a
bibliophile as his father.

[Illustration: _Mr. Henry H. Gibbs, Book-collector._]

Without approaching either in size or interest to that of Mr. Huth, the
choice collection of books formed by Mr. Henry Hucks Gibbs, and lodged
at his town-house at St. Dunstan's, Regent's Park, is full of attraction
to the student of English literature. Early in the present century St.
Dunstan's was inhabited by the Lord Steyne of Thackeray's 'Vanity Fair,'
and it was here that the orgies took place which resulted in the
sensational trial of Nicholas Suisse, the confidant of Lord Hertford.
The library at St. Dunstan's is a lofty, well-lighted room of about 28
feet by 20 feet, and the bookcases are made of Thuya wood from
Australia, a wood which is exceedingly beautiful when polished. Mr.
Gibbs's first book of note was purchased at Bright's sale in 1845, and
was St. Augustine's 'De Arte Predicandi,' a volume of twenty-two leaves,
and of well-known interest to students of early typography. Of Bibles
there are over fifty examples, including Coverdale's, 1535, Matthew's,
1537, Cromwell's, 1539, a very large copy, and Cranmer's, 1540. The fine
series of Prayer-Books comprises forty-seven in English, from the time
of Edward VI. (1549) to that of Queen Victoria, whilst thirty-five
others are in foreign languages. There are nine Primers from the time of
Henry VIII. to Elizabeth; and there are no fewer than thirty-one
editions of the New Testament. Examples of some of the choicest known
Books of Hours and Missals are also in this collection, whilst among the
six editions of the 'Imitatio Christi' there is a sixteenth-century
manuscript on two hundred and forty-seven folios of paper, written by
Francis Montpoudie de Weert, for the use of Bruynix, Priest, Dean of
Christianity. Among the _incunabula_ there is a very large copy of the
'Chronicon Nurembergense,' 1495, and two Caxtons: first, the
'Polychronicon' of Ralph Higden, 1482; and, secondly, the 'Golden
Legend,' 1483, which latter was successively in the Towneley and the
Glendening collections. The other more notable articles include fine
copies of the four Folio Shakespeares, first editions of Milton's
'Comus,' 'Lycidas,' 'Eikonoklastes,' 'Paradise Lost,' and 'Paradise
Regained,' several Spensers, and very complete sets of the
privately-printed books edited by the Rev. A. B. Grosart,
Halliwell-Phillipps, H. Huth, E. Arber, and E. W. Ashbee. A very
interesting _catalogue raisonne_ of Mr. Gi