on books and the housing of them-第3章

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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　opinion　and
of　practice。　I　set　aside　on　the　one　hand　the
case　of　great　public　libraries；　which　I　leave
to　the　experts　of　those　establishments。　And；
at　the　other　end　of　the　scale；　in　small　private
libraries　the　matter　becomes　easy　or　even　
insignificant。　In　libraries　of　the　medium　scale；
not　too　vast　for　some　amount　of　personal
survey；　some　would　multiply　subdivision；　and
some　restrain　it。　An　acute　friend　asks　me
under　what　and　how　many　general　headings
subjects　should　be　classified　in　a　library　
intended　for　practical　use　and　reading；　and
boldly　answers　by　suggesting　five　classes
only：　（1）　science；　（2）　speculation；　（3）　art；
（4）　history；　and　（5）　miscellaneous　and　
periodical　literature。　But　this　seemingly　simple
division　at　once　raises　questions　both　of
practical　and　of　theoretic　difficulty。　As　to　the
last；　periodical　literature　is　fast　attaining　to
such　magnitude；　that　it　may　require　a　
classification　of　its　own；　and　that　the　enumeration
which　indexes　supply；　useful　as　it　is；　will　not
suffice。　And　I　fear　it　is　the　destiny　of　
periodicals　as　such　to　carry　down　with　them　a
large　proportion　of　what；　in　the　phraseology
of　railways；　would　be　called　dead　weight；　as
compared　with　live　weight。　The　limits　of
speculation　would　be　most　difficult　to　draw。
The　diversities　included　under　science　would
be　so　vast　as　at　once　to　make　sub…
classification　a　necessity。　The　olog…ies　are　by　no　means
well　suited　to　rub　shoulders　together；　and
sciences　must　include　arts；　which　are　but
country　cousins　to　them；　or　a　new　
compartment　must　be　established　for　their　
accomodation。　Once　more；　how　to　cope　with　the
everlasting　difficulty　of　'Works'？　In　what
category　to　place　Dante；　Petrarch；　
Swedenborg；　Burke；　Coleridge；　Carlyle；　or　a　hundred
more？　Where；　again；　is　Poetry　to　stand？
I　apprehend　that　it　must　take　its　place；　the
first　place　without　doubt；　in　Art；　for　while　it
is　separated　from　Painting　and　her　other
'sphere…born　harmonious　sisters'　by　their　
greater　dependence　on　material　forms　they　are　all
more　inwardly　and　profoundly　united　in　their
first　and　all…enfolding　principle；　which　is　to
organize　the　beautiful　for　presentation　to　the
perceptions　of　man。

But　underneath　all　particular　criticism　of
this　or　that　method　of　classification　will　be
found　to　lie　a　subtler　question　　whether　the
arrangement　of　a　library　ought　not　in　some
degree　to　correspond　with　and　represent　the
mind　of　the　man　who　forms　it。　For　my　own
part；　I　plead　guilty；　within　certain　limits；　of
favoritism　in　classification。　I　am　sensible
that　sympathy　and　its　reverse　have　something
to　do　with　determining　in　what　company　a
book　shall　stand。　And　further；　does　there
not　enter　into　the　matter　a　principle　of　
humanity　to　the　authors　themselves？　Ought
we　not　to　place　them；　so　far　as　may　be；　in
the　neighborhood　which　they　would　like？
Their　living　manhoods　are　printed　in　their
works。　Every　reality；　every　tendency；　endures。
Eadem　sequitur　tellure　sepultos。

I　fear　that　arrangement；　to　be　good；　must
be　troublesome。　Subjects　are　traversed　by
promiscuous　assemblages　of　'works；'　both　by
sizes；　and　all　by　languages。　On　the　whole
I　conclude　as　follows。　The　mechanical　
perfection　of　a　library　requires　an　alphabetical
catalogue　of　the　whole。　But　under　the　shadow
of　this　catalogue　let　there　be　as　many　living
integers　as　possible；　for　every　well…chosen
subdivision　is　a　living　integer　and　makes　the
library　more　and　more　an　organism。　Among
others　I　plead　for　individual　men　as　centres
of　subdivision：　not　only　for　Homer；　Dante；
Shakespeare；　but　for　Johnson；　Scott；　and
Burns；　and　whatever　represents　a　large　and
manifold　humanity。

The　question　of　economy；　for　those　who
from　necessity　or　choice　consider　it　at　all；　is
a　very　serious　one。　It　has　been　a　fashion　to
make　bookcases　highly　ornamental。　Now
books　want　for　and　in　themselves　no　
ornament　at　all。　They　are　themselves　the　
ornament。　Just　as　shops　need　no　ornament；
and　no　one　will　think　of　or　care　for　any
structural　ornament；　if　the　goods　are　
tastefully　disposed　in　the　shop…window。　The　man
who　looks　for　society　in　his　books　will　
readily　perceive　that；　in　proportion　as　the　face　of
his　bookcase　is　occupied　by　ornament；　he
loses　that　society；　and　conversely；　the　more
that　face　approximates　to　a　sheet　of　
bookbacks；　the　more　of　that　society　he　will　enjoy。
And　so　it　is　that　three　great　advantages　come
hand　in　hand；　and；　as　will　be　seen；　reach
their　maximum　together：　the　sociability　of
books；　minimum　of　cost　in　providing　for
them；　and　ease　of　access　to　them。

In　order　to　attain　these　advantages；　two
conditions　are　fundamental。　First；　the　shelves
must；　as　a　rule；　be　fixed；　secondly；　the　cases；
or　a　large　part　of　them；　should　have　their
side　against　the　wall；　and　thus；　projecting
into　the　room　for　a　convenient　distance；　they
should　be　of　twice　the　depth　needed　for　a
single　line　of　books；　and　should　hold　two
lines；　one　facing　each　way。　Twelve　inches
is　a　fair　and　liberal　depth　for　two　rows　of
octavos。　The　books　are　thus　thrown　into
stalls；　but　stalls　after　the　manner　of　a　stable；
or　of　an　old…fashioned　coffee…room；　not　after
the　manner　of　a　bookstall；　which；　as　times
go；　is　no　stall　at　all；　but　simply　a　flat　space
made　by　putting　some　scraps　of　boarding
together；　and　covering　them　with　books。

This　method　of　dividing　the　longitudinal
space　by　projections　at　right　angles　to　it；　if
not　very　frequently　used；　has　long　been
known。　A　great　example　of　it　is　to　be　found
in　the　noble　library　of　Trinity　College；　
Cambridge；　and　is　the　work　of　Sir　Christopher
Wren。　He　has　kept　these　cases　down　to
very　moderate　height；　for　he　doubtless　took
into　account　that　great　heights　require　long
ladders；　and　that　the　fetching　and　use　of
these　greatly　add　to　the　time　consumed　in
getting　or　in　replacing　a　book。　On　the　other
hand；　the　upper　spaces　of　the　walls　are　
sacrificed；　whereas　in　Dublin；　All　Souls；　and
many　other　libraries　the　bookcases　ascend
very　high；　and　magnificent　apartments　walled
with　books　may　in　this　way　be　constructed。
Access　may　be　had　to　the　upper　portions　by
galleries；　but　we　cannot　have　stairs　all　round
the　room；　and　even　with　one　gallery　of　books
a　room　should　not　be　more　than　from　
sixteen　to　eighteen　feet　high　if　we　are　to　act　on
the　principle　of　bringing　the　largest　possible
number　of　volumes　into　the　smallest　possible
space。　I　am　afraid　it　must　be　admitted　that
we　cannot　have　a　noble　and　imposing　
spectacle；　in　a　vast　apartment；　without　sacrificing
economy　and　accessibility；　and　vice　versa。

The　projections　should　each　have　attached
to　them　what　I　rudely　term　an　endpiece　（for
want　of　a　better　name）；　that　is；　a　shallow
and　extremely　light　adhering　bookcase　（light
by　reason　of　the　shortness　of　the　shelves）；
which　both　increases　the　accommodation；　and
makes　one　short　side　as　well　as　the　two　long
ones　of　the　parallelopiped　to　present　simply
a　face　of　books　with　the　lines　of　shelf；　like
threads；　running　between　the　rows。

The　wall…spaces　between　the　projections
ought　also　to　be　turned　to　account　for　
shallow　bookcases；　so　far　as　they　are　not　
occupied　by　windows。　If　the　width　of　the　interval
be　two　feet　six；　about　sixteen　inches　of　this
may　be　given　to　shallow　cases　placed　against
the　wall。

Economy　of　space　is　in　my　view　best　
attained　by　fixed　shelves。　This　dictum　I　will
now　endeavor　to　make　good。　If　the　shelves
are　movable；　each　shelf　imposes　a　dead
weight　on　the　structure　of　the　bookcase；
without　doing　anything　to　support　it。　Hence
it　must　be　built　with　wood　of　considerable
mass；　and　the　more　considerable　the　mass
of　wood　the　greater　are　both　the　space　
occupied　and　the　ornament　needed。　When　the
shelf　is　fixed；　it　contributes　as　a　fastening　to
hold　the　parts　of　the　bookcase　together；　and
a　very　long　experience　enables　me　to　say
that　shelves　of　from　half…　to　three…quarters　of
an　inch　worked　fast　into　uprights　of　from
three…quarters　to　a　full　inch　will　amply　suffice
for　all　sizes　of　books　except　large　and　heavy
folios；　which　would　probably　require　a　small；
and　only