ul knobs and metal bosses, mostly five in number, firmly
fixed on one of their sides. If the tendencies of such ruffians are not
curbed, they will do as much mischief to their gentle neighbours as when
a "collie" worries the sheep. These evil results may always be minimized
by placing a piece of millboard between the culprit and his victim. I
have seen lovely bindings sadly marked by such uncanny neighbours.

When your books are being "dusted," don't impute too much common sense
to your assistants; take their ignorance for granted, and tell them at
once never to lift any book by one of its covers; that treatment is sure
to strain the back, and ten to one the weight will be at the same time
miscalculated, and the volume will fall. Your female "help," too, dearly
loves a good tall pile to work at and, as a rule, her notions of the
centre of gravity are not accurate, leading often to a general
downfall, and the damage of many a corner. Again, if not supervised and
instructed, she is very apt to rub the dust into, instead of off, the
edges. Each volume should be held tightly, so as to prevent the leaves
from gaping, and then wiped from the back to the fore-edge. A soft brush
will be found useful if there is much dust. The whole exterior should
also be rubbed with a soft cloth, and then the covers should be opened
and the hinges of the binding examined; for mildew WILL assert itself
both inside and outside certain books, and that most pertinaciously. It
has unaccountable likes and dislikes. Some bindings seem positively to
invite damp, and mildew will attack these when no other books on the
same shelf show any signs of it. When discovered, carefully wipe it
away, and then let the book remain a few days standing open, in the
driest and airiest spot you can select. Great care should be taken not
to let grit, such as blows in at the open window from many a dusty road,
be upon your duster, or you will probably find fine scratches, like an
outline map of Europe, all over your smooth calf, by which your heart
and eye, as well as your book, will be wounded.

"Helps" are very apt to fill the shelves too tightly, so that to extract
a book you have to use force, often to the injury of the top-bands.
Beware of this mistake. It frequently occurs through not noticing that
one small book is purposely placed at each end of the shelf, beneath the
movable shelf-supports, thus not only saving space, but preventing the
injury which a book shel