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the library(图书馆)-第14章

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the  Italian tyrant   chained   the dead   and   the living   together;  as   Procrustes 

maimed his victims on his cruel bed; so a hard…hearted French binder has 

tied   up;  and   mutilated;  and   spoiled   the   old   play;   which otherwise   would 

have had considerable value as well as interest。 

     We have tried to teach the beginner how to keep his books neat and 

clean;   what   men   and   monsters   he   should   avoid;   how   he   should   guard 

himself     against    borrowers;     book…worms;        damp;    and    dirt。  But     we   are 

sometimes   compelled   to   buy   books   already   dirty   and   dingy;   foxed;   or 

spotted with red; worn by greasy hands; stained with ink spots; or covered 

with MS。 notes。         The art of man has found a remedy for these defects。                   I 

have   never   myself   tried   to   wash   a   book;   and   this   care   is   best   left   to 

professional      hands。     But    the   French    and   English     writers   give   various 

recipes   for   cleaning   old   books;   which   the   amateur   may   try   on   any   old 

rubbish out of the fourpenny box of a bookstall; till he finds that he can 

trust his own manipulations。             There are 〃fat stains〃 on books; as thumb 

marks; traces of oil (the midnight oil); flakes of old pasty crust left in old 

Shakespeares; and candle drippings。                There are 〃thin stains;〃 as of mud; 

scaling…wax;   ink;   dust;   and   damp。        To   clean   a   book   you   first   carefully 

unbind it; take off the old covers; cut the old stitching; and separate sheet 

from   sheet。      Then   take   a   page   with   〃fat   stains〃   of   any   kind   of   grease 

(except finger…marks); pass a hot flat iron over it; and press on it a clean 

piece of blotting paper till the paper sucks up the grease。 Then charge a 

camel…hair brush with heated turpentine; and pass it over the places that 

were stained。       If the paper loses its colour press softly over it a delicate 



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handkerchief;   soaked   in   heated   spirits   of   wine。  Finger…marks   you   will 

cover with clean soap; leave this on for some hours; and then rub with a 

sponge filled with hot water。        Afterwards dip in weak acid and water; and 

then soak the page in a bath of clean water。             Ink…stained pages you will 

first dip in a strong solution of oxalic acid and then in hydrochloric acid 

mixed in six times its quantity of water。           Then bathe in clean water and 

allow to dry slowly。 

     Some   English   recipes   may   also   be   given。    〃Grease   or   wax   spots;〃 

says Hannett; in 〃Bibliopegia;〃 〃may be removed by washing the part with 

ether;   chloroform;   or   benzine;    and   placing   it   between   pieces   of  white 

blotting paper; then pass a hot iron over it。〃           〃Chlorine water;〃 says the 

same writer; removes ink stains; and bleaches the paper at the same time。 

Of chloride of lime; 〃a piece the size of a nut〃 (a cocoa nut or a hazel nut?) 

in a pint of water; may be applied with a camel's hair pencil; and plenty of 

patience。     To polish old bindings; 〃take the yolk of an egg; beat it up with 

a fork; apply it with a sponge; having first cleaned the leather with a dry 

flannel。〃    The     following;   says   a  writer   in  〃Notes   and   Queries;〃    with 

perfect    truth;  is  〃an   easier   if  not   a  better  method;     purchase     some 

bookbinder's varnish;〃 and use it as you did the rudimentary omelette of 

the former recipe。      Vellum covers may be cleaned with soap and water; or 

in bad cases by a weak solution of salts of lemon。 

     Lastly;    the   collector   should     acquire   such    books     as  Lowndes's 

〃Bibliography;〃 Brunet's 〃Manuel;〃 and as many priced catalogues as he 

can   secure。    The   catalogues   of   Mr。   Quaritch;   Mr。   Bohn;   M。   Fontaine; 

M。M。   Morgand   et   Fatout;   are   excellent   guides   to   a   knowledge   of   the 

market value of books。         Other special works; as Renouard's for Aldines; 

Willems's     for   Elzevirs;   and   Cohen's     for  French    engravings;     will  be 

mentioned in their proper place。 Dibdin's books are inaccurate and long… 

winded; but may occasionally be dipped into with pleasure。 



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                   THE BOOKS OF THE 

                           COLLECTOR 



     The easiest   way  to   bring order   into the   chaos  of desirable books;  is; 

doubtless; to begin historically with manuscripts。            Almost every age that 

has    left  any  literary  remains;    has  bequeathed     to  us  relics  which    are 

cherished by collectors。       We may leave the clay books of the Chaldeans 

out of the account。       These tomes resemble nothing so much as sticks of 

chocolate; and; however useful they may be to the student; the clay MSS。 

of Assurbanipal   are   not   coveted   by   the   collector。  He   finds   his   earliest 

objects    of  desire   in  illuminated    manuscripts。     The     art  of  decorating 

manuscripts is as old as Egypt; but we need not linger over the beautiful 

papyri; which are silent books to all but a few Egyptologists。            Greece; out 

of all her tomes; has left us but a few ill…written papyri。         Roman and early 

Byzantine art are represented by a 〃Virgil;〃 and fragments of an   〃Iliad〃; 

the   drawings   in   the   latter   have   been   reproduced   in   a   splendid   volume 

(Milan     1819);    and   shew     Greek    art  passing    into   barbarism。     The 

illumination of MSS。 was a favourite art in the later empire; and is said to 

have been practised by Boethius。           The iconoclasts of the Eastern empire 

destroyed the books which contained representations of saints and of the 

persons of the Trinity; and the monk Lazarus; a famous artist; was cruelly 

tortured for his skill in illuminating sacred works。          The art was decaying 

in   Western   Europe   when   Charlemagne   sought   for   painters   of   MSS。   in 

England      and   Ireland;   where     the  monks;     in  their   monasteries;     had 

developed a style with original qualities。         The library of Corpus Christi at 

Cambridge;   contains   some   of   the   earliest   and   most   beautiful   of   extant 

English MSS。        These parchments; stained purple or violet; and inscribed 

with characters of gold; are too often beyond the reach of the amateur for 

whom we write。        The MSS。 which he can hope to acquire are neither very 

early nor very sumptuous; and; as a rule; MSS。 of secular books are apt to 

be out of his reach。 

    Yet a collection of MSS。 has this great advantage over a collection of 



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printed   books;   that   every   item   in   it   is   absolutely   unique;   no   two   MSS。 

being ever really the same。          This circumstance alone would entitle a good 

collection     of   MSS。    to   very   high   consideration      on   the   part  of   book… 

collectors。     But;   in   addition   to   the   great   expense   of   such   a   collection; 

there    is  another     and   even    more     serious    drawback。      It  is  sometimes 

impossible;      and   is  often   extremely     difficult;   to  tell  whether    a  MS。    is 

perfect or not。 

     This difficulty can only be got over by an amount of learning on the 

part   of   the   collector   to   which;   unfortunately;   he   is   too   often   a   stranger。 

On the other hand; the advantages of collecting MSS。 are sometimes very 

great。 

     In   addition   to   the   pleasurea   pleasure   at   once   literary   and   artistic 

which the study of illuminated MSS。 affords; there is the certainty that; as 

years   go    on;  the   value   of  such    a  collection    increases    in  a  proportion 

altogether marvellous。 

     I   will   take   two   examples   to   prove   this   point。  Some   years   ago   an 

eminent collector gave the price of 30 pounds for a small French book of 

Hours; painted in grisaille。         It was in a country town that he met with this 

treasure; for a treasure he considered the book; in spite of its being of the 

very latest school of illumination。            When his collection was dispersed a 

few years ago this one book fetched 260 pounds。 

     In the celebrated Perkins sale; in 1873; a magnificent early MS。; part 

of which was written in gold on a purple ground; and which was dated in 

the catalogue 〃ninth or tenth century;〃 but was in reality of the end of the 

tenth or beginning of the eleventh; was sold for 565 pounds 
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