Essays on Life 



see at present, to put an end to my literary 

 existence altogether. 



I should explain that I cannot write unless 

 I have a sloping desk, and the reading-room 

 of the British Museum, where alone I can 

 compose freely, is unprovided with sloping 

 desks. Like every other organism, if I can- 

 not get exactly what I want I make shift with 

 the next thing to it ; true, there are no desks 

 in the reading-room, but, as I once heard a 

 visitor from the country say, "it contains a 

 large number of very interesting works." I 

 know it was not right, and hope the Museum 

 authorities will not be severe upon me if any 

 of them reads this confession ; but I wanted a 

 desk, and set myself to consider which of the 

 many very interesting works which a grateful 

 nation places at the disposal of its would-be 

 authors was best suited for my purpose. 



For mere reading I suppose one book is 

 pretty much as good as another; but the choice 

 of a desk-book is a more serious matter. It 

 must be neither too thick nor too thin ; it 

 must be large enough to make a substantial 

 support ; it must be strongly bound so as not 



