by thousands who took a genuine pleasure in reading them, but by many others who sought to acquire a reputation for learning, and thought that the accumulation of a number of grave and learned books was the easiest way of attaining their end. That the pecuniary value of such books should have increased for a time is not so surprising as that it should now have fallen. to almost zero.

This is a genuine example of the vagaries of fashion, to which even the staid book-collector is subject with the rest of mankind.

Classical works are not fashionable now: of that there cannot be the shadow of a doubt.

Lighter literature has usurped the position formerly held by the poets and historians of Greece and Rome, and it is fortunate for us that it is so, for we hold in our hands the shadowy link between the present and the future. One of the most powerful facts which it is possible to adduce in evidence as a guide to the future state of the book-market, lies in this apparent neglect of a time-honoured literature. Can it continue? Time alone will show. In the next chapter I hope to bridge over the intervening period in this and other respects, and the bookworm of the future will know whether the prophecy is warranted by the result.

It may be useful at this stage to call attention

to various special works of reference which are commonly consulted by modern collectors.

For Anonymous and Pseudonymous Literature-Halkett and Laing's "Dictionary," 4 vols., impl. 8vo, 1882-88.

For Collectors of Works from the Elzevir Press Willems' "Les Elzevier, Histoire et Annales Typographiques," Brussels, 8vo, 1880; Goldsmid's "Bibliotheca Curiosa," 8vo, 1889 (a valuable work in this series for those who do not read French).

For Collectors of Works from the Aldine Press Renouard's "Annales de l'imprimerie des Alde," Paris, 3 vols, 8vo, 1825.

For Black-letter Collectors - Ames' "Typographical Antiquities," with additions by Herbert and Dibdin, 4 vols., 4to, 1810-19; the British Museum "Catalogue of Early-Printed Books in English," carried down to the year 1640; Maitland's "Early-Printed Books in the Lambeth Library," carried down to 1600.

For Collectors of Privately-Printed WorksMartin's " Privately-Printed Books," 2nd ed., 8vo, 1854.

For Collectors of Broadsides-Lemon's "Catalogue of Broadsides in the Possession of the Society of Antiquaries," 8vo, 1866.

For Collectors of American Works-Stevens' "Catalogue of American Books in the Library of the British Museum," 8vo, 1866.

For Collectors of Bibles-Dore's "Old Bibles," 8vo, 1889.

the

For Collectors of Greek and Latin ClassicsDibdin's "Rare and Valuable Editions of Greek and Latin Classics," 2 vols., 1827.

For Collectors of Works on Occult Philosophy -Scribner's "Bibliotheca Diabolica," New York, 4to, 1874; also the catalogues issued by George Redway (Trübner and Co., Ludgate Hill).

For Dickens Collectors - C. P. Johnson's "Hints to Collectors of Original Editions of Dickens' Works," 8vo, 1885.

For Thackeray Collectors -C. P. Johnson's "Hints to Collectors of Original Editions of the Works of W. M. Thackeray," 8vo, 1885. The same author's "Early Writings of William M. Thackeray," 8vo, 1888.

For Cruikshank Collectors-G. W. Reid's "Descriptive Catalogue of the Works of George Cruikshank," London, 8vo, 1871.

For Collectors of the Works of Carlyle, Swinburne, Ruskin, and Tennyson R. H. Shepherd's catalogues of the works of each of

these authors. See also the " "Ruskin graphy" (Richard Clay and Sons).

Biblio

For Collectors of the Works of Hazlitt, Leigh Hunt, and Lamb - Alexander Ireland's catalogues of the works of each of these authors.

For Bewick Collectors-Hugo's "Bewick Collector," 2 vols., 8vo, 1866-68.*

* This list is extracted from my "Library Manual," 3rd edition, 1891 (L. Upcott Gill, 170, Strand, W.C.).

CHAPTER IV.

TEN YEARS HENCE OR LESS.

HE same reasons which forced a book up in the market about the time of the Roxburghe Sale, and have continued to exalt or debase it, from a pecuniary point of view, during the period between then and now, are useful for the purpose of ascertaining what the popular taste of the future should be. Several of these reasons are explained in the previous chapters, and the book-hunters of the 20th century will be as much bound by them as our progenitors were, and as we are bound to-day.

Most people look upon fashion, even in bookcollecting, as the outcome of mere chance, but it is founded rather on well-defined rules, not one of which can be broken with impunity. The times change certainly, and we change with them, but not suddenly. On the contrary, what we call