DECEMBER 235 



be of much avail as guides to the bibliomane. Genuine 

 seers, even if they could be had like water ' dowsers ' 

 for the hiring, are not encouraging persons when 'the 

 hour' is upon them. From Cassandra and Jeremiah 

 downwards their stock-in-trade has been approaching 

 disaster and death ; it is only the venal wayside gipsy 

 who foretells windfalls and good luck. It is really 

 matter of incalculable chance what books may attain 

 to preposterous value ; and chance sometimes befriends 

 one as it did once, in humble measure, the present 

 writer. Among the few thousand volumes in my 

 library there are many by which I set great store ; but 

 I can only lay finger upon one which might fetch its 

 weight in gold, or even in one pound notes. Unluckily 

 it does not weigh more than an ounce. It turned up 

 in clearing rubbish out of a long- closed drawer, and is 

 Bradshaw's Raihvay Guide for the year 1841 the 

 second issue of the series the acorn whence sprung 

 the mighty oak of to-day. Where were the seers that 

 they did not warn travellers seventy years ago to hus- 

 band the back numbers of Bradshaw ? By the bye, it is 

 curious to note that this most matter-of-fact periodical 

 bears on its face to this day evidence of the religious 

 faith of its founder. George Bradshaw (1801-1853) was 

 a Quaker and disapproved of the pagan element in the 

 English month-names ; so when his time-table grew to 

 monthly dimensions he printed on the cover 1st Month, 

 2nd Month, 3rd Month, and so on, instead of January, 

 February, March, etc., and this peculiarity has been 

 retained, although now the usual month-names are 

 added in brackets. 



