r en feuilles:
il en faisoit choisir, dans plusieurs exemplaires, un
parfait, et il le faisoit relier _en maroquin de choix_; le
Ministere de la Marine qu'il avoit rempli, lui ayant donne
toutes les facilites d'en etre abondamment et fidelement
pourvu dans toutes les Echelles du Levant. On collationnoit
ensuite pour verifier s' il n'y avoit ni transposition, ni
omission de feuilles ou de pages?!!' _Cat. M. Lamoignon_,
1791. pref. p. ij. iij. Berryer was slightly copied by
Caillard (of whom see p. 76, ante) in the luxury of
_book-binding_. 'M. Caillard avoit le soin _de faire
satiner_ presque tous livres qu'il faisoit relier, et
principalement les grands ouvrages; qu'il est difficile
d'avoir parfaitement relies sans ce precede.' _Cat. de
Caillard_; p. x. (avertisement.) But I know not whether
Caillard did not catch the phrensy from the elder Mirabeau.
In the catalogue of his books, p. II., we are thus told of
him:--'l'acquisition d'un _beau livre_ lui causoit des
transports de joie inexprimables: il l'examinoit, l'admiriot
[Transcriber's Note: l'admiroit]: il vouloit que chacun
partageat avec lui le meme enthousiasme.' His biographer
properly adds: 'De quelle surprise n'auroit-on pas ete, si
l'on eut su que c'etoit la le meme homme qui, du haut de la
tribune, faisoit trembler les despotes et les factieux!'
Ponder here, gentle reader, upon the effects of a
_beautiful_ book! Let no one, however, imagine that we
_grave Englishmen_ are averse or indifferent to 'le luxe de
la relieure'!! No: at this present moment, we have the best
bookbinders in Europe; nor do we want good authority for the
encouragement of this fascinating department relating to the
Bibliomania. Read here what Mr. Roscoe hath so eloquently
written in commendation of it: 'A taste for the exterior
decoration of books has lately arisen in this country, in
the gratification of which no small share of ingenuity has
been displayed; but if we are to judge of the present
predilection for learning by the degree of expense thus
incurred, we must consider it as greatly inferior to that of
the Romans during the times of the first Emperors, or of the
Italians at the 15th century. And yet it is, perhaps,
difficult to discover why a FAVOURITE BOOK should not be as
proper a