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On　Books　and　the　Housing　of　Them

by　William　Ewart　Gladstone








In　the　old　age　of　his　intellect　（which　at
this　point　seemed　to　taste　a　little　of　
decrepitude）；　Strauss　declared　＇1＇　that　the　doctrine　of
immortality　has　recently　lost　the　assistance
of　a　passable　argument；　inasmuch　as　it　has
been　discovered　that　the　stars　are　inhabited；
for　where；　he　asks；　could　room　now　be　found
for　such　a　multitude　of　souls？　Again；　in　view
of　the　current　estimates　of　prospective　
population　for　this　earth；　some　people　have　begun　to
entertain　alarm　for　the　probable　condition　of
England　（if　not　Great　Britain）　when　she　gets
（say）　seventy　millions　that　are　allotted　to　her
against　six　or　eight　hundred　millions　for　the
United　States。　We　have　heard　in　some　
systems　of　the　pressure　of　population　upon　food；
but　the　idea　of　any　pressure　from　any　
quarter　upon　space　is　hardly　yet　familiar。　Still；　I
suppose　that　many　a　reader　must　have　been
struck　with　the　naive　simplicity　of　the　hyperbole　
of　St。　John；　＇2＇　perhaps　a　solitary　unit　of　its
kind　in　the　New　Testament：　〃the　which　if
they　should　be　written　every　one；　I　suppose
that　even　the　world　itself　could　not　contain
the　books　that　should　be　written。〃

A　book；　even　Audubon　（I　believe　the　biggest
known）；　is　smaller　than　a　man；　but；　in　relation
to　space；　I　entertain　more　proximate　
apprehension　of　pressure　upon　available　space　from
the　book　population　than　from　the　numbers　of
mankind。　We　ought　to　recollect；　with　more
of　a　realized　conception　than　we　commonly
attain　to；　that　a　book　consists；　like　a　man；
from　whom　it　draws　its　lineage；　of　a　body　and
a　soul。　They　are　not　always　proportionate　to
each　other。　Nay；　even　the　different　members
of　the　book…body　do　not　sing；　but　clash；　when
bindings　of　a　profuse　costliness　are　imposed；
as　too　often　happens　in　the　case　of　Bibles　and
books　of　devotion；　upon　letter…press　which　is
respectable　journeyman's　work　and　nothing
more。　The　men　of　the　Renascence　had　a
truer　sense　of　adaptation；　the　age　of　jewelled
bindings　was　also　the　age　of　illumination　and
of　the　beautiful　miniatura；　which　at　an　earlier
stage　meant　side　or　margin　art；＇3＇　and　then；　on
account　of　the　small　portraitures　included　in
it；　gradually　slid　into　the　modern　sense　of
miniature。　There　is　a　caution　which　we　ought
to　carry　with　us　more　and　more　as　we　get　in
view　of　the　coming　period　of　open　book　trade；
and　of　demand　practically　boundless。　Noble
works　ought　not　to　be　printed　in　mean　and
worthless　forms；　and　cheapness　ought　to　be
limited　by　an　instinctive　sense　and　law　of　
fitness。　The　binding　of　a　book　is　the　dress
with　which　it　walks　out　into　the　world。　The
paper；　type　and　ink　are　the　body；　in　which　its
soul　is　domiciled。　And　these　three；　soul；　body；
and　habilament；　are　a　triad　which　ought　to　be
adjusted　to　one　another　by　the　laws　of　harmony
and　good　sense。

Already　the　increase　of　books　is　passing　into
geometrical　progression。　And　this　is　not　a
little　remarkable　when　we　bear　in　mind　that
in　Great　Britain；　of　which　I　speak；　while　there
is　a　vast　supply　of　cheap　works；　what　are
termed　〃new　publications〃　issue　from　the
press；　for　the　most　part；　at　prices　fabulously
high；　so　that　the　class　of　real　purchasers
has　been　extirpated；　leaving　behind　as　buyers
only　a　few　individuals　who　might　almost　be
counted　on　the　fingers；　while　the　effective　
circulation　depends　upon　middle…men　through　the
engine　of　circulating　libraries。　These　are　not
so　much　owners　as　distributers　of　books；　and
they　mitigate　the　difficulty　of　dearness　by　
subdividing　the　cost；　and　then　selling　such　copies
as　are　still　in　decent　condition　at　a　large　
reduction。　It　is　this　state　of　things；　due；　in　my
opinion；　principally　to　the　present　form　of　the
law　of　copyright；　which　perhaps　may　have
helped　to　make　way　for　the　satirical　（and　
sometimes　untrue）　remark　that　in　times　of　distress
or　pressure　men　make　their　first　economies　on
their　charities；　and　their　second　on　their　books。

The　annual　arrivals　at　the　Bodleian　Library
are；　I　believe；　some　twenty　thousand；　at　the
British　Museum；　forty　thousand；　sheets　of　all
kinds　included。　Supposing　three…fourths　of
these　to　be　volumes；　of　one　size　or　another；
and　to　require　on　the　average　an　inch　of
shelf　space；　the　result　will　be　that　in　every
two　years　nearly　a　mile　of　new　shelving　will
be　required　to　meet　the　wants　of　a　single
library。　But；　whatever　may　be　the　present
rate　of　growth；　it　is　small　in　comparison　with
what　it　is　likely　to　become。　The　key　of　the
question　lies　in　the　hands　of　the　United
Kingdom　and　the　United　States　jointly。　In
this　matter　there　rests　upon　these　two　Powers
no　small　responsibility。　They；　with　their　vast
range　of　inhabited　territory；　and　their　unity
of　tongue；　are　masters　of　the　world；　which
will　have　to　do　as　they　do。　When　the　
Britains　and　America　are　fused　into　one　book
market；　when　it　is　recognized　that　letters；
which　as　to　their　material　and　their　aim　are
a　high…soaring　profession；　as　to　their　mere
remuneration　are　a　trade；　when　artificial　
fetters　are　relaxed；　and　printers；　publishers；　and
authors　obtain　the　reward　which　well…regulated　
commerce　would　afford　them；　then　let
floors　beware　lest　they　crack；　and　walls　lest
they　bulge　and　burst；　from　the　weight　of
books　they　will　have　to　carry　and　to　confine。

It　is　plain；　for　one　thing；　that　under　the
new　state　of　things　specialism；　in　the　future；
must　more　and　more　abound。　But　specialism
means　subdivision　of　labor；　and　with　
subdivision　labor　ought　to　be　more　completely；
more　exactly；　performed。　Let　us　bow　our
heads　to　the　inevitable；　the　day　of　
encyclopaedic　learning　has　gone　by。　It　may　perhaps
be　said　that　that　sun　set　with　Leibnitz。
But　as　little　learning　is　only　dangerous　when
it　forgets　that　it　is　little；　so　specialism　is
only　dangerous　when　it　forgets　that　it　is
special。　When　it　encroaches　on　its　betters；
when　it　claims　exceptional　certainty　or　
honor；　it　is　impertinent；　and　should　be　rebuked；
but　it　has　its　own　honor　in　its　own　
province；　and　is；　in　any　case；　to　be　preferred　to
pretentious　and　flaunting　sciolism。

A　vast；　even　a　bewildering　prospect　is　
before　us；　for　evil　or　for　good；　but　for　good；
unless　it　be　our　own　fault；　far　more　than　for
evil。　Books　require　no　eulogy　from　me；　none
could　be　permitted　me；　when　they　already
draw　their　testimonials　from　Cicero＇4＇　and
Macaulay。＇5＇　But　books　are　the　voices　of　the
dead。　They　are　a　main　instrument　of　
communion　with　the　vast　human　procession　of
the　other　world。　They　are　the　allies　of　the
thought　of　man。　They　are　in　a　certain　sense
at　enmity　with　the　world。　Their　work　is；　at
least；　in　the　two　higher　compartments　of　our
threefold　life。　In　a　room　well　filled　with
them；　no　one　has　felt　or　can　feel　solitary。
Second　to　none；　as　friends　to　the　individual；
they　are　first　and　foremost　among　the　compages；
the　bonds　and　rivets　of　the　race；　
onward　from　that　time　when　they　were　first
written　on　the　tablets　of　Babylonia　and　
Assyria；　the　rocks　of　Asia　minor；　and　the　
monuments　of　Egypt；　down　to　the　diamond　
editions　of　Mr。　Pickering　and　Mr。　Frowde。＇6＇

It　is　in　truth　difficult　to　assign　dimensions
for　the　libraries　of　the　future。　And　it　is　also
a　little　touching　to　look　back　upon　those　of
the　past。　As　the　history　of　bodies　cannot；
in　the　long　run；　be　separated　from　the　history
of　souls；　I　make　no　apology　for　saying　a　few
words　on　the　libraries　which　once　were；　but
which　have　passed　away。

The　time　may　be　approaching　when　we
shall　be　able　to　estimate　the　quantity　of　book
knowledge　stored　in　the　repositories　of　those
empires　which　we　call　prehistoric。　For　the
present；　no　clear　estimate　even　of　the　great
Alexandrian　Libraries　has　been　brought　
within　the　circle　of　popular　knowledge；　but　it
seems　pretty　clear　that　the　books　they　
contained　were　reckoned；　at　least　in　the　
aggregate；　by　hundreds　of　thousands。＇7＇　The　form
of　the　book；　however；　has　gone　through　many
variations；　and　we　moderns　have　a　great
advantage　in　the　shape　which　the　exterior
has　now　taken。　It　speaks　to　us　symbolically
by　the　title　on　its　back；　as　the　roll　of　
parchment　could　hardly　do。　It　is　established　that
in　Roman　times　the　bad　institution　of　slavery
ministered　to　a　system　under　which　books
were　multiplied　by　simultaneous　copying　in　a
room　where　a　single　person　read　aloud　in　the
hearing　of　many　the　volume　to　be　
reproduced；　and　that　so　produced　they　were　
relatively　cheap。　Had　they　not　been　so；　they
would　hardly　have　been；　as　Horace　represents
them；　among　the　habitual　spoils　of　the　grocer。＇8＇
It　is　sad；　and　is　suggestive　of　many　
inquiries；　that　this　abundance　was　followed；
at　least　in　the　West；　by　a　famine　of　more
than　a　thousand　years。　And　it　is　hard；　even
after　all　allowances；　to　conceive　that　of　all
the　many　manuscripts　of　Homer　which　Italy
must　have　possessed　we　do　not　know　that　a
single　parchment　or　papyrus　was　ever　read
by　a　single　individual；　even　in　a　convent；　or
even　by　a　giant　such　as　Dante；　or　as　Thomas
Acquinas；　the　first　of　them　unquestionably
master　of　all　the　knowledge　that　was　within
the　compass　of　his　age。　There　were；　
however；　libraries　even　in　the　West；　formed　by
Charlemagne　and　by　oth