96 Bibliomania. 



The largest type is the best for the eyes and the brain, and the best 

 editions, even of standard common works, will always be worth some 

 money. There really is no economy in cheap books to those who can 

 afford better ones. Many people seem to have conscientious scruples 

 against buying books unless they can get them for a song, and books 

 bought in this way usually go in the same way, with a constant 

 diminuendo to the song. 



For ordinary private uses a good library need not exceed 1,000 or 

 1,500 volumes. If it does not exceed these bounds the owner may 

 read it and know it. There is a great deal of sheer vanity and vulgar 

 display among book-collectors of wealth. I have been in many a 

 superb private library whose owners knew little of books, except as 

 merchandise. 



A few words, in conclusion, upon the adornment of books, which, 

 inasmuch as I have already spoken of bindings, must be confined to 

 "illustration." This consists in adding to the books engravings of 

 portraits, scenes and characters, and drawings and autographs, de- 

 scriptive or reminiscent of persons, places and events alluded to m the 

 text. There are tradesmen in the large cities who keep stocks of 

 prints expressly for illustrators, and in London a number of these men 

 issue frequent catalogues of their stocks. There are also a great many 

 publications exclusively composed of portraits, views and scenes, some- 

 times all pertaining to a single author, which it is not extravagant to 

 buy for this purpose; for example, Shakespearian illustrations; 

 Lodge's and Knight's and the "Physiognomical " portraits ; Longhi's 

 superb Italian portraits ; Worlidge's "Engravings from Ancient Gems," 

 and Williams' "Select Views in Greece;" Finden's and Turner's views, 

 of which I have spoken; Harding's "Views in Italy," and many 

 others. If they are not all needed for the particular book in hand, 

 they will "slop over" into some other. Thus " illustrating" breeds 

 itself. Occasionally it is necessary to buy a book solely for a portrait 

 or a view which it contains. One instance in my own experience, I 

 recollect, was the very rare portrait of George Psalmanazar, the 

 Formosa imposter, who deluded Dr. Johnson ; and another was George 

 Barrington, the famous English pickpocket, who was transported and 

 became governor of New South Wales — of whom the saying was 

 originally made, "he left his country for his country's good." 



As to the modus operandi the first thing is to read vour book. As 

 you read it, make a list of the pictures it requires. If possible, get a 

 copy in sheets, unbound, but if not, carefully take the book apart, and 

 having procured the requisite pictures, lay them in at their proper 

 places. If they are too large there is no resource, except the very ex- 



