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BOOKSANDBOOKMEN1BOOKSANDBOOKMENAndrewLangBOOKSANDBOOKMEN2TOTHEVISCOUNTESSWOLSELEYMadame,itisnomodishthing,Thebookman'stributethatIbring;Atalkofantiquariesgrey,Dustuntodustthismanyaday,Gossipoftextsandbindingsold,Offadedtype,andtarnish'dgold!Canladiescareforthisto-doWithPayne,Derome,andPadeloup?Cantheyresigntherout,theball,Forlonelyjoysofshelfandstall?Thecriticthus,serenelywise;Butyoucanreadwithothereyes,Whosebooksandbindingstreasuredare'Midstmingledspoilsofpeaceandwar;ShieldsfromthefightstheMahdilost,AndtrinketsfromtheGoldenCoast,AndmanythingsdivinelydoneByChippendaleandSheraton,AndtrophiesofEgyptiandeeds,Andfans,andplates,andAggreybeads,Pomanderboxes,assegais,Andsword-hiltsworninMarlbro'sdays.Inthispell-mellofoldandnew,Ofwarandpeace,myessays,too,Forlonginserialstempest-tost,Arelandednow,andarenotlost:Nay,onyourshelfsecuretheylie,Asintheambersleepsthefly.'Tistrue,theyarenotrichnorrare;Enough,forme,thattheyare--there!A.LBOOKSANDBOOKMEN3PREFACETheessaysinthisvolumehave,forthemostpart,alreadyappearedinanAmericanedition(Combes,NewYork,1886).TheEssayson'OldFrenchTitle-Pages'and'LadyBook-Lovers'taketheplaceof'BookBinding'and'BookmenatRome;''Elzevirs'and'SomeJapaneseBogie-Books'arereprinted,withpermissionofMessrs.Cassell,fromtheMagazineofArt;'CuriositiesofParishRegisters'fromtheGuardian;'LiteraryForgeries'fromtheContemporaryReview;'LadyBook-Lovers'fromtheFortnightlyReview;'ABookman'sPurgatory'andtwoofthepiecesofversefromLongman'sMagazine--withthecourteouspermissionofthevariouseditors.Allthechaptershavebeenrevised,andIhavetothankMr.H.Tedderforhiskindcareinreadingtheproofsheets,andMr.CharlesElton,M.P.,forasimilarservicetotheEssayon'ParishRegisters.'BOOKSANDBOOKMEN4ELZEVIRSTheCountryman.Youknowhowmuch,forsometimepast,theeditionsoftheElzevirshavebeenindemand.Thefancyforthemhasevenpenetratedintothecountry.Iamacquaintedwithamantherewhodenieshimselfnecessaries,forthesakeofcollectingintoalibrary(whereotherbooksarescarceenough)asmanylittleElzevirsashecanlayhishandsupon.Heisdyingofhunger,andhisconsolationistobeabletosay,'IhaveallthepoetswhomtheElzevirsprinted.Ihavetenexamplesofeachofthem,allwithredletters,andalloftherightdate.'This,nodoubt,isacraze,for,goodasthebooksare,ifhekeptthemtoreadthem,oneexampleofeachwouldbeenough.TheParisian.Ifhehadwantedtoreadthem,IwouldnothaveadvisedhimtobuyElzevirs.Theeditionsofminorauthorswhichthesebooksellerspublished,eveneditions'oftherightdate,'asyousay,arenottoocorrect.Nothingisgoodinthebooksbutthetypeandthepaper.YourfriendwouldhavedonebettertousetheeditionsofGryphiusorEstienne.ThisfragmentofaliterarydialogueItranslatefrom'EntretienssurlesContesdeFees,'abookwhichcontainsmoreofoldtalkaboutbooksandbooksellersthanaboutfairiesandfolk-lore.The'Entretiens'werepublishedin1699,aboutsixteenyearsaftertheElzevirsceasedtobepublishers.Thefragmentisvaluable:first,becauseitshowsushowearlythetasteforcollectingElzevirswasfullydeveloped,and,secondly,becauseitcontainsverysoundcriticismofthemania.Already,intheseventeenthcentury,loversofthetinyElzevirianbookswaxedpatheticoverdates,alreadytheyknewthata'Caesar'of1635wastheright'Caesar,'alreadytheywerefondofthered-letteredpassages,asinthefirsteditionofthe'Virgil'of1636.Asearlyas1699,too,theParisiancriticknewthattheeditionswerenotverycorrect,andthatthepaper,type,ornaments,andFORMATweretheirmainattractions.TothesewemustnowaddtherarityofreallygoodElzevirs.ThoughElzevirshavebeenmorefashionablethanatpresent,theyareBOOKSANDBOOKMEN5stillregardedbynovelistsasthegreatprizeofthebookcollector.YoureadinnovelsaboutpricelesslittleElzevirs,aboutbooksasrareasanoldElzevir.Ihavemet,intheworksofaladynovelist(butnotelsewhere),withanElzevir'Theocritus.'ThelateMr.HepworthDixonintroducedintooneofhisromancesaromanticElzevirGreekTestament,worthitsweightingold.CasualremarksofthiskindencourageapopulardelusionthatallElzevirsarepearlsofconsiderableprice.Whenamanisfirstsmittenwiththepleasantfeverofbook-collecting,itisforElzevirsthathesearches.Atfirsthethinkshimselfinamazingluck.InBooksellers'RowandinCastleStreethepicksup,forashillingortwo,Elzevirs,realorsupposed.Tothebeginner,anybookwithasphereonthetitle-pageisanElzevir.Forthebeginner'sinstruction,twocopiesofspheresareprintedhere.Thesecondisasphere,anill-cut,ill-drawnsphere,whichisnotElzevirianatall.Themarkwasusedintheseventeenthcenturybymanyotherbooksellersandprinters.Thefirst,ontheotherhand,isatrueElzeviriansphere,fromaplayofMoliere's,printedin1675.Observethecomparativelyneatdrawingofthefirstsphere,andbenotledawayafterspuriousimitations.Beware,too,ofthevulgarerroroffancyingthatlittleduodecimoswiththemarkofthefoxandthebee'snest,andthemottoQuaerendo,comefromthepressoftheElzevirs.ThemarkisthatofAbrahamWolfgang,whichnameisnotapseudonymforElzevir.TherearethreesortsofElzevirpseudonyms.First,theyoccasionallyreprintedthefulltitle-page,publisher'snameandall,ofthebooktheypirated.Secondly,whentheyprintedbooksofadangeroussort,Jansenistpamphletsandsoforth,theyusedpseudonymslikeNic.Schouter,onthe'LettresProvinciales'ofPascal.Thirdly,therearerealpseudonyms