The Enemies of Books

Enemies of Books

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Title: Enemies of Books
Author: William Blades
Release Date: May, 1998 [EBook #1302] [This edition 11 was first
posted on September 22, 2003]
Edition: 11
Language: English

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THE
ENEMIES OF BOOKS
BY
WILLIAM BLADES

Revised and Enlarged by the Author SECOND EDITION
LONDON ELLIOT STOCK, 62 PATERNOSTER ROW
1888

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.
FIRE.
Libraries destroyed by Fire.--Alexandrian.--St. Paul's destruction of
MSS., Value of.--Christian books destroyed by Heathens.--Heathen
books destroyed by Christians.--Hebrew books burnt at
Cremona.--Arabic books at Grenada.--Monastic libraries.--Colton
library.--Birmingham riots.--Dr. Priestley's library.--Lord Mansfield's
books.--Cowper. --Strasbourg library bombarded.--Offor Collection

burnt.--Dutch Church library damaged.--Library of Corporation of
London.

CHAPTER II.
WATER.
Heer Hudde's library lost at sea.--Pinelli's library captured by
Corsairs.--MSS. destroyed by Mohammed II--Books damaged by
rain.--Woffenbuttel.--Vapour and Mould.--Brown stains.--Dr.
Dibdin.--Hot water pipes.--Asbestos fire.--Glass doors to bookcases.

CHAPTER III.
GAS AND HEAT.
Effects of Gas on leather.--Necessitates
re-binding.--Bookbinders.--Electric light.--British Museum.--Treatment
of books.--Legend of Friars and their books.

CHAPTER IV.
DUST AND NEGLECT.
Books should have gilt tops.--Old libraries were neglected.--Instance of
a College library.--Clothes brushed in it.--Abuses in French
libraries.--Derome's account of them.--Boccaccio's story of library at
the Convent of Mount Cassin.

CHAPTER V.

IGNORANCE AND BIGOTRY.
Destruction of Books at the Reformation.--Mazarin library.--Caxton
used to light the fire.--Library at French Protestant Church, St.
Martin's-le-Grand.--Books stolen.--Story of books from Thonock
Hall.--Boke of St. Albans.--Recollet Monks of
Antwerp.--Shakespearian "find."--Black-letter books used in
W.C.--Gesta Romanorum.--Lansdowne
collection.--Warburton.--Tradesman and rare book.--Parish
Register.--Story of Bigotry by M. Muller.--Clergymen destroy
books.--Patent Office sell books for waste.

CHAPTER VI.
THE BOOKWORM.
Doraston.--Not so destructive as of yore.--Worm won't eat
parchment.--Pierre Petit's poem.--Hooke's account and image.--Its
natural history neglected.--Various sorts--Attempts to breed
Bookworms.--Greek worm.--Havoc made by worms.--Bodleian and Dr.
Bandinel.--"Dermestes."--Worm won't eat modern paper.--America
comparatively free.--Worm-hole at Philadelphia.

CHAPTER VII.
OTHER VERMIN.
Black-beetle in American libraries.--germanica.--Bug Bible.--Lepisma.
--Codfish.--Skeletons of Rats in Abbey library, Westminster.--Niptus
hololeucos.--Tomicus Typographicus.--House flies injure books.

CHAPTER VIII.

BOOKBINDERS.
A good binding gives pleasure.--Deadly effects of the "plough" as used
by binders.--Not confined to bye-gone times.--Instances of injury.--De
Rome, a good binder but a great cropper.--Books "hacked."--Bad
lettering--Treasures in book-covers.--Books washed, sized, and
mended.--"Cases" often Preferable to re-binding.

CHAPTER IX.
COLLECTORS.
Bagford the biblioclast.--Illustrations torn from MSS.--Title-pages torn
from books.--Rubens, his engraved titles.--Colophons torn out of
books.--Lincoln Cathedral--Dr. Dibdin's
Nosegay.--Theurdanck.--Fragments of MSS.-Some libraries almost
useless.--Pepysian.--Teylerian.--Sir Thomas Phillipps.

CHAPTER X.
SERVANTS AND CHILDREN.
Library invaded for the purpose of dusting.--Spring clean.---Dust to be
got rid of.--Ways of doing so.--Carefulness praised.--Bad nature of
certain books--Metal clasps and rivets.--How to dust.--Children often
injure books.--Examples.--Story of boys in a country library.
POSTSCRIPTUM.
Anecdote of book-sale in Derbyshire.
CONCLUSION.
The care that should be taken of books.--Enjoyment derived from them.

ILLUSTRATIONS.
SERVANT USING A "CAXTON" TO LIGHT THE FIRE ---
Frontispiece,
PIRATES THROWING LIBRARY OVER-BOARD ---------- page 19
FRIARS AND THEIR ASS-LOAD -------------------- 35
BRUSHING CLOTHES IN A COLLEGE LIBRARY -------- 45
BOOKWORMS ------------------------------------ 73
RATS DESTROYING BOOKS ------------------------ 99
HOUSEHOLD FLY-DAMAGE ------------------------- 102
BOYS RAMPANT IN LIBRARY ---------------------- 141

THE ENEMIES OF BOOKS.

CHAPTER I.
FIRE.
THERE are many of the forces of Nature which tend to injure Books;
but among them all not one has been half so destructive as Fire. It
would be tedious to write out a bare list only of the numerous libraries
and bibliographical treasures which, in one way or another, have been
seized by the