,fletcher1     
system of1 #cgb         fixed shelf     
location1 #cga         ,library of      
,congress1 system of1 #cfh     ,cleaning
 books1 #ajc-ajd1 #abg-acj              
,clergymen1 some book-abusing1 #ach1    
#adj     ,cleveland public library      
fiction experience1 #bg         methods 
of selections1 #ca     ,cogswell 7,j4   
,g471 #ce     ,collation1 #fa1 #cgi     
,collier1 ,j4 ,payne1 as a cataloguer1  
#che     ,congressional library--see    
,library of ,congress     ,copy tax1    
origin of1 #djj         rationale of1   
#djf1 #dji     ,copyright         and   
libraries1 #djj-daf         aggregate   
copyrights entered1 #daj         and    

,library of ,congress1 #djd-daa         
books not entered1 #dgd         duration
 of1 #dac         foundation of1 #djb1  
#dab         history of1 #djc         in
 the ,constitution1 #dja                
international1 why1 #dab-dac            
origin of1 #dja         perpetual1 #djb1
 #dac         provisions of1 #dad       
,counting a library1 #cej1 #chf         
,courtesy1 in libraries1 #bej1 #bfa     
,croton bug1 #aji     ,crowding of books
 on shelves1 #aaf-aag     ,crunden 7,f4 
,m47 verses on classification1 #dcj     
,cutter 7,c4 ,a47 ,boston ,athenaeum    
catalogue1 #dhe         classification1 
#dcj         rules for catalogue1 #cge  
,sabin's ,bibliotheca ,americana1 #dhe  
,cutting edges1 #fj-fa1 #fg      ,damage
 to books1 see ,injuries     ,damp1 an  
enemy of books1 #ajd     ,dates1 errors 
in1 #baj-bab     ,dates of books1       
ancient expression of1 #cia-cic         
,decimal system1 #cgj1 #cij     ,denis  
7,f47 ,nouveau manuel de bibliographie1 
#dfh-dfi     ,dewey 7,melvil7           

classification1 #cgj         remark by1 
#dcc     ,dictionary catalogues1        
#cgc-cge1 #chc-chd     ,dictionary of   
national biography1 #aig1 #dig     ,dime
 novels1 #ba1 #bha     ,documents 7,u4  
,s4 public7 catalogues1 #dib            
,dogs-earing books1 #aad     ,dont's1   
list of proper warnings1 #acd           
,duplicates in libraries1 #ca1 #afg-afh 
,durrie 7,d4 ,s47 ,bibliographia        
genealogica ,americana1 #dia     ,dust1 
in libraries1 #aja-ajc         to remove
 from books1 #ajc     ,duyckink's       
,cyclopaedia of ,american literature1   
#dij      ,eames 7,w47 continuation of  
,sabin's ,bibliotheca ,americana1 #dhe  
,editions1         to be always noted1  
#chg         first1 #df1 #chh1 #deb     
,education1 #bde1 #bhb-bhc     ,egypt1  
libraries of1 #bhg-bhi     ,elzevirs1   
#dbd1 #deg     ,emerson 7,r4 ,w47 cited1
 #agb1 #ahe     ,encyclopaedia          
,britannica1 scope and limitations of1  
#ad1 #aig-aii1 #bde     ,enemies of     
books1 #aja-aah     ,english catalogue1 

#ahce-ahii1 #chc1 #die         uses     
dictionary form1 #chc     ,errors       
in books1 #baj-bab1 #bee         in     
librarians1 #bef-beg     ,essays1 #i1   
#ag      ,facsimile reproduction1       
#acb-acd     ,fiction1 #ab1 #ah-bh1 #agi
     ,fires1         in libraries1      
#ajf-ajh1 #aca1 #big         destruction
 of books by1 #ddh-ddi     ,first       
editions1 #df1 #chh1 #deb     ,fletcher 
7,w4 ,i471         classification1 #cgb 
index to periodicals1 #afi     ,force   
7,peter7 historical library of1 #cjd    
rich in pamphlets1 #aej     ,formation  
of libraries1 #ceg-cfb     ,franklin    
7,b47         collections of            
,frankliniana1 #def         his         
manuscripts1 #dhi         on            
,philadelphia library1 #bii     ,french 
language1 need of1 #bdf-bdh1 #beg       
,furnishings of libraries1 #cbf         
,gas1 an enemy of books1 #aje           
,genealogy1 bibliographies of1 #dia-dib1
 #ejj     ,george ,,iv1 library of1 #bab
     ,georgi 7,t47 ,allgemeines         

,europisches bcher-lexikon1 #dfe        
,gesner 7,c47 ,bibliotheca universalis1 
#dfe     ,gould 7,jay7 ,history of      
,delaware county1 ,n4 ,y41 #dec         
,gowans 7,william71 #dc     ,graesse1   
,trsor des livres rares et prcieux1 #dfh
     ,grangerising1 #dej     ,greece1   
libraries of1 #bhh-bhi     ,griffin 7,a4
 ,p4 ,c47 indexes of ,american local    
history1 #dia     ,grolier bindings1    
#gc1 #ge     ,grolier club1 ,n4 ,y41    
#he1 #ddg     ,growoll 7,a47            
,book trade bibliography in the ,u4 ,s41
 #dgi         ,publishers' weekly1 #dhc 
,hain 7,l47 ,repertorium                
bibliographicum1 #dff                   
,halliwell-,phillipps 7,j4 ,o471        
privately printed books1 #ddf           
,harris 7,w4 ,t47 experience with       
memory1 #bci     ,harrisse 7,h47        
,bibliotheca ,americana1 #dia           
,harvard university library1 #bif       
,haven 7,s4 ,f47 ,catalogue of ,american
 publications1 #afci-agge1 #dgg         
,heat1 an enemy of books1 #ajd          

,heber library1 #cd     ,helps to       
readers1 #aia-bad     ,history1 #g-h1   
#ag         of libraries1 #bhg-cbj      
7local7 bibliography1 #dia1 #ejj        
,homer1 #agc1 #ahd1 #deh     ,horace1   
perfection of his odes1 #ahd            
,humboldt 7,baron von71 #ddi     ,humors
 of the library1 #dcj-ddc     ,hurst    
7,j4 ,f47 on choice books1 #ae          
,illustrated books1 #bgi1 #dej1 #dea1   
#dec-ded     ,immoral books1 #bj1 #bb1  
#dec     ,index expurgatorius1 #ddh1    
#dgj     ,indexes1         use of1      
#bje-bjf         how to make1 #chh-chi  
substitutes for1 #bjg     ,injuries to  
books1 ,see ,crowding1 ,cutting1        
,dogs-earing1 ,enemies1                 
,ink1 ,margins1 ,mutilations1 ,soiling1 
,tracing1 ,torn leaves     ,ink1        
use of1 #aac         how removed1       
#abh-abi     ,inquiries1 innumerable1   
#aia-bja     ,international copyright1  
#dab-daf     ,iron construction1 #ajf   
,jcher 7,c4 ,g47 ,allgemeines           
gelehrten-lexikon1 #dff     ,juvenile   

books1 #bgf1 #bgh1 #bgi      ,kelly     
7,j47 ,american catalogue1 #ahfa-ahga1  
#dha     ,khayyam 7,omar71 #deg         
,kirk 7,j4 ,f47 ,supplement to          
,allibone1 #ahej-ahij1 #die      ,la    
,bedoyre1 ,french revolution collection1
 #adi     ,labelling books1 #ij-ic      
,ladies' reading-rooms1 #cbi            
,languages1 foreign1 #bdf-bdh     ,la   
,serna de ,santander1 ,dictionnaire     
bibliographique1 #dfg     ,law books1   
binding1 #gf     ,letters1 #h-i         
,leypoldt 7,f47 ,books of all time1 #dha
     ,librarian         a constant aid1 
#bjj         ancient idea of1 #bgc      
as an author1 #bga-bgb         as       
preserver and restorer of books1        
#abj-aba         benefits to1 of        
inquiries1 #bjb         high standard   
for1 #bgb         indispensable1 how to 
become1 #bjj1 #bjc         intercourse  
with readers1 #aii         librarian's  
dream1 #dag         qualifications of1  
#bdb-bgd             accuracy1 #bed     
business habits1 #bdi1 #beh             

courtesy1 #bej1 #bfa             energy 
and industry1 #bfb             foreign  
languages1 #bdf-bdh             good    
temper1 #bej             habits of      
order1 #beg-bfj             health1 #bea
             impartial liberality1      
#bfd-bfe             knowledge of books1
 #bdh             love of his work1 #bec
             patience inexhaustible1    
#bfa             sound common sense1    
#beb             tact unfailing1 #bfb   
reserve in recommending books1 #bac     
who reads is lost1 #bdb1 #bgd           
woes of a1 #dda-ddc     ,librarianship1 
attractions of1 #aic1 #bfh-bga          
drawbacks attending1 #bff-bfh           
opens avenues to growth1 #bfi           
school of human nature1 #bgj            
,libraries1         ancient1 of clay1   
#bhg-bhh         and copyright1 #djj-daf
         and schools1 #bge1 #bhb        
and universities1 #bhb1 #bic            
annual reports of1 #cdi-cef             
catalogues of1 #cgc-cii                 
classification of1 #cfb-cgb             

exaggeration of volumes in1 #bab-bac    
formation of1 #ceg-cfb         founded  
by individual gift1 #caa-cac            
history of1 #bhg-cbj         historical1
 #cai         list of1 over #ajj1jjj    
vols41 #cji-caj         mercantile1 #cai
         monastic1 #bij-bib             
picture of ancient1 #bgc         poetry 
of1 #dag-dcj         professional1 #cai 
prompt service in1 #cda-cdb             
readers in1 #ahf1 #bhe-bhf              
special report on1 #ahgf1 #cji          
state libraries1 #caf-cag               
statistics of ,american1 #cjh           
subscription libraries1 #cfj         ten
 largest1 #bic         travelling       
libraries1 #cai-cbj         uses of1    
#bge-bhf     ,library1 how to count a1  
#cej1 #chf     ,library1 humors of the1 
#dcj     ,library1 poetry of the1 #dag  
,library advertising1 #cec-cef          
,library association of ,united         
,kingdom1 #dii     ,library buildings   
and furnishings1 #cba-ccc         ,see  
,buildings     ,library bulletins1 #cec 

,library commissioners1 #cde            
,library committees1 #ccc-cdj1 #cfj     
,library donations1 #cfa     ,library   
,journal1 ,n4 ,y41 #ahgf-ii1 #dii       
,library laws 7,state71 #ceg1 #cei      
,library of ,congress         and       
copyright books1 #djd-daa1 #daf         
appointments in1 #cch         joint     
committee on1 #cdj         our national 
conservatory of books1 #aha-ahb         
restriction of ,,mss4 and rare books1   
#bbe         sketch of its history1     
#cjc-cje     ,library regulations1      
#cda-cdi1 #dcc-dcd     ,library reports1
 #cdi     ,library science schools1 #cch
     ,library trustees or boards of     
managers1 #ccc-cdj     ,literature1     
history of1 #ab-ad     ,loudon 7,a47    
,history of ,indian wars1 #dgf          
,lowndes 7,w4 ,t47 ,bibliographer's     
,manual1 #did      ,macaulay 7,t4 ,b47  
memory1 #bbi     ,maittaire 7,m47       
,annales typographici1 #dfg             
,marbling1 #fh     ,margins1 writing or 
marking on1 #aad1 #abd-abe1 #acf        

,mazarin ,bible1 #df1 #dde     ,memory1 
the faculty of1 #bbf-bda                
attention and association1 its          
corner-stones1 #bcf-bcg         cardinal
 qualification of a librarian1 #bbf-bbg 
discursive reading impairs it1 #bdj-bda 
improvement of1 #bcf-bdj                
intuitive memory1 #bcj         local    
memory1 #bbi         verbal memory1 #bbh
     ,migne 7,j4 ,p4 abb7 ,patrologie1  
#ddg     ,milton1 #aa1 #adg1 #ahd1 #ahg1
 #deh     ,mnemonic systems1 #bcd-bcf   
,morocco binding1 #ef     ,morris       
7,william7 ,kelmscott press1 #ddg       
,mutilation of books1 #aaa1 #abd-abf    
penal laws for1 #ace-acf         posting
 offenders1 #ach      ,new ,hampshire   
library law1 #cad     ,newspapers1 see  
,periodicals     ,new ,york ,mercantile 
,library1 selections for1 #cb     ,new  
,york ,public library1 #cjg             
,notation         of book sizes1 #cij   
of book dates1 #cha1 #cia     ,novels1  
see ,fiction     ,nuremberg chronicle1  
#deb      ,omar 7,caliph7 sentence      

imputed to1 #ajg1 #aga1 #bhi            
,omniscience1 no human1 #agb     ,open  
shelves1 #bae-bbe         ,american     
library association on1 #bbc         an 
open question1 #bbb         benefits of1
 #bae-bbb1 #bbd         evils of1       
#baf-bbd         international library  
conference on1 #bbj-bba     ,opinions on
 books1 #bg     ,ostend manifesto1      
#aif-aig      ,pamphlets1               
literature of1 #ade-aef         binding 
of1 #aec-aee         ,british museum1   
wealth in1 #adi1 #dii                   
classification of1 #aeb1 #aee           
definitions of1 #ade         dignity and
 power of1 #adh         embarrassments  
of1 #adf         great works printed as1
 #adg         how to acquire1 #aea      
,la ,bedoyre collection of1 #adi        
,peter ,force1 collection of1 #aej      
swift disappearance of1 #aea            
,thomason collection of1 #adh           
,panzer 7,g4 ,w47 ,annales typographici1
 #dff     ,parchment1 #ed     ,peignot  
7,g47         ,repertoire               

bibliographique universelle1 #dfi       
,dictionnaire des livres condamns1 #ddh 
,periodicals1         literature of1    
#aeg-agj         binding of1 #hd-he     
cardinal importance of1 #aec-aed1 #aeg1 
#afa1 #bhe         check list for1 #afh 
compared with books1 #afd               
completeness of1 #aeh-aei               
continuous reading of impairs the       
memory1 #bda         indexes to1        
#afi-agj         lettering by ,poole    
index1 #hd         limited library      
circulation1 #afg-afh         newspapers
             abuses of1 #ahj            
destruction of1 #fb             filing  
for readers' use1 #aff                  
library notices in1 #cec-cef            
mutilation of1 #aab             number  
of1 #aeg1 #afj             over-reading 
of1 #ahj1 #bda             percentage   
of1 to books1 #aeg             syndicate
 publication1 #afe             value of1
 #cja-cjb     ,perkins 7,f4 ,b47        
check-list for ,american local history1 
#dia     ,petzholdt 7,j47 ,bibliotheca  

bibliographica1 #dfi     ,philadelphia  
library company's library1 #bii-cjb     
,philadelphia ,mercantile ,library fire1
 #aca-acb     ,phillipps 7,sir ,t47     
privately printed books1 #ddg           
,plato1 reading of1 #agb1 #agh          
,plutarch's lives1 #c1 #ahd             
,poetical quotations1 #aic1 #bjd-bje    
,poetry1 #i-aa1 #ah     ,poetry of the  
library1 #dag-dbi     ,politics in      
libraries1 #bfe     ,poole 7,w4 ,f47    
plan of library building1 #cbg          
on ladies' reading-rooms1 #cbi          
,poole's indexes to periodical          
literature1 #afi     ,poor ,richard's   
almanac1 #def     ,pratt ,institute     
library1 thefts in1 #add                
,preparation for the shelves1 #hh-ig    
,press1 the1 and the library1 #cec-cef  
,prices of books1 #cf1 #df-dh1 #ddd-dea1
 #dee-def1 #dig-dih     ,privately      
printed books1 #ddf-ddg1 #dgc           
,problems1 insoluble1 #aid-aif          
,pseudonyms1 #cgf-cgg     ,publishers'  
,circular 7,london71 #dii               

,publishers' ,weekly1 ,n4 ,y41 #dhc     
,qualifications of librarians1 #bdb-bgd 
,questions asked1 innumerable1 #aia1    
#bjd1 #bjf-bji     ,quotations1 search  
for1 #aic1 #bjd      ,rare books1 #aac1 
#aad1 #bbd1 #ddd-dei         causes of  
rarity1 #dde-deg         mere age not a 
cause1 #ddf     ,readers1         aids  
to1 #aij-bad         classification of1 
#ahf-ahg1 #aij-aia1 #bjf1 #bhe-bhf      
favoritism among1 #bag                  
limitations of aid1 #bjd1 #bjh          
,reading1         art of1 #aga-ahi      
best1 not the latest1 #agh-agi          
choice of1 #c-cb1 #aha-b1 #bgg-bgh      
formative power of1 #ahc-ahe            
passion for1 #deh-dei                   
inspiration of1 #ahc-ahe                
librarian's1 #aba1 #bdc-bdd1 #bdh       
methods of1 #age-agh1 #ahf-ahg          
the literal1 #age             the       
intuitive1 #agf         novel reading1  
#agi         over-much reading of       
newspapers1 #ahj1 #bda         perils of
 too great absorption in1 #ahe-ahf      

pleasures of1 #ahb-ahi         reading  
aloud1 #agg-agh1 #bhj         taste in1 
#aha         time to read1 #agc         
,reading rooms1 #cbf     ,reclamation of
 books1 #aai-add     ,recommending      
books1 #cb         to be done sparingly1
 #bac1 #bdd     ,reference1 books of1   
#af1 #dfa-dfc     ,religion1 questions  
about1 #bja1 #bfe     ,reports1         
librarians'1 #cdi-cef                   
comprehensive1 #cdi         printing of1
 #ceb     ,reserved books1 #bbd-bde     
,restoration and reclamation of books1  
#aai-add     ,rich 7,o47 ,bibliotheca   
,americana1 #dia     ,roman libraries1  
#bij     ,roman numerals1 #ha1 #cia-cib 
,roorbach 7,o4 ,a47 ,bibliotheca        
,americana1 #ahbj-ahfa1 #dhj     ,rubber
 bands1 untrustworthy1 #aee     ,rules1 
library1 #cda-cdi         call slips or 
tickets1 #cdf         circulation1      
limit1 #cdf-cdg         done into verse1
 #dcc-dcd         hours1 #cdd           
prompt service1 #cda-cdb                
registration1 #cdg         vacations1   

#cde     ,rush 7,james7 bequest to      
,philadelphia ,library ,co41 #cja-cjb   
,ruskin on collecting books1 #ad        
,russia binding1 #ef      ,sabin 7,j47  
,bibliotheca ,americana1 #dhd-dhg       
,school district libraries a failure1   
#cag-cai     ,schools and libraries1    
#bge-bhb     ,science1 books of1 #aa1   
#ah     ,scott's ,napoleon1             
bibliographical object-lesson1 #dif-dig 
,second-hand book shops1 #db-de         
,selection of books1 #c-cb1 #bgg        
,see ,choice of books     ,shakespeare1 
#aj1 #df1 #ahd1 #ahh1 #deh     ,sheep   
binding1 #ee     ,shelves1 library1 #cbe
         access to1 #bae                
preparation of books for1 #hh           
,shelves1 open1 #bae-bbe                
,signatures1 #fe     ,size-notation of  
books1 #chi-cia     ,sizing paper1 #abh 
,smith's ,historie of ,virginia1 #dee   
,smithsonian ,institution               
collection in ,library of ,congress1    
#cjd         copyright privilege of1    
#djd     ,soiling of books1 #aaf        

how removed1 #abg     ,spelling1        
facility in1 #bcb     ,stack system1    
#baf1 #cbe     ,stamps in books1 #hh-ij1
 #aad     ,state libraries1 #caf-cag    
appointments in1 #cci     ,stealing of  
books1 #aaa         ,see thefts         
,stedman 7,e4 ,c47 ,library of ,american
 literature1 #dij     ,stein 7,h47      
,manuel de bibliographie1 #dgj-dga      
,stevens 7,henry7 characteristics of1   
#dhg1 #dhi     ,story 7,a7 about        
stories1 #dcf-dcg     ,style1           
importance of1 #age-agf1 #bbf           
sample of prose run mad1 #bf            
,sunday-school books1 #bgf              
,syndicate publishing1 #afe-aff         
,teaching1 #bfi     ,tennyson 7,alfred7 
early editions of poems1 #deb           
,thackeray 7,w4 ,m47 curious question   
of1 #bje     ,thefts1         book1     
#aaa1 #acf-add         leniency in case 
of1 #adb-add         methods of         
reclamation1 #ada-add     ,time1 use of1
 #agc-agd1 #beh-bei     ,titles1        
abridgment of1 #chb-chc                 

alphabeting of1 #chh-chi         entry  
of1 in catalogues1 #cge-cgg             
headings of1 #cgg         lettering of1 
#gb-gc1 #gh-hc         use of capitals  
in1 #cgh1 #cha1 #chg     ,titles of     
novels1 done into verse1 #dcf-dcg       
,torn leaves1 how repaired1 #abb        
,tracing of maps or plates1 #aac        
,travels1 #aa1 #ah     ,tree calf       
binding1 #gd     ,trbner 7,n47          
,bibliographical guide to ,american     
literature1 #dhd     ,trustees1 boards  
of library1 #bfh1 #ccc-cdj     ,turner's
 illustrations1 #ded1 #deh      ,ulster 
,co4 ,gazette1 #ahjj1 #def              
,universal catalogue1 #dfe              
,universities1 use of the library to1   
#bhb-bhe     ,university libraries1 #bid
     ,uses of libraries1 #bge-bhf       
,valle 7,l47 ,bibliographie des         
bibliographies1 #dgj     ,vellum        
binding1 #ed     ,voyages1 #aa1 #ah     
,walpole 7,horace7 ,strawberry hill     
press1 #ddf     ,washing soiled books1  
#abg1 #abi     ,watt 7,r47 ,bibliotheca 

,britannica1 #dic-did     ,wealth1 all  
estimates of1 futile1 #aid-aif          
,winsor 7,justin7         a prolific    
author1 #bgb         on librarians'     
instructions1 #bhd     ,woes of a       
librarian1 #dda-ddc     ,worcester1     
,massachusetts1 public library          
methods of selection1 #ca         theft 
in1 #adc         use of by schools1 #bha
      ,yale university library1 #bih    
,books for ,authors   ,,authors ,,and   
,,publishers  ,sidenote3 ,authors and   
,publishers  ,a ,,manual ,,of           
,,suggestions ,,for ,,beginners ,,in    
,,literature  ,comprising a description 
of publishing methods and arrangements1 
directions for the preparation of ,,mss4
 for the press1 explanations of the     
details of book-manufacturing1          
instructions for proof-reading1         
specimens of typography1 the text of the
 ,united ,states ,copyright ,law1 and   
information concerning ,international   
,copyrights1 together with general hints
 for authors4 ,by ,g4 ,h4 ,p4 and ,j4   

,b4 ,p4  ,seventh ,edition1 re-written  
with additional material4 #h1 gilt top  
net1 #a4ge  ,,chief ,,contents    ,,part
 ,i4--,publishing arrangements--,books  
published at the risk and   expense of  
the publisher--,books published for the 
account of the   author1 i4 e41 at the  
author's risk and expense1 or in which  
he   assumes a portion of the           
investment--,publishing arrangements for
   productions first printed in         
periodicals or cyclopdias--,the         
literary agent--,authors'               
associations--,advertising--,on securing
   copyright4    ,,part ,,ii4--,the     
,making of                              
,books--,composition--,electrotyping--,p
resswork--,bookbinding--,illustrations4 
,full of valuable information for       
authors and writers4 4 4 4 ,a   most    
instructive and excellent               
manual4--,,george ,,wm4 ,,curtis in     
,harper's ,magazine4    ,this handy and 
useful book is written with perfect     
fairness and   abounds in hints which   

writers will do well to 'make a note    
of4'   4 4 4 ,there is a host of other  
matters treated succinctly and   lucidly
 which it behoves beginners in          
literature to know1 and we   can        
recommend it most heartily to           
them4--,london ,spectator4  ,g4 ,p4     
,,putnam',s ,,sons1 ,,new ,,york ,,and  
,,london   ,,by ,,geo4 ,,haven ,,putnam 
99       99       99       99       99  
,,authors ,,and ,,their ,,public ,,in   
,,ancient ,,times  ,a ,sketch of        
,literary ,conditions and of the        
,relations with the ,public of ,literary
 ,producers1 from the ,earliest ,times  
to the ,fall of the ,roman ,empire4     
,second edition1 revised1 #ab1 gilt top1
 #a4ej4  ,the book abounds in           
information1 is written in a            
delightfully succinct and agreeable     
manner1 with apt comparisons that are   
often humorous1 and with scrupulous     
exactness to statement1 and without a   
sign of partiality either from an       
author's or a publisher's point of      

view4--,new ,york ,times4   ,,books     
,,and ,,their ,,makers ,,during ,,the   
,,middle ,,ages  ,a ,study of the       
,conditions of the ,production and      
,distribution of ,literature from the   
,fall of the ,roman ,empire to the      
,close of the ,seventeenth ,century4    
,in two volumes1 #h1 cloth extra 7sold  
separately71 each #b4ej ,vol4 ,i41      
#dgf-afjj--,vol4 ,,ii41 #aejj-agji4  ,it
 is seldom that such wide learning1 such
 historical grasp and insight1 have been
 employed in their service4--,atlantic  
,monthly4  ,it is a book to be studied  
rather than merely praised4 4 4 4 ,that 
its literary style is perfect is        
acceptable as a matter of course1 and   
equally of course is it that the        
information it contains bears the stamp 
of historical verification4--,n4 ,y4    
,sun4   ,,the ,,question ,,of           
,,copyright  ,comprising the text of the
 ,copyright ,law of the ,united ,states1
 and a summary of the ,copyright laws at
 present in force in the chief countries

 of the world2 together with a report of
 the legislation now pending in ,great  
,britain1 a sketch of the contest in the
 ,united ,states1 #ahcg-ahia1 in behalf 
of ,international ,copyright1 and       
certain papers on the development of the
 conception of literary property and on 
the results of the ,american law of     
#ahia4  ,second edition1 revised1 with  
additions1 and with the record of       
legislation brought down to ,march1     
#ahif4 #h1 gilt top1 #a4ge4  ,a perfect 
arsenal of facts and arguments1         
carefully elaborated and very           
effectively presented4 4 4 4 ,altogether
 it constitutes an extremely valuable   
history of the development of a very    
intricate right of property1 and it is  
as interesting as it is valuable4--,n4  
,y4 ,nation4         99       99        
99       99       99  ,g4 ,p4           
,,putnam',s ,,sons ,,new ,,york3 #bg    
,west #bcrd ,street4     ,,london3 #bd  
,bedford ,st41 ,strand4   ,,by ,,moses  
,,coit ,,tyler         99       99      

99       99       99  ,a ,,history ,,of 
,,american ,,literature ,,during ,,the  
,,colonial ,,time  ,new ,edition1       
revised1 in two volumes4 ,volume        
,i4--#afjg-afgf4 ,volume                
,,ii4--#afgf-agfe4 ,each #b4ej4 ,agawam 
edition1 #b vols4 in one4 #h1 half      
leather1 #c4jj4  ,in the execution of   
his work thus far1 ,professor ,tyler has
 evinced a skill in the arrangement of  
his materials1 and a masterly power of  
combination1 which will at once place it
 in a very eminent rank among ,american 
historical compositions4 ,it is not so  
much the history of a special           
development of literature1 as a series  
of profound and brilliant studies on the
 character and genius of a people of    
whom that literature was the natural    
product4 ,the work betrays acute        
philosophical insight1 a rare power of  
historical research1 and a cultivated   
literary habit1 which was perhaps no    
less essential than the two former      
conditions1 to its successful           

accomplishment4 ,the style of the author
 is marked by vigor1 originality1       
comprehensiveness1 and a curious        
instinct in the selection of words4 ,in 
this latter respect1 though not in the  
moulding of sentences1 the reader may   
perhaps be reminded of the choice and   
fragrant vocabulary of ,washington      
,irving1 whose words alone often leave  
an exquisite odor like the perfume of   
sweet-brier and arbutus4--,,george      
,,ripley1 in ,the ,tribune4   ,,the     
,,literary ,,history ,,of ,,the         
,,american ,,revolution  #agfc-aghc     
,two volumes1 large octavo4 ,sold       
separately4 ,volume ,i4--#agfc-aggf4    
,volume ,,ii4--#aggf-aghc4 ,each #c4jj4 
,this work is the result of an          
altogether new and original treatment of
 the ,american ,revolution4 ,the outward
 history of that period has been many   
times written1 and is now1 by a new     
school of ,american historians1 being   
freshly re-written in the light of      
larger evidence1 and after a more       

disinterested and judicial method4 ,in  
the present work1 for the first time in 
a systematic and complete way1 is set   
forth the inward history of our         
,revolution1--the history of its ideas1 
its spiritual moods1 its passions1 as   
these uttered themselves at the time in 
the writings of the two parties of      
,americans who either promoted or       
resisted that great movement4   ,,three 
,,men ,,of ,,letters  ,chapters in      
,literary ,biography and ,criticism     
devoted to ,george ,berkeley1 ,timothy  
,dwight1 and ,joel ,barlow4  #ab1 gilt  
top1 #a4be4  ,though more lengthy than  
most of the sketches in ,professor      
,tyler's well-known ',history1' these   
monographs have much of the brevity of  
their original purpose2 and they are    
marked by the same picturesqueness of   
treatment1 the same vivacity of         
expression1 and the same felicity of    
statement1 that characterize the        
author's larger volumes4--,the ,nation4 
99       99       99       99       99  

,g4 ,p4 ,,putnam',s ,,sons1 ,,new ,,york
 ,,and ,,london4   ,,language4          
99       99       99       99       99  
,,some ,,common ,,errors ,,of ,,speech4 
,suggestions for the ,avoiding of       
,certain ,classes of ,errors1 together  
with ,examples of ,bad and of ,good     
,usage4 ,by ,,alfred ,g4 ,,compton1     
,professor in ,college of the ,city of  
,new ,york4 #ab      4#ge  ,the book    
calls up many interesting1 not to say   
fascinating1 lapses from strict grammar1
 and is very valuable4 ,in its index    
expurgatorius will be found many        
surprises by the self-supposed          
learned4--,chicago ,times-,herald4   ,a 
,,simple ,,grammar ,,of ,,english ,,now 
,,in ,,use4  ,by ,,john ,,earle1 ,a4,m41
 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,anglo-,saxon1 
,university of ,oxford1 author of       
,english ,prose3 ,its ,elements1        
,history1 and ,usage4 #ab         #a4ej 
,the book is a clear1 careful1 and      
scholarly treatise on the ,english      
,language and its use1 rather than a    

work of science4 ,it is a book that will
 be valuable to teachers and to students
 of language everywhere4--,washington   
,times4   ,,the ,,english ,,language    
,,and ,,english ,,grammar4  ,an         
,historical ,study of the ,sources1     
,development1 and ,analogies of the     
,language1 and of the ,principles       
,covering its ,usages4 ,illustrated by  
,copious ,examples by ,writers of all   
,periods4 ,by ,,samuel ,,ramsey4 #h     
#b4jj  ,mr4 ,ramsey's work will appeal  
especially to those that desire to know 
something more about the history and    
philology1 the growth and mistakes of   
their native tongue than is given in the
 ordinary text-books4--,baltimore ,sun4 
,,orthometry4  ,a ,treatise on the ,art 
of ,versification and the               
,technicalities of ,poetry1 with a ,new 
and ,complete ,rhyming ,dictionary4 ,by 
,r4 ,f4 ,,brewer1 ,b4,a4 #ab1 pp4 xv4   
#cgf        #b4jj  ,it is a good book   
for its purpose1 lucid1 compact1 and    
well arranged4 ,it lays bare1 we        

believe1 the complete anatomy of poetry4
 ,it affords interesting quotations1 in 
the way of example1 and interesting     
comments by distinguished critics upon  
certain passages from the distinguished 
poets4--,n4 ,y4 ,sun4   ,,manual ,,of   
,,linguistics4  ,an ,account of ,general
 and ,english ,phonology4 ,by ,,john    
,,clark1 ,a4,m4 #h1 pp4 lxiii4  #cad    
#b4jj  ,mr4 ,clark has traced the       
,english language back to its           
foundations in his work ',manual of     
,linguistics4' ,it is an interesting    
theme1 and his book will prove very     
useful for reference1 for he has culled 
from many sources and gone over a wide  
territory4--,detroit ,free ,press4      
,,composition ,,in ,,the                
,,school-,,room4  ,a ,practical         
,treatise4 ,by ,e4 ,,galbraith4 #af1    
cloth      #a4jj  ,the author has drawn 
fully from the best writers on the      
subject1 and her book is an epitome of  
the best thought of all4--,boston       
,transcript4         99       99        

99       99       99  ,g4 ,p4           
,,putnam',s ,,sons1 ,,new ,,york ,,and  
,,london4     ,transcriber's ,notes3    
#a4 ,punctuation for abbreviations such 
as per cent41 viz4 has been             
standardised4  #b4 ,there are spelling  
inconsistencies in proper and place     
names as well as within accented        
characters and hyphenated words4 ,these 
have been left as printed4  #c4 ,obvious
 punctuation errors have been corrected4
  #d4 ,the remaining corrections are3   
,page #cf1 ,edinburg changed to         
,edinburgh ,page #aec1 faciliate changed
 to facilitate ,page #bjb1 conspiciously
 changed to conspicuously ,page #beh1   
responsibile changed to responsible     
,page #bfi1 reasearches changed to      
researches ,page #cdb1 adminstration    
changed to administration ,page #cib1   
substracting changed to subtracting     
,page #cic1 univeral changed to         
universal ,page #djd1 ieft changed to   
left ,page #dda1 pyschology changed to  
psychology ,page #deb1 polittics changed

 to politics ,page #deg1 at changed to  
as ,page #dgj1 ,thus changed to ,this   
,page #dga1 vocabularly changed to      
vocabulary ,page #dgh1 ,columbiau       
changed to ,columbian ,page #dha1       
approxmiately changed to approximately  
,page #dij1 guaged changed to gauged    
,page #dij1 ,duyckincks changed to      
,duyckinck's ,page #dic1 ,meuzies       
changed to ,menzies ,page #did1 ,i      
changed to #a ,page #dig1 pubished      
changed to published ,page #ejd1        
,allgemeinas changed to ,allgemeines