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THE AMENITIES OF BOOK-COLLECTING
AND
KINDRED AFFECTIONS

[Illustration: CARICATURE OF TWO GREAT VICTORIANS W. M. THACKERAY AND
CHARLES DICKENS]




THE AMENITIES
OF BOOK-COLLECTING
AND
KINDRED AFFECTIONS

BY
A. EDWARD NEWTON

[Illustration: colophon]

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

JOHN LANE, THE BODLEY HEAD
LONDON MCMXX

Printed in the United States of America




DEDICATION


_If, as Eugene Field suggests, womenfolk are few in that part of
paradise especially reserved for book-lovers I do not care. One woman
will be there, for I shall insist that eight and twenty years probation
entitles her to share my biblio-bliss above as she has shared it here
below. That woman is my wife._

A. EDWARD NEWTON

OCTOBER, 1918




ESSAY INTRODUCTORY


A man (or a woman) is the most interesting thing in the world; and next
is a book, which enables one to get at the heart of the mystery; and
although not many men can say why they are or what they are, any man who
publishes a book can, if he is on good terms with his publisher, secure
the use of a little space to tell how the book came to be what it is.

Some years ago a very learned friend of mine published a book, and in
the introduction warned the "gentle reader" to skip the first chapter,
and, as I have always maintained, by inference suggested that the rest
was easy reading, which was not the case. In point of fact, the book was
not intended for the "gentle reader" at all: it was a book written by a
scholar for the scholar.

Now, I have worked on a different plan. My book is written for the
"tired business man" (there are a goodly number of us), who flatters
himself that he is fond of reading; and as it is my first book, I may be
permitted to tell how it came to be published.

One day in the autumn of 1913, a friend, my partner, with whom it has
been my privilege to be associated for so many years, remarked that it
was time for me to take a holiday, and handed me a copy of the
"Geographical Magazine." The number was devoted to Egypt; and, seduced
by the charm of the illustrations, on the spur of the moment I decided
on a trip up the Nile.

Things moved rapidly. In a few weeks my wife and I were in the
Mediterranean, on a steamer headed for Alexandria. We had touched at
Genoa and were soon to reach Naples, when I discovered a feeling of
homesickness stealing over me. I have spent my happiest holidays in
London. Already I had tired of Egypt. The Nile has been flowing for
centuries and would continue to flow. There were books to be had in
London, books which would not wait. Somewhat shamefacedly I put the
matter up to my wife; and when I discovered that she had no insuperable
objection to a change of plan, we left the steamer at Naples, and after
a few weeks with friends in Rome, started _en grande vitesse_ toward
London.

By this time it will have been discovered that I am not much of a
traveler; but I have always loved London--London with its wealth of
literary and historic association, with its countless miles of streets
lined with inessential shops overflowing with things that I don't want,
and its grimy old book-shops overflowing with things that I do.

One gloomy day I picked up in the Charing Cross Road, for a shilling, a
delightful book by Richard Le Gallienne, "Travels in England." Like
myself, Le Gallienne seems not to have been a great traveler--he seldom
reached the place he started for; and losing his way or changing his
mind, may be said to have arrived at his destination when he has
reached a comfortable inn, where, after a simple meal, he lights his
pipe and proceeds to read a book.

Exactly my idea of travel! The last time I read "Pickwick" was while
making a tour in Northern Italy. It is wonderful how conducive to
reading I found the stuffy smoking-rooms of the little steamers that
dart like water-spiders from one landing to another on the Italian
Lakes.

It was while I was poking about among the old book-shops that it
occurred to me to write a little story about my books--when and where I
had bought them, the prices I had paid, and the men I had bought them
from, many of whom I knew well; and so, when my holiday was done, I
lived over again its pleasant associations in writing a paper that I
called "Book-Collecting Abroad." Subsequently I wrote
another,--"Book-Collecting at Home,"--it being my purpose to print these
papers in a little volume to be called "The Amenities of
Book-Collecting." I intended this for distribution among my friends, who
are very patient with me; and I sent my manuscript to a printer in the
closing days of July, 1914. A few days later something happened in
Europe, the end of which is not yet, and we all became panic-stricken.
For a moment it seemed unlikely that one would care ever to open a book
again. Acting upon impulse, I withdrew the order from my printer, put my
manuscript aside, and devoted myself to my usual task--that of making a
living.

Byron says, "The end of all scribblement is to amuse." For some years I
have been possessed of an itch for "scribblement"; gradually this
feeling reasserted itself, and I came to see that we must become
accustomed to working in a world at war, and to realizing that life must
be permitted to resume, at least to some extent, its regular course; and
the idea of my little book recurred to me.

It had frequently been suggested by friends that my papers be published
in the "Atlantic." What grudge they bore this excellent magazine I do
not know, but they always said the "Atlantic"; and so, when one day I
came across my manuscript, it occurred to me that it would cost only a
few cents to lay it before the editor. At that time I did not know the
editor of the "Atlantic" even by name. My pleasure then can be imagined
when, a week or so later, I received the following letter:--

_Oct. 30, 1914._

DEAR MR. NEWTON:--

     The enthusiasm of your pleasant paper is contagious, and I find
     myself in odd moments looking at the gaps in my own library with a
     feeling of dismay. I believe that very many readers of the
     "Atlantic" will feel as I do, and it gives me great pleasure to
     accept your paper.

Yours sincerely,
ELLERY SEDGWICK.



Shortly afterward, a check for a substantial sum fluttered down upon my
desk, and it was impossible that I should not remember how much Milton
had received for his "Paradise Lost,"--the receipt for which is in the
British Museum,--and draw conclusions therefrom entirely satisfactory to
my self-esteem. My paper was published, and the magazine, having a hardy
constitution, survived; I even received some praise. There was nothing
important enough to justify criticism, and as a result of this chance
publication I made a number of delightful acquaintances among readers
and collectors, many of whom I might almost call friends although we
have never met.

Not wishing to strain the rather precarious friendship with Mr. Sedgwick
which was the outcome of my first venture, it was several years before I
ventured to try him with another paper. This I called "A Ridiculous
Philosopher." I enjoyed writing this paper immensely, and although it
was the reverse of timely, I felt that it might pass editorial scrutiny.
Again I received a letter from Mr. Sedgwick, in which he said:--

     Two days ago I took your paper home with me and spent a delightful
     half-hour with it. Now, as any editor would tell you, there is no
     valid reason for a paper on Godwin at this time, but your essay is
     so capitally seasoned that I cannot find it in my heart to part
     with it. Indeed I have been gradually making the editorial
     discovery that, if a paper is sufficiently readable, it has some
     claim upon the public, regardless of what the plans of the editor
     are. And so the upshot of my deliberation is that we shall accept
     your paper with great pleasure and publish it when the opportunity
     occurs.

The paper appeared in due course, and several more followed. The favor
with which these papers were received led the "Atlantic" editors to the
consideration of their reprint in permanent form, together with several
which now appear for the first time. All the illustrations have been
made from items in my own collection. I am thus tying a string, as it
were, around a parcel which contains the result of thirty-six years of
collecting. It may not be much, but, as the Irishman said of his dog,
"It's mine own." My volume might, with propriety, be called "Newton's
Complete Recreations."

I have referred to my enjoyment in writing my "Ridiculous Philosopher."
I might say the same of all my papers. I am aware that my friend, Dr.
Johnson, once remarked that no man but a block-head writes a book except
for money. At some risk, then, I admit that I have done so. I have
written for fun, and my papers should be read, if read at all, for the
same purpose, not that the reader will or is expected to laugh loud. The
loud laugh, in Goldsmith's phrase, it may be remembered, bespeaks the
vacant mind. But I venture to hope that the judicious will pass a not
unpleasant hour in turning my pages.

One final word: I buy, I collect "Presentation Books"; and I trust my
friends will not think me churlish when I say that it is not my
intention to turn a single copy of this, my book, into a presentation
volume. Whatever circulation it may have must be upon its own merits.
Any one who sees this book in the hands of a reader, on the library
table, or on the shelves of the collector, may be sure that some one,
either wise or foolish as the event may prove, has paid a substantial
sum for it, either in the current coin of the realm, or perchance in
thrift stamps. It may, indeed, be that it has been secured from a
lending library, in which case I would suggest that the book be returned
instantly. "Go ye rather to them that sell and buy for yourselves." And
having separated yourself from your money, in the event that you should
feel vexed with your bargain, you are at liberty to communicate your
grievance to the publisher, securing from him what redress you may; and
in the event of failure there yet remains your inalienable right, which
should afford some satisfaction, that of damning

THE AUTHOR.

"OAK KNOLL," DAYLESFORD, PENNSYLVANIA, _April 7, 1918_.




TABLE OF CONTENTS


I. BOOK-COLLECTING ABROAD                                              1

II. BOOK-COLLECTING AT HOME                                           36

III. OLD CATALOGUES AND NEW PRICES                                    65

IV. "ASSOCIATION" BOOKS AND FIRST EDITIONS                           107

V. "WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN"                                            129

VI. JAMES BOSWELL--HIS BOOK                                          145

VII. A LIGHT-BLUE STOCKING                                           186

VIII. A RIDICULOUS PHILOSOPHER                                       226

IX. A GREAT VICTORIAN                                                249

X. TEMPLE BAR THEN AND NOW                                           267

XI. A MACARONI PARSON                                                292

XII. OSCAR WILDE                                                     318

XIII. A WORD IN MEMORY                                               343




LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS


CARICATURE OF TWO GREAT VICTORIANS                _Frontispiece in Color_
W. M. Thackeray and Charles Dickens

TITLE OF "PARADISE LOST." First Edition                                6

TITLE OF FRANKLIN'S EDITION OF CICERO'S "CATO MAJOR"                   9

LETTER OF THOMAS HARDY TO HIS FIRST PUBLISHER,
"OLD TINSLEY"                                                         12

PAGE OF ORIGINAL MS. OF HARDY'S "FAR FROM THE
MADDING CROWD"                                                        14

BERNARD QUARITCH                                                      14

TITLE OF MS. OF "LYFORD REDIVIVUS"                                    16

BERNARD ALFRED QUARITCH                                               16

SAMUEL JOHNSON                                                        20
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds about 1770, for Johnson's Step-Daughter,
Lucy Porter. Engraved by Watson

PAGE OF PRAYER IN DR. JOHNSON'S AUTOGRAPH                             23

TITLE OF KEATS'S COPY OF SPENSER'S WORKS                              24

PORTRAIT OF TENNYSON READING "MAUD" TO THE BROWNINGS,
BY ROSSETTI                                                           26

DR. JOHNSON'S CHURCH, ST. CLEMENT DANES                               31
From a pen-and-ink sketch by Charles G. Osgood

INSCRIPTION TO MRS. THRALE IN DR. JOHNSON'S HAND                      32

INSCRIPTION TO GENERAL SIR A. GORDON IN QUEEN VICTORIA'S
HAND                                                                  35

GEORGE D. SMITH                                                       36
Photographed by Genthe

AUTOGRAPH MS. OF LAMB'S POEM, "ELEGY ON A QUID OF
TOBACCO"                                                              40

DR. A. S. W. ROSENBACH                                                42
Photographed by Genthe

TITLE OF "ROBINSON CRUSOE." First Edition                             45

TITLE OF "OLIVER TWIST"                                               47
Presentation Copy to W. C. Macready

ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATION FOR "VANITY FAIR"                               48
Becky Sharp throwing Dr. Johnson's "Dixonary" out of the
carriage window, as she leaves Miss Pinkerton's School

From the first pen-and-ink sketch, by Thackeray, afterwards
elaborated

SPECIMEN PROOF-SHEET OF GEORGE MOORE'S "MEMOIRS
OF MY DEAD LIFE"                                                      50

TITLE OF GEORGE MOORE'S "PAGAN POEMS"                                 51
Presentation Copy to Oscar Wilde

TITLE OF BLAKE'S "MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL"                        52

CHARLES LAMB'S HOUSE AT ENFIELD                                       54

INSCRIPTION BY JOSEPH CONRAD IN A COPY OF "THE <DW65>
OF THE 'NARCISSUS'"                                                   56

THE AUTHOR'S BOOK-PLATE                                               60

HENRY E. HUNTINGTON                                                   72

STOKE POGES CHURCH                                                    74
A fine example of fore-edge painting

TITLE OF BLAKE'S "SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE"                  80

"A LEAF FROM AN UNOPENED VOLUME"                                      82
Specimen page of an unpublished manuscript of Charlotte Bronte

TITLE OF THE KILMARNOCK EDITION OF BURNS'S POEMS                      85

FIFTEENTH-CENTURY ENGLISH MS. ON VELLUM:
BOETHIUS'S "DE CONSOLATIONE PHILOSOPHIAE"                              90

TITLE OF GEORGE HERBERT'S "THE TEMPLE." First Edition                 97

FIRST PAGE OF A RARE EDITION OF "ROBINSON CRUSOE"                    102

AUTOGRAPH MS. OF A POEM BY KEATS--"TO THE MISSES
M---- AT HASTINGS"                                                   105

INSCRIPTION TO SWINBURNE FROM DANTE ROSSETTI                         106

AUTOGRAPH INSCRIPTION BY STEVENSON, IN A COPY OF HIS
"INLAND VOYAGE"                                                      109

TITLE OF A UNIQUE COPY OF STEVENSON'S "CHILD'S GARDEN
OF VERSES"                                                           110

NEW BUILDING OF THE GROLIER CLUB                                     114

INSCRIPTION TO CHARLES DICKENS, JUNIOR, FROM CHARLES
DICKENS                                                              116

ILLUSTRATION, "THE LAST OF THE SPIRITS," BY JOHN LEECH
FOR DICKENS'S "CHRISTMAS CAROL"                                      116
From the original water-color drawing

AUTOGRAPH DEDICATION TO DICKENS'S "THE VILLAGE
COQUETTES"                                                           118

TITLE OF MEREDITH'S "MODERN LOVE," WITH AUTOGRAPH
INSCRIPTION TO SWINBURNE                                             121

INSCRIPTION BY DR. JOHNSON IN A COPY OF "RASSELAS"                   125

INSCRIPTION BY WOODROW WILSON, IN A COPY OF HIS "CONSTITUTIONAL
GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES"                                     126

INSCRIPTION BY JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY                                  128

CHARLES LAMB                                                         130

FRANCES MARIA KELLY                                                  132

MISS KELLY IN VARIOUS CHARACTERS                                     136

MS. DEDICATION OF LAMB'S WORKS TO MISS KELLY                         137

AUTOGRAPH LETTER OF LAMB TO MISS KELLY                               139

CHARLES AND MARY LAMB                                                144

JAMES BOSWELL OF AUCHINLECK, ESQR.                                   146
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by John Jones

SAMUEL JOHNSON IN A TIE-WIG                                          150
Painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds. Engraved by Zobel

INSCRIPTION TO REV. WILLIAM J. TEMPLE, FROM JAMES
BOSWELL                                                              159

TITLE OF MASON'S "ELFRIDA." First Edition                            163

MS. OF BOSWELL'S AGREEMENT WITH MR. DILLY, RECITING
THE TERMS AGREED ON FOR THE PUBLICATION