William Blades
The Enemies of Books
Table of Contents
_Revised and Enlarged by the Author_
SECOND EDITION
LONDON
ELLIOT STOCK, 62 PATERNOSTER ROW
1888
- 1. 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. -- Iibrary of Corporation of London.]
- 2. Water [Heer Hudde's library lost at sea.-- Pinelli's library captured by Corsairs. -- MSS. destroyed by Afohammed 11 -- Books damaged by rain. -- Woffenbuttel. -- Vapour and Mould. -- Brown stains. -- Dr. Dibdin. -- Hot water .pipes. -- Asbestos fire. -- Glass doors to bookcases.]
- 3. 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.]
- 4. 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.]
- 5. 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.]
- 6. 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.]
- 7. 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.]
- 8. 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.]
- 9. 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.]
- 10. 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.]
