some distinct branch of his subject, such for instance as that which embraces original editions of popular modern authors, about which there is at the present time so much inquiry. In the latter event he must be master of his subject, and there is no reason why he should not be, if he will provide himself with the best guides and study them in an intelligent fashion. It is a common complaint, and one that is based on considerable truth, that bibliographical works are expensive. In this respect they rank with all other special treatises, for where the demand is limited the price is necessarily high. Medical works are very expensive, so are law books, simply because the sale is limited. Novels, on the other hand, are cheap, and it is no uncommon thing to find that as the sale increases, editions cheaper still are published to satisfy the popular demand. Even bibliographical works may be obtained at reduced rates by advertising in The Bazaar, Exchange and Mart newspaper, or by waiting until a favourable opportunity of purchase arrives. List of General Works of Reference. Lowndes' Bibliographer's Manual, published in parts, but usually found bound in 4 vols., 8vo, 1871; about £1 10s. Slater's Book Prices Current, published annually by Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.C., at £1 7s. Secondhand value of vol. i., £2; of the remaining volumes, about £1 each. Watt's Bibliotheca Britannica, 4 vols., 4to, 1824; about £3. The London Catalogue, 8 vols., 1811-39, with its continuation, The English Catalogue, 1835-62; ditto, 1863-71; ditto to date, with the subject-indexes to the "London Catalogue," 1814-46, and to the "English Catalogue," 1835 to date. This set of books is scarce, as much as £2 2s. being asked for the single volume of the English Catalogue," 1835-62, and proportionate amounts for the others. Sonnenschein's The Best Books, 1887; published at 21s. Second-hand value, from 12s. 6d. to 15s. The Reference Catalogue of Current Literature, published at intervals, the last issued at the time of going to press being in 1889. This book was out of print almost immediately after publication, and a second-hand copy would be cheap at a guinea. Brunet's Manuel du Libraire, 5th edition, 1860-80, generally found in 5 vols., 8vo, with a supplement. This work contains extensive lists of foreign as well as English books. The second-hand value of a good copy is over £10. List of Special Works of Reference. For Anonymous and Pseudonymous Literature.— Halkett and Laing's Dictionary, just completed in 4 vols., impl. 8vo., 1882-88. The best book in which to search for the true names of authors who have either adopted a nom-de-plume or published anonymously. Second-hand value about £3 10s. For Collectors of Works from the Elzevir Press.-M. Willems' "Les Elzevier, Histoire et Annales Typographiques,” Brussels, 8vo, 1880, from 17s. 6d. to 20s.; Goldsmid's "Bibliotheca Curiosa," 8vo, 1889 (a valuable work 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. Second-hand value from 20s. to 25s. For Black-Letter Collectors. Ames' "Typographical Antiquities, with additions by Herbert and Dibdin, 4 vols., 4to, 1810-19. Second-hand value about £2 10s.; good uncut copies, however, cost more. 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 Works. Martin's "Privately-printed Books, 2nd edition, 1854, 8vo. Secondhand value about 10s. 6d. For Collectors of Broadsides.-Lemon's "Catalogue of Broadsides in the possession of the Society of Antiquaries, " 1866, 8vo. For Collectors of American Works.-Stevens' "Catalogue of American Books in the Library of the British Museum, 1886, 8vo. For Collectors of Bibles.-Dore's "Old Bibles," published by Eyre and Spottiswoode, 1889, 8vo, 10s. 6d. For Collectors of Greek and Latin Classics. - Dibdin's For Dickens Collectors. — C. P. Johnson's "Hints to Collectors of Original Editions of Dickens' Works, " 1885, 8vo. For Thackeray Collectors.-C. P. Johnson's "Hints to Collectors of Original Editions of the Works of W. M. Thackeray," 1885, 8vo. The same author's "Early Writings of William Makepeace Thackeray," 1888, 8vo. For Cruikshank Collectors.-G. W. Reid's " Descriptive Catalogue of the Works of George Cruikshank, London, 1871, 8vo. For Collectors of the Works of Carlyle, Swinburne, Ruskin, and Tennyson.-R. H. Shepherd's Catalogues of the Works of each of these authors. A new and so far very exhaustive Ruskin Bibliography is now in process of publication in parts (Clay and Sons). 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., 1866-68, 8vo. Second-hand value about £2. CHAPTER VI. Old Printers and Old Presses. SOME twenty or thirty years ago it was the fashion to collect works of sterling merit from famous old Presses; and although popular taste has since become in a great measure diverted into other channels, it still remains necessary to know something about these old printers and the works they published, for in the earliest days of the art the printer was frequently his own author and publisher, and even his own binder. The most famous Press of antiquity was that established by Aldus Manutius at Venice in 1494, which continued under the superintendence of his son, Paolo Manutius, and his grandson, Aldus, jun., until 1597, a period of exactly 103 years, and during that time many hundreds of classical works, remarkable for their purity of text no less than for excellence of workmanship, made their appearance. The device adopted by Manutius was the well-known Anchor and Dolphin, which first appears on the Dante of 1502, and is supposed to have been borrowed from Benedetto Mantegna's wood block in Colonna's "Reveries of Polyphilus," which was published in 1499. The famous Virgil issued from this Press in 1501 was the first book ever printed in italics, a form of type modelled after the neat handwriting of Petrarch, and which of course is familiar to everyone who opens a book. Many works from the Aldine Press are extremely rare and still command high prices, but as a rule they have fallen in value from 30 to 50 per cent. in recent years, sharing the fate of all classical works, which-exceptions apart-have been abandoned by collectors in favour of less exacting works of modern date, which will be referred to rather fully further on. Aldus Manutius, the founder of the Press bearing his name, was a fine example of the painstaking man of letters. Every moment of his time was occupied; for five years, as he himself confesses, he never passed a peaceful hour, and the result of his labours was a collection of the works of the best Greek and Latin authors, in many instances rescued from decaying manuscripts, and reproduced with the corrections which generations of slavish copying had rendered necessary. As previously stated, the Aldine collector's guide is the well-known Renouard's "Annales de l'Imprimerie des Alde," Paris, 3 vols., 8vo, 1825, in which will be found arranged in chronological order an account of every known production of this Press. The little books known as "Elzevirs" have been in great demand almost from the time of their publication, and French bibliographers manifest an extraordinary interest in them even at the present time. In England they are not so highly esteemed, but even here good copies of the "right" dates sell for high prices. The Elzevir Press was established by Louis Elzevir at Leyden in 1583. He had several sons, among whom were Matthieu, Louis, and Bonaventure; from these were descended the famous printers who carried on business at both Leyden and Amsterdam, and whose names became familiar the world over as producers of cheap, admirably-printed books at a time when paper and print were expensive and technical skill at a discount. The productions of the Elzevir Press are, however, |