1818 Dibdin was commissioned by
Earl Spencer to purchase books for him on the continent, an expedition
described in his sumptuous _Bibliographical, Antiquarian and Picturesque
Tour in France and Germany_ (1821). In 1824 he made an ambitious venture
in his _Library Companion, or the Young Man's Guide and Old Man's
Comfort in the Choice of a Library_, intended to point out the best
works in all departments of literature. His culture was not broad
enough, however, to render him competent for the task, and the work was
severely criticized. For some years Dibdin gave himself up chiefly to
religious literature. He returned to bibliography in his _Bibliophobia,
or Remarks on the Present Depression in the State of Literature and the
Book Trade_ (1832), and the same subject furnishes the main interest of
his _Reminiscences of a Literary Life_ (1836), and his _Bibliographical,
Antiquarian and Picturesque Tour in the Northern Counties of England and
Scotland_ (1838). Dibdin was the originator and vice-president, Lord
Spencer being the president, of the Roxburghe Club, founded in
1812,--the first of the numerous book clubs which have done such service
to literature.

DIBDIN, THOMAS JOHN (1771-1841), English dramatist and song-writer, son
of Charles Dibdin, the song-writer, and of Mrs Davenet, an actress whose
real name was Harriet Pitt, was born on the 21st of March 1771. He was
apprenticed to his maternal uncle, a London upholsterer, and later to
William Rawlins, afterwards sheriff of London. He summoned his second
master unsuccessfully for rough treatment; and after a few years of
service he ran away to join a company of country players. From 1789 to
1795 he played in all sorts of parts; he acted as scene painter at
Liverpool in 1791; and during this period he composed more than 1000
songs. He made his first attempt as a dramatic writer in _Something
New_, followed by _The Mad Guardian_ in 1795. He returned to London in
1795, having married two years before; and in the winter of 1798-1799
his _Jew and the Doctor_ was produced at Covent Garden. From this time
he contributed a very large number of comedies, operas, farces, &c., to
the public entertainment. Some of these brought immense popularity to
the writer and immense profits to the theatres. It is stated that the
pantomime of _Mother Goose_ (1807) produced more than L20,000 for the
management at Covent Garden theatre, and the _High-mettled Racer_,
adapted as a pantomime