The Private Library What We Do Know, What We Don't Know, What We Ought to Know About Our Books

by Arthur Lee Humphreys

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

83 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1897

Reviews

[Rose]

An opinionated and exhaustive guide to the proper care and feeding of books.

Some choice pieces of advice:

Cigarette ashes are very bad for books, so is butter, also marmalade.

Children and servants are not to be classed as friendly to books.

Books are neither card-racks, crumb-baskets, or receptacles for dead leaves.

Books were not meant as cushions.

If a binder should ever suggest either a padded binding, a russia leather binding, or a tree calf binding, you may instantly leave his premises, for he cannot understand his business.

There is a special section on the needs of female readers, who "have their own way of loving books".

Apparently, "a woman likes to have her own books" and prefers "tiny editions fitted into tiny cases". There is a guide to which colours of books are suitable for ladies. We are warned to make sure that books for ladies are not difficult to open.

A dominant theme throughout the book is taste, which apparently conquers all:

Some day we shall have our eyes opened, and then see that a man may break the whole of the Ten Commandments at once, and yet he shall be saved if he be not vulgar, and it is both senseless and vulgar to copy old bindings on to modern books.

I enjoyed the glimpse into a world of books that seems quite far removed from our own - all the sections on caring for your leather books and so on (painting them with glue every year helps, apparently).

[Petras · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful glimpse to the book-lovers' world in XIXth century. Quaint and opinionated. But at the same time, still useful.

[Shiloah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was great. I got more book titles to read, a host of great book quotes, history of books and libraries, how to bind an old leather book, how to catalogue, purchase for, and set up a private library. Some of the material is not relative to today's library, but I learned much.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dated, but excellent resource for those who are building, designing, or arranging a personal/private library. Full of quotes of great book collectors and bibliophiles. Worth reading. Now what we need is a 21st Century update.