Chapter XL 



HIS LIBRARY. 



I have already mentioned the fact that for over 

 forty years Brown was librarian of the Public 

 Library at Aliwal North, but I have no record 

 as to how he spent such leisure as he had when 

 on duty there. He probably dusted the volumes 

 with some disdain ; I don't think he was greatly 

 interested in many of them. He evidently did 

 not share the Aliwal public's reading taste, for 

 he must needs set up a huge private library of 

 his own. All that I know of this is what I have 

 gathered from the catalogue of its contents, and 

 he must have had a wonderful collection of books. 

 It was stored in fourteen big presses with suitable 

 shelving to hold the two thousand odd books that 

 he possessed. These cover an amazing range of 

 interest, including Travel, especially early South 

 African travel ; History and especially Egyptian, 

 Classical and Biblical history ; hundreds of books 

 on Literature, Art, Science, Philosophy and 

 Religion ; and I think every popular encyclopaedia 

 that was ever published. 



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