on books and the housing of them-第2章

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parchment　could　hardly　do。　It　is　established　that
in　Roman　times　the　bad　institution　of　slavery
ministered　to　a　system　under　which　books
were　multiplied　by　simultaneous　copying　in　a
room　where　a　single　person　read　aloud　in　the
hearing　of　many　the　volume　to　be　
reproduced；　and　that　so　produced　they　were　
relatively　cheap。　Had　they　not　been　so；　they
would　hardly　have　been；　as　Horace　represents
them；　among　the　habitual　spoils　of　the　grocer。＇8＇
It　is　sad；　and　is　suggestive　of　many　
inquiries；　that　this　abundance　was　followed；
at　least　in　the　West；　by　a　famine　of　more
than　a　thousand　years。　And　it　is　hard；　even
after　all　allowances；　to　conceive　that　of　all
the　many　manuscripts　of　Homer　which　Italy
must　have　possessed　we　do　not　know　that　a
single　parchment　or　papyrus　was　ever　read
by　a　single　individual；　even　in　a　convent；　or
even　by　a　giant　such　as　Dante；　or　as　Thomas
Acquinas；　the　first　of　them　unquestionably
master　of　all　the　knowledge　that　was　within
the　compass　of　his　age。　There　were；　
however；　libraries　even　in　the　West；　formed　by
Charlemagne　and　by　others　after　him。　We
are　told　that　Alcuin；　in　writing　to　the　great
monarch；　spoke　with　longing　of　the　relative
wealth　of　England　in　these　precious　estates。
Mr。　Edwards；　whom　I　have　already　quoted；
mentions　Charles　the　Fifth　of　France；　in　1365；
as　a　collector　of　manuscripts。　But　some　ten
years　back　the　Director　of　the　Bibliotheque
Nationale　informed　me　that　the　French　King
John　collected　twelve　hundred　manuscripts；
at　that　time　an　enormous　library；　out　of　which
several　scores　where　among　the　treasures　in
his　care。　Mary　of　Medicis　appears　to　have
amassed　in　the　sixteenth　century；　probably
with　far　less　effort；　5；800　volumes。＇9＇　Oxford
had　before　that　time　received　noble　gifts　for
her　University　Library。　And　we　have　to
recollect　with　shame　and　indignation　that
that　institution　was　plundered　and　destroyed
by　the　Commissioners　of　the　boy　King　
Edward　the　Sixth；　acting　in　the　name　of　the
Reformation　of　Religion。　Thus　it　happened
that　opportunity　was　left　to　a　private　
individual；　the　munificent　Sir　Thomas　Bodley；　to
attach　an　individual　name　to　one　of　the　
famous　libraries　of　the　world。　It　is　interesting
to　learn　that　municipal　bodies　have　a　share
in　the　honor　due　to　monasteries　and　
sovereigns　in　the　collection　of　books；　for　the　
Common　Council　of　Aix　purchased　books　for　a
public　library　in　1419。＇10＇

Louis　the　Fourteenth；　of　evil　memory；　has
at　least　this　one　good　deed　to　his　credit；　that
he　raised　the　Royal　Library　at　Paris；　founded
two　centuries　before；　to　70；000　volumes。　In
1791　it　had　150；000　volumes。　It　profited　largely
by　the　Revolution。　The　British　Museum　had
only　reached　115；000　when　Panizzi　became
keeper　in　1837。　Nineteen　years　afterward　he
left　it　with　560；000；　a　number　which　must　now
have　more　than　doubled。　By　his　noble　design
for　occupying　the　central　quadrangle；　a　desert
of　gravel　until　his　time；　he　provided　additional
room　for　1；200；000　volumes。　All　this　
apparently　enormous　space　for　development　is　being
eaten　up　with　fearful　rapidity；　and　such　is　the
greed　of　the　splendid　library　that　it　opens　its
jaws　like　Hades；　and　threatens　shortly　to
expel　the　antiquities　from　the　building；　and
appropriate　the　places　they　adorn。

But　the　proper　office　of　hasty　retrospect　in
a　paper　like　this　is　only　to　enlarge　by　degrees；
like　the　pupil　of　an　eye；　the　reader's　
contemplation　and　estimate　of　the　coming　time；　and
to　prepare　him　for　some　practical　suggestions
of　a　very　humble　kind。　So　I　take　up　again
the　thread　of　my　brief　discourse。　National
libraries　draw　upon　a　purse　which　is　
bottomless。　But　all　public　libraries　are　not　national。
And　the　case　even　of　private　libraries　is　
becoming；　nay；　has　become；　very　serious　for　all
who　are　possessed　by　the　inexorable　spirit　of
collection；　but　whose　ardor　is　perplexed　and
qualified；　or　even　baffled；　by　considerations
springing　from　the　balance…sheet。

The　purchase　of　a　book　is　commonly　
supposed　to　end；　even　for　the　most　scrupulous
customer；　with　the　payment　of　the　bookseller's
bill。　But　this　is　a　mere　popular　superstition。
Such　payment　is　not　the　last；　but　the　first
term　in　a　series　of　goodly　length。　If　we　wish
to　give　to　the　block　a　lease　of　life　equal　to
that　of　the　pages；　the　first　condition　is　that　it
should　be　bound。　So　at　least　one　would　have
said　half　a　century　ago。　But；　while　books
are　in　the　most　instances　cheaper；　binding；
from　causes　which　I　do　not　understand；　is
dearer；　at　least　in　England；　than　it　was　in　my
early　years；　so　that　few　can　afford　it。＇11＇　　We
have；　however；　the　tolerable　and　very　useful
expedient　of　cloth　binding　（now　in　some　
danger；　I　fear；　of　losing　its　modesty　through
flaring　ornamentation）　to　console　us。　Well；
then；　bound　or　not；　the　book　must　of　
necessity　be　put　into　a　bookcase。　And　the　
bookcase　must　be　housed。　And　the　house　must
be　kept。　And　the　library　must　be　dusted；
must　be　arranged；　should　be　catalogued。　What
a　vista　of　toil；　yet　not　unhappy　toil！　Unless
indeed　things　are　to　be　as　they　now　are　in
at　least　one　princely　mansion　of　this　country；
where　books；　in　thousands　upon　thousands；
are　jumbled　together　with　no　more　
arrangement　than　a　sack　of　coals；　where　not　even
the　sisterhood　of　consecutive　volumes　has
been　respected；　where　undoubtedly　an　
intending　reader　may　at　the　mercy　of　Fortune
take　something　from　the　shelves　that　is　a
book；　but　where　no　particular　book　can　
except　by　the　purest　accident；　be　found。

Such　being　the　outlook；　what　are　we　to　do
with　our　books？　Shall　we　be　buried　under
them　like　Tarpeia　under　the　Sabine　shields？
Shall　we　renounce　them　（many　will；　or　will
do　worse；　will　keep　to　the　most　worthless
part　of　them）　in　our　resentment　against　their
more　and　more　exacting　demands？　Shall　we
sell　and　scatter　them？　as　it　is　painful　to　see
how　often　the　books　of　eminent　men　are
ruthlessly；　or　at　least　unhappily；　dispersed
on　their　decease。　Without　answering　in　
detail；　I　shall　assume　that　the　book…buyer　is　a
book…lover；　that　his　love　is　a　tenacious；　not
a　transitory　love；　and　that　for　him　the　
question　is　how　best　to　keep　his　books。

I　pass　over　those　conditions　which　are　the
most　obvious；　that　the　building　should　be
sound　and　dry；　the　apartment　airy；　and　with
abundant　light。　And　I　dispose　with　a　passing
anathema　of　all　such　as　would　endeavour　to
solve　their　problem；　or　at　any　rate　
compromise　their　difficulties；　by　setting　one　row
of　books　in　front　of　another。　I　also　freely
admit　that　what　we　have　before　us　is　not
a　choice　between　difficulty　and　no　difficulty；
but　a　choice　among　difficulties。

The　objects　further　to　be　contemplated　in
the　bestowal　of　our　books；　so　far　as　I　
recollect；　are　three：　economy；　good　arrangement；
and　accessibility　with　the　smallest　possible
expenditure　of　time。

In　a　private　library；　where　the　service　of
books　is　commonly　to　be　performed　by　the
person　desiring　to　use　them；　they　ought　to　be
assorted　and　distributed　according　to　subject。
The　case　may　be　altogether　different　where
they　have　to　be　sent　for　and　brought　by　an
attendant。　It　is　an　immense　advantage　to
bring　the　eye　in　aid　of　the　mind；　to　see
within　a　limited　compass　all　the　works　that
are　accessible；　in　a　given　library；　on　a　given
subject；　and　to　have　the　power　of　dealing
with　them　collectively　at　a　given　spot；　instead
of　hunting　them　up　through　an　entire　
accumulation。　It　must　be　admitted；　however；　that
distribution　by　subjects　ought　in　some　degree
to　be　controlled　by　sizes。　If　everything　on　a
given　subject；　from　folio　down　to　32mo；　is　to
be　brought　locally　together；　there　will　be　an
immense　waste　of　space　in　the　attempt　to
lodge　objects　of　such　different　sizes　in　one
and　the　same　bookcase。　And　this　waste　of
space　will　cripple　us　in　the　most　serious
manner；　as　will　be　seen　with　regard　to　the
conditions　of　economy　and　of　accessibility。
The　three　conditions　are　in　truth　all　
connected　together；　but　especially　the　two　last
named。

Even　in　a　paper　such　as　this　the　question
of　classification　cannot　altogether　be　
overlooked；　but　it　is　one　more　easy　to　open　than
to　close　　one　upon　which　I　am　not　bold
enough　to　hope　for　uniformity　of